Bad Bordeaux

Well, tonight I fixed and ate what may be the best burger I've ever had. It was made with one pound of ground bison and one sweet Italian sausage, plus an egg, 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of dried thyme, and some ground pepper. We had them on buns with all the fixin's. We also had sweet potato slices with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. The wine was the $6 Bordeaux I mentioned a few days ago. It was pretty bad. It was a 2007 Mouton Cadet from Baron Phillippe de Rothschild. The color was pretty light for a Bordeaux. The nose was not memorable. The tannins were rough, and the wine seemed unbalanced. I hoped it would improve as it opened, but it didn't. Frankly, I've had better boxed wines. Would it improve with age? Maybe, but I doubt it. The tannins would probably soften, but with the fruit flavor so weak and the pale color, I don't really think it would improve. Rothschild is supposed to make some very good wines, this just isn't one of them. Even at $6, it's a pass.

2008 M. Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone

So last night was pork chops and peppers, and garlic mashed potatoes, and a green salad. It was all very good. The wine was a 2008 M. Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone available at both Ashes and Bob's for under $15 a bottle. Garnet in color with a nose of violets and black cherry. Nice balance of acid and tannins. The tannins soften as it opens and it develops a silky mouth feel. Very fruity with cherry, black raspberry, and a little chocolate on the finish. This is listed in the Robert Parker Best Wine Bargains. I really like it. Not a big red, more medium bodied, very good with food and also a nice wine to sip after dinner. One of my favorite "house reds".

2009 Don Manuel Villafane Torrontes

So, the plan was Torrontes with chicken roll ups made with boursin cheese and asparagus, and rice with veggies (sauteed onion, zucchini, and spinach). Also I wanted to try making some new appetizers that would go with the torrontes. The appetizers were made from sauteed red and yellow sweet peppers, onion, garlic, and chicken breast. I added a little mojo sauce for flavor. I put some of this mix on toasted chibbata (brushed with olive oil and toasted in a 400 degree oven), and some of it I put on rounds of puff pastry. I put a little mexican grated cheese on top and toasted them in the oven. It was very good with the torrontes, but was actually a little too sweet for the wine. So... when this one goes to the Winers club , I'll add a little mushroom to make it more savory. The torrontes was very good with the chicken roll-ups.

The torrontes was a new one for us $13 at Ashes (we usually drink Legado torrontes from Argentina, very tasty and about $9 a bottle at Ashes). This was Don Manuel Villafane 2009, also from Argentina. It had a very nice nose, very fruity (citrus and melon) with a honeysuckle scent. it had nice balance with good acidity, and a full silky mouth feel. The taste was similar to the nose, with melon and lime. Very nice, easy to drink. This is a good wine to sip on the patio, and should be good with mildly spicey dishes

I also made an appetizer from figs. You cut the figs in fourths and marinade them for at least 30 min in a balsamic vinagrette. Then they are arranged in the center of a dish, and surrounded with little slices of fresh mozzarella, and a little spinach for color. Sprinkle with a little lemon zest and a little bit of mint leaves, and ta-da! a very nice appetizer. It's pretty sweet though, so it might be difficult to match to a wine (terrible with the torrontes). We had a little of the sauternes from the other night. It was delicious with the figs!!

Bordeaux: 2007 Chateau Crox-Mouton

Date night!! Dinner was sauteed lamb chops, potato slices tossed with olive oil and seasoning and baked in the oven, and roasted vegetables with olives. The wine was another Bordeaux. Delicious! This wine was very nice with the strong, savory flavors of this meal. When first opened the wine smelled of blackberry and smoke with a little tar and a little of the mulch/forrest aroma I've tried to describe before. It tasted much like it smelled. The acidity and tannins were fairly soft. As the wine opened up over the next hour or so, it developed some cherry flavor, and the smokey/tar flavor mellowed a bit. The tannins were a little more apparent and it developed this wonderful silky mouth feel. Very nice lingering finish. Overall I really liked this wine and this pairing, but I think I prefer the L'estang we had the other night. It was a bit more complex than this wine. This wine would be better than the L'estang with something like barbeque. Both were very good. This wine was about $18 at Bob's, which was actually $3 or $4 more than the L'estang, so... Still, I think the take home message is that there are some good Bordeaux's at affordable prices out there, you just have to be willing to try a few. Both these wines are listed in Robert Parker's Wine Bargains book. Interestingly, he doesn't give numerical ratings to wines in this book, he just describes the wines. I guess if it's listed, that's recommendation enough. I also picked up a Cadet Mouton Bordeaux at bob's for $6!! I guess I'll have to get around to trying that before too long.

White Bordeaux with appetizers

I haven't mentioned this yet, but Al and myself are part of a little informal group that gets together once a month to try different wines. Each couple takes a turn at hosting, and every couple brings something to eat and a wine. Sometimes there's a theme, and lately it's been pairings. Each couple takes a wine and a food that pairs well with that wine. Well, that means every month I have to come up with a new food to take and a wine to go with it. So, this weekend is a four day weekend for myself and Al. My work schedule is a little unusual in that I work quite a few Saturdays, a Sunday a month, and then sometimes I get these long weekends. Anyway, since we didn't go out of town, I thought it would be the perfect weekend to try out some appetizer recipes. After all, the next wine group get together is next weekend. Plus, I'm working next Saturday, so I need something I can either do ahead or make quickly.

So, yesterday i made little appetizers out of cibatta from Fresh Market. I cut the bread into little pieces suitable for finger food, brushed them with olive oil, and toasted them in the oven broiler. Then I topped the toasted bread with roasted vegetables and some grated parmesan. It was actually quite tasty! We had saved back a little of the white bordeaux to try with this. It was pretty good. Not a wow pairing, but tasty. Maybe this wine would be even better with something a little less sweet. The roasted peppers and onions gave the appetizer quite a bit of sweetness.

White Bordeaux, 2007 Tour de Monestier

Friday night so fish for dinner? We had rainbow trout, which has recently been available at Fresh Market. This time I just sauteed it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. we also had some leftover barley with sweet peppers and roasted veggies. The wine was a French white bordeaux 2007 Tour de Montestier from Chateau Monestier La Tour. I'm not a big white wine person, but this was really good. The nose was fresh and hinted at a little sweetness. It smelled of cut grass, a little vegetal smell (maybe of green peas?), some pear and apricot and a little citrus. Tasting was not sweet, but dry with pleasant acidity and a strong minerality, especially on the finish. It had a very nice body, coating the mouth nicely. The taste was citric, light grapefruit, and a little green apple and the mineral, chalky flavor. Along with the chalkiness I also got a little bit of a walnut taste on the finish. Overall, a very well balanced and fairly complex wine. Very nice with the fish, but even better with the parmesan cheese which we nibbled on later. I think it would be a good choice with any creamy white sauce, especially one with sharp flavors. This wine was $12 at Bob's. It was rated 88 by Wine Spectator.

Lately I've been seeking out some dry whites with a little more character. I feel that so many of the white wines on the market now are similar in style. Many are somewhat sweet and very fruity. This makes a pleasant sipping wine, but not necessarily a good food wine. My goal is a winerack that contains something for almost any menu. Actually, this reminded me of the vino verde we had a week or so back, but his wine had much more body and could hold up to heavier sauces and foods.

I forgot to mention that white Bordeaux is typically a blend of sauvignon blanc, semillion, and muscadelle grapes. This explains the mix of flavors and smells i was picking up in this wine.

Pinot Noir

Not an exciting wine tonight. We had dinner after work at Silver Spoon. I had the sirloin and bleu salad and Al had the cobb salad. We both had the Mirrasou pinot noir. My advice? Don't bother. The wine would be very good for someone who's not a wine drinker. It's not at all offensive. In fact it's not at all much of anything. Not much nose. Invisible on the mid-palate. Grape and cherry on the attack. A weak finish. Am I being a little too harsh? Perhaps. Actually the review could be written differently: A delicate wine, reminiscent of beaujoulais noveau with a light but pleasant nose. There was strawberry, a light touch of floral and earthy aromas. The flavor was similar: strawberry, floral, and earthliness. There was delicate acidity with light tannins. A very easy drinking wine. Actually, it was a nice entry wine. It's all about perspective. You might keep that in mind when you're reading those tasting notes that are posted in liquor stores. Personally, I don't care for beaujoulais. They are too light, thin, no body. But to someone who likes them they are delicate and light with subtle flavors and light tannins. So, sample around and get to know your own taste, your own palate.