A Special Bottle

Louise has had Thanksgiving on the brain for a while now, and so yesterday, for no good reason, she roasted a whole turkey, and made mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.  It was yummy.  She asked for a bottle of red wine, and in my continuing efforts to clear out bottles that are over-aged, I opened a special bottle for which no special occasion had justified its opening.  So, Thanksgiving in October?  What the hell...

Back in 2003, we were lucky enough to be included in our friends' small wedding at the Michel-Schlumberger winery in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma County.  It was a beautiful and intimate event, and, in addition to the wine we drank that night, we were gifted a bottle of 1999 Syrah.  With these fond memories (and I'm not even going to mention the wedding reception later that year in Las Vegas.  What happens in Vegas...), I opened it up.  It was very tasty with bright ripe fruit flavors (cherries and strawberries in particular), that went very nicely with dinner.  While it was a bit fruitier than I normally prefer, the memories made it spectacular!  Thanks, Mark and Pinata!

Wolf Blass Yellow Label

I've been trying recently to clean out my collection of bottles that were becoming aged (read: old).  Many of these were never meant to sit for quite so long, so their time has come. 

Long ago, when we lived in Michigan, my wife and I chanced upon a bottle of Wolf Blass Yellow Label Shiraz/Cabernet.  We enjoyed it so much that we bought a few bottles.  I've had the last two sitting around for several years now, and the other night, when she told me steak (my favorite wine food) was on the menu, I decided to pull out one of those bottles (a 2002).  It was slightly peppery, but, more than anything, the feeling I got was "mellow."  All the flavors blended beautifully and I enjoyed it all night. 

The most recent vintage that I found reviewed, the 2005, scores an 85 from wine enthusiast with these notes: "This 60-40 blend features gentle aromas of vanilla and cassis in a medium-bodied, creamy-smooth format. It’s not powerful or complex, but offers pure cassis and vanilla flavors tinged with chocolate on the finish. Good value. "  I agree!

A long time coming...

Its been a long time coming, this blog post.  I've really neglected my duties.  Nonetheless...

I enjoyed two nice wines this weekend, and came home from Binghamton with a case! 

First things first...last night Louise roasted a nice Turkey breast - simple, simple, simple, but great.  In a non-traditional matching, I chose a carbernet-based blend that is my oldest bottle of wine.  It was a 1998 Estancia Meritage.  I first had this wine way back in about 2002 at Louise's boss's Christmas Party.  It was one of the first really good red wines I had ever had, and I fell in love.  At $35 it was out of my price range (that's still about the most I'll spend on a bottle).  Anyway, Louise bought me one bottle as a gift and we've hung onto it ever since.  Now, I knew it was beginning to get "old" and had not always been properly stored (an understatement) so I wasn't expecting much.  On top of that, the cork broke and I had to push it into the bottle.  So, I had to pour the wine through a sieve into a 4 cup measuring cup to "decant" it (anyone looking for gift ideas for me should start and end with a Decanter!).  I have to say that, despite all of this it was excellent.  It was a deep dark red with a luscious feel.  Strong dark berry flavors, but very rich.  A lovely bottle that lived up to my memories. 

Tonight, with Maple-Glazed Salmon, I opened up a budget Pinot Noir from Bogle.  Cheaper Pinot Noirs can often be just plain bad, but this was nice.  Light in color, it had strong fruit flavors - most cherries.  It was light and yummy and just what I needed.  Wine Enthusiast says "not bad for the price," and I agree. 

Now, back to grading....sigh.....

Wine on the Road

Since Saturday I've been travelling - from Potsdam to Schnecksville, PA and then on to Atlantic City.  Along the way I've had a few wines, most of which were excellent!

Upon my arrival at my parents' house, my dad opened up a 2001 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese.  We have a thing for Riesling in my family, and, as I've discussed before, 2001 was a special year in the Mosel.  This Auslese was a very good example of the type.  It was fruity but fairly dry (very dry as Ausleses go) with flavors of peaches and apricots.  A nice wine to drink with some cheese as an appetizer. 

We then went out to dinner to the Bake Oven Inn in Germansville, PA.  I had some chilled Potato Leek Soup (I, apparently, don't like chilled soups - it seemed like I would've liked it warm!) and then some crab cakes.  We shared a bottle of a spanish white wine the name of which we can't remember!  I also had some hard Pear Cider with dessert.  Now, Pear Cider is a treat that I've had in Sweden several times (this is one example), but this American Version, Fox Barrel, didn't live up to my memories.  

While in Atlantic City, at the Northeastern Ag. and Resource Economics Conference, there was a wine tasting.  I got to taste 4 $25 bottles of Bordeaux and 1 $100 bottle of Bordeaux, blind.  The idea was to see if we could match the wines we tasted to their descriptions from leading wine publications.  I have to say that I couldn't distinguish the $25 bottles from each other.  However, I am proud that I did pick out the $100 bottle from the rest.  It was 2000 Calon Segur.  It was bursting with different flavors, and stood out for its complexity and depth of flavors.  A wonderful wine. 

Finally, tonight, back at my parents' house, we had a perfectly cooked Flank Steak with a garlic/lemon spice rub.  To pair with it, my dad opened a prized bottle (bought at nearly a 66% discount at the local PA State Store compared to the winery price, my dad is proud to say!).  It was a 1999 Hanna Bismark Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley Proprietor Grown, and it was spectacular.  Heard around the table were blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and tobacco.  It was rich in flavor and complemented the steak perfectly.  We fought over the last drops. 

Now, I have to finish this post so my dad and I can open up a bottle of port.  You'll hear about that later...

Recent Good Wines

So I've been slacking in my blogging responsibilities.  But this week, Louise and I had three wines worth talking about. 

Earlier in the week, after returning from a camping trip, Louise fried up some beautiful Dover Sole (for sentimental reasons, my very favorite fish....that's another story).  I paired a Raats Family 2008 Original Chenin Blanc from South Africa.  It was crisp and tasted of pears and green apples.  A very light, refreshing wine to pair with a light-flavored fish like Sole, and reasonably priced (~$15)

Then, on Tuesday, it was our Anniversary (#8).  To celebrate, and to help us keep up with our diets, Louise cooked a "light" version of Linguini Carbonara.  I wasn't sure what to pair with this, but ended up going with a sparkling wine from the Vouvray region of France.  When I first started drinking wine in Graduate School, I somehow happened upon Vouvray's wines (made predominantly from Chenin Blanc) and enjoyed them - always a little bit different.  Then I heard of sparkling Vouvray's and just had to try one!  I had one by Champalou several years ago that was enjoyable.  This time I pulled out a 2002 Domaine Huet Brut Vouvray Petillant.  It was a golden color with relatively few bubbles, and offered richer and darker flavors than its non-sparkling cousin.  It went perfectly with the Carbonara.  For another review of this wine, see McDuff's Food and Wine Trail. 

Finally, last night Louise roasted a turkey breast and served it with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Pie.  Traditionally, many people would stick with white wine to pair with Turkey, but I've always preferred a light red wine.  So, Beaujolais came to mind (which many people do serve with Turkey at Thanksgiving).  I chose a Georges Duboeuf 2007 Cru du Beaujolais Morgon.  Louise and I both agreed that it was WONDERFUL.  Bright fruit flavors (especially cherries) dominated, but some mild pepper and spice flavors came through on the finish.  At about $12 a bottle, a great value.

More Wine with Friends

Last night we had some more wine lovers over for dinner (Tandoori Chicken Kabobs, broiled in the oven thanks to some very unfortunate thunderstorm timing) and drank a lot of wine.  Since I knew they would appreciate it, I opened up one of my prize bottles - a 2001 Dr. F. Weins-Prum Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese from the Mosel.  2001 was a great year in the Mosel with many fine, fine wines made that year.  This Auslese was excellent, and not overly sweet (which I ofter worry about with Auslese).  It tasted of pears and vanilla and was a great, light way to start the evening (and went pretty well with Croghan Bologna, a North Country treat!). 

Afterwards, as we got ready for dinner, we opened up a 2006 Fetish Wines - Playmates from Australia (you may remember the label I posted after buying this bottle back in January).  This was a great case study for giving red wine time to open up.  When I first tasted it I thought it might even have been spoiled, but after 10 minutes it turned into a deep dark wine typical of its type (GSM).  Then we finished off the evening with a 2008 Mollydooker - The Boxer (Shiraz) also from Australia.  This was a wonderful bottle tasting of chocolate and dark berries brought by our guests, the Sauers.  In the past, they have shared another wine from this maker, Two Left Feet, which is similarly yummy.  Thanks, Steve!

A Gift

One of the great things about hosting a dinner party is the fact that people often bring gifts of wine!  Last night, with a sirloin steak, I opened up a great recent gift, a bottle of 2008 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel.  I never know what to expect with a Zinfandel - the grape can take on so many different flavors/styles in wine.  This one was a deep purple color with cherry and chocolate notes, and just a tiny bit of spice.  Again, Louise's reaction was "Yum."  So, thanks Frascatores!

It Feels Like Summer

Tonight we kicked off Grilling season with a new recipe of Thai-style Chicken Breasts with Sweet/Sour Dipping Sauce (prepared by young chef Little Martin).  It was really spectacular.  Along with it we opened up a 2006 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (see, Steve, I take my own advice!) from Staete Land.  We tasted apricots, peaches, and green apples, and the flavors balanced nicely with the spice of the chicken.  A great combo! 

In other wine news, I've reserved my first WS-rated 100 bottle (Thanks for the heads up, Dad)!  I'm getting (from the PA State Store system) a 2007 Vintage Port from Dow's.  It is, ignoring vintage, one of the 1001 wines around which this blog is supposedly based, so I can't wait to try it, although WS says to wait until 2022-2050!!!  I wonder if this blog will last that long....  Incidentally, the vintages in the 1001 Wines book are the 1908 and the 1997, but WS declares the 2007 the "best Dow's ever" so I'll take it.  And at $73 - its almost a steal. 

Party At Our House!

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UPDATE: A clarification from my father about the Cloudberry liqueur in our house...

"I’ve never had the cloudberry liqueur in the freezer; it’s always been in the refrigerator. You may not remember the reason I had done this, but you are now learning the reason: It just tastes so good! Fortunately for me, I was the only one in the family who appreciated it and drank it all myself. By the way, you and no one else was aware that during the time you were growing up, although there was only one bottle in the refrigerator at any time, there was more than one bottle!"
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Tonight we had a great party at our house!  Thanks, guests (you know who you are)!  We went through five bottles of wine, half a bottle of Campari, and half a bottle of Cloudberry Liquer (Lakka in Finnish).  Louise, as usual, was on the top of her game with Ziti, Chicken Parm, Chocolate Pie, and Lemon Sorbet, and the guests contributed fruit salad, chocolate-covered strawberries, and fun-fetti cookies!  I know that I, at least, ate, and drank, way too much. 

Anyway, more on the wines (and liqueur).  I didn't get to try the white wines, so I can't really comment on them (its not fair to say how the pinot grigio, a 2008 Zenato della Venezie, contributed to my Campari cocktail).  The Chardonnay was a Guenoc from Lake County I've been wanting to try, but, oh well. 

The reds were all Italian, to go with the Ziti/Chicken Parm.  We started with a 2007 Banfi Centine Rosso which is a blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Merlot.  It was a simple, but tasty wine, and a great value.  Then we moved on to my house Tuscan, the 2006 Monte Antico Rosso that I've mentioned before.  Really a wonderful little wine to pair with Italian food.  (Notice that I'm not going into great detail.  Like I said, I had a fair amount to drink....)  Finally, we finished up with a 2005 Santa Martina Toscana which was a dryer, but wonderful way to finish the evening of red wine (it went great with the Chocolate Pie). 

Now, the cap on the evening was the Cloudberry Liqueur.  Cloudberries are a high altitude berry native (at least to my knowledge) to Scandinavia.  Once, when in Trondheim, Norway, I had a wonderful Cloudberry parfait at the house of a host family (the parents of one of my former students) - they had picked the berries themselves near their Stugga in the mountains of Norway.  My dad also, for some reason I can't remember, always had an old bottle of Cloudberry Liqueur stashed away in his freezer.  Anyway, the last time I was in Sweden I came back with a couple of bottles of Lakka made by Lapponia in Finland (as well as some Linie Aquavit, which is another story).  Tonight I chilled it and then pulled it out as a "digestif."  It was WONDERFUL.  Around the table I heard talk of walnuts, vanilla, brown sugar, and most everyone seemed to enjoy it.  It was a great way to end the meal, and I snuck myself a second small glass.  Some "dessert" liqueurs can be overly sweet and unenjoyable, but this had just the right balance of sugar and alcohol.  I will drink this again, and buy more the next time I am in Sweden....hmmm...I am, nominally, Clarkson's liason to the business school at Jonkoping University....I'll have to make some arrangements! 
 

Wines of this Week

I haven't been nearly as consistent at this as I had hoped, but this week we had three wonderful wines.  It was also a good week for eating - steak, not once, but twice; Louise's wonderful Lasagna; and some great oven baked chicken with a "gravy" with Thyme, garlic, and onions.

With the steak and Lasagna we had a deep purple 2008 D'Arenberg Stump Jump Shiraz.  It tasted of dark berries and, as Louise said, "yumminess."  At $9.99 it was also a true value!

With the oven-baked chicken I struggled over what to drink.  In searching I noticed just how one-dimensional my red wine collection had become.  Almost all of my reds are now Rhone varietals (Syrah/Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah) or Bordeaux/Cabernet.  I have NO Pinot Noirs!  I'll have to rectify that this week.  So, I went to my wine collection and picked out what I thought would be a "throwaway" Chardonnay from Bogle.  Boy, was I wrong.  It was a wonderful value wine with vanilla, pear, and oak notes.  Louise and I both really enjoyed it, and, thankfully, I know I can get it in town!

Finally, tonight with our second steak night of the week, I served a wine that I've been holding on to for years - a 2000 Gary Farrell Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley.  Back in 2004, Louise and I traveled to Sonoma for our friends' wedding (Thanks, Mark and Pinata!).  While there, ALL the tour books were saying that we just HAD to try Gary Farrell, but tours and tastings were by appointment only.  So, we forewent a trip to Gary Farrell, but I made a mental note.   A couple of years later I picked up this bottle of Zinfandel and decided tonight to open it.  It was excellent, with (I know this sounds strange, but maybe its just my lack of a palate) apple, chocolate and caramel flavors.  It was truly wonderful, if a little on the strong side (alcohol-wise).  Worth the wait - just wish I could get more (and that it was cheaper).  Hopefully not another month until my next post!

An early Easter Dinner

Many of you (if "you", that is, readers, exist) are familiar with the difficulty of feeding children.  In our house, our kids are big fans of processed meats - ham, sausage, any meat product involving preservatives, basically.  Truth is, I don't mind those things either!  Anyway, tonight Louise made a house favorite - a big ol' ham with her famous Pineapple Caserole.  To go with it, I chose a gift from my Dad, a 2008 Wolfgang Gru-Vee Gruner Veltliner from Austria. It was a nice simple wine with hints of lemon, grass, and, strangely, strawberries.  We enjoyed it and would drink it again.  I think, however, that the more traditional ham pairing with a good German Riesling is generally more successful.

Its nice to be back drinking new wines again - we're finally home and all healthy!

2004 D'Arenberg "Laughing Magpie"

Sorry for the long delay in writing another post - the whole family has been sick and, well, we haven't been drinking much wine since I, at least, wouldn't have been able to taste it anyway.  Finally, my wife and I were both feeling better, just in time for Valentine's Day, so we put the kids to bed and she cooked up a couple of Delmonico's and some baked potatoes - about my favorite meal in the world.  I picked out a special bottle I've had around for a while, and boy, was it worth the wait.

It was the title wine a 2004 D'Arenberg "Laughing Magpie" from McLaren Vale in Australia, a blend of Shiraz (~95% in 2004) and Viognier.  I tasted cherries and maybe plums, with a slight touch of pepper, and a rich, luscious, slightly chocolatey finish.  It was a dark, deep, and wonderful wine. 

Louise Strikes Again

So, Louise (my wife) has really earned her cooking stripes.  Nearly every night she makes a great dinner for us.  Last night it was Tilapia braised with tomatoes and basil (the boys didn't care for it, but we sure enjoyed it, with the rest of our Centine Bianco).  Tonight it was homemade Chicken Tikka Masala.  With no Indian restaurants near Potsdam, what a treat!  I've had bad luck matching wine with Indian food.  The books usually say to go with something spicy, like Gewurztraminer, to stand up to the flavors - most red wines just get washed out by the Indian spices.  Tonight I thought I'd try a Grenache, thinking the peppery flavors typical of the variety might go nicely - I was surprised in two ways.  First, the Tikka Masala was toned down a little (still plenty of wonderful flavors, just not so much spice) for the sake of our young boys.  Second, the Grenache I chose (Las Rocas 2007) was totally missing those typical peppery notes.  Instead it was a strong and somewhat fruity wine - relatively rich, with nice cherry flavors.  All in all, it went very nicely with the Tikka Masala, and is another great value.  Time to get some more! 

Our tastebuds work!

Tonight we tried the Banfi Centine Bianco 2008 that I bought the other day.  Louise said it tasted of Pear, I said it tasted of Apricot, and the label said it should taste of Pears and Apricots!!  That's pretty good, especially for us!  Overall, a very dry, not especially complex white, but a nice everyday sort of wine.  We had it with a mixed green salad with roasted pork tenderloin, grilled pineapple, and a lime-pineapple dressing.  Have I mentioned what a great cook my wife is?  Great, light, dinner. 

A nightcap

Well, this blog is nominally about wine, but I've talked about beer as well, so I may as well go for the alcohol trifecta, and talk about my other alcoholic love - Whiskey!  By blood I have a preference for Bourbon, although I've recently taken to Irish Whiskey as well (Bushmills or, even better, Tullamore Dew).  Tonight I finished off the night with a Bourbon though, and one of my favorites - Eagle Rare 10 year old Single Barrel.  Nothing better to finish the week.

A Trip to the Wine Store...for some everyday (cheap) wines

Went to T&R again today, and bought a case of everyday wines.  Louise and I have been drinking more wine recently, and I found that I was getting reluctant to pull out bottles, so I picked up some wines we can drink everyday without feeling guilty.  So:

Monte Antico Rosso 2006 (WS 90) - This is a wine I've been buying for years.  It is a nice solid Tuscan wine with the right price tag (about $11).  Very dry with just a hint of smoke and herbs.  Tonight we tried it after finishing a bottle of Goats do Roam that we had opened the other night. What a difference!  Both are wonderful, but it is always satisfying to taste the difference between different styles of reds.  The Goats do Roam is based on Shiraz and, as the name implies is styled as a Cotes du Rhone.  The Monte Antico is primarily Sangiovese, and has the characteristic lighter color, and herbal notes. 

Bogle Petite Sirah 2007 - I've talked about this one before - our house red!

Bogle Phantom 2006 - I happened on to this wonderful blend a few years ago and was afraid I'd never find it again.  Thankfully, I've found it!  I'm saving this for a rainy day!  Not as much as a bargain as the others, but a great bottle (or 2) of wine!

Banfi Centine Bianco 2008 - Bought this on a whim and based on the review above the bottle.  Looks like a nice white wine to have around, and, again, at a great price!

Tasting reports to follow as we drink these!

Duvel....BEER!

We were having meatloaf tonight, and that's not a dish that really screams for wine.  So, instead, we shared a 750 ml bottle of Duvel.  It is SOOOO nice, and one of the few beers my wife will enjoy.  One doesn't need to drink wine every night after all!

Regrets about one of 1001 wines

Paging through the book on New Year's Day, I discovered another one of the 1001 wines that I have had.  In my first year in graduate school at the University of Michigan a colleague came back from California with a bottle of Au Bon Climat Pinor Noir.  This was when I was first getting into wine, and, unfortunately, I did not yet appreciate what he had given me.  While I enjoyed it, and remember the bottle, I can't say that I can speak beyond that to the wine itself.  So another one I've had, but also one I need to have again.

Bogle

I've always been a big fan of Bogle Wines.  In particular, they introduced me to Petite Sirah, which is a grape variety that produces very dark, juicy red wines.  Bogle's version, the 2007 Petite Sirah, is a great value, often on Wine Spectators Best Values list.  I always keep several bottles of this wine in my cellar to drink at any time as my house red wine.  It may also be worth noting that it was the favorite wine at my school's recent blind tasting party (the big loser, not to be mean, was Chocolate Lab from the Pleasant Valley Wine Company). 

Bogle makes a lot of wines, including another terrific one, Phantom, a blend of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Mourvedre.  I try and keep this on hand as well, although I've had trouble finding it recently.  I also enjoy their old vines Zinfandel.

New Year's Lucky Dinner

To ensure our continued good luck for 2010, my wife prepared a pork roast for dinner on New Year's Day.  It was a great roast stuffed and glazed with an Apple-Dried Cherry-Riesling Relish.  To complement it, I chose, of course, a German Riesling.  In particular, a 2002 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett.  It was a light golden yellow, and had a wonderful crispness on the tongue.  It then opened up with wonderful fruit flavors, in particular, golden apples.  It is a fine example of a great German Riesling.