Showing posts with label big red wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big red wine. Show all posts

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day Wine

My Mom loves big rich complex tasting red wines.

Sounds like Chateauneuf du Pape.

I love Chateauneuf du Pape with a steak on the grill. The 2007 CdP from Vieux Lazaret is delicious at $34.99 a bottle. It also comes in half bottles at $19.99. A blend of up to 13 different varieties of grapes from the Rhone Valley of France gives complexity to the wine. The most common varieties used are Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Grenache. Spice, smoke, earth and fruit make a nice combo in any wine. The 2007 vintage is fabulous throughout the Rhone. This is exceptional quality for the dough. In addition, the wine will age well for 5-10 years with proper storage. It's good to open this wine at least a half hour before serving. Pour it into a decanter if you like, it only will help.

My little birdies are telling me the 2009 will be spectacular, I can't wait.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

April 21

A common request in the store is for a wine that is not too expensive now but will be fabulous in a couple of years or more. Not too expensive is a relative term in the wine trade, but rarely can I find a wine under $20 a bottle that will dramatically improve with a few years of time. $30 a bottle is a good place to start and picking a region or grape variety not well known gives the best bang for the buck.

The Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Cuvee Floureto 2007 at $29.99 a bottle is HUGE bang for the buck. When I tasted it, I tried to buy ten cases, but they would only let me have 4, an unusual number. This is a Rhone Valley wine from the town of Vacqueras. Most Vacqueras are $10-20 a bottle, but this is not most Vacqueras. If rob the cradle and taste it now, you will love-hate it, or hate-love it. When the bottle is first opened, it tastes like a California fruit bomb with gobs of lush ripe fruit flavors. Sometime later, between a half hour to a full hour, the wine closes all the fruit down and you are left with tannic, barnyard and peppery flavors. Over time these two separate sensations will meld into one terrific wine. My guess right now is to wait until 2015 for a wine extravaganza. I would serve it on a cold winter's night with a leg of lamb or roast of beef.
Venison would be awesome too.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Spanish Monster

The grape is Monastrell, in France the same grape is Mourvedre. In the hands of Juan Gil of Jumilla in Spain it is a monster red wine. Spend $19.99 on a bottle of a big juicy rich red wine that is equally at home with a steak on the grill, roast of lamb or a big hunk of sharp cheese like a Manchego from Spain. You will get more than your money's worth. The wine is so big of flavor you might not finish it the first night, don't worry, the wine holds up well for finishing with leftovers on the second night. Fruity, rich and a nice smokiness to the wine is probably at its best with the hunk of meat off the grill, but it is complex and enjoyable to sip on its own. Just dont forget to share.