Sunday, August 8, 2010
Cal Cab
Bang for the buck is always good. The Alexander Valley Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is yummy bang for the buck at $19.99. It has all the characteristics most people look for in a high quality Cab. Nice, rich dark fruit, with some tasty spice notes and a smooth mouthfeel, what's not to love. Delicious as a summer barbque red, this will enhance the thickest of steaks, the coolest of cole slaws and the mountain of potato salads served all summer long. And it's only $19.99. Don't feel like a full bottle? It is also available in half bottles for $10.99 a bottle, along with its brother and sister a Merlot and a Chardonnay in the halves too.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Triples
Tried three wines the other night and they were all fabulous and different.
The Muga Rioja 2005 Especial was awesome. A red wine that was slow to open up, but after and hour or two of air time, it was elegant and smooth and rich and fruity and smokey, but not as smokey as the last wine. As nice as it was, it needs more years in the bottle to develop more complexity of flavors. It was the best with the smoked pork ribs. Retail is about 50.
The Selvanova Aglianico from southern Italy was the steal of the night at $19.99 a bottle. This wine has a little cult following at the store, but I admit, I hadn't tasted it in a long time. Don't worry, I bought everything the wholesaler had left in Massachusetts. Worry, he only had 3 cases left and one of the gentlemen who tasted the wine with me the other night, took one of them. Aglianico is the best red grape in southern Italy. It yields a wine that has southern Italian fruit to compliment a red sauce dish, yet enough spice and structure to stand up to northern Italian cuisine. It was delicious with no breathing time at all, and held its flavors thru the night.
I repeat, a steal, but not much left.
Finally, Vacqueras is a town in the Rhone Valley of France the until a change in the wine laws could only be labeled as Cotes du Rhone Villages. This 2007 vintage Vacqueras at $29.99 is expensive for any red wine from this town, but this one is more than worth it. Unfortunately, this was a cradle robbing event. Although the wine was delicious, you know it is only gonna get better the longer you can wait and leave it alone in the cellar. How long? It was so good, I will re-evaluate it this holiday season, but I have lots. A couple of years should metamorphasize this wine from wonderful to SPECTACULAR! Wafts of dried red fruit without sweetness in combination with so much basalm notes I thought I was lumberjacking in Maine. This is the wine that answers the oft asked queston "Bob, I wanna buy a wine that is gonna taste like a hundred bucks in a few years but I dont want to spend that much, what do you have?" This is it! I just loved sipping this the entire evening, food was secondary. Wine is tooooo good.
The Muga Rioja 2005 Especial was awesome. A red wine that was slow to open up, but after and hour or two of air time, it was elegant and smooth and rich and fruity and smokey, but not as smokey as the last wine. As nice as it was, it needs more years in the bottle to develop more complexity of flavors. It was the best with the smoked pork ribs. Retail is about 50.
The Selvanova Aglianico from southern Italy was the steal of the night at $19.99 a bottle. This wine has a little cult following at the store, but I admit, I hadn't tasted it in a long time. Don't worry, I bought everything the wholesaler had left in Massachusetts. Worry, he only had 3 cases left and one of the gentlemen who tasted the wine with me the other night, took one of them. Aglianico is the best red grape in southern Italy. It yields a wine that has southern Italian fruit to compliment a red sauce dish, yet enough spice and structure to stand up to northern Italian cuisine. It was delicious with no breathing time at all, and held its flavors thru the night.
I repeat, a steal, but not much left.
Finally, Vacqueras is a town in the Rhone Valley of France the until a change in the wine laws could only be labeled as Cotes du Rhone Villages. This 2007 vintage Vacqueras at $29.99 is expensive for any red wine from this town, but this one is more than worth it. Unfortunately, this was a cradle robbing event. Although the wine was delicious, you know it is only gonna get better the longer you can wait and leave it alone in the cellar. How long? It was so good, I will re-evaluate it this holiday season, but I have lots. A couple of years should metamorphasize this wine from wonderful to SPECTACULAR! Wafts of dried red fruit without sweetness in combination with so much basalm notes I thought I was lumberjacking in Maine. This is the wine that answers the oft asked queston "Bob, I wanna buy a wine that is gonna taste like a hundred bucks in a few years but I dont want to spend that much, what do you have?" This is it! I just loved sipping this the entire evening, food was secondary. Wine is tooooo good.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Classic Chianti
Villa Rosa Chianti Classico 2007 for $19.99 is textbook delicious. You will not mistake this wine for anything but a Chianti. Good rich sour cherry flavors, in a smooth textured wine offset by just enough tannins to handle a porterhouse on the grill perfectly. If you don't feel like steak, remove the backbone from a Cornish game hen, marinate the rest of the bird in Italian dressing for an hour and grill. Serve rosemary scented white beans with plenty of high quality EVOO on the side. This is not a big estate in Tuscany and I hope I bought enough to make it thru the holidays.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
It's a triple!
Sanguineto is a tiny, but spectacular winery in the sleepy town of Montepulciano in Tuscany. Do not confuse it with the grape Montepulciano, none is grown in this town, and do not confuse it with the more famous town of Montalcino, also in Tuscany. Don't worry, this is the single most confusing thing in Italian red wine, everyone gets it wrong.
Sanguineto is run by two women sharing a singular passion to make great wine in tiny amounts and keep the price reasonable. Just arrived at the store are the Rosso di Montepulciano 2008, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2007 and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2003. Prices are $19.99, 34.99 and $49.99 respectively.
The main variety of grape for these yummy steak enhancing reds is Prugnolo Gentile, a strain of Sangiovese. Treat them like a Chianti and you will do fine. Open a half hour before serving with beef or lamb or game. One of the owners is a huntress. So I really know this goes with game, especially boar. The wine is not boring, wonderful complexity with a hint of sour cherry make for a classic Tuscan, just like white beans.
Sanguineto is run by two women sharing a singular passion to make great wine in tiny amounts and keep the price reasonable. Just arrived at the store are the Rosso di Montepulciano 2008, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2007 and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2003. Prices are $19.99, 34.99 and $49.99 respectively.
The main variety of grape for these yummy steak enhancing reds is Prugnolo Gentile, a strain of Sangiovese. Treat them like a Chianti and you will do fine. Open a half hour before serving with beef or lamb or game. One of the owners is a huntress. So I really know this goes with game, especially boar. The wine is not boring, wonderful complexity with a hint of sour cherry make for a classic Tuscan, just like white beans.
It's over!
July 28th is the climatalogical hottest day of the year. It starts getting cooler for the next six months. Historically August is the month of vacation in France. Therefore now is the time to blog about the summer sidewalk cafe' wine of Paris.
Muscadet is the wine of summer in Paris. It should be inexpensive, light, fresh, dry, fruity and minerally. I like good Muscadet....I am persnickety about it though.
For the first time in about 10 years I have bought a Muscadet. For $11.99 you can get great Muscadet. Michel Delhommeau 2009 Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Sur Lie, St. Vincent pleases persnickety people. Go grab your favorite ice bucket, plop a bottle in the bucket, fill the bucket with ice, go shuck some oysters and set up your own backyard Parisian cafe. Put some scratchy Edith Piaf records on the turntable and lament the DeGaulle years.
Oh, if you can't find my Muscadet, it's important to find as much similar info on the label as I have previously printed. Muscadet is the grape, Sevre et Maine is the best region, and Sur Lie means the wine was aged on the lees, sediment, for months, to give it extra flavor. St. Vincent in this case will be hard to find. I believe it is the vineyard site, but I am not sure. Yes, 2009 is the most important info on the label.
Muscadet is the wine of summer in Paris. It should be inexpensive, light, fresh, dry, fruity and minerally. I like good Muscadet....I am persnickety about it though.
For the first time in about 10 years I have bought a Muscadet. For $11.99 you can get great Muscadet. Michel Delhommeau 2009 Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Sur Lie, St. Vincent pleases persnickety people. Go grab your favorite ice bucket, plop a bottle in the bucket, fill the bucket with ice, go shuck some oysters and set up your own backyard Parisian cafe. Put some scratchy Edith Piaf records on the turntable and lament the DeGaulle years.
Oh, if you can't find my Muscadet, it's important to find as much similar info on the label as I have previously printed. Muscadet is the grape, Sevre et Maine is the best region, and Sur Lie means the wine was aged on the lees, sediment, for months, to give it extra flavor. St. Vincent in this case will be hard to find. I believe it is the vineyard site, but I am not sure. Yes, 2009 is the most important info on the label.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wine World Cup
It's Spain vs. Netherlands, but there is no wine from the Dutch, well I have never tasted one, but the Dutch did establish winemaking in South Africa, the home country for the World Cup so with all due respect to an ice-cold Heineken, I pick some wines.
If Spain wins, it's time to crack open a bottle of Artadi's top Rioja made from Tempranillo grape. It tastes like LaTache from France and it's only, gulp, $300 a bottle. No, not the most expensive wine from Spain, but I think it is the best. I will serve it with pan seared steak with sauteed wild mushrooms and a herb infused risotto. I only get one 6-pack of this wine and only in great years.
For a Netherlands victory, I will cross sports and serve Ernie Els top wine. Also not the most expensive wine from its country at $90 a bottle, this wine tastes like a cross-breed between top of the line Bordeaux and a California Meritage. The vegetables remain the same but I would serve grilled lamb chops, the meatier kidney ones not the rib chops. I have two six-packs of this wine.
Don't tell my brother about my plans, he would not be happy with me drinking all the profits.
If Spain wins, it's time to crack open a bottle of Artadi's top Rioja made from Tempranillo grape. It tastes like LaTache from France and it's only, gulp, $300 a bottle. No, not the most expensive wine from Spain, but I think it is the best. I will serve it with pan seared steak with sauteed wild mushrooms and a herb infused risotto. I only get one 6-pack of this wine and only in great years.
For a Netherlands victory, I will cross sports and serve Ernie Els top wine. Also not the most expensive wine from its country at $90 a bottle, this wine tastes like a cross-breed between top of the line Bordeaux and a California Meritage. The vegetables remain the same but I would serve grilled lamb chops, the meatier kidney ones not the rib chops. I have two six-packs of this wine.
Don't tell my brother about my plans, he would not be happy with me drinking all the profits.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wicked Happy
The new batch of 2007 Juan Gil Monastrell from Jumilla Spain is in and it is spectacular again!
It has been over 2 months since we last had a bottle to sell of the best wine to have with a steak we have tasted in years. This powerful, yet elegant wine is flawless and only $19.99 a bottle. If you have not tried this wine and you like red wine run into the store and grab some.
How good is this wine? In March another Spanish winemaker was in the store. His wines were wicked good, but wicked expensive. As he was walking out of the store, he stopped pointed at the display of Juan Gil and begrudingly commented, "Great Wine"
This will sell fast, the wholesaler believes he has enough for the summer. Let's hope so.
It has been over 2 months since we last had a bottle to sell of the best wine to have with a steak we have tasted in years. This powerful, yet elegant wine is flawless and only $19.99 a bottle. If you have not tried this wine and you like red wine run into the store and grab some.
How good is this wine? In March another Spanish winemaker was in the store. His wines were wicked good, but wicked expensive. As he was walking out of the store, he stopped pointed at the display of Juan Gil and begrudingly commented, "Great Wine"
This will sell fast, the wholesaler believes he has enough for the summer. Let's hope so.
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