T1B

Had a couple glasses of this the other night...




while enjoying:

RABBIT RAGU with PAPPARDELLE
Slow cooked rabbit with San Marzano tomato, porcini mushroom puree, bay and fresh thyme tossed with our housemade wide ribbon pasta, garnished with parmesan.

Excellent. 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet.

Sounds really good. Is this what they call a "Super Tuscan"?

We shared some of this last night (I had the cioppino):

Been going through this stuff lately like it's fucking water, simply because it's an awesome wine and the best deal around:



A 2007 Rioja Tempranillo reserve for $9.99 a bottle at Costco. It was actually rated #18 of the top 100 wines of 2011 by Wine Enthusiast. Sure, you have to take the ratings with a grain of salt but damn, this shit is really good.

I keep thinking I should save a few bottles in my non-existent "cellar," but I never seem to be able to keep any red wines around for more than a week or so.
I'll be sad when they run out of this wine, but I'll happily find something else to move on to. Get it while you can.

Mikey wrote:Sounds really good. Is this what they call a "Super Tuscan"?

Yep.

It happens that my birthday yesterday coincided with half price wine bottle Wednesday at our favorite local Eye-talian joint.

So, we started out with one of these, which lasted through the calamari and the carpaccio:

A 2006 Antinori Pian Delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino. 100% Sangiovese from a small area in Tuscany famous for incredible red wine.




Unfortunately, it was the last bottle they had, so we switched to a Super Tuscan, which we ended up liking just as much, with our main course.

A 2004 Brancaia Il Blu, 55% Sangiovese, 40% Merlot and 5% Cab. It was a little less forward than the Brunello but turned out to be an awesome choice to go with dinner - cioppino for me, a filet mignon stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella for my daughter and a thing with halibut, eggplant, shrooms and spinach rolled in a lasagna noodle and baked for the wife.




I would definitely drink either one of these again, but only on a special occasion at half price. Unless somebody else is paying.

We went on a wine tasting swing through Central California last weekend, and also did an evening tour at Hearst Castle.
I guess I've developing a serious habit because we came home with a couple of cases, including the bottles below. It's a good thing I had the wife with me because I probably would have doubled that without her moderating influence.


Justin: Right Angle (60% cab blend)




Justin: Isosceles (85% cab Bordeaux style blend)




Chateau Margene: Reserve Cab (79% cab blend)





Chateau Margene: Petit Sirah




Vina Robles: Suendero (cab / petit verdot meritage blend)





Vina Robles: Vermintino





Cambria Winery: Pinot Noir (Clone 4)




Cambria Winery: Syrah




Cambria Winery: Chardonnay




Roxo: Magia Preta (cab/syrah port)




Roxo: Negrette (100% negrette port)

CenCal pinot noirs and chards all share one common characteristic -- they suck donkey dick (which doesn't stop them from charging plenty). Wrong climate, generally wrong soil. Although Paso Robles doesn't crank out nearly the dreck as Santa Ynez, it still ain't good. Good cab doesn't come from Minnesota, good pinot doesn't come from Central California.

As an aside -- a certain winery whose owner I can't get to leave my fucking house, at least he brought beer I occasionally work for just racked up a 90 in Wine Spectator for the new ('10) cab.


90 is a bigboy freaking score for a cab. Shit goes fpr ~$20 in the grocery store around here (and isn't distributed outside of the area just yet, but there's online sales, which do well after the magazine ratings come out). Had a few over the last few years crack the 90's, and get on the "100 Best Buys" in the magazines.

I'm kind of spoiled when it comes to drinking wine.

Not a big pinot fan myself. They mostly taste watered down, though the Cambria ones (from Santa Maria actually) are a cut above the average. Also not a big white wine drinker, either, but I have to keep the wife happy. The Vermentino was something I've never heard of but was pretty damn good. Paso Robles does produce some good cabs, petite syrah, syrah and other reds. Plus it's accessible from here and fun to drive around to some of the smaller producers up in the hills. Been up there a few times now and I enjoy picking out a few that I haven't been to and trying out their wares. Nice way to spend a weekend.

Speaking of 90 points, I got one of these in my September wine club shipment.

http://www.hallwines.com/2010-hall-exze ... qj-LNJDs1I

It was a bit more than $20.00 but not as much as it shows on the link

Sort of afraid to open it, or even pick it up and look at it.

Dinsdale wrote:As an aside -- a certain winery whose owner I can't get to leave my fucking house, at least he brought beer I occasionally work for just racked up a 90 in Wine Spectator for the new ('10) cab.

Is that supposed to impress us?

Pretty good memory for an old fucker.

Touche'.

But see, I have a great interest in the success of aforementioned winery. While the mags aren't bastions of integrity, when it suits my purpose, I'll laud their ratings, and I'll pan them when it doesn't.

See how that works?

And what I know, is when any of said wines crack 90 (not that easy to do), they start flying off the shelf and internet orders come in from all over.

Mikey, scoring a 100, regardless of my flighty like/dislike of the mags, isn't fucking around. Enjoy. It just says "red," I wonder what the blend is?

And...

Mikey wrote: Paso Robles does produce some good cabs, petite syrah, syrah and other reds

Yes, yes they do.

I haven't got an update on what's up in Walla Walla (possibly the best appellation for reds in the country, despite the hype and mystique of Napa). Hopefully, the vines went dormant before the nasty cold snap started. That wasn't the case in '11, when they got a killing-freeze early, which led to the vines being hacked off at ground level, which saves the roots. Don't go looking for any '11 Walla Wallas, since they were all but nonexistent. Besides the loss of a vintage, didn't seem to hurt much, since the '12 fruit was excellent.

It's a 100% single vineyard cab from the hills in the northeastern corner of the Rutherford AVA.

Been to the winery there a couple of times (they have another, larger, one in St. Helena). It's sort of like a modern art museum with a view of the valley.
The wife freaks out at the drive up the hill.

http://goo.gl/maps/ttDtX

Dinsdale wrote:Touche'.

But see, I have a great interest in the success of aforementioned winery. While the mags aren't bastions of integrity, when it suits my purpose, I'll laud their ratings, and I'll pan them when it doesn't.

See how that works?

Oh, I've always known how you work. It's not really some great secret.

Did a blind tasting of three cabs tonight with my wife and son (home from UC Irvine for Christmas).

I opened three bottles, marked with a number 1-3 and poured each of us a small amount in a glass with the corresponding number taped on the glass upside down, so it would not be visible.

1. Kathryn Hall Jack's Masterpiece 2010. We got this through our wine club last year for about $100. Pretty pricey, rated at 95 points by Wine Advocate. My wife thinks that the Hall wines aren't all that and probably over priced. I wanted to compare this wine with some other top shelf, but not quite so top shelf, wines that we have.
2.Chateau Margene 2010 Reserve Cab. We bought this on our trip to Paso Robles last weekend for about $40. It's not even on their list but had just been released and the guy behind the tasting bar brought it out after we had spent about half an hour tasting other wines and shooting the shit (we were the only customers there). It had apparently just been released.
3. Vina Robles Suendero 2009. 98% Cab, 2% Petit Verdot. Another Paso Robles wine, given 90 Points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, November/December 2013. I think it was in the $25 range at the winery.

Of the three I liked the Hall wine the best. My wife and son liked the Suendero the best. All are big, powerful cabs with a lot of up front flavor. All very drinkable. The Hall wine is a little more subtle but very complex. After our tasting experience we finished off the bottles with a dinner of lamb racks, Japanese sweet potatoes and a large green salad. Very enjoyable from start to finish.

We'll try something similar next weekend. Probably on the tasting menu:

Kathryn Hall Napa Valley Cab 2010
Justin Isosceles 2010
Cameron Hughes Lot 500 2011 Cabernet (Rutherford)

Just picked up a few bottles of this:

Sonoma Superstar
Fred & Nancy Cline have built a wine juggernaut on their 350-acre ranch in Sonoma County. Their wines regularly hold court on the Wall of 100 and we have been fortunate to feature many of them here in email-land as well. Along w/ their legendary Zinfandel, the Clines empire has expanded to everything from olive production to resort and hotel restoration, a museum and even a brewery. For our email special this week we are going to debut the 2013 Cline Sonoma Coast Estate Pinot Noir. While not exactly in Cline's California Rhone-style and Zin wheelhouse, they overachieve with great terroir and the typical Cline focus on quality and value.

The Cline Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is grown in the Petaluma Gap, approximately 7 miles west of the winery towards the Pacific Coast. In this valley the vineyards are effected by the cool climate breezes that come off the ocean which play into the balance and elegance of this wine. Aged in a mix of 40% new French oak as well as American and European oak barrels, this wine displays a bright garnet color in the glass. It is very aromatic with voluptuous scents of lilac, rose, red raspberry, strawberry along with hints of fresh herb and mint. Get ready for a super smooth, elegant approach on the first sip, giving away to a rush of red berry fruits and finishing with a delicate, lingering mint note. A versatile glass of wine to pair up with anything from a miso infused black cod to lamb loin chops w/ a mint chimichurri.
Regular Retail Price: $15.99
Deal Pricing: $12.49/btl or $70/case of 6

This sounds good.

Took a drive through Russian River, Dry Creek and Anderson Valleys when we stayed in Healdsburg for a couple of days on the way to Mendocino last year. Normally more of a cab drinker but there were some really good Pinots that we tried while out there.

The wife and I are giving up alcohol for Lent so, around Easter, I should be just about going crazy. We're going to Paso Robles in mid-April for a Steely Dan concert and a few days of viticultural debauchery.

Mikey wrote:there were some really good Pinots that we tried while out there.

Some of the North Coast pinots are OK. Pinot is about the most picky grape when it comes to climate and soil, and California doesn't have many places that offer the ideal -- some places on the North Coast being the exception.

It's also about the most boring red out there (flabby merlot being right up there).

A deece Pinot is fine if you're your in the mood for something lighter than a full blown Napa Cab.

I tried a few from the Willamette Valley on the road when I was travelling a lot last year. Mainly because I found a few in the $20.00 range that actually had screw tops, and I didn't want to lug a corkscrew around in my carry-on. Enjoyed them fine, for the most part, drinking from a hotel room plastic cup while dining on take-out from Whole Foods.

Dinsdale wrote:It's also about the most boring red out there (flabby merlot being right up there).

Yeah, those French burgundies are really "boring."

mvscal wrote:

Dinsdale wrote:It's also about the most boring red out there (flabby merlot being right up there).

Yeah, those French burgundies are really "boring."

LOL

Same grape, but quite different in style then the typical West Coast Pinot.

I'll help you out -- generally, French Burgundies are less fruity than their American counterparts. And they're quite "boring."

Most California pinots go beyond "fruity," and tend towards "jammy."

Dinsdale wrote:I'll help you out -- generally, French Burgundies are less fruity than their American counterparts. And they're quite "boring."

Most California pinots go beyond "fruity," and tend towards "jammy."

WTF is "jammy?" I notice that you have used this term as some sort of negative a bunch of times over the past months, years or whatever.

OK here it is...

According to Robert Parker -- jammy:

jammy: When wines have a great intensity of fruit from excellent ripeness they can be jammy, which is a very concentrated, flavorful wine with superb extract. In great vintages such as 1961, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1995, some of the wines are so concentrated that they are said to be jammy.

So, "jammy" is boring?

Or maybe you just don't like good wine.

He really sugar-coats the term.

Basically, jammy comes from fruit that's either overripe, or was grown on too warm a site. Jamminess tends to overpower all the other notes in a wine, and you lose all those "hints of ______."

Grapes from the Central Valley are well known for it. Too hot in the day (which isn't the biggest problem), and it doesn't cool down anywhere near enough at night -- which is why the only decent California Pinot comes from areas near/on the North Coast.

On top of that, the pH comes in way too high, and requires that a bunch of (tartaric) acid to make a nontoxic ferment, and a boatload of sulfites to keep it from "falling apart" in the bottle.

No, that's not "good wine" -- it's Boone's Farm.

I drank a bottle of that Cline Pinot over the past few days. And immediately ordered 6 more bottles.

Wasn't it a little "jammy?"

mvscal wrote:
Yeah, those French burgundies are really "boring."

And if you want to take it another step...

chardonnay.

The lamest-assed grape/wine known to man (although riesling gives it a run for its money). Although the winery I kinda-sorta work for made both of those this past fall. While the magazines seem to like them, I'm not a fan. But the shitty whites grow like a weed here (not like California, but California is known for super-shitty chard and very little Riesling... heck, it's a bit warm here for Riesling, but it's a flexible grape as far as climate), and the grapes are often available for a reasonable price, and whites make for a quick turnaround on investment... even though the only people who buy it are pretentious, wannabe-wine-drinker chicks. But we don't have to sit on it in barrel for a couple of years like the reds, and don't have to deal with a bunch of oak (barrels) to get it in bottle.

Also made approximately one metric shitload of pinot gris (which 2 of us processed in an evening... that was some work). Now, Homeboy just as to sell it (previous pinot gris of his got bigboy scores from the magazines, so that helps). Might be some East Coast distribution coming soon, which could be a game-changer (as in "finally make a real profit and have real employees and stuff").

Mikey wrote:Wasn't it a little "jammy?"

The correct sites on the North Coast can eliminate the infamous "Claifornia-jammy." As I've already noted.

BTW -- the East Coast distributor I mention (associated with my buddy's old roommate at UC Davis) are clamoring for an Oregon pinot... so there might be some extra grape shopping this summer. In 10 vintages since the company started, there was never any desire to make pinot noir. But if someone wants to buy it all up... different story. Problem around here (and probably worse in Sonoma), is the fruit has gotten pretty expensive over the years. As much or more than Walla Walla cab/syrah. Why make wussy-wine when you can make world-class stuff for the same price (less transport from the Walla Walla Valley*)?



* -- Most people don't realize that much of the Walla Walla Valley is in Oregon.

Obviously preference in wines is a matter of opinion, and yours is the only valid one.

Funny, though, how you put so much credence in wine reviewers' 90+ ratings but when you happen to disagree with probably the most highly respected wine critic in the world (along with almost every other critic) about what "jammy" implies, suddenly he's sugar coating the term. I'd say it must be a lot more than "sugar coating" when he claims that some of the greatest vintages over the past 55 years would be considered "jammy."

He can use whatever terms he wants. I use it in the same way several winemakers I know do.

Also, certain varietals that are heavier-bodied (more tannins, more pronounced fruit, etc, such as cab, syrah, malbec, etc) have the properties to balance out jaminess... pinot, not so much.

As far as ratings -- yeah, I love it when something that I may have had a small part in making/processing gets high marks. Nice tio be recognized, and the Enthusiast is probably the most respected magazine. I also don't think it's the end-all-be-all, either. But once a wine cracks 90 (or even 88-89), then the shelf-talkers get hung, and there's a noticeable jump in sales... not too hard to figure out. More of a marketing tool than bragging rights, although there is that element as well.

And while Robert Parker has as strong a resume' as anyone, the one thing he really likes is to hear himself talk. But he thinks my buddy is the bee's knees, so he's got that going for him.

Dinsdale wrote:...the one thing he really likes is to hear himself talk.

Dinsdale wrote:the one thing he really likes is to hear himself talk

Don't you just hate people like that.

Don't confuse him with us upstanding folk who like to hear ourselves type.

BTW, regarding South American swill, this stuff is actually pretty good:

Zolo Signature Red
"Best Buy," Wine Enthusiast ('12);
90 points & Best Buy, Beverage Testing Institute ('12):
“Bold aromas of coffee candy, chocolate cherry pie, and peppercorn with a supple, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a tangy craisin and spice finish. A really tasty everyday wine that will work with pretty much anything.”
A blend of Mendoza's signature red grapes (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, & Merlot).

This is a vey versatile red with a cute back story:

How much?

The South American shit can be pretty hit-or-miss, but when they do hit one, they put it over the centerfield fence.

Dinsdale wrote:How much?

The South American shit can be pretty hit-or-miss, but when they do hit one, they put it over the centerfield fence.

$9.99 per bottle. Two-fer Tuesdays discount (10%, same as a case). 2 bottles for $17.98. Damn good deal. Might pick up two more tomorrow when I pick up the additional Pinots.

Local italian restaurant has a wine-tasting room in their cellar. Wife and I stopped in one evening to have a glass before dinner. Guy behind the bar looked about 17.

Goober: "What do you think about South American reds?"
Snot-nosed sommelier: "They're mostly fruity and unbalanced."
Goober: "So am I. Whaddya got?"

Goober McTuber wrote:
Goober: "What do you think about South American reds?"
Snot-nosed sommelier: "They're mostly fruity and unbalanced."
Goober: "So am I. Whaddya got?"

That'll RACK. Shitty answer. As an analogy: Not all California pinots are overripe dreck. Characterizing the output of an entire continent with a quick brushstroke is dumb.

And getting a nice red (or so the score would lead one to believe) for $9 is pretty sweet.