Araujo, Ambullneo, Terry Hoage and Toro Albala

After wondering yesterday what Ambullneo's Syrah must taste like, our friends showed up with one for dinner last night. The 2008 Ambullneo Howling Syrah, Santa Maria Valley comes, I suspect, from high altitude vineyards as it has a lot of cool climate qualities such as restrained fruit, pencil lead, wintergreen and green peppercorn aromas and flavors. It is very reminiscent of a more full-bodied and more extracted version of the Marelle Syrah I reviewed a few weeks ago.

The other wine they brought over was the 1996 Araujo Eisle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Classic Napa Valley Cabernet flavors of black cherry, cedar and mint dominate the nose. The palate is quite rich and chocolaty. Seems a bit on the alcoholic side. Tannins are still present, but nowhere near the structure of the 1995 of this wine that we had on Friday night. we are fortunate to have such generous friends.

After tasting a small sip of the Ambullneo Syrah, I immediately went to the cellar to pull out a Syrah that I thought would provide a nice counterpoint. So I grabbed a 2007 Terry Hoage Vineyards Hedge Syrah, Paso Robles. This is a much more in-your-face experience that showers you with black fruit, licorice, graphite and French oak. The mouthfeel is thick and luscious.

We finished the night off with an assortment of decadent brownies and a bottle of 1972 Toro Albala P.X., Montilla Moriles, Spain. This wine is blacker and thicker that old engine oil and features aromas and flavors of raisin, maple and molasses. A great wine with chocolate.

Ambullneo Vineyards

Just a quick note on the Pinot Noirs from Ambullneo Vineyards. This winery is a favorite of some friends of mine and they love to share it. Last night, we had two offerings, the 2007 Bulldog, sourced from the Santa Maria Valley and the 2008 Canis Major, a blend of fruit from Carneros and the Santa Maria Valley. Both of these high octane Pinots pack a wallop of black fruit, spicy oak, olive and cola flavors. Of the two, I slightly preferred the Bulldog for the additional rosemary scented nose. Not for the faint of heart or those who prefer more subtle, traditionally-styled Pinot Noir. My mind can only image the levels of extraction this winery achieves with its Syrah.

1995 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a bottle given to me by some good friends of ours when our first daughter was born in 1999. He was over for dinner last night and I thought the time was appropriate to open it. It was decanted for about 90 minutes. The color was freakishly dark for a 15 year old wine. It looked more like something you'd expect from a 2005 Cab than a 1995. The 1995 Araujo Eisle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley had a nose like no other wine I have ever smelled. It was an odd, yet fascinating combination of hickory smoke and green bananas. The palate was fully loaded with dark berries and bittersweet chocolate. Tannins were still massive. I would guess this wine still has quite a long life ahead of it. If you're fortunate enough to have a bottle, you need not be in any hurry to consume it.

2008 Rutini "Trumpeter" Malbec

Opened the 2008 Rutini "Trumpeter" Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina tonight. Huge plum/boysenberry/blackberry nose accentuated with a bit of Asian spice. The palate is thick and sweet with purple fruits, a touch of peppery spice and modest tannins. Touch of char/vanilla from the oak; but it doesn't detract from the fruitiness. Low acid; perhaps a touch on the flabby side. But overall, this is a well-made wine that will appeal to backyard BBQers and Aussie Shiraz fans looking to broaden their horizons.

Little James Basket Press

The non-vintage Chateau St. Cosme Little James basket Press is one of my all-time favorite over-achievers. 100% Grenache done in a solera style so consistency can be maintained from year-to-year. The nose entices with raspberry, blackberry and spice but the real beauty is on the palate. Copious quantities of red and black fruits, a hint of licorice, garrigue, black pepper and more substantial tannins than one would expect from a $12 Rhone. If you can exercise a bit of patience (hard to do with this one), a bit of old leather comes on with some air. Delivers more than a lot of Cotes-du-Rhones I've had costing twice as much. Buy a bottle of this....then go back and buy a case. Great with everything from burgers to spaghetti to lamb.

2008 Quivera Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 La Spinetta "Casanova"

Had two really nice wines tonight. Since I'm working on Sunday, my wife's birthday, I thought I'd whip up some nice food and wine this evening. Appetizers on the deck were goat cheese with green olives, a local emu summer sausage and a spring pea puree with toasted baguette slices. With this, we opened a 2008 Quivera Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc,, Dry Creek Valley. Beautiful, yeasty, citrusy notes from this biodynamically-farmed wine.

Dinner was my all-time favorite lamb chop preparation with cannelini beans and wilted kale. With this we had the 2006 La Spinetta Il Nero di Casanova Sangiovese IGT. The color of this wine transcends all you know about the Sangiovese grape. Fantastic aromas and flavors or deep red and black fruits and sweet licorice. Huge tannins that really demand something like lamb chops. No, it's not a traditional take on Tuscan Sangiovese, but it's 100% delicious.

The lamb chop recipe comes from an old www.westcoastwine.net post from Gordon Drake from many years ago. Basically, coat the lamb chops in Dijon mustard, roll them in seasoned breadcrumbs and then pan fry them in olive oil for a minute or two per side. Remove them from the pan and wilt some chopped kale in the pan drippings. Add a can of cannelini beans and a splash of chicken stock and heat through. Simple and satisfying.

2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah

Applewood-smoked pork shoulder was on the menu tonight along with all the traditional BBQ trimmings: baked beans, cole slaw, corn-on-the-cob, etc. I figured I needed a big, American wine to go with this so I reached for the 2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Winery Petite Sirah, Mendocino County. The color is, quite simply, the darkest possible color one can extract from a grape. Completely opaque with a saturated purple rim. The nose is a complex witch's brew of charred/roasted meat, blackberry, dry cocoa powder and black pepper. The palate is bone dry and rustic with more blackberry, spice and cocoa powder. Stark tannins will probably preserve this wine for at least a decade. The 14.7% alcohol is never obtrusive. Rumor has it this wine is aged in American oak, but I get no hint of that coconut/dill/Bourbon aroma that I find such a turn-off.

I tired two different BBQ sauces with the meat and wine and got drastically different results. First up was my homemade, apple cider-based, North Carolina-style sauce. It's thin, very spicy and acidic and I really enjoy it on pulled pork. But to be honest, it's a trainwreck with this wine. The acid in the sauce really doesn't work at all with the wine's flavor profile. The other sauce, K.C. Masterpiece "original," was a home run. It was sweet, goopy and everything I usually detest in a BBQ sauce. But it really brought out the fruit and spice in the wine.

Casey Hartlip, owner of Eaglepoint Ranch no longer makes wine from his grapes. His operation now is purely one of a vineyard; selling his grapes to renown wineries such as Rosenblum, Sean Thackery, Hidden Cellars, Copain and Navarro. If you're lucky you might still be able to track down some of this Petite Sirah or perhaps some of his Syrah or Grenache.

2008 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas rouge

We opened this blend of 42% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 20% Counoise and 17% Mourvedre tonight with a selection of home made pizzas. The 2008 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas rouge, Paso Robles possesses a cloudy garnet color and a tremendously decadent nose of crushed raspberries and licorice. It isn't particularly complex, but what's there is pure and deep. If you dig around long enough, you might find a bit of Provencal herb in there, too. The palate is moderately tannic with plenty of juicy red fruits and spice. The finish is long and dusty. Nice value in the low $20 range.

2004 Marelle Syrah, Napa Valley

Not knowing what to expect from this wine left at our house a few weeks ago, I popped the cork on it to go with tonight's pecan-smoked rotisserie chicken. Looking back, perhaps I should've chose a slightly lighter wine. The 2004 Marelle Syrah, Napa Valley is a classic cool climate Syrah featuring aromas of white pepper, dog fur, wintergreen and a Bordeaux-like graphite/pencil lead component. The palate shows quite a bit of acidity and tannin, but seems a bit deficient in the fruit department. At nearly $40 per bottle this may appeal to fans of Northern Rhones, but it's not exactly my cup of tea.

2008 Red Heads Studio "Yard Dog White"

Brought this home tonight when I found out fish tacos were on the menu for dinner. I was hoping this would be light, crisp and fragrant enough to handle the fish (in this case Basa filet), avocado, chipotle sauce, tomato, etc. Turns out it was well-suited for the task. The 2008 Red Heads Studio "Yard Dog White," Australia is a blend of 55% Chardonnay, 18% Gewurztraminer, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Viognier and 3% Semillon. The nose has a deceptively rich scent of candle wax and white peach which initially lead me to think this was going to be a fairly rich, fleshy wine. But the palate was all about super crisp, borderline tart, lime and lemon flavors. No trace whatsoever of any oak. The waxiness reasserts itself on the long finish. While it is a bit austere to enjoy on its own, it was a home run with the fish tacos; especially with a spritz of fresh lime. I have to think this would be a nice match with any lighter seafood or shellfish; especially if citrus is used in the preparation. All in all, a very nice wine for $10.

2008 Dunning Vin de Casa

2008 Dunning Vineyards Vin de Casa, Paso Robles - This blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Zinfandel and 20% Syrah sports a beautiful, magenta-tinted purple color. The nose is warm and inviting and features an abundance of sweet cherry, licorice and a hint of wintergreen. Medium-bodied on the palate with more sweet cherry flavors and dusty Zinfandel spice. The moderately long, herbaceous finish is there to remind you that the principle component of this blend is Cabernet Franc.

My wife and I spent a glorious week in Paso Robles in April of 2009. While we were there, the guest house at Dunning Vineyards was our base of operations. Ironically, it wasn't until our final day there that we had an opportunity to taste the wines from Dunning. We were instantly smitten with his wines; particularly his Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrahs. At $24 per bottle, I think the Vin de Casa is a bit pricey for a "house wine," but I'll eagerly devour my stash of it as I wait for his Cabs and Syrahs to mature in the cellar.

2010 Miami County Farm Tour

2010 Miami County (KS) Farm Tour - For Mother's Day, the kids and I took my wife out for an afternoon of goats, pecans, beef and herbs; compliments of the small family farmers of Paola, Louisburg and the surrounding areas. We started our day at Terebithia Dairy Goats where we saw the Oberhasli does, kids and the milking and feeding areas. The milk and cheese produced by the Thorpe family are rich and delicious. And at just $8/wheel I'll soon be placing my call to reserve a number of blocks of cheese; my favorite being the one spiked with chives from the family garden. It is a crying shame that the State of Kansas has thrown up so much red tape that the family can not afford to supply their product to local retailers and restaurants. Even more irritating is that they can sell their cheese in neighboring Missouri with relative ease!

Prothe's Pecans was another favorite stop of ours. We saw the harvesting and processing equipment, got a quick lesson in grafting pecan trees and sampled a number of different shelled pecans. Our favorite were the partially cracked/shelled Pawnee pecans and we left with a 3# bag of these large, dense, chewy nuts. I plan on saving the shells and putting them to good use on the smoker some day.

4 D Acres is an emu and free range chicken operation. Their main focus if emu meat and products derived from emu oil (soaps, lotions, etc.) We purchased a couple of logs of emu/turkey summer sausage. We also plan on purchasing some of their free range chickens when they are available again. The hatchling emus were so darn cute!

We got a lot of great ideas about raised beds and organic herb and vegetable farming from Nancy Kalman at Pickings & Pumpkins. What a beautiful arrangement she has. This was the first time I had tasted apple mint. My wife and I are planning to do a large organic garden (probably won't be up and running until next spring) and Nancy gave us a lot of great advice. Thanks!

2007 Chateau de Nages

2007 Chateau de Nages, Costieres de Nimes - We enjoyed this delicious blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre with grilled lamb tonight. The wine possesses terrific aromatics of strawberry, rhubarb and licorice. The palate shows a lot of sweet-tart red fruit and the beautiful herbaceousness the French refer to as garrigue. Just a touch of that spicy green peppercorn flavor that I dearly love from Rhone wines. Turns a bit tart around the 2-hour mark. A very nice Cotes-du-Rhone for less than $20

For dinner, we ground some lamb shoulder cubes from Homespun Hill Farm (a Kansas CSA) and blended it with Parmesan cheese, herbs, breadcrumb and a beaten egg. After letting this glorified lamb meatloaf concoction sit for a few hours, I formed it into a couple of sausage-shaped cylinders and threaded them onto skewers which were grilled over charcoal. As always, the lamb was a wonderful pairing with the Rhone wine.