2007 Felsina "Berardenga" Chianti Classico

My usual treatment of a pork shoulder involves apple wood, a spice rub, many hours on a smoker and a bottle of Central Coast Zinfandel. Seeking some variety, I decided to switch gears tonight and do a little Italian thing. I pierced the shoulder all over with a sharp knife and then rubbed it down with a paste of grated garlic, olive oil and Italian herbs and spices. Roasted in a moderate oven for 6-7 hours, it took on a wonderful flavor and texture that was accentuated by a sauce made from the pan drippings, some crushed tomato and red wine. Side dishes were a polenta casserole (polenta squares layered with tomato sauce and cheese and baked) and steamed broccoli.

The 2007 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico is a Chianti of exceptional tradition and breeding. Deeper in color than most Tuscan Sangioveses, the nose is a complex witch's brew of coffee, anise, tar and wild berries. The palate shows the beautiful Tuscan dust, tar, herbs and dark berries that one would expect from such a noble Sangiovese. The acid is quite high; so high it's not particularly pleasurable to drink on its own. But it really shines with the appropriate food. Tannins are sufficient to warrant a few years aging. Pleasantly bitter (think: orange pith) on the finish Simply put, it would be hard to find a better Chianti in the low $20 price range.

2008 Alpha Box & Dice "Tarot" Grenache

I've already blogged about this wine a couple of times so I won't bore you with the details again. To put it bluntly, if you haven't taken advantage of the greatest value in the history of wine (The 2008 Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache, Australia) yet, it's your loss. I've given you all the information you need about the abundant raspberry jam, vanilla bean and coffee you get for $12 or so. Nothing new to report here. Just buy some and enjoy it. You can thank me tomorrow.



Dinner was grass-fed lamb loin chops that I coated in mustard and then rolled in panko bread crumbs spiked with an assortment of herbs and spices. Tip of the cap to fellow WCWNer Gordon Drake for the inspiration for this one. The chops were served on top of a roasted red pepper risotto.

And is it just me, or are grass-fed meats overrated? We've been buying some of our meat from a local CSA for a good while now and I just don't think it stacks up very well against USDA prime beef or even those delicious racks of lamb you can buy at Costco for $15. There's certainly a lot of meaty/gamy flavor in grass-fed beef and lamb, but the texture really leaves a lot to be desired as it's very tough. I chalk this up to the lack of fat and marbling. I'm sure it's healthier, but it just doesn't deliver on texture and tenderness. Sorry, but I'm going with the (relatively) mass-produced stuff here.

2006 Lindaflor "Petite Fleur"

The 2006 Lindaflor Petite Fleur, Mendoza is reminding me a lot of a Cotes du Rhone tonight. With it's huge nose of black pepper, raspberry, spice, herb and coffee it is reminding me a lot of something I'd get from the south of France. The color is a good bit darker than an entry-level Rhone and the palate is sweet and fat with chocolate and the aforementioned coffee and raspberry. But the dry, herbal, slightly medicinal (my wife says it's cough syrup but I'm not willing to go that far) finish once again takes me back to the Mediterranean. The meaty aromas and alcohol have subsided since last time and the tannins seem in balance. Throwing a good bit of sediment. Overall a very nice wine; albeit a bit atypical of an Argentinian Malbec blend of Malbec, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. About $20

Dinner tonight was an assortment of pizza as we're used to doing around here on Friday nights. While the kids enjoyed their pepperoni, we had two new pizzas: one with arugula, prosciutto and eggs from our farm and an attempt to recreate the flavors of an Italian beef sandwich with rare roast beef and sauteed onions, red peppers, pepperoncini and garlic. Both pizzas were enjoyable, but I give the nod to the Italian beef sandwich pizza. And it certainly went better with the wine. That being said, I'm looking forward to giving the arugula pizza another try this summer with some intense arugula fresh from our garden.

2005 Chateau de Montfaucon Cotes du Rhone

I had a bottle of this earlier this month and I thought it was plagued by a bit of cork taint. So I decided to re-visit it tonight with leftover sausage and lentils. Thankfully, tonight's bottle of 2005 Chateau de Montfaucon Baron Louis, Cotes du Rhone showed no traces of wet cardboard or moldy basement. Rather, the nose is a beautiful combination of decadent raspberry fruit, rosemary, lavender and black pepper. Sweet raspberry and herbs follow on the dry, dry palate. Acidity is initially a bit aggressive, but it is tamed after being open for an hour or so. Carob notes and big, chalky tannins kick after a few hours. A blend of unspecified amounts of old vine Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvedre and Counoise. Very nice value in the $14 range.

2002 Garretson "Bulladoir" Syrah

With the wife out of town for the weekend, I thought I'd indulge myself in a couple of things she doesn't particularly care for: lentils and overripe Central Coast Syrah. Dinner was brown lentils and sun-dried tomatoes simmered in homemade chicken stock and topped with a store bought chicken sausage with sun-dried tomatoes and four cheeses. Upon visual inspection, the 2002 Garretson The Bulladoir Hoage Vineyard, Paso Robles still shows an impossibly dark color and concentration. The nose also hints at a similar level of concentration with soy sauce, Asian spice, blackberry jam and French oak filling the glass. The palate is dominated by thick, overripe blackberries, licorice and French oak. Very Port-like. Quite low in acid (and I would expect nothing less from Mat Garretson), this isn't for everyone. In fact, if you aren't a fan of those late-90s Australian Shiraz bombs, I'd say stay far away from this wine. Finish seems a bit short and alcoholic. On its last legs. If you have any of this in your cellar, I would recommend drinking it now. Furthermore, I think it compliments sun-dried tomatoes quite well.

I was a member of Mat's wine club for a number of years and always bought a bottle or two of the luxury-priced Bulladoir Syrah each year because of the story behind it as well as the quality of the wine. Mat, a University of Georgia graduate used to purchase these grapes from Terry Hoage, a former All-American football player at the University of Georgia and Paso Robles grape grower. The UGA connection was irresistible to me. Mat has since left the wine making business and now sells wine in Minnesota. Terry Hoage, however, now has his own winery in Paso Robles and makes exceptional Syrah, Grenache, Rhone-style blends, rose and white wines from Rhone varietals. I also bought from Hoage for many years until the prices got a bit out of my comfort zone. I highly recommend Hoage's wines if they are in your price range.

2005 Markham Merlot

How long has it been since I've had a bottle of Merlot? I honestly can't remember. Well over a year, I suppose. But I thought a Merlot would be the perfect wine to accompany a nice, home style meatloaf and cauliflower puree tonight. The 2005 Markham Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley has a pretty cranberry color and opens with an impressive aromatic salvo of vanilla bean, coffee, raspberry puree and licorice. The palate more or less follows the nose with similarly pleasant flavors and that certain, light "hollowness" that separates Merlot from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and other Bordeaux varietals. Unfortunately, the palate seems to be marred by an odd acidity that I don't recall being a major component of Merlot. Finish is nice and long with moderate tannins. After a few hours, the wine takes on an intriguing, Tuscan-like tar component. Aside from the acidity, this is a very pleasing wine that went quite well with dinner.

Markham has been a Merlot specialist for as long as I can remember enjoying wine; back into the very early 90s. They are to be commended for holding the line on pricing. I remember their wines being priced in the low-mid teens in the early 90s and their current release Merlot can still be had in the low $20s.

2008 Erath Pinot Gris

Dinner tonight was a French bistro-inspired menu of cream of asparagus soup, frisee salad and home made quiche Lorraine. Unfortunately, there was nothing from Alsace lurking in the cellar so I went to Plan B and had a Pinot Gris from another region. The 2008 Erath Pinot Gris, Oregon has a pleasantly pale golden color and an enticing nose of pineapple, pear, ginger and smoke. A touch of oxidation adds complexity. On the palate, it is medium-bodied (picks up weight as it opens and approaches room temp) with dry pineapple and pear flavors - not pear flesh, but the tannic, slightly bitter fruit peel. Long, smoky finish. Good acidity.

2008 Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel

Beautiful blackberry and spice flavors punctuate the 2008 Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel, Alexander Valley. Uncommonly dark color for this varietal, the nose is full of blackberry, black cherry, sweet licorice and black pepper. Obvious French oak treatment. More structured than most Zinfandels, the wine shows wonderful tannins and acidity; perhaps even enough to merit aging for a few years. Long, dry, powdery finish. This is from a vineyard planted in 1895 and it shows every bit of its old vine heritage. Still, a bit pricey at $38.99

Dinner was smoked lamb spare ribs. For these, I rubbed the rack of lamb ribs with my general purpose spice rub and smoked them for about an hour over charcoal and cherry wood chunks. Then I wrapped them in foil and continued to cook them for a few hours on the grill over low heat. They were finished with a quick brushing of Meat Mitch Whomp! BBQ sauce. A nice pairing as the fruit of the wine really balanced the considerable heat of the sauce.


General Purpose Spice Rub
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
4 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

2000 Napa Cabernets + others

We had some old friends come over on Saturday and stay the night. Since it was pretty cold out and still a good bit of snow on the ground we decided against shooting clays with the shotguns or going for a walk back in the woods and just went straight for the food and wine.

NV Riondo Spago Nero Prosecco, Veneto - Seems like we drink (at least) a bottle of this every time we get together. Tasty as ever with light, slightly sweet, apple and pear notes.

The first red to make an appearance was the 2007 Ridge Zinfandel, Paso Robles - I found it yeasty with raspberry jam and cracked black pepper on the nose and palate. Low acid, moderate tannins, and the American oak that one expects from Ridge. A fitting tribute as we used to enjoy copious quantities of Ridge Zinfandel (primarily the Geyserville) when we all lived in Austin a decade ago.

While still noshing on assorted breads, cheeses and smoked lamb spare ribs, I felt obliged to introduce my friends to the glory of the 2008 Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache, South Australia. Beautiful as ever with all that glorious raspberry and vanilla. My friend, we'll call him "Al" for the sake of internet anonymity, was, of course, rather upset that this stuff still isn't flowing into the Kansas City market yet. Then I think he said something about it being worth the drive to Wichita to pick up a case. If you go, will you pick up another case for me, too?

Dinner was beef short ribs that I briefly smoked over hickory before braising in aromatic veggies, home made chicken stock and a bit of tomato. Delicious, if I must say so myself. As far as I'm concerned there's nothing better than a nice chunk of falling-off-the-bone tender osso bucco, lamb shank, beef short rib, etc. You can make it hours ahead of your dinner guests' arrival and it's the perfect foil for damn near any red wine. And speaking of wine, the theme of the night was 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet.

The first of "Al's" that we opened was the 2000 Colgin Tychon Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. "Al" has been buying this wine for years now and generously opening them for me even though he knows I'm not a huge fan. I had never had the Tychon Hill bottling (had numerous bottles of the Herb Lamb Vineyard bottling) but it retains a lot of that dill on the nose that mars the Herb Lamb wines. It's a dilly quality that morphs into a more generic vegetal as it opens over the course of an hour or so. Sweet cherry flavors on the palate. Medium bodied, but gradually picked up weight throughout the evening until it just dropped off a cliff around the 90 minute mark. My least favorite of the night and probably my least favorite of any of the so-called "cult" Cabernets from Napa Valley.

My offering for the evening was my final bottle of 2000 Blankiet Paradise Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. By far my favorite nose of the evening as it's loaded with coffee, licorice, black cherry and menthol. Like the Colgin, it started off rather light but picked up a lot weight as it opened up. Perhaps we should've decanted this and the Colgin. Really blossomed throughout the evening and three of us voted it the favorite wine of the evening.

By far the biggest wine of the night was the 2000 Pride Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Possesses a black color that shows no signs of its age. Just a massive, massive wine that offers up powerful mineral, stone and chocolate aromas and flavors. Huge tannins. Could easily go another 10 years. I don't typically enjoy wines from Spring Mountain as I tend to find most of them on the vegetal side of California Cabernet. But this wine was rich and powerful with nary a hint of the green stuff. My second favorite wine of the evening. Received a 3rd place from the other three tasters, though.

We finished off dinner with some purchased Pirouline wafers (thin rolled wafers stuffed with creamy chocolate) and a half bottle of NV R.L. Buller Fine Tokay, Rutherglen. Sticky sweet, it just oozes orange rind, toffee, apricot, brown sugar and everything else that makes a tawny port delicious. At $15, it's an absolute steal for world-class dessert wine.

Braving the cold, "Al" and I ventured outside for Perdomo Corojo toros and the last two (tiny) pours of my Maison Surrenne 1875 Heritage Cognac. A treat from the past that I'll probably never have the pleasure of indulging in again.

2008 Alpha Box & Dice "Tarot" Grenache

Of all the wines I tasted at the Alpha Box & Dice tasting I attended back in September, the one that had me the most excited was the inexpensive little Grenache. Well, it has finally hit the market in Kansas and I'm glad to have gotten my hands on one of the first cases in Kansas City. Tonight we enjoyed a bottle of the 2008 Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache, South Australia with lowly hamburgers and roasted red potatoes. And just as I said back in September, this is the best $10 bottle of wine I have ever had. I'm a sucker for new world Grenache anyway and this is new world Grenache at its absolute best. Do you really care if the color is a slightly cloudy cranberry? I didn't think so. Let's cut to the chase and just say this is all about the vanilla bean and amazing, incomparable purity of raspberry-Grenache fruit. Plenty of acidity to keep it from being cloying. And the tannins should preserve it for a couple of years. But I'm pretty sure my remaining stash or nine bottles won't last past this summer. I don't know if this wine is available in your market or not, but if it is, you should buy every single bottle you can find.

2009 Pacific Rim Riesling

Enjoyed the 2009 Pacific Rim Riesling, Columbia Valley tonight with dinner. Pale golden color with green highlights. Pretty, expressive nose of jasmine flower, green apple, ripe pear and honey. Moderately sweet on the palate. Notes of pineapple, green apple and honey. Malic acid keeps everything fresh. Does a nice job of cutting through the fire of a bold, Asian spice-rubbed pork tenderloin accented with a touch of sriracha.

2005 Ch. de Montfaucon Cotes du Rhone

Roasted chicken was on the menu tonight as we settled in to see how much snow we'll have on the ground tomorrow morning. I usually grab a Pinot Noir here, but instead I decided to go with a Cotes du Rhone to pair with the aggressive spice rub I applied to the chicken. The 2005 Chateau de Montfaucon Baron Louis Cotes du Rhone has the typical light garnet color of a CdR with a touch of cloudy sediment. The nose is full of sweet/tart red fruits - strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, etc. Also present is a hint of black pepper and some pretty herbal notes. The palate is very dry and there's a disconcerting note of cardboard/newspaper there that I suspect might be a touch of cork taint. My wife, however, (someone who is typically quick to spot a corked wine) just said it was a "French earthiness." Not sure who's correct here, but either way the palate wasn't terribly enjoyable to me. So I hesitate to recommend this to anyone. I have one more in the cellar so I'll have to gather another data point before passing judgment.