2008 Marquis Philips "Holly's White", 2010 Lapierre "Raisins Gaulois"

Spent a lot of time doing farm stuff this afternoon. In addition to the normal chores of feeding and watering all the animals I disassembled a couple of wooden shelters that had been housing the ducks and turkeys. The birds had outgrown the small boxes and the weather had taken its toll on them as well. Stifling heat and humidity made it pretty tedious. So a crisp, refreshing white wine was in order. The 2008 Marquis Philips Holly's Blend, South Eastern Australia sports a medium gold color. About half Verdeho, the rest of this inexpensive blend is Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The initial burst of honey-lemon on the nose suggests a sweet, fruit-forward wine. But the palate is actually quite rich and earthy with a beautiful waxy texture. Great acidity. 15% alcohol. About $12

Dinner tonight was a pork tenderloin that was rubbed with a honey/Dijon/garlic/rosemary marinade and grilled over hickory and apple wood. It was accompanied by some amazing multi-colored carrots we pulled from the garden and roasted whole with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. When the carrots were done, they were drizzled with just a bit of honey and then sprinkled with fresh chopped rosemary. Sublime! The 2010 Lapierre Raisins Gaulois, Vin de France was the perfect partner for this meal. Tantalizing electric magenta color followed by amazing raspberry, cherry and strawberry in the nose. The purity of fruit is immediately comparable to the oft-mentioned Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache. Light-bodied with juicy strawberry flavors complimented by earth and mineral notes. No oak is used in the vinification of this wine. Mouth-watering acidity. About $15

This is the first vintage of this wine (made by the son) after the untimely death of the legendary Marcel Lapierre; an early proponent of organic winemaking and one of the men credited with helping change the way wine drinkers think of the Beaujolais region. When the world was fixated on insipid Beaujolais Nouveau in the 70s and 80s, Lapierre was putting away the chemical fertilizers and drastically cutting back on sulfite additions.

A view of the farm back in late winter/early spring. This is before we had any fencing put up and we had just laid out the raised beds that would become the garden:


The same view today with a goat pen, a duck/turkey pen and a bustling garden (that is in desperate need of a good weeding). So far we've been enamored by the beets, carrots, arugula and herbs. Beans and a huge crop of tomatoes are coming soon. Next year we'll probably skip the broccoli (very leafy, no crowns), strawberries (only 2-3 of 10 came in and the fruit has been very tiny) and edamame (none of the 10 or so seeds we planted ever sprouted).


The neighbor spent a few days last week harvesting the Brohm hay growing along the sides of the property and in the back yard. He has a large cattle operation out in western Kansas and we've got a gentleman's agreement that he can have the hay. I think I counted 32 bales that they cut, dried and rolled!

Stickybeak, Dunning, more beets and 2 Rieslings

The 2009 Stickybeak Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County is a blend of 72% Semillon and 28% Sauvignon Blanc and one of the featured wines of Off the Vine Design's Wine of the Month Club. Quite a bit more than I expected here with an earthy, almost truffle-like nose, with yeast and smoke playing a supporting role. Rich palate with fine acidity and light melon notes on the finish. No fruit bomb. Enjoy this one as it approaches room temperature. And consider pairing it with a quiche. About $20

No surprise that the 2008 Dunning Vineyards Vin de Casa, Paso Robles - remains a consistent winner in my book. The blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Zinfandel, 20% Syrah shows dark cherry with hints of herb and licorice in the nose. Great concentration of fruit and licorice on palate. Nice acidity, fiercely tannic. Sweet, herbaceous finish. Consumed with a couple of meaty take-out pizzas. About $24

Last weekend we harvested the last of our spring/summer beets and cut another huge bunch of peppery arugula. I turned it into an arugula salad tossed with a quasi-Asian vinaigrette, roasted beets, candied cashews and smoked salmon (also treated with an Asian-inspired rub). A couple of Rieslings were opened for the sake of comparison and contrast.

First up was the 2008 Michelle Loosen Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley. Yeasty, green apple nose with just a bit of the petrol that I dig in Riesling. Laser-sharp focus with more tart green apple and mineral flavors on the palate. Just barely off-dry. Overall, this is a very well-made wine, but alas it was too dry to successfully accompany the food. $20

Slightly sweeter was the 2009 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling, Rheingau. Peach and apricot dominate with supporting tropical notes of kiwi and pineapple and petrol. Moderately sweet (though considerably sweeter than the Eroica), this was a better pairing with the food, but still not as sweet as I needed it to be. Nicely balanced minerals and acidity on the finish. Softer than the Eroica. $16

The recipe I used is from an older cookbook and sadly I can't find any link to it on the internet. I really liked the concept of this salad, but it needs some modifications. Next time I want to try it with seared, thinly-sliced ahi instead of smoked salmon. And I'll ditch the olive oil called for in the dressing and use a more neutral vegetable oil instead. And I'll seek out a Riesling or Gewurztraminer (or both) with a bit more residual sugar to counteract the heat and saltiness of the recipe. When I get around to making it again (with modifications) I'll type out the recipe here.

Couple of recent tastes

2007 Marquis Philips Roogle Shiraz, South Eastern Australia - Dark, grapey purple color with a (surprising) bit of sediment. Grapey, raspberry, acidic nose. Yes, you can smell the acidity in this one. Fruit is sweet and simple with an "artificial" acidity and no tannins to speak of. Nothing great here, but a perfectly decent, inexpensive quaff with burgers.

2009 Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County - As the name suggests, just pure Chardonnay fruit here. Massive banana, pineapple and peach on the nose and palate. Electric golden color. Refreshing acidity. Touch of sweetness makes it refreshing on a hot Saturday afternoon on the back porch.

2007 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier, Victoria - Absolutely stellar wine! Inky dark color. Beautiful Northern Rhone nose of meat/salami/fennel with prune/cherry fruit notes. A tad alcoholic. 14% Great concentration on the palate with cherry, oaky, smokey, apricot notes. Moderate tannins and good acidity. Great pairing with pork sirloin with pan sauce.

2009 Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel, California - raspberry leaps from the glass. You can smell it from 5 feet away. Jammy raspberry, blueberry and a bit of spice. Thick and sweet on the palate with jammy zinberry fruit. Peppery finish. Nothing complex here, but delicious. 14.4% alcohol and nice acidity on the finish keeps the fruit from being too cloying.

NV Riondo Spago Nero Prosecco, Veneto - This venerable favorite is consistent with its apple, pear and ginger aromas and flavors. Seemed a touch flat. Natural cork suggests this may have been an older bottle.

2010 Adelsheim Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley - One of my favorite domestic Pinot Gris. Beautiful melon, lemon nose with wet stone/mineral notes. Wonderful acidity.

NV J. Bookwalter Subplot No. 25 Red Wine, Columbia Valley - 48% Merlot, 33% C.S., 5% Syrah, 4% C.F., 4% Malbec, 4% P.V. and 2% Barbera. Slightly syrupy blackberry fruit and American cooperage on the nose and palate. Good acidity. Moderate tannins. Touch alcoholic.

A Tale of Two Pinots.....

Tried a couple of inexpensive California Pinot Noirs with smoked rotisserie chicken tonight.

First up was the 2009 Chime Cellars Pinot Noir, California. Transparent in color, the Chime Pinot Noir is light-bodied with a decidedly herbal edge. Notes of strawberry, tart raspberry, light spice and Provencal herbs in the nose. Tart raspberry, vanilla and citrusy/grapefruit acidity are present on the palate. Short finish with a slightly tarry note. Looking back, this wine probably would have fared better with food with an herbal/citrus component. Worth trying again. About $11

Next up was the 2009 Block Nine Caiden's Vineyards Pinot Noir, California. Much darker color than the Chime, I was immediately expecting this wine to be somewhat richer and I was not disappointed. Ripe raspberry and cherry fruit with sweet vanilla scents on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate with richer, rounder fruit and a similar note of rosemary/lavender herb. Nice acidity with moderate tannins. Long, dry, herbal finish. This was the superior pairing with tonight's dinner and certainly bears future purchases. About $12

I can sense this leading up to a Chime/Block Nine/Sean Minor showdown in the near future!

The chicken was rubbed down with kosher salt, ginger and rosemary before being rotisseried over charcoal spiked with cherry and apple wood. The chicken going on the rotisserie:



The finished product:

2010 Sean Minor Vin Gris

I've been eagerly awaiting an opportunity to try the latest release from Sean Minor and tonight was the perfect occasion. The menu for this evening was leftover paella (going on a week now, about time to pitch the leftovers) and a wondermous salad of garden-fresh greens tossed with a sherry-orange vinaigrette, diced roasted beets and croquettes of goat cheese. Turns out the 2010 Sean Minor Pinot Noir Vin Gris, Carneros was the perfect pairing for just such a salad. The wine has a middle-of-the-road copper color as far as roses are concerned. The nose is a fruit salad of strawberry, cherry, watermelon and a hint of fresh-snipped mint. Rich, full-bodied and bone dry on the palate with earthy cherry flavors and a long acidic finish. Beautifully balanced. As nice as this was on its own merits it really stood out with the beet salad where the acidity of the wine perfectly balanced the citrus vinaigrette and the earthiness of the wine really worked with the earthiness of the roasted beets. I can see myself going through many bottles of this wine over the summer. Great value at $15.

Seghesio tasting + others

I was pleased to attend a tasting last week featuring the wines of Seghesio Winery and enjoyed a couple of bonus pours afterwards.

2010 Seghesio Pinot Grigio, Sonoma County - Consistently one of the best domestic Pinot Grigios. Orchard fruit (pear, apple) and wet stone nose followed by dry tropical flavors on the palate. Quite dry with refreshing acidity and a long finish. $19

2007 Seghesio Barbera, Alexander Valley - Captivating nose of black cherry and vanilla/smoky French oak. Very acidic with a decidedly mushroomy edge. Needs food. Didn't show the uncanny cranberry liqueur of the last bottle I had, but still a very nice wine. $27

2008 Seghesio Sangiovese, Alexander Valley - Black olive, candied fruit and licorice on the nose and in the mouth. Didn't show as well as previous bottles. $27

2009 Seghesio Zinfandel, Sonoma County - Another remarkably consistent wine. Coconut/American oak, bright raspberry and menthol nose. Nice tannins. Dry with a sweet/tart raspberry finish. The quintessential summertime Zinfandel. I've been drinking this wine for nearly 20 years and I hope to still be drinking it 20 years from now! $20

2008 Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel, Alexander Valley - Switches gears with Rhone-like notes of rosemary, green peppercorn and menthol. Massive black pepper and luscious dark fruits. Tannic. Very interesting Zinfandel and worth the $37 entry fee.

2003 Seghesio Venom Sangiovese, Rattlesnake Hills, Alexander Valley - Color shows some bricking as one would expect from a Sangiovese with a few years on it. Initial nose of American oak and mushroom gently yields to a beautiful bottle sweetness with sanguine notes. Long finish and considerable tannic grip.

And a few bonus pours:

2007 Bodega Pulenta Estate Merlot, Mendoza - Great color. Sweet/tart cherry nose with a hint of black olive. Olive is even more prevalent on the palate. Medium-bodied with a bit of that "hollow" mid-palate common to Merlot.

2007 Bodega Pulenta Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza - Nose is initially all about sweet black fruit and licorice, but it picks up some green notes with air. Palate is quite green and peppery. Black fruits kicks in again on the finish. Moderate tannins.

2007 Cuvelier los Andes Grand Vin, Mendoza - A blend of 73% Malbec, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot from the winemaking team at the famed Chateau Leoville Poyferre. Jet black in color with crazy notes of licorice, pencil/graphite, black fruits and latex. Monster tannins beg for time in the cellar. Picks up a bit of truffle with air. Really shows its Bordeaux heritage and hands-down my favorite wine of the evening.

2008 Barrel Monkey Shiraz, McLaren Vale - Dill and blackberry syrup on the nose and palate. Thick, with low acid and moderate tannins. Short finish. Not my cup of tea.