2008 Bennett Lane "Turn Four" Cabernet

I hadn't had the 2008 Bennett Lane Turn Four Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa County since New Year's Eve. With some thick KC strips on the grill I thought it was a good time for a revisit. Still shows great color. Super sweet cherries and licorice on the nose and palate with hints of dry cocoa on the palate. Slick French oak; think vanilla and black shoe polish. Medium-bodied with nice tannins and balancing acidity. Not terribly complex, but what's there is there in spades and quite delicious. 14.5% alcohol is very apparent. A blend of sustainable vineyards from the Calistoga, Oakville and St. Helena districts of Napa. Proof that you can still get a nice California Cabernet for $20 or so.

friends.red.redux

Revisited the 2009 Pedroncelli friends.red Red Wine, Sonoma County with a trio of home made pizzas tonight. This proprietary blend of (undisclosed percentages of) Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Sangiovese continues to over-deliver in the $10 price range. I don't want to promise too much here, but the wine is a delicious package of spicy raspberry fruit with solid tannins and really nice acidity. According to the winery's website, it is aged in a combination of French and American oak, but I don't get any toasty, oaky notes on this wine. Finishes with a 14.4% kick of alcohol.

Two of the pizzas tonight were pretty standard: Italian sausage/mushroom and eggplant Parmesan. The third one tonight was a real masterpiece of locavore dining; if I must say so myself. The crust was brushed with just a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with shredded mozzarella cheese before being topped with paper-thin slices of garden fresh zucchini and dotted with bits of fresh goat cheese from the nearby Terabithia Farms. Their goat cheese (from Oberhasli goats) is amazing and unlike anything you'll ever get at a grocery store or cheese specialty shop. More like a mozzarella than chevre, the cheese has a dense, milky texture and peels apart just like a fresh ball of mozzarella. Even has that "squeaky," toothy texture to it. Melts brilliantly. Just fantastic!

Test your knowledge of France's wine regions

Here's a link to an insanely difficult (at least it's insanely difficult to my Cali-centric palate) interactive game in which you have to place a pushpin on various wine regions of France. To be honest, I've never heard of most of these little towns and regions. I've played a couple times and I've got to make a number of lucky guesses to break 30,000 points. Just for comparison's sake, to get your name on the list of top scores you need to score in the 85,000-100,000 range. Kind of fun. Give it a whirl and test your knowledge of little-known villages of the Loire, the Languedoc, Alsace, etc. Bonne chance!

2008 Cameron Hughes "Lot 171" Meritage

Cameron Hughes is a very interesting story. An international negociant, he buys completed wines from around the world, bottles them as is and sells them for a fraction of what the original producer would have sold them for. The wines that they have offered throughout the years is astonishing. Everything from California Cabernets and Chardonnays to Moscato d'Astis to South African Sauvignon Blancs to Grenache blends from Spain's Priorat. Apparently, if you have too much of it, Cameron will repackage it and sell it.

But while I recently enjoyed the rich, tropical Lot 159 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County), I wasn't terribly impressed with tonight's red offering. The 2008 Cameron Hughes Lot 171 Meritage, Sonoma County is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot and 5% Malbec. The color is most unimpressive; more reminiscent of an entry level Pinot Noir than a Bordeaux blend. Strong menthol controls the nose with faint notes of tart cherry, watermelon Jolly Rancher and hickory smoke lurking in the background. Thin and frail on the palate with meager tart cherry flavors and out of balance acidity. Modest tannins suggest this is best consumed young. If you want to take a chance on this wine, I would recommend treating it like a Sangiovese and look for a tomato sauce to provide some balance. Not worth $15.

2007 Kent Rasmussen "Esoterica" Petite Sirah

Oh, my lord what a beast the 2007 Kent Rasmussen Esoterica Chavez-Leeds Vineyard Petite Sirah, Rutherford is! Impenetrable color is solid right out to the rim. The nose is a brooding stew of blackberry, brier, black pepper and unsweetened baker's chocolate. More of those rustic, dry cocoa powder flavors turn up on the palate with searing acidity and huge, drying, dusty (this is from Rutherford, after all) tannins. There's certainly plenty of tannin and acid in here to last a decade or longer in the cellar, but I don't think there will be much, if any fruit left at such time. So I suggest drinking this now with some assertive food like tonight's grilled burgers with home made pesto and a side of garden-fresh tomatoes (Eldorado and Beefsteak) dressed with balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. Definitely worth $35

Austin Hope "Troublemaker" (Blend 2)

It's no secret that I have a special place in my heart for the Rhone-style blends of California's Central Coast/Paso Robles region. In fact, it's probably my favorite region anywhere in the world as the wines there tend to pair very nicely with the foods that I most like to eat; namely spicy foods, grilled foods, smoked foods and BBQ. The non-vintage Austin Hope Troublemaker (Blend 2), Paso Robles is just such a wine. A blend of 73% Syrah, 12% Grenache, 8% Petite Sirah and 7% Mourvedre from no less than three different vintages (2007, 2008 and 2009), the Troublemaker has a great, deep purple color that is consistent all the way out to the rim. The nose is initially quite primary with sweet cherry and raspberry aromas and licorice. With a bit of air, it is possible to coax some smoked bacon aromas from the glass. Full and juicy on the palate with decadent fruit, espresso, worn leather, solid tannins and a very pleasant herbaceousness on the finish. I won't argue with the stated claim of 14.5% alcohol. A very nice effort that rings up for just under $20.

Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, Trumpeter Malbec

2008 Rutherford Vintners Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley - This is the fruit-forward California style Sauvignon Blanc that really hits the spot when it's 100 degrees outside and you just finished unpacking countless suitcases of dirty laundry after a 10-day family "vacation." Beautiful melon and peach aromas and flavors with crisp acidity and just a touch of richness. Am I crazy or is there a hint of Riesling-like petrol in the nose, too? I think I paid about $14 at a retailer in Florida.

I've enjoyed the past 3-4 vintages of Trumpeter Malbec, but for some reason the 2010 Rutini Trumpeter Malbec, Mendoza left me flat. The current vintage offers really tart strawberry and raspberry aromas and follows up with more thin, underripe, acidic fruit on the palate. Light body. No tannins (or finish) to speak of. Nor does it feature any of the smoke, coffee, spice or lush fruit that I enjoy from Argentinian Malbec. I paired this with grilled KC strips with chimichurri tonight and the vinegary chimichurri sauces helped smooth out the wine a bit (much like an acidic tomato sauce balances out an acidic Chianti) but it was still far from pleasurable. A disappointing $11.

Fourth of July weekend wines

Had out dear friend Alex over on Sunday for a day of shooting (12 gauge, .357 magnum, .30-06) and some food and wine. Dinner was St. Louis style spare ribs that I overcooked; an unpardonable offense in my book. I let them spend an hour or so too long on the smoker and they ended up being a good bit drier and tougher than I was shooting for. Shame on me.

We started with a bottle of the NV Riondo Spago Nero Prosecco; a wine I've reported on many times. Nothing new here. Just that lovely, bubbly, pear/apple profile that quenches the thirst on a brutally hot Kansas afternoon.

2010 Charles & Charles Rose, Columbia Valley - This 100% Syrah rose sports a pale magenta color with a bluish tint. Blackberry, raspberry aromas and flavors abound in this very full-bodied pink wine. Charles & Charles proves that you can indeed drink rose and be bad ass! $11

2008 Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel, Alexander Valley - Impressive, dark color. Classic old vine Zinfandel nose of blackberry, brier and black peppercorn. Quite full-bodied with big, powdery tannins. Finish turns a bit green after a couple of hours. A bit of American oak on this wine, but it only reveals itself after an undue amount of air. A wee bit overpriced at $39

2008 Ambullneo "Zito Family Vineyards" Tres Ninos Zinfandel, San Luis Obispo County - Sweet cherry and a rich, nutty Graham cracker crust element in the nose. Light in color for a Zinfandel. Sweet/tart cherry flavors and a good bit of spice on this whimsical Zinfandel. This is a side project of Ambullneo's Greg Linn. I cannot find any additional information about this particular Zinfandel on the Nonno Zito website.

2006 Ambullneo Vineyards Howling Syrah, Santa Maria Valley - Medium-dark color more reminiscent of a Cabernet Sauvignon than a Syrah. Super meaty with hickory smoke, beef jerky, wintergreen and white pepper all pitching in on the supremely complex nose. Huge mouth-filling tannins with fleshy, meaty, salami-like flavors on the palate. A ponderous, contemplative wine and a textbook example of a cool climate California Syrah. Bravo!

We finished the evening with a couple of drams of Bushmill's 1608 Irish Whiskey and some Cuban cigars I've been hoarding (under impeccable conditions, of course) for the last 10-12 years. Combine that with no less than three separate fireworks shows on the horizon and you've got a recipe for a fine evening.

Our friend stuck around long enough on Monday to get in a few hours of fishing on the pond(s). We mostly caught smaller fish, but there were a couple a of nice size bluegills (Alex) and a 1.5-2 pound Largemouth (me) in there, too. After Alex left we spent some time tidying up the garden and doing farm stuff. Around 2 p.m. or so I threw 30 pounds of pork shoulder on the smoker for a family reunion dinner later in the week. Dinner was one of my all-time favorites: charcoal-grilled flat iron steak with fresh chimichurri sauce.

2010 Willow Crest Estate Grown Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley - Pale color, as expected. Tremendous nose of banana, pineapple, tangerine and spice. Slight spritz on the attack. Tropical, pineapple flavors and a good dollop of minerality on the palate. Refreshing acidity. This wine consistently runs neck-and-neck with Cline as my favorite value domestic Pinot Gris. $11

2009 Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza - This sustainably-farmed Argentinian Cabernet has a deep, saturated color with blackberry, currant and spice on the nose. Good bit of oak, as well; but it's the cedary type rather than the cheap, dilly American variety. Jammy cranberry and spice on the palate. A pretty simple wine, but packed with yummy goodness. Turns a bit "green" after a while. Low acid and light tannins make it perfect for drinking now. $12

2007 Kiralyudvar Furmint Sec

The garden continues to bless us with a bounty of fresh herbs and vegetables. Tonight's dinner was grilled salmon filets with a ginger/rosemary rub, steamed broccoli from the garden (sadly, likely the only head of broccoli we're going to get) and spaghetti noodles tossed with pesto (basil and garlic from our garden).

The wine I chose to accompany the meal was the 2007 Kiralyudvar Furmint Sec, Tokaj. Never having had a dry Hungarian wine, I went into this bottle free of preconceived notions; good or bad. Rather dark in color. Pretty close to what I would expect from an oak-aged Chardonnay. The nose is a complex stew of overripe apricot, peach, mushroom and more than a hint of oxidation. On the palate, the wine has a lot of the aforementioned ripe apricot and peach flavors with lots of mineral and acid. Quite full-bodied; almost oily in texture. And I dare say this is approaching off-dry status as I think there's a bit of residual sugar in here. It smells and tastes like a dessert wine that someone allowed to ferment for a bit too long. Simply outstanding with the food. But once the food is gone, the wine quickly loses its charm. About $20

I'm really glad I tried this wine. And it was a great partner to the food. That being said, it's a bit tedious on its own and I really don't think I like it enough to warrant purchasing additional bottles. Recommended; with reservations.