2009 Textbook "Fin de Journee" Cabernet

What is it with me picking tart, lean wines these days? On the heels of last night's Shug Pinot, I crack open the 2009 Textbook Fin de Journee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. What we have here is a Cabernet whose finest attribute is, unfortunately, the deep, rich color. The tart raspberry, herb and tobacco leaf nose give way to tart fruit and shrill acidity on the palate. The tannins are moderate and the oak is certainly not obtrusive. In fact, it takes a good long while before the smoky French oak reveals itself. Seems a bit more alcoholic than the stated 14.5%. I'm not one of these guys who demands melted asphalt and kirsch liqueur in his Cabs, but I do prefer mine with a little more body and concentration than this one offers. Might appeal to fans of more European-styled Cabs and Bordeaux blends, but for me it's an easy "pass" at $23.

2009 Schug Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

The 2009 Schug Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast is a tight, lean style of Pinot Noir featuring scents of cherry and cranberry fruit and an exotic hint of Asian five spice powder. Tart and angular on the palate with bitter wood (think: campfire) and cranberry flavors. Only moderate tannins, but the acidity is off the charts. Stylistically, I prefer Schug's softer, sweeter Carneros Pinot Noir. About $17

Pretty rough as a sipping wine, but a teriyaki-marinated pork tenderloin really helped smooth out the sharp edges. Recommended, but with the caveat that this is a "food wine."

2009 Dunning Ridge Top Zinfandel

Some sage wine blogger once said "Happiness is receiving your semi-annual wine shipment from Dunning Vineyards." Okay, that guy was me. And I think I said it last year. But I meant every word of it. And I was thrilled to see that brown cardboard box show up late last week. Now I'm not a huge believer in concepts like "dumb phases" and "bottle shock" but I did want to give the wine a few days to settle down just in case there was any sediment that had been shaken up on the trip from Paso Robles to rural Kansas.


I managed to keep my hands off of the 2009 Dunning Vineyards Ridge Top Zinfandel, Paso Robles until tonight. Of the three vintages of this wine I have had so far, this one is probably my favorite. This is a massive wine that just smacks you in the face with waves of blackberry, sweet cherry, black pepper and ungodly licorice notes. The palate is full-bodied with huge fruit and tannins and a long, powdery, dry cocoa finish. The whole package is encapsulated in slick French oak. Although the fruit shows phenomenal extraction, there's enough tannin and acidity in here to keep the wine from being sweet or flabby. Yes, the stated alcohol is 15.2% and it tastes like it. You got a problem with that? I don't. Seems like the sheet included with the order said this wine is about $28. Worth every penny...and then some.

If there's one little hidden gem of a winery that you've never heard of but should be buying from, this is it.

Consumed with a bowl of home made Italian-style meatballs with home made tomato sauce (tomatoes and peppers from our garden) and spaghetti. The fruit and licorice notes from the wine were amazing with the fennel seed in the meatballs and the acidity of the wine was a perfect partner to the acidity of the tomato sauce.

2009 Chateau de Segries

I've had the 2009 Chateau de Segries Cotes-du-Rhone four or five times now over the past year and it has never failed to deliver the goods. Tonight's bottle shows all the warm, spicy raspberry fruit, black pepper and sweet herb of previous bottles and ups the ante with an earthy, carob-like finish. Simply charming with grilled chicken skewers and tabbouleh. $12

2007 Manos Negras Malbec

Tonight my wife and I quietly celebrated our 17th anniversary with college football on the television (Tennessee/Bama, USC/Notre Dame and a bit of Wisconsin/Michigan State) and carnitas. I made the carnitas by rubbing down a pork shoulder with kosher salt, ground cumin and ground chilies, searing it in Dutch oven and then simmering it in chicken stock and home made green tomato salsa for 5-6 hours. Delicious with a little cheese, chopped cilantro and hot sauce in a warm flour tortilla.

The wine I chose for the occasion was the 2007 Vino del Sol Manos Negras Malbec, Mendoza. Deep blood-red color. Warm, inviting nose of blackberry, spice and mocha. Aromas flow seamlessly onto the rich, spicy, chocolaty palate. The tannins are light and the acidity is rather low (borderline flabby?) so drink this now with something with spicy, south-of-the-border flavors. Consistent with my note from last month. About $15

2009 Velvet Devil Merlot

Took a flyer on the 2009 Charles Smith Wines The Velvet Devil Merlot, Columbia Valley tonight. Had it with assorted leftovers of paella and stuffed peppers. Pretty cranberry color. Nose is loaded with sweet, vanilla-cherry fruit and a hint of cured meat/salami. Palate reveals some tart cherry fruit and more than a touch of that vegetal/green/bay leaf flavor so common to inexpensive Merlot. Nice acidity prickles the tongue. No tannins to speak of. Enjoy now if this is your cup of tea. $12

2009 Olivares "Altos de la Hoya"

While this wine has been on my "best buy" list for the past couple of years, the 2009 Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Monastrell, Jumilla brings even more structure than previous vintages. Uncommonly complex for a wine in this price range, the nose throws floral/violet notes, a touch of cured meat, barnyard, the blackest of fruits and restrained French oak at you while the palate offers chalky, earthy, black cherry flavors. The texture is a bit coarse/chalky with balanced acidity and tannins and a pleasantly bitter finish. Not something I recommend for sipping, but lovely (in that rustic, earthy kind of way) with a steaming bowl of paella laden with chorizo and chicken. About $12

2010 Wairau River Sauv. Blanc and...shellfish!

Long before I began blogging about wine and food I had a scare that I attributed to a shellfish reaction. I'd been eating shrimp, crab, scallops, lobster all my life until I broke out in a nasty, nasty full-body rash after a week of heavy shellfish consumption on vacation at the Outer Banks of N.C. A doctor told me it was probably a late-onset food allergy and narrowed it down to either strawberries (couldn't be) or shellfish. So for the past 5-6 years I've been laboring under the assumption that I'm allergic to shellfish. But last week's trip to an allergist and subsequent skin test last week seemed to suggest that I don't have any allergy to shellfish. No idea what caused the breakout way back when, but according to this doctor it wasn't shellfish. So after a week or so of allowing the last vestiges of my paranoia to subside, I asked the guy at the meat counter for 8 of the biggest scallops he had.

Dinner was my take on this recipe for Coriander-Fennel Rubbed Sea Scallops with Watermelon-Green Tomato Salsa. One of the few foods on this planet I steadfastly refuse to eat is watermelon. Can't stand it. Never have liked it. So I used diced pineapple instead. The tomatoes were unripe green zebras that we picked yesterday. (We picked a 30-gallon bucket full of green tomatoes yesterday as it's supposed to freeze here this week.) The coriander seeds were from the cilantro that went to seed in our garden a few weeks ago. It's a pain to pick all the seeds off, but it's worth it. And the fennel seed is from my rapidly-dwindling stash from my late mother-in-law's garden. Even at 5-6 years old these fennel seeds are so much more intense than anything you can get at even a good spice purveyor like Penzey's.

Tonight's wine of choice was the 2010 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough. Regular readers of my blog know that I don't particularly care for this style of wine. I'm not a fan of the tart grapefruit and green bell pepper flavors so commonly associated with this type of wine. And while this wine certainly has a good amount of lemon and grapefruit on the nose and palate, the edges seem nice and polished and there is no trace of green pepper. I also pick up some nice notes of sweet thyme and wet stone in there, too. Not surprisingly, the acidity of this wine was dynamite with the tart green tomatoes that made up the bulk of the salsa. I don't see myself ever going long on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but I can appreciate the idea of keeping a few on hand for meals such as this. About $20

2008 Arizona Stronghold "Tazi"

I've been drinking wine for a good 20 years now but this is quite possibly the first time I've ever had a wine from the Great State of Arizona. The 2008 Arizona Stronghold Tazi, Cochise County is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Malvasia Bianca. The light golden color is hardly indicative of the wine's full body. The wine is rather dull and lifeless straight from the refrigerator but after half an hour or so it reveals layers of musty earth, stone fruit (think: ripe apricot), melon and smoke. The palate is rich and oily, but never turns heavy or ponderous. Seems a touch sulfuric. I'm struggling to find something to compare this to. Maybe a dry Alsatian Riesling? About $20

It isn't all that pleasant to consume on its own, but it really hit a home run with tonight's improvised dinner of pork tenderloin/red potato/yellow pear tomatoes and a salad of garden fresh arugula, tomatoes and goat cheese tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. The earthiness of the wine works particularly well with the potato hash while the acidity nicely balances the salad. Quite the interesting, complex wine. If this is any indication of Arizona's potential, then it's a state whose wine industry warrants attention.

I can also highly recommend the Merkin Chupacabra Cabernet/Syrah blend (sourced from California fruit) from the same ownership/winemaking team.

Loring Wine Company and charity auction

I had a wonderful time last night pouring some great wines for a really good cause. Just as I did last October, I spent yesterday evening pouring a selection of wines generously donated by Brian Loring for a dinner and auction benefitting the Crittendon Children's Center. Last year Brian donated a case of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to pour for the guests to enjoy as well as a case of Pinot Noir to the auction. This year Brian enticed us by sending 6 bottles each of two different Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs as well as an additional case (Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir) for the Auction.

The first white I dove into was the 2010 Loring Wine Company Sierra Mar Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands. I found this wine to be very consistent with the note from the 2009 vintage of the same wine I poured last year. Once again, unapologetically rich and luxurious with notes of lemon curd, butter and nutmeg on the nose and a spicy, toasty palate. The unctuous palate is lifted by cleansing acidity that kicks in on the finish.


Is it possible that the 2010 Loring Wine Company Durell Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast is even richer and more powerful than the Sierra Mar? You bet it is! In addition to the heavy toast and roasted nut aromas, this wine shows decadent tropical pineapple/mango fruit on the nose and palate. The pleasantly bitter finish is a nice counterpoint to the sweet fruit. Simply amazing. Some might recoil in horror at Loring's philosophy of going back to that "bigger is better" style of Chardonnay that ruled the 90s, but I applaud it. There are plenty of Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, unoaked Chards, etc. out there if I want something light and crisp. I'm glad Loring's wines are available when I want a big, buttery white to go with something like scallops or crabackes.

The first of the two reds I tried was the 2009 Loring Wine Company Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir, Green Valley/Russian River Valley.The more elegant of the two Pinots, the nose on this deeply colored wine was full of smokey cherry fruit and a hint of sweet herb (think: rosemary, lavender). Typical of the Loring style, this is a medium-full bodied Pinot with great structure and a long, acidic finish. Of the Loring wines poured at the event, this is the only one available in Kansas and it retails for $49.99

The final offering was the 2009 Loring Wine Company Rancho La Vina Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills. This spicy, Zin-like Pinot was quite reminiscent of the 08 Loring Russell Family Vineyard Pinot (from Paso Robles) that I poured last year. This wine holds nothing back with its saturated blueberry and sweet cherry fruit and black pepper notes on the nose and palate. It's very tannic for a Pinot Noir with additional notes of oak and dust on the palate and a long, dry cocoa finish. As delicious as it is atypical.

Since I was pouring the entire time I didn't really get to see what other wineries (many from Kansas and Missouri) and distributors were pouring, but I can't possibly convey the number of people I had come up asking for second, third and even fourth pours of Loring's wines. Overall, the comments were very favorable and I had dozens of people tell me that these were the best wines featured at the event. Funny, I heard a lot of the same thing last year! Thanks to Brian Loring for making such delicious wines and being so charitible with his product. I hope the case of Clos Pepe fetched an appropriate amount at auction.

2010 Clos du Bois Sauv. Blanc, 2009 Treasure Hunter Cab. Sauv.

2010 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast - Very pale color. Light lemon, tart grapefruit nose. Seems pretty watered-down on the tart, herbaceous palate. May appeal to fans of New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, but I'm not a buyer at this, or any price. I really just don't understand the whole concept of these overly generic, mass produced wines. How much more effort does it take to seek out a bottle of Mason (California) or Walnut Block Collector's (New Zealand) for the same $10?

2009 Treasure Hunter Silk Sling Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena - Deep, vibrant purple hue. Although the AVA listed on the label is "St. Helena," a little bit of digging on the Kit Fox Vineyards website reveals that the true origin of this wine is the base of Spring Mountain. And let me tell you, folks, this is classic Spring Mountain Cabernet. (Someone cue the evil, spooky organ music.) Huge nose of cherry Jolly Rancher candy, Bourbon (I have no doubt this is aged in American oak) and a considerable green leafy/tobacco note. The tannins on the palate are as big as the fruit is tart. Super dry with a long, long dusty finish. Although I don't care at all for this style of wine, I can tell it's well made and very representative of its origin or terroir. About $25.

I was much more impressed with the 2008 Treasure Hunter Radio Caroline Cabernet Sauvignon that I had last December. How I have such an affinity for Diamond Mountain wines and such an aversion to the wines from neighboring Spring Mountain is anybody's guess.

2006 Buehler Estate Cabernet and 2008 Dunning Zinfandel

Fans of old school Napa Cabs will certainly enjoy the 2006 Buehler Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Pretty, deep crimson color. The pleasantly vegetal/barnyard nose features dried currant, Bourbon, cedar and shoe polish while the palate is rather monolithic with its dry, cedary notes and huge tannins. No over-the-top kirsch liqueur or melted asphalt here. While the wine is aged in a combination of new American (50%) and new French (35%) oak, the Bourbon notes from the American oak are far more prominent at this time. Not really my cup of tea, but my wife loved it. If you don't want to pay $100 for a bottle of Silver Oak, you can get pretty much the same flavors out of this wine for about a third of the price.

And a quick note on Saturday night's pizza wine. The 2008 Dunning Vineyards Ridge Top Zinfandel, Paso Robles continues to impress with its deep color and appealing aromas of sweet cherry, black pepper and slick French oak. Extremely peppery palate makes it a great pairing with a trio of home made pizzas. The 15.2% alcohol is apparent, but I don't mind that in a full-throttle Paso Robles Zin like this one. Assertive tannins and acidity suggest this could lay down for a few years, but I won't be doing that. Consistent notes on day two. $28 or so from the winery.

2007 40 Nights Red Wine

No, no, "40 nights" doesn't refer to how long it's been since I've posted a decent note on this blog. While it may seem like it's been that long, in this case it refers to the 2007 Fortnight Wine Company 40 Nights Red Wine, Washington State. A Side project of Dusted Valley Vintners, this Syrah-based blend (also contains small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec) represents an exceptional value for a mere $10-12. The color is nothing to get too excited about. It's somewhere between that which you would expect from a Pinot Noir and a Merlot; a bit lighter than I would expect from a Syrah. But most folks will (correctly) tell you that color is overrated anyway. Moving right along, the nose reveals layers of smoke, cherry Jolly Rancher, menthol and a good bit of wet stone. That wet stone manifests itself on the palate as a tremendous sense of iron/mineral; reminiscent of the delicious Yard Dog Red I enjoyed last month. Cool climate Syrah through-and-through with more emphasis on the menthol/wintergreen/green peppercorn side of Syrah rather than the over-the-top fruit that I'm accustomed to from Syrahs from California's Central Coast. The wonderful acidity made this wine a great pairing with a bowl of baked rigatoni with sausage and tomato sauce. Really over delivers.

Having tried a couple of the wines from Dusted Valley's Boomtown range (the Merlot and Pinot Gris are particularly enjoyable) and now this, I am interested in trying some of the more high-end offerings from this winery. Looking at their website I see they are producing a Petit Verdot as well as an enticing array of Rhone-style varietals including Cinsault and Grenache. Note to self: contact LDF next week and find out which, if any, of these wines are distributed in Kansas.

Dereliction of Duty.....

Yeah, I know, I know. It's been almost 3 weeks since I've posted anything here. As the picture above suggests, it isn't for lack of drinking. But we've had a lot of friends and family over during the past couple of weeks. And while we've had copious amounts of wine, some of it exceptional, I just haven't had the heart to geek out with tasting notes or blog updates. Plus, most of the wines we had were wines that I've already blogged on over the past couple of months. Had I been taking notes, standouts would have included wines such as Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel, Sean Minor Red Wine, Marquis Phillips Holly's Blend White Wine, Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee and Conn Creek Herrick Red.

Things are pretty much back to normal around here (It's certainly a lot quieter with out the roosters, turkeys and ducks!) and we've got some exciting new wines in stock at work. Hopefully I'll get back to posting tasting notes this weekend. Stay tuned...!