2010 Copain Tous Ensemble Syrah

I wasn't in the mood for an Italian red with tonight's spaghetti with meatballs so I snagged the last bottle of 2010 Copain Tous Ensemble Syrah, Mendocino from work. Deep garnet color. The first sip of this wine was very gassy and prickly on the tip of the tongue but an aggressive decanting (read: turn the bottle upside down in the decanter) seemed to fix the problem. Tart strawberry and raspberry aromas and flavors with just a hint of peppery spice. Rather simple and disappointing and nothing about this really says "Syrah" to me. Quite alcoholic with moderate tannins and a long, slightly green finish. Oak is not noticeable. Really suffers from a lack of richness and definition of fruit. I've enjoyed multiple bottles of various vintages of Copain's Tous Ensemble Viognier, but I can't say my first bottle of Copain Syrah has been very inspirational. About $20

2008 Kilikanoon Shiraz Grenache

I really wanted to like the 2008 Kilikanoon Killerman's Run Shiraz Grenache, South Australia but in the end I just couldn't get behind it. Shows a deep color with a cloudy countenance. Initially, the nose has a lot of potential with its deep raspberry and blueberry compote notes, but the longer it opens in the glass, the more the aromas turn stewed and borderline vegetal. The palate also gravitates from deep fruit notes to more overprocessed, cough syrup flavors. Jammy with low acid and moderate tannins, the wine just seems a bit disjointed and artificial. Thankfully, the oak is never intrusive. Unspectacular finish. Your $15 would be better spend on the Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache, Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas or perhaps a nice bottle of Cotes du Rhone.

2007 Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - Wonderfully deep color. Stunning black olive, blackberry, blueberry compote and cedar aromas. More dark fruits and cedar-tinged wood on the palate with considerable tannins and lively acidity. A really serious Napa Valley Cabernet at an affordable price that harkens back to Chateau Souverain, Beringer Knights Valley and Markham of the early 1990s. I think I have one more 2007 left and then it's on to my small stash of 2008s. That being said, I don't think this wine is in any danger of going downhill soon. Drink with confidence over the next 5-7 years.

For dinner I grilled some beef kabobs made with large cubes of patio steak and pieces of red onion and red bell pepper. Patio steak, as I've come to find out, is an alternative way of cutting my much-beloved flat iron steak.

Wine and Food with Friends

Monday night we had dinner with some friends of ours, Ron and Suzy, who we had not seen in a couple of years. Suzy was one of my wife's college roommates at the University of Georgia back in the early 90s and they have always kept in touch. We frequently got together for wine last time we lived in Atlanta in the early 2000s. But since then, our paths have taken us to different parts of the country, us to Milwaukee and Kansas and Ron and Suzy have just returned to Atlanta after a couple of years in the northeast. For dinner, Ron perfectly grilled a couple of filets with a delicious shiitake risotto and roasted Brussels sprouts.

For a starter with a couple of cheeses we enjoyed the 2010 Chehalem Inox Chardonnay, Oregon. Beautiful floral, honey, green apple and pineapple notes. This 100% tank-raised Chardonnay sees no malo or contact with lees and is about as crisp and refreshing as it gets.

I've had the 2007 Cuvelier los Andes Grand Vin, Mendoza a couple of times now and tonight's bottle was as consistently impressive as ever. Deep color with powerful blackberry and coffee aromas and flavors. Huge tannins. Dilly/Bourbon-like finish. I usually don't care for that Bourbon flavor, but for some reason it works well with this blend of 73% Malbec, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. This sells for about $40 in Kansas City, but I bought it on sale at a retailer here for the very reasonable price of $30.

Our friends had been saving the 2004 Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno, IGT Tuscany for a couple of years. Ron felt the meal and the company were worthy of the wine and generously opened it for us. This blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot displays a bewildering aroma of blueberry cobbler and fresh rosemary. Tannins are still ferocious, but provide nice balance to the rich meal. Very international in style, just how I like my Super Tuscans. Current price for this wine is about $100 and I dare say it's worth every penny of it. Superb.

Needing just one more glass after dinner, our friends pulled the cork on a bottle of 2009 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley. I used to drink a good bit of this back in the '94-'96 vintages when it was a perennial best buy in the $15 range. I'm glad to report that this wine is still pumping out cherry-berry flavors and quite a good bit of licorice. Nice oak and tannins. How appropriate that we spent time with this "old friend" as we were visiting with good friends from years gone by. Still priced at a very reasonable $20.

I feel bad about the mountain of dishes we left behind and the the fact that our kids (on spring break) kept theirs (not on Spring break) up until 11 p.m. on a school night. I fear Tuesday morning was brutal for our friends. We'll have to make it up to them if they're able to come out and visit us in Kansas this fall for some wining & dining and a trip to the Georgia/Missouri game just a few hours away in Columbia, Mo. Thanks again to Ron and Suzy for opening up their beautiful house to us and for the great food, wine, conversation and friendship!

Dinner at Miller Union

We rolled into Atlanta early yesterday afternoon to spend the week with my parents as well as decorating my wife's sister's nursery. Whenever we get together with my wife's sister and her husband, we always like to hit up a local dining hot spot or two. Last night we visited the highly-touted Miller Union.

We got there within a minute or so of our 7:30 reservation and were immediately taken to our seats. It's always nice to be seated promptly like that; particularly on a busy Saturday night. No milling around in the bar or any of that nonsense. Decor is minimalist (might even call it Spartan) with off white paint, simple table settings, rough-hewn wood trim and a couple of old hornet nests adorning the walls. Service was impeccable. I wish I remembered our server's name as he is well-deserving of a shout-out. Wine is served in Riedel clones made by Schott-Zwiesel. Proper service temperature and nice stemware is always appreciated.

For an appetizer, I chose the braised beef tongue with creamy grits and pickled green tomato. Having never had tongue, I really didn't know what to expect. My brother-in-law told he he got tongue from a taco truck in Los Angeles once and found it a little disturbing due to the texture of the taste buds. The tongue last night was expertly prepared and very reminiscent of liver, both in flavor and texture. Maybe like liver wrapped in a sausage casing? I didn't detect any taste buds and my brother-in-law said his bite was considerably better than his food truck experience. The diced green tomatoes provided a nice acidic balance to the dense, earthy tongue flavors and the microgreen garnish also provided a bit of lift. Unfortunately, the creamy grits were more like a thin soup because of the broth applied to the dish. I wish they had left the broth off. For a starter wine we loved the NV Lucien Albrecht Brut Rose, Cremant d’Alsace for it's electrifying acidity and beautiful strawberry and cherry flavors.

My wife and her sister shared rather traditional fried oysters with a delicious mignonette and a fresh green pea hummus. My brother-in law cleaned his plate of the farm egg baked in a celery cream. The celery cream was delicious - and I generally despise celery.

My entree was braised pork cheeks over chive whipped potatoes garnished with shaved turnip, fennel, horseradish. The cheeks were amazingly tender and reminded me very much of a good osso bucco preparation. The shaved root vegetables kind of disappeared, though. The fennel was quite tasty, but I didn't notice any horseradish punch. And, once again, the whipped potatoes turned into a thin gruel because of the broth ladled over the top. Argh! The cheeks were plenty tender and moist on their own without the extra liquid. But the citrussy gremolata was a nice addition. The 2009 St. Innocent Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley was stunning; particularly for the very reasonable restaurant price of $60. Gorgeous cherry, menthol and forest floor notes. I will seek out some of this wine. When that was gone I ordered a glass of the relatively simple 2010 Patricia Green Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley. Compared to the St. Innocent, the Patricia Green was cloyingly sweet with notes of shrill, manipulated acidity.

Dessert was an absolute homerun. The cheese of the day with accompaniments was a local Mahon-like cheese with kumquat jelly, black pepper crackers and a handful of raw pecans. To be honest, the chewy pecans did nothing for me or the dish so after eating one, I pushed them aside. But the combination of the cheese, kumquat and cracker was just brilliant. And a glass of 2006 Alois Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvee, Burgenland just took it to the next level. If you aren't familiar with Mahon, it's a Spanish cow's milk cheese with a thick rind, buttery texture and dense, pungent flavors of sweaty gym sock. The wine's lightly sweet apricot and truffle flavors were absolutely spot on with the earthy cheese and sweet citrus rind notes of the kumquat. As fine a way to end a meal as I've ever experienced.

Overall, I thought it was a very satisfying, fairly-priced meal but not on par with Atlanta's Woodfire Grill or my benchmark for excellence, the Dining Room at Justin Vineyards.

2008 Plungerhead Dry Creek Zinfandel

2008 Plungerhead Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - Transparent ruby color. Laser beam of pure red cherry and raspberry fruit gradually opens up to reveal more bittersweet chocolate and vanilla aromas. The palate is beautifully balanced with raspberry, cracked black peppercorn and electrifying acidity. Reminds me of the structured, acidic 1997 Zinfandels maligned by the masses but loved so dearly by your's truly. Sweet raspberry notes carry on forever on the moderately tannic finish. I never noticed the stated 14.9% alcohol. A truly inspired pairing with a Cajun-stuffed pork tenderloin and quite a nice value at under $20. If you're left wanting by Plungerhead's pedestrian Lodi Zinfandel, give this one a try.

A truly bewildering, yet ultimately successful, blend of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, with small amounts of Paso Robles Zinfandel, some 2006 Napa Cab/Merlot blend and a dash of Paso Robles Malbec.

2007 Neal Family Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2007 Neal Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley shows a near-black color in the glass. Aromas found in the nose include slightly under-ripe blackberry, faint traces of Bourbon, dry cocoa, and a solid whiff of alcohol. Effortlessly transitions to tart blackberry, licorice and dry cocoa on the oaky palate. Astonishing depth. Very dry and dusty. Quite tannic. Floral notes linger in the empty glass. Nice effort that falls just a bit short due to the unripe fruit notes and an overall lack of integration. Right now I think this blend of organically-grown Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the esteemed AVAs of Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Mt. Veeder and Rutherford is pretty iffy for $45, but it might well come together with some time in the cellar.

One of the cool things about internet message boards and blogging is the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting, like-minded people. I've been fortunate to have established a number of friendships with people initially met on-line. And I have even more "cyber friendships" with people I've been exchanging tasting notes with; some for 15 years or more. One of my more recent acquaintances is blogger Dennis Tsiorbas, better known as the New Hampshire Wine Man. As you can imagine, the selection available in Kansas is often times quite a bit different from what's available in New Hampshire. But when I saw Dennis' review of a wine that we had in stock at the retailer I work for, I figured it was a good opportunity to calibrate our palates by comparing notes from the same wine.

I made a point to avoid Dennis' note for a few days before trying this just so I wouldn't be influenced one way or another. (I just remembered he thought quite a bit of it and rated it a 93.) Overall, I think our notes are pretty consistent; the major difference being the perceived level of ripeness of the blackberry fruit.

Dinner was roasted chicken with a red wine/porcini pan sauce.

Candor Merlot "Lot 3"

I don't drink a whole hell of a lot of Merlot because I find most of it to be rather hollow and sad. But the nonvintage Candor Lot 3 Merlot, Central Coast is an exception to the rule. This wine made by the Hope Family umbrella of wines (Liberty School, Austin Hope, Treana and Troublemaker being their other brands) is an intriguing blend of three different vintages of Merlot from vineyards sourced throughout the Central Coast. Deep garnet color. Beautiful aromatics of milk chocolate, cherry, vanilla and licorice. Quite full-bodied with chewy tannins and dry mocha and cherry flavors. Finishes long with dry, pleasant bay leaf, cocoa and cassia notes. Easily the most memorable Merlot I've had in a long time. 14.5% alcohol is barely noticeable. About $19.


Dinner was a charcoal-grilled tri-tip I rubbed down with the dry rub I usually reserve for ribs and pork shoulder. The caramelized brown sugar played really well with the wine's sweet fruit flavors.

Three legendary Rhones

My best friend in the world and his wife showed up for dinner last Saturday night and we sipped and slurped our way through three high profile Chateauneuf-du-Papes from great vintages and choked down some really disappointing lamb.

Sadly, I really dropped the ball on the lamb. I bought a boned leg of New Zealand lamb, removed the net and stuffed it with black pepper, fresh rosemary and chopped garlic. Then I put the net back on and smoked it for an hour or so over apple and cherry wood before slamming it in a low oven for a few hours. About an hour before our guests were due I started to panic and tried to braise some tenderness into the meat by way of a bath of simmering red wine and chicken stock; only achieving partial success. My wife and guests were gracious, but I could sense the disappointment in the dry, grainy meat.

Evaluating these wines was something of a roller coaster. I decanted each of them off of their sediment around 3 p.m. or so and immediately poured them back into their rinsed bottles where they sat until dinner time.

My notes in order of least favorite to most favorite:

1995 Chateau de Beaucastel, AOC Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Mourvedre-dominated blend manifests itself with a nose of worn saddle leather and the sweetest maraschino cherry. Color is definitely fading; showing an advanced brown color. Long, cherry-like finish. Sherried notes and resolved tannins lead me to believe this wine may be a touch over the hill - at least for my tastes.


1998 Chateau de Beaucastel, AOC Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Asian-influenced notes of soy and mushroom. Color shows the same advanced brown tones as the 1995. Very smooth, polished tannins with a considerable hint of menthol on the nose and palate.

1995 Chateau de la Gardine Cuvee des Generations "Gaston Philippe", AOC Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Easily my favorite wine of the evening and the favorite of our guests as well. Deepest color of the three wines. A bit cloudy, but that's probably my fault due my decanting technique. Deep black fruits and a Barolo-like nose of rose, tar and fennel. Touch of meat/sausage kicks in on the palate. Huge fruit and sandpaper-like tannins suggest this wine may benefit from additional aging. Finishes with a trace of Bourbon.

I was a bit surprised and disappointed by how the Beaucastels had faded. I purchased the 1998 at retail on release and stored it in proper conditions ever since. My friend bought the 1995 at the winery and kept it in a 57 degree refrigerated wine cabinet since then. So storage was not an issue. Regardless, the Beaucastels were absolutely smoked by the Gardine "Generations."

And as bad as the lamb was on Saturday night, an additional hour of braising turned the leftovers into something absolutely marvelous for Sunday night's smorgasbord dinner. Guess my timing was just a bit off. I'll do better next time, A......

2008 Seghesio Barbera

2008 Seghesio Barbera, Alexander Valley - Color shows no sign of age. Beautiful aromatics of raspberry, vanilla, licorice and maybe even something a little darker in there like tar. Retains beautiful licorice and raspberry fruit on the palate, but there's a good bit of alcohol and acid in there, too. Not picking up much, if any, oak on this one even though I know it's been aged in barrels. I'd say at this point the oak is well integrated. The alcohol, on the other hand, is quite noticeable. 15.3% is the stated amount on the label and I believe every bit of it. Picks up some dark, dry baker's chocolate on the long, vanilla/sweet raspberry finish. Purchased for the ridiculously low price of $8.77 ($9.74 less a 10% case discount) on close-out at a St. Louis grocery store last Christmas. Normal retail is about $20.

For dinner I whipped up a couple of home made pizzas:

A "meat lover's" with pepperoni, andouille sausage and sliced homemade meatballs

BBQ pizza with smoked pork shoulder, BBQ sauce, shaved red onion and cilantro

Lox with creme fraiche and scallion (no, I didn't try the wine with this one!)

The wine was fantastic with the meat pizza and also quite nice with the smoked pork. Might have to open one of my remaining stash of these wines next time I have BBQ.

2006 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico

The 2006 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico is a reasonably-priced 100% Sangiovese with a light, brick red color and a browing rim. Nose reveals classic aromas of dust, tart cherry, light licorice and leafy green tobacco. The medium-bodied palate is consistent with its earthy tart cherry and licorice notes. Great acidity. Tannins clamp down on the supremely long, tart cherry finish. Really in its element with a tomato sauce and home made venison and pork meatballs over pasta. Fair value at $20.