2001 Cuvaison, Galleron Cabernets

Back in Paola now, we enjoyed two nice Napa Valley Cabernets, courtesy of my father-in-law, with tonight's leftover braised legs of lamb and venison. I served them over soft, cheesy polenta. Both wines were perfectly delicious with the dinner.

2001 Galleron Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - Beautiful color. Somewhat simplistic with tart cherry and raspberry and vanilla-scented oak notes. A bit hot. Still holding on quite well with a nice balance of fruit and tannin. Finishes a bit rustic. Drink now or hold for another 3-5 years. A very nice, mature Napa Valley Cabernet. About $26 on release.

2001 Cuvaison 35th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - The deepest blackberry and black cherry fruits and a hit of latex in the nose. Very classy, polished French oak. Sweet cherry notes on the palate with ferocious wood tannins. Really long, dry finish. But will the fruit outlive the tannins? A great expression of rugged Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon that I would be drinking now if I had any in my cellar. $75

Had the Cuvaison not been on the table at the same time, I think everyone would have been perfectly satisfied with the Galleron. But tasted side-by-side, it was pretty obvious that the Cuvaison displayed more depth and polish than the Galleron.

1994 Penfolds Grange

Last night's Christmas dinner was whole braised leg of lamb with mashed potatoes and green beans sauteed with slivered almonds. After hemming and hawing around in the cellar looking at my wines and the selections my father-in-law brought up with him I decided against the myriad of Napa Cabernets, Bordeaux, Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Brunello and just pulled the trigger on my one lonely bottle of 1994 Penfolds Grange Shiraz, South Australia. We had been joking about it earlier in the day but then I decided "why not?" I've had it since release. And we gave my father-in-law a bottle (as a Christmas gift) back when we got ours. He has always promised to share his bottle with us when he gets around to opening it so I figured tonight's bottle would just be a preview of what's to come.

The wine exceeded all expectations. And that's something I consider a tall order for a bottle of wine originally costing $150 with a current value probably somewhere well north of that. Most times I have the privilege of tasting something in this price range I'm underwhelmed and find myself wondering what the wine does to justify the tariff. But not tonight. The pretty, deep color has a youthful magenta rim and shows no trace of being old enough to vote. The nose is full with well-integrated, Bourbon-tinged American oak, mint, eucalyptus and roasted meat. In the mouth the wine shows powerful tart berry, dark cocoa powder, a mouth-coating texture and fine tannins that lead to an impossibly long finish. Ready to drink now, but this wine will probably last forever. Seems a bit more alcoholic than the stated 14% alcohol. In doing a bit of research on the wine's accessibility yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of people describe this wine as "an iron fist in a velvet glove." And although cliche, it is entirely appropriate.

Two Blockbuster Paso Robles Blends

2008 Linne Calodo Slacker, Paso Robles - 70% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 5% Mourvedre. Dark, slightly cloudy crimson color. Super extracted blackberry and black pepper nose with hints of sweet Provencal herb. Quite smooth on the palate with lots of tart blackberry flavor. Tannins are already nicely resolved. Good acidity with a heady vanilla finish. Seems a bit more polished and restrained than the handful of other wines I've had from this producer. 15.3% alcohol...and it shows. Outstanding with the food, so-so on its own. Normally $50, on closeout for $15.

2008 Four Vines Anarchy, Paso Robles - 36% Zinfandel, 35% Mourvedre and 29% Syrah - Opens with earthy Mourvedre-influenced aromas and flavors that gradually give way to sweet cherry and maple/brown sugar notes. Quite a remarkable transformation in this regard. Seamless and harmonious on the cherry- and raspberry-tinged palate and an impossibly long, luscious finish. Hides the 15.0% alcohol quite well. Much more enjoyable on its own. Normally $30, but purchased on sale for $20. Note: at the time, this wine was being produced by the Four Vines Winery. The Four Vines label has since been sold and current vintages of this wine are produced and marketed by Cypher Winery.

The embarrassment of riches continues with tonight's meal of seared tournados of venison backstrap with a blackberry demi-glace sauce, wild rice and roasted asparagus. As I mentioned above, the Linne Calodo was my preferred wine with the food, but after dinner the Four Vines really came into its own. You really couldn't go wrong with either wine.

Two California Syrahs

2006 Cuvaison Syrah, Carneros - Ridiculous raspberry liqueur and white pepper notes on the nose. Little bit of roasted coffee in there, too. Still fiercely tannic with white pepper and tart raspberry notes on the palate. Color hasn't faded a bit. 14.5% alcohol is not an issue. With the fruit concentration, I think this wine could easily hold on for another 5-7 years. A very reasonably priced $32 from a very underrated California producer.

2007 Dunning Vineyards Syrah, Paso Robles - Nothing new here. No sign of age in the glass. All of the stunning licorice, blackberry and dark, dry cocoa that I have come to expect from this wine. Beautifully balanced interplay of acidity and tannins suggest this one also has a long life ahead of it. I have two of these left in the cellar in addition to a few bottles each of the 08 and 09 vintages. About $35

Tonight's dinner was roasted Cornish game hens stuffed with a Cajun-inspired stuffing of sausage, cornbread and aromatics. Braised Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and applewood smoked bacon also graced the plate. A terrific meal fit for the holiday season.

Amphora Distribution

Well, I finally decided what I would do with regards to the new wholesale business and this blog. I set up a separate blog for the business at amphoradistribution.blog.com where I can review and discuss the wines that we will be representing as well as those that we are considering bringing into the fold. There is a disclaimer on the site that lets everyone know that it is a business-related blog and we have an interest in pushing the wines reviewed there. That being said, I will do my best to maintain my integrity and not over-sell modest wines or gloss over negative attributes of substandard wines.

I will maintain this site for reviewing wines that are either already represented in Kansas or wines that we have no interest in selling.

In addition to the new blog, I would really appreciate all my followers here also checking out our other websites and social media outlets:

Twitter: @AmphoraDistr

Home page: http://www.amphoradistribution.com/index.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmphoraDistr?ref=ts&fref=ts

Thanks for your support!

2010 Cryptic Red Wine

After finishing up some Christmas shopping and taking a bottle of Dunning Vin de Casa by a couple of target accounts, I came home with a little time to kill this afternoon. So I got all dressed up in my camo and hit the deer blind for a little while. I got a nice 10-point buck last week but I still had an antlerless tag to fill. Well, it's been filled now. Got a nice, medium-size doe with a pretty good shot from about 60-70 yards. After field dressing and hanging overnight, I'll take her to a local meat market for processing tomorrow morning.

After the fun of field dressing a deer, it was time to make dinner - our usual Friday night pizza night. And I wanted to open something nice and spicy to go with tonight's offerings: shrimp and pesto, andouille and roasted red pepper and pepperoni (for the kids, of course).

The 2010 Cryptic Red Wine, California is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel that shows the deep color that you would expect from this type of blend. Very briery and rustic with it's blackberry, raspberry and black pepper notes, I see what the Petite Sirah and Zinfandel add to the blend, but for the life of me I don't get any Cabernet Sauvignon characteristics. It's a bit flabby and jammy, but still much more well-behaved than the cloying Apothic Red. Long, dusty finish. Nothing profound here, but a nice $15 quaffer for pizza or burgers.

This wine falls under the umbrella of the Purple Wine Company; owners of such brands as Four Vines, Avalon and Bex.

2009 Idle Cellars Chardonnay

2009 Idle Cellars Catherine Bonneau Vineyard Chardonnay, Los Carneros - Nice, medium golden color. Starts off with a lot of sweet pineapple and peach aromas which quickly give way to drier, lemony and floral notes. On the palate, there's a oily richness to the tart, minerally, lemon flavors and a pleasant bitterness from the French oak aging. The tropical notes and nicely-balanced acidity are hallmarks of the Carneros region. About $20

Enjoyed with heavy Hors d'ouevres including roasted red pepper hummus, warm spinach dip and assorted cheeses and sausages.