2009 Yard Dog Red

Wow. This modest little Petit Verdot blend really out-kicked its coverage tonight. My parents, tee-totalers, are in town for the next two weeks and I grilled a tri-tip for dinner. Not in the mood to open anything too expensive, my last bottle of 2009 Red Heads Studio Yard Dog Red, Australia was calling my name. Still shows a beautiful, saturated color, even if it isn't quite as dark as it was a year ago. On the nose, beautiful tart cherry, dust, graphite, mineral and coffee notes. Really speaks to the rugged nature of Petit Verdot. Silky smooth on the palate with refreshingly tart cherry and cranberry notes. Nice tannins and acidity with a long, dusty finish. Really over-delivers for $10. 60% Petit Verdot, 20% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Looking for a change from my normal chimichurri sauce, I whipped up a little Italian-inspired sauce to top the perfectly-grilled tri-tip. It's a little something I've dubbed Pesto Gianni in honor of my good friend John Fodera. In a Cuisinart, whiz a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, a handful of pecans, a few cups of arugula (preferably garden-fresh), grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. When it reaches the consistency of a coarse paste, gently stir in enough olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. Great as a steak topping or tossed with cooked rotini.

NV Baumard Carte Turquoise Brut, Cremant de Loire - Pale color with barely perceptible brassy highlights and a fine mousse. Not sure what the blend is here, but judging by the earthy, slightly musky flavors I'm guessing it's mostly Chenin Blanc. Very dry and minerally, but devoid of any fruit characteristics. Unremarkable on its own, but it works pretty well with tuna tartare with Asian ingredients (cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, etc.) I picked this up in a clearance bin in St. Louis last December for $9.99. Original price unknown. I suppose it's decent enough for what I paid, but I'd be disappointed if I paid a "normal" price of $20 or $25.

2007 Little Red Boots Petite Sirah

My business partner Chris stopped by (okay, no one really "stops by" my place in the sticks) this afternoon for a little impromptu business meeting where we signed few documents and talked a little strategy. We called the Kansas Department of Revenue and found out that our Business Tax Application had been processed and accepted. Next stop...liquor license! While we were sitting at the table, we got the crazy idea to twist a screw cap and try another wine that we'd like to bring on board. With Chris not being very familiar with Petite Sirah, I sensed an educational opportunity to open the 2007 Little Red Boots Old Vine Petite Sirah, Solano County from J.R. Storey Winery.

Deeply colored and murky in the glass, you can immediately tell this wine has never been subjected to a filter. I love that. Huge nose of blackberry jam, black pepper, brier and a hint of sweet vanilla. I got a good dose of American oak on the nose earlier this afternoon, but by the time I came back to re-visit after dinner to take notes, it has completely subsided. The oak aging is apparent, but it is very gracious and harmonious. Huge in the mouth with the black pepper and blackberry notes. The tannins and acidity are downright massive. Okay, maybe treating this like a cocktail wine wasn't the best decision I've ever made. As delicious as this is by itself, I can't help but think it would be even better with a slab of ribs or a steak au poivre. I suppose you could keep this for a while if you're afraid of the tannins, but I would just recommend drinking it now with bold food. Worth every penny of $20

Boilerplate: This was provided free of charge by J.R. Storey Winery and I am considering distributing their wines in Kansas.

2004 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello

The arugula is really hitting its stride in the garden, and I wanted to do something to feature it in tonight's meal. So I grilled a couple of extra thick ribeyes to medium-rare and fanned the slices over arugula dressed with kosher salt, black pepper, lemon-infused olive oil and shaved Parmesan. Simple. Beautiful. Perfect. It should've been the perfect foil for a Brunello di Montalcino.

The 2004 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino shows pretty typical Brunello color with its washed-out, slightly brownish hue. Nose is initially inviting with classic notes of sweet cherry, dusty earth and fennel seed before taking a turn for the worse with odd soy/Asian spice notes and more than a hint of chili powder. But the most disturbing aspect of this wine is the strange tongue-numbing flavors on the palate reminiscent of camphor-like Szechuan peppercorns. Moderate tannins. The acidity is nicely balanced with what else there is in the bottle. A really bizarre showing for this normally consistent and excellent wine. Sadly, my last of three bottles so there probably won't be any more data points. About $40.

2010 J. Storey "Carriage Vineyard" Syrah

After a long morning and afternoon of talking to the Kansas Department of Revenue and faxing in another Mt. Everest of paperwork, I was ready to ring in the weekend with something smoky, sultry and sexy. So I put a couple of racks of babyback ribs on the smoker and three and a half hours later opened my sample bottle of 2010 J. Storey Carriage Vineyard Syrah, Paso Robles. Not as dark as I've come to expect from a Paso Robles Syrah bearing 15.2% alcohol, the wine is nonetheless blessed with stunning aromatics of blackberry, pomegranate syrup, black pepper and fragrant Mediterranean herbs. Nicely balanced in the mouth, this is no ponderous, over-extracted milkshake of a wine. Refined, moderate tannins, nice acidity and a long, silky finish complete the package. This is a wine to seek out if you're laboring under the impression that Syrah from Paso Robles is lacking in subtlety and finesse. I'm not sure where the Carriage Vineyard is located in Paso Robles, but I'm guessing it is in one of the cooler microclimates. About $25.

While beautiful on its own, I think the wine was a bit overpowered by the sticky, smoky ribs. Perhaps this was an occasion to open a Syrah from the likes of Terry Hoage or Dunning.

Oh yeah - This was provided free of charge (I did pay for expedited shipping) from the winery as I am considering distributing this wine in the Great State of Kansas.

2005 Chevriot "Reserve," Maule Valley

I've never been a great fan of Chilean wines. For some reason, regardless of price or pedigree, the reds always seems to come across to me as thin and light with an abundance of bell pepper and green tobacco notes - just not my style. With that in mind and my anti-Chilean prejudices in full swing, I opened the 2005 Chevriot Reserve, Maule Valley tonight with much fear and trepidation. I didn't buy this wine. My father-in-law left it here after one of him recent visits. He paid $6 for it, marked down from $22. I wouldn't consider paying full price for this wine. But for $6, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a case just for meals like tonight's grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce.


The blend in the bottle is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot; a number I find rather shocking as the plummy, mocha and green tobacco notes and light tannins really speak more of Merlot than Cabernet. Picks up more dusty tannin the longer it stays open. Quite a nice pairing with the meal, but the last glass of the night (without food) isn't very pleasant. May appeal to drinkers of Bordeaux and other more herbaceous-driven Bordeaux-style blends.

Tip of the cap to Cellar Tracker for the image......

2008 Little Red Boots "Little Red"

If you're a regular reader of my blog you probably know by now that I'm in the process of starting a new wine wholesale operation in Kansas. My partner and I took a big step today in signing a lease on a warehouse. With a business address secured, we can finally finish filing our paperwork with the state to get our liquor license and the rest of the required permits.

For the last three or four months, this project has always had this kind of "what if" cloud hanging over everything; like we could still pull the plug if for some reason we got cold feet. But with today's developments, we've crossed the Rubicon and set things on a path of no return.

For Friday night pizza night, I wanted to open something from one of the wineries that we're considering bringing on board. So I pulled my sample bottle of 2008 Little Red Boots Little Red, Paso Robles from J.R. Storey Winery. I'm not quite sure what the blend is on this vintage, but the 2009 is a combination of Grenache, Petit Sirah and Syrah. I'm confident that this particular bottle is a wine of similar breeding stock. The color is a beautiful, deep, blood red color and the nose boasts of aromas of raspberry, pomegranate, black pepper and vanilla. Those aromas effortlessly follow through onto the full-bodied palate. Wines like this (especially from Paso Robles) can tend to be somewhat soft, sweet and jammy, but this particular wine has a beautiful balance of acid and tannin and it's bone dry. There's no attempt to disguise the 14.75% alcohol, but with this much fruit behind it, not to mention a couple of hefty home made pizzas, it isn't a problem at all; at least not for me. Vanilla and raspberry notes carry on forever on the finish. This will retail for just south of $20. Edit: I have since learned from John Storey that this wine is 100% Tempranillo from two vineyards in Paso Robles.

Disclaimer: This was a free sample from the winery and I am considering distributing this wine in Kansas.

2006 JC Cellars "Ventana" Syrah

2006 JC Cellars Ventana Syrah, Aroyo Seco - A deep and brooding Syrah that takes its own sweet time to reveal its layers of cool climate treasures. The color shows no sign of aging as it still retains a deep, opaque maroon color straight out to the rim. On the nose, a beautiful array of white pepper, coffee, wintergreen and mulberry. The palate is warm (14.7% alcohol) and rich with spicy, white pepper, soy and fruit compote notes. Perfect balance of fruit and acidity with enough tannin to warrant another 5-7 years in the cellar. Just a hint of bay leaf on the long finish. This is a really, really nice wine.

Dinner was a beautifully grilled tri-tip with grilled zucchini, yellow squash, garden-fresh baby eggplant and penne pasta tossed with fresh pesto.

Normally $30, purchased on sale for $23.

2008 J.R. Storey Tempranillo

2008 J.R. Storey Cielo Grande Vineyard Tempranillo, Paso Robles - Rather light in color, reminiscent of a Pinot Noir. Displays it's Paso Robles roots with it's highly-extracted sweet cherry and caramel notes. Hints of licorice and new leather complete the package. Sweet cherry, toasty campfire and singed marshmallow on the palate. Probably at or near its peak. Moderate tannins and lower acidity suggests drinking this one sooner rather than later. Consumed with a delicious, old school southern meal of meatloaf, fried okra and smashed potatoes with chives. About $20

Note: This wine was provided by the winery as a free sample and I am considering distributing this wine.

2010 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese

The 2010 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese, IGT Terra Degli Osci is considerably darker than most other wines from this grape. I would think that would indicate a bit more extraction in the "international" style, but it isn't necessarily so. Smoky hickory and stewed plums on the nose. Rather sharp and acidic in the mouth with tart cherry notes. Neither my wife nor I could get past a first glass of this on the first night as it exhibited a rather nasty petroleum note. Seemed to calm down a bit on day two, but it is still isn't anything to get excited over, even in the sub-$10 range. Ricotta-stuffed shells baked in tomato sauce didn't do anything to balance the shrill acidity.

I've tried a bottle of this wine every couple of year now since the late 90s and I can't remember ever being impressed. I struggle to see how it consistently garners glowing praise and 90 point ratings from critics.