2011 Colonia las Liebres Bonarda

Dinner tonight was a delicious spinach risotto topped with grilled Italian sausage. Not having any Italian wine in the cellar, I went for something that I was hoping would be pretty rustic. And I wasn't disappointed. I recently purchased the 2011 Colonia las Liebres Bonarda, Mendoza as a part of a mixed case of inexpensive wines; all of which were new to me. Very, very dark in color, the wine has beautiful aromatics of grapey blackberry preserves, bay leaf, leather and a whiff of alcohol. Thick and rich on the palate with considerable black pepper and moderate tannins. 100% stainless steel fermented and aged, so no hint of oak.A very nice wine for about $12. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again and pair it with anything off the grill.

Originally a French grape known as Douche Noir, it is hardly grown at all in France now. Bonarda is most widely planted in Argentina today where it is second only to Malbec in acres. The grape is also grown in California where it is most commonly referred to as Charbano.

2010 Backsberg Chardonnay

I've had a fair amount of South African Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blancs over the years, but I don't think I've ever had a South African Chardonnay until tonight. For some reason, I expected this to be on the lean/tart apple/unoaked end of the Chardonnay spectrum. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the 2010 Backsberg Chardonnay Western Cape (South Africa) to be a very pleasant, medium-bodied Chardonnay with plenty of creamy apricot aromas and flavors. Nice acidity and balance. Long finish. I don't know how the current vintage (2011) of this drinks, but a year in bottle certainly hasn't hurt it at all. This wine is partially fermented in oak and stainless steel.

And oh, my, was it good with dinner! Pan-roasted chicken breast with braised fennel and brown rice. 

While my company distributes Backsberg wines in Kansas, we do not currently offer this one in our portfolio. It was a Christmas gift from the importer. But after having tasted it, I might have to inquire as to getting it registered in Kansas. Price unknown, but I suspect it would retail  for something less than $15.

2012 Graffigna Elevation Red Blend

Really enjoyed a bottle of 2012 Graffigna Reserve Elevation Red Blend, San Juan (Argentina) tonight with some chukar and pheasant breasts I pounded and cooked as if it were chicken Parmesan. A blend of unspecified percentages of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Bonardo, and Tannat, the wine is inky-black in color. Black fruit, graphite, black pepper and tobacco aromas. The fruit on the palate is a bit tart, but there's good depth and spice in there. Turns a bit green and stemmy on the finish, but for $11 I can't complain too much.

I'm quite familiar with Graffigna's Malbecs and Pinot Grigios as they were always good sellers when I was working retail a few years ago. But this is a new wine; at least it is to me. Pretty sure this will be a regular next spring and summer when the weather is warmer and red meat is on the grill on a regular basis.

2011 Laudun Cotes-du-Rhone Villages (blanc)

It's been a pretty "meh" week or so as far as wine is concerned. Decent, yet uninspiring bottles of 2010 Caligiore Bonarda, 2011 Joel Gott Alakai red wine and 2010 Ancient Peaks Renegade left me satisfied yet wanting for more. Which wine finally answered the call and responded to the challenge? A white Cotes-du-Rhone? Seriously? Why, yes!

The 2011 Pierre-Henri Morel Laudun Cotes-du-Rhone Villages (blanc) is a simply stunning blend of 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Bourboulenc. Rather pale in the glass with brassy highlights. The nose is a complex, never-ending melange of lime, white peach, pear skin and fennel. On the palate, there is more green orchard fruit as well as gardenia and candle wax. No surprise that the acidity here is mouth-watering with an impossibly long, minerally finish. What a treat! And all this for about $15. A tremendous value that deserves another visit with something other than a bowl of chicken soup.

Now it wasn't "just" a bowl of chicken soup. It wasn't from a can or made from a box of chicken stock. A few weeks ago I has to dispatch a half-dozen chickens who had outlived their usefulness. They were from our original flock from nearly 3 years ago and had stopped laying eggs for nearly a month. It's never pleasant to part with animals you have been around for a few years and this was no different. But these were farm animals who were no longer pulling their weight so it was time to cull them from the flock. These older hens make a delicious, rich, sticky stock that you'll never get from a can or box. But unfortunately the meat is very tough and still inedible; even after spending the day in a crock pot. So I ended up with a delicious broth made with onion, carrots and celery but no meat. All was fine until I got to the noodles. I learned an important lesson tonight in that you can't put fresh-dried pasta noodles in a crock pot for 30 minutes and expect good results. The noodles turned the entire concoction gluey and starchy and nearly inedible. Next time I will boil the noodles separately and add them to the finished soup.

Duck Pond Pinot Gris, Tolaini "Al Passo"

Last week, my wife's boss, a member at Highland Hideaway in SE Iowa, brought us a number of  pheasants that he shot a few weeks ago. I had the pleasure of going hunting with him there a couple of years ago and if not for the late fall hunting date, I would gladly go again.

My favorite thing to do with pheasants is to breast them out and make a stock with the remaining carcass. I season the breasts, wrap them in bacon and them hot smoke them over charcoal and maple chips for about 30 minutes. They are wonderful served over a bed of red wine risotto whose color and texture has been bolstered by a handful of wilted radicchio.

2012 Duck Pond Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley - Thoroughly enjoyed this one before dinner (and had another glass after dinner). Has that glorious, brassy color that I really appreciate in a good Pinot Gris. Herbaceous aromas and flavors of citrus and sweet green bananas with lively acidity and good minerality. I would drink this over and over again. About $15.

2009 Tolaini Al Passo, Toscana - This full-bodied blend of unspecified amounts of Sangiovese and Merlot shows a completely saturated color and a certain cloudiness that suggests a lack of filtration. The nose is dominated by a plummy herbaceousness from the Merlot but the palate is all about licorice-tinted, funky dustiness from of the Sangiovese. Wonderful acidity and tannins suggest this one could effortlessly age for another 5-7 years. Love the long, herbaceous, tart cherry finish. A faithful companion to the dinner. About $25