2005 Cuvelier Los Andes

Weather de damned, I was hell-bent on grilling some steaks and enjoying a bottle of red wine tonight. The biggest storm to hit Kansas City in the last 50 years is still a few hours away so all I had to face was the prospect of a thick sheet of ice over my back deck. The steaks were USDA Choice rib eyes rubbed with equal parts coarse ground coffee, Penzey's Fire Northwoods seasoning and kosher salt and grilled over charcoal spiked with a couple of apple wood chunks. I wouldn't normally use apple wood for beef, but I had some left over from smoking a pork shoulder last weekend so I tossed them on the fire. Accompaniments were grilled asparagus and cilantro and blue cheese smashed red potatoes.

The wine was as stunning as the steaks. The 2005 Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Vin, Mendoza has an uncommonly dark color for Argentinian Malbec. Although this blend of 70% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 7% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot is aged in French oak barrels, it has a slightly dilly nose that I normally associate with American barrels. Not sure how that aroma sneaked in there, but it plays a mere supporting role to the coffee, spice, blackberry syrup and licorice. The palate is quite full-bodied with big tannins, toasty French oak, licorice and blackberry flavors. This stuff is so thick and unctuous, yet the tannins and acidity are perfectly balanced so that each sip is as good as the last. Worth every penny of $40 if you're ready to take Malbec to the next level. Already throwing considerable sediment, I have no doubt this collaboration of Chateau Leoville-Poyferre and uber-wine consultant Michel Rolland will last a long, long time in the cellar.

Catching up.....

I was filing a couple of months worth of bill away (ugh!) this afternoon and came across some notes from two fairly recent wine tastings. The first set of notes are from a work tasting where we sampled a number of wines from across France:

NV Duval-Leroy Brut, Champagne - Yeasty, borderline mushroomy, red apple nose Green apple on the palate. Thick and oily texture that finishes crisp and clean. A beautiful blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay. About $40

2008 Chateau de Valmer, Vouvray - A long time favorite of mine. We used to serve this by the glass at the wine bar where I bartended for a couple of years. Floral (think: magnolias), green apple nose and palate. Good texture and acidity. Moderately sweet with a long finish.

2008 Paul Blanck Pinot d'Alsace - Complex nose of truffles, earth, wet rocks and diesel. Mushrooms and diesel continue onto the palate. Quite acidic with a mineral and grapefruit notes on the finish.

2007 Alex Gambal Cuvee les deux Papis Bourgogne - Cherry/raspberry nose with orange peel, clove, oak and tart raspberry on the palate. Moderately tannic. Finishes with an unappealing note of orange/grapefruit pith.

2006 Chateau Mont-Redon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Coffee, oak, crushed black pepper, raspberry, garrigue - in short, everything you would want or expect from a well made Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

2005 Segla, Margaux - Another favorite of mine from my time at A Wine Flights Bar and Bistro. Earth, leather, cedar, horse collar nose reveals a bit of licorice with some time in the glass. Blackberry, coffee, graphite and licorice on the palate. Quite tannic in a built-to-age sort of way. Finishes with a touch of cough syrup.


2005 Chateau Hallet, Sauternes - Light color and body. Burnt sugar, petrol and vinyl on the nose and palate. Moderately sweet with a long, honeyed, alcoholic finish. Would fare well with light, fruit-based desserts.

And the following (brief) notes are from the most recent Wilderness Winos tasting:

NV Villa Sandi Il Fresco Prosecco - Pear nose and a nutty palate. Fine mousse

2008 Santa Cristina Antinori Campogrande Orvieto Classico - A light white wine with lemon-lime aromas and flavors. Great pairing with asparagus wrapped in proscuitto as well as goat cheese smeared on a cracker.


2007 Giustiniani Quattro Leoni Barbera d'Asti - Rich (buttery) and yeasty nose with cherry and cranberry aromas and flavors. Nice acidity. A bit alcoholic. Pretty wine.



2008 Cecci Chianti Classico - Dense and structured with licorice, tar and asphalt notes. Considerably more tannic than expected. Packs a punch and a very reasonable price.

2006 Antinori Toscana IGT - A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Dusty, meaty nose with blackberry and oak on the palate. Very dry with a really long, elegant finish

2008 Bastianich Friulano

Enjoyed the 2008 Bastianich Friulano, Collo Orientali del Friuli DOC tonight with vegetable lasagna (besciamella sauce, no tomato). Made from 100% Tocai, the wine shows plenty of dry pear aromas and flavors and delicious rocky/minerally flavors. Wonderful acidity and a perfect pairing with dinner. About $15

A couple of IPAs

I don't consider myself a beer drinker but over the past couple of years I've developed a taste for IPA. I really appreciate the complexity of a nicely balanced IPA and how the citrus and resinous flavors (from the hops) intermingle with the sweet malt. I certainly don't plan on turning this blog into a beer forum, but here are some brief notes on some IPAs I've sampled over the past few weeks:

O'Fallon 5 Day IPA, O'Fallon, MO - Rich, cloudy, dark copper color. Sweeter than most IPAs with very little carbonation. Whereas most IPAs start off rather hoppy and then finish with the sweeter malt flavors, this one strangely starts off with the sweet malt and finishes with the bitter hops. Not sure how they accomplish that juxtaposition, but it's quite pleasant. Turns a bit tiresome towards the end of the glass

Boulevard Brewing Co Single Wide IPA, Kansas City, MO - The perfect everyday IPA for when you can't handle the sheer intensity of their Double Wide IPA. Tangy grapefruit and pine resin aromas and flavors. Creamy finish. A true Kansas City treasure.

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Alimony Ale IPA, Hayward, CA - Clear, medium copper color. A very herbal, dry style of IPA where the hops dominate and the malt is nearly non-existent.

Fort Collins Brewery Rocky Mountain IPA, Ft. Collins, CO - Rather dark color for an IPA. Nice balance of hops and malt here, but the finish is marred by an odd, earthy, almost mushroomy flavor. Strange style that I can't really get on board with.

Abita Jockamo IPA, Abita Springs, LA - Clear copper color with minimal carbonation. Comes across as very fruity, but in an overripe, muddled kind of way. Assertive hoppiness with minimal malt. Just seems rather disjointed and unfocused. Not a favorite of mine.

New Belgium Ranger IPA, Ft. Colling, CO - Light copper color. Fairly light for an IPA. Pours a great head. Initially skunky nose, but really has a nice balance of hops and malt. Finishes with a very pleasant bitter note. Well done. I would expect no less from New Belgium.

Schlafly Dry Hopped American Pale Ale, St. Louis, MO - Pretty dreadful stuff here. Has that skunky aroma and flavor reminiscent of Rolling Rock lager and a really odd, prickly finish. Bears little resemblance to pale ale.

And a few others that I have really enjoyed over the past 6 months or so (sadly, no tasting notes):

New Holland Brewing Mad Hatter IPA, Holland, MI
Ale Asylum Satisfaction Jacksin Double IPA, Madison, WI
Sweetwater IPA, Atlanta, GA (beautiful peach notes on the nose)
Terrapin Brewing Hopsecutioner, Athens, GA

2007 Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon

Yeah, yeah, I know I've spent an inordinate amount of time on this site heaping praise upon Sean Minor's amazing (and amazingly inexpensive) Pinot Noir. So I'm going to switch gears now and devote a little time to the 2007 Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Enjoyed tonight with hamburgers topped with Yancey's Fancy Buffalo Wing Cheddar Cheese, the wine shows a deep ruby color with no sediment to speak of. The nose explodes with bright cherry and raspberry fruit with hints of licorice and sweet vanilla. Medium-bodied on the palate, flavors run the gamut of red fruits, sweet oak, pleasant herbs and even a hint of peppery spice. The wine is aged in a combination of French and American oak and at this time the Bourbon-like characteristics of the American oak are in the forefront - not something I'm generally a huge fan of. The tannins are there, but this isn't really built for the long haul. Enjoy this most excellent value over the next few years. About $16.

2008 Dona Paula Malbec

Well, it's been a rough couple of nights around here; at least on the wine front. Last night I opened two terribly corked bottles of 2008 Tormaresca Neprica, Puglia to accompany our home made pizza. Sensing that Italian wine just wasn't in the cards, I switched gears and pulled the cork on a bottle of 2008 Dona Paula Estate Malbec, Mendoza. And the fact that didn't suffer from a tainted cork might be the nicest thing I can say about it. The nose has a very light, tart, almost citrusy aroma to it; more orange and cranberry than the usual dark fruits I expect from Malbec. You can practically smell the acidity oozing out of the glass. And on the palate the acid really takes over; attacking the tongue and obliterating whatever meager fruit might be trying to peek through. I get no plush fruit here. No spice. No oak. Just a really thin, tart, acidic wine that could be (poorly) made from any grape from any wine region. A disappointing $16.

I look online and I see this wine getting great reviews by professional critics as well as bloggers like myself and I wonder if I just got a really bad bottle. I have one more bottle of this in the cellar. Let us hope that this bottle was just an aberration and the next is a more worthy example of the grape.

2009 Renacer "Punto Final" Malbec

The 2009 Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec, Argentina is a seriously delicious sub-$15 bottle of wine and quite a step up in quality from their 2008 effort. Although I enjoyed the 2008 version for what it was, I always felt it was something of a simple, tooty-fruity version of Malbec; best suited for hamburgers or other simple fare. Not so with the 2009. The current vintage has a deeper, more captivating nose and palate of blackberry, black pepper, licorice and Provencal herb. Quite full-bodied for a wine of this price range with wonderful, balanced tannins and acidity. Stands up quite well to grilled flank steak with an assertive Charmoula sauce. About $12.

Charmoula
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil (appx.)

Process until blended into a coarse paste.

I'm not sure where I got this recipe, but I've been using it for years. It originally called for a small amount of mint leaves and cilantro but I've since modified it to eliminate the mint and beef up the cilantro. The original recipe resulted in a paste similar in texture to pesto. I like adding enough olive oil so you can freely drizzle it over grilled beef, chicken or lamb.