Chickens!

Those of you who know me from other websites or follow me on facebook know we got 16 chickens last week. 5 Black Australorps, 5 Barred Plymouth Rocks and 6 Buff Orpingtons. These are our first official farm animals and we look to get a steady supply of eggs from them in a few months. They will give us eggs for about 2 years before heading for the rotisserie or stew pot.

Here's a shot of them on the day we got them:



They need to stay indoors under a 95 degree heat lamp for about 2 weeks; changing the paper (LOTS of poop) twice a day. A few days from now we will be transferring them to their chicken coop, but they will be confined to the coop.



I have to say, I love the chicken coop. It's a converted dog kennel that I turned into a coop by using old bunk bed rails, the bunk bed ladder and wooden wine crates. Two roosting perches are made from leftover stair rail. We've got a grand total of $19 invested the chicken coop - some wire used to enclose a gap in the existing chain link fence.

Tonight we wedged an old piece of stair rail in their black bucket (a cattle feed troft) and they have already started practicing "perching."



Kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but they've gotten so much bigger in just a week. I'd say they've doubled in size. And they've all gotten their wings now. I had no idea, but they are born without wings.

I'll be sure to take some pictures once they are outside.

Mixed bag

Some brief notes on some wines consumed last week when my father-in-law passed through town:

I really enjoyed the inexpensive 2007 Windfall Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi for its fruit and spice. Not too serious, but a great quaffer.

I've enjoyed many, many bottles of the Saint Cosme Little James Basket Press, Vin de Table (2008 bottling), but this one was sadly not showing very well. Not sure where all the bright raspberry fruit of previous bottles has gone, but it wasn't here.

I think we went through 3 or 4 bottles of the 2008 Sean Minor 4 Bears Pinot Noir, Carneros. Really delivers with vanilla-oak and sweet strawberry and cherry flavors. What more could one ask for from a $15 Pinot Noir?

The 2006 Felsina Lucilla, IGT is a serviceable Tuscan red blend to be enjoyed with pizza or pasta and red sauces.

I'm glad I drank the last of my 1995 Banfi Summus, Montalcino at this time. Shows uncanny amounts of licorice. Medium-bodied, but the tannins are fully integrated and the fruit is receding. Better palates than mine may recommend aging this longer, but I say "drink up!" Quite enjoyable with a traditional bistecca alla fiorentina.

The 2006 Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra, California is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend that offers tons of licorice, sweet/tart blackberry and toasty French oak. Full-bodied with dusty tannins and a long finish.

I'm a huge fan of the Hell's Kitchen TV reality show and I figured opening my lone bottle of 2006 Jada Hell's Kitchen, Paso Robles seemed appropriate for the season finale. This blend of 40% Syrah, 28% Grenache, 16% Tannat and 16% Mourvedre was quite layered and complex. You can really taste the blackberry and spice from the Syrah, the raspberry of the Grenache, the earthy leather of the Mourvedre and the structure and tannin of the Tannat. A bit pricey at $40 (from the winery), but a very well made wine.

A grilled salmon salad was faithfully accompanied by the 2005 Trivento Select Chardonnay, Mendoza. I was initially a bit worried about opening an inexpensive 2005 Chardonnay thinking it might be on its downhill slide. But the wine was fresh and youthful with pear and apple flavors and just a hit of oak.

The 2007 Chateau Beauchene Cotes-du-Rhone Villages is textbook C-d-R with sweet/tart raspberry fruit and a bit of briny green peppercorn. Well done.

2008 Felino Malbec

The 2008 Vina Cobos Felino Malbec, Mendoza is an exceptional wine. The deep blueberry and cakespice aromas and flavors are reminiscent of a nice Cabernet from Napa's Stag's Leap District. Black pepper and roasted coffee bean play a supporting role. Balance is provided by the nice tannins and acidity that hits you on the sides of the tongue. I would expect no less from the genius of Paul Hobbs. Worth every penny of $20.

2007 Trenza Tinto

Yeah, yeah, I know I've written about this wine before. But it's one of my favorite wines of the past 5-10 years and I think everyone needs to pick up a 6-pack of this stuff. The 2007 Trenza Tinto, San Luis Obispo County is a blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache. Shows fantastic licorice, dark berry, sweet earth and a bit of vanilla oak. Great, thick texture with acidity and tannins to match. Really shines with food. About $26.


We drank this tonight yet another winning recipe from Weight Watchers (no, I'm not on the Weight Watchers regimen); this time an interpretation of the chicken with sherry vinegar and grape tomatoes. The acidity of the Sherry vinegar and tomatoes really worked well with the acidity of the wine.

2006 Tablas Creek Syrah

I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with my experience tonight with the 2006 Tablas Creek Syrah, Paso Robles. Cloudy, medium color. The nose offers some faint black olive and herbs de Provence and the palate has some tart raspberry. But there's no spice here. No licorice. No meat. Not even much concentration to speak of. The finish is tart and clipped with modest tannins. Just seems to lack the richness and concentration I'm used to from this region and this winery. I really love everything this winery stands for and I've enjoyed everything I've ever tasted from this estate. But this wine really missed the mark for me tonight. About $30.

Dinner was grilled beef kabobs with red pepper and red onion. I somehow lucked upon a flat iron steak at Wal-Mart and that was just too fortuitous to pass up. If you aren't familiar with this cut of meat, you should make it a point to seek some out. It's really cheap and lends itself quite well to a marinade/grilling. The marinade was something I ripped from *gasp* Weight Watcher's magazine; basically thinned-out fig jam, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Quite tasty!

2003 Parent Bourgogne

In my house, rotisserie chicken means Pinot Noir. And tonight's choice was the 2003 Parent Bourgogne. Medium-dark color with some brownish tints. A bit of dark cherry fruit on the nose, but it's mostly dominated by licorice and freshly-turned earth. Goes through a weird phase around the 30-minute mark where a lot of wet animal fur is evident, but that blows off rather quickly. At the one hour mark a really pretty mint and herb aromas appears. Quite interesting and ever-changing. Not a lot of fruit or oak and none of the sweet vanilla characteristics that lovers of California Pinot Noir might look for. To be honest, this isn't my favorite expression of this grape, but this was a nice pairing with the chicken and a Brussel sprout hash. About $18.

On a side note - anyone out there who owns a Weber grill, charcoal or gas (I own one of each), really needs to invest in a rotisserie. They run about $90 for the spit and electric motor, but they are versatile enough to use for whole chicken, leg of lamb or even a prime rib. If you are using the rotisserie with a charcoal grill, you will want to buy the rotisserie that comes with the ring that allows for more clearance for your large piece of meat. This kit is about $150.

2006 Vina Robles Suendero

Dinner tonight was one of our staples: grilled flank steak with chimichurri. But since I was fresh out of Malbec, I punted and went with a wine we picked up on our trip to Paso Robles last spring. The 2006 Vina Robles Suendero, Paso Robles is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Petit Verdot. Lord knows why, but I've always had a fascination with wines with a high percentage of Petit Verdot - clearly the red-headed stepchild of the Bordeaux grape family. (One of my favorites that fits this mold is the von Strasser Reserve, but that's another wine for a slightly more special occasion.) Anyway, back to the Suendero. It opens up with a lot of sweet raspberry and cherry fruit in the nose and on the palate and a good dollop of vanilla oak. This is aged in an unspecified amount of French and American oak. But as it opens up in the glass, it takes on a lot more weight and flavors of earth, iron and mineral start to come to the forefront - clearly the Petit Verdot asserting itself. Despite the high concentration of Petit Verdot, the wine isn't terribly tannic. I think it's great for current consumption so long as you have something well-marbled on your plate.