Paid off my student loan celebration

Drink now - Terre Rare

Picked this guy up at the State Store not too long ago.  Just to have a red on hand.

Though I have never had this particular wine before, I'm thinking it is in decline - past its peak.  It was described as inky, but as you can see it is verging on a brick red.  

On the nose it reminded me of Autumn, oak and ripe plummy jam. One the Palate the oak tannins stood out, to me. There were decent grape tannins as well, just more oak notes. Acidity wise it was medium.  Enough to go well with harder cheeses but I would not do anything "stinky".

A nice wine to go with pizza or just for a glass (or 2) after work.  But don't hold onto it, drink it now.

Crisp apple and berries

"Nettie, what are your favorite cheese and wine pairings?"

Rioja and Aged cheddar is one of my favorites

Bordeaux (more Merlot than Cabernet) are delicious with: Gouda, Parmesan, and even Camembert.

Aged goat cheeses and Sauvignon Blancs are practically made for each other.  

With Blue Cheeses I like a Zinfandel or Amarone.  I know folks like Sauternes, but they are not my cup of tea.

Feel free to ask me about pairing! These are ones that came to mind.

Domaine du Joncier - with Vine!

This is my 1st wine review using Vine as my visual aid.  Let me know what you think and what you would like to see me do with this in the furture.

Domaine du Joncier, Le Classique Lirac - 2009
(Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault)
site: Ruby verging on garnet

nose: *this wine must breathe*
1/2 hour of breathing: Grenache dominant, alcohol/menthol, darkness
1 hour of breathing: Cherry and Plums, lessening of the alcohol, more earthyness showing
1 1/2 hours of breathing: Dark dried cherry skins, more woodsy, more earthy, a touch of brown sugar

palate: Black berries, plums skins, banana peel, and nutty quality.
$: ~24

Once it truly opened up the grape tannins were apparent, there was a fleeting note of dark bitter chocolate mixed in with the plump, lush cherry flavors.  Brown sugar mingled with the woodsy notes, and it was like the skins of plums and cherries were lightly dusted with earth.

All in all very enjoyable and delicious with the lamb we had for dinner last night.  But I cannot stress enough that it needs to breathe.  Do not, do NOT just pour yourself a glass and start sipping.  The alcohol needs to air off, and you need to let the other wines do their thing; if you just want a grenache then pick up a bottle of that to have while you wait.

4 wines by Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet

If memory serves me, Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet started in the early 1990s.  They work in the Rhone Valley of France, and with old vines (50+ years old).  And I believe all the wines I have tried by them have been organic and/or bio-dynamic.
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"Souteronne" 2010
(100% Gamay)
site: This wine was pretty inky purple.
nose: On the first whiff all I could think of was a bowl full of banana chips.  Delving into it further, black berries mingled with the banana chips and there was a buttered toast note to it.
palate: Black berries, plums skins, banana peel, and nutty quality.
$: ~25

I have to been in the mood for Gamay, the banana/berry can be a little overwhelming.  This has a bit of minerals and I do like the nutty notes.  I can see this paired with chicken, turkey, cornish hens - but I cannot think of a cheese I would enjoy with this.


"Le Petit Merle Ardechois" 2010
(100% Merlot)
nose: notes of stewed tomatoes, roasted peppers, dried flowers (roses/violets)
palate: herbal, eggplant, a little hint of minerals (rain on granite).
$: ~25

This would be so good with sausages and rich thick sauce, or eggplant parmesan.  Though I enjoyed this wine, it is one that I cannot afford to drink every week.


"Syrah" 2010
(100% Syrah)
nose: Sandalwood, sage, lavender, leather vanilla coffee beans
palate: pepper, spices, berries.
$: ~30

This wine has a leathery herbal incense quality, very intense nose.  Such that the palate could not stand up to it.


"Saint Epine" 2010
(Syrah)
nose: buttered jam toast, baking spices, freshly ground peppers, herbs
palate: dark ripe cherries, peppers, fennel, berries, dry and acidic
$: ~50

My notes just tell me "syrah", I am not sure if it is 100% or not.
But I am sure that this wine calls for lamb or duck, something gamey and deep.  It is bright and fresh while being meaty.  This is a huge wine with an equally huge price tag.  I would save this for a lamb roast Christmas dinner. 

Guardian Cellars - the reds

 Several weeks ago now I had the opportunity to attend a wine tasting event at a lovely restaurant in the Strip District - http://www.cioppinoofpittsburgh.com/. 
I sampled several wines and talked with the wine maker, Jerry.

Without further ado, the line up of reds:

Chalk Line
(a blend of: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot)
site:  a lovely shade of ruby.
nose: at first the meatiness struck me, but then it gave way to stewed plums with a few spices tossed in.  A touch of over ripe strawberries as well.
palate:  dark red fruits, continuing on with the meatiness and a decent body.  The alchol was up there, near 15% I think.

Gun Metal
(a blend of: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc)
site:  Dark ruby.
nose: Vegetable, meaty, dark.  Almost a roasted meat that was rubbed down with espresso note about it.  And the meat was grilled with red peppers.
palate:  It was green, not sure if the grapes or the wine should have aged longer.  I'd give it 2-3 years to work itself out in the bottle.  It has structure, the tannins, that would lend to longer aging as well.  If you can wait that long - I know too many people who can't.  (I'm not one of them, I have a collection of wines waiting to be done in a vertical flight.)

Alibi
(a blend of: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc)
site:  Darker shade of ruby.
nose:  Barnyard!  This smelled like there was more cab franc in it than the previous wine (Gun Metal). Notes of espresso rub in this one as well, but more integrated vegetable notes.
palate: Dark, earthy, dusty, dirty - pretty much all the things I love in a red wine.