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.

Terlato Pinot Noir

2008 Russian River Valley.

A 5 year old PN with that nice juicy dark red that looks so Burgundian.

The nose is not as earthy as I expected but full of dried tart strawberries with a touch of sautéed thyme.

The thyme continues on the palate as well as lush strawberries that were crushed and sunbaked. This is going to go so well with our steak and sautéed garlic and onions.

Two words

Fizzy. Cantaloupe.

I decided to try this sparkling sake out. I am used to them being sweet, this one is semi-sweet. Nice steady stream of tiny bubbles from the bottom though, so you know this is naturally carbonated.

But I come back to the flavors, or sort of lack there of. Really, cantaloupe is dominate. There is an ever so slight lemon zest to the middle, but it ends on that heavy melon note.

Corvo Nero d'avola

Whoa, seriously dark nose on this wine from the moment I opened the bottle. Dark cherries rolled around in earth, toasted wood/ashes, and herbs. There is something perfume-like about it as well, floral/vegetation.

Dry tart plums and berries on the palate. Not a dark flavor to it, as the nose would suggest. Rather a light body with decent tannins and acidity.

I think a grilled herbal sausage in stewed tomatoes would be really good with this. Alongside of a cheese filled pasta.

Lieb wine

 I suppose I am in a NY and PA wine kick at the moment?  But coming from a French Bistro I'm intrigued by the varietals coming out of the states - things I could not get in VA really.  Not to put down Virginia wines, but they really should stop making Chardonnay... 

We have had two bottles now of this Pinot Blanc by Lieb in NY.  It has just the right amount of acidity to make it food friendly, but also has a decent light weight body to it.  Peaches, lemon peel, and a melon I have yet to identify are the main characteristics - on the palate as well as the nose.

I recommend giving it a go with your next fish based meal, little butter and herbs and you are good to go!

Wine tastings?

I am finally settled in and looking for places near me that do wine tastings.

And, honestly, I would love to host them again. It has been 3 months since my last event. Middle of January, crazy bunch of alumni, it was great! :)

Stay tuned for developments

PA Seyval Blanc

Decent acidity, notes of apricots with lemon, and just a hint of minerals. Really good with a fresh fish dinner! As I work my way through their whites this is one to keep on the list for warmer weather.

Trying out PA wines

I have to say, I think PA does the Norton grape better than VA!

Plump, juicy, with good acidity.
$20, a good deal.

Looking forward to trying more :)

Cold climate German grapes

Just enjoyed this wine, an unoaked yet dry Red from the Finger Lakes.

The nose is completely black berries and blueberries, but there is a fading floral note as well. On the palate it is juicy and dry with good acidity. Really a wine you could just sip on all evening.

I recommend contacting a friend in NY and seeing about obtaining a bottle today :)

Officially in the 'Burgh

As I settle into my new home I want to thank my readers for hanging in there :)

Aurora NY winery

Not that long ago I went to the Finger Lakes Wine Festival. There were many wines; few I liked. One was this from Long Point Winery, a Zinfandel.

Unlike others I tried, this one had a good body with fantastic blackberry jam and dark bitter chocolate notes. Really solid yet fruity with almost 14% alcohol. There were hints of fennel as well as other herbs and almost a coffee note to the finish, but blackberries is the key.

Happy new year!!!

I want to wish everyone a happy 2013 :)

Ciders

Have I mentioned my love of ciders before? If not, it is one of my favorite things about Fall. A good pear cider or apple cider at the end of the day, as it cools down outside, sitting on the balcony over looking the changing leaves... Yep.

The one I am seen holding is one we carry at La Fromagerie, it is from Normandy. Runs $17 and worth every penny.

Wines from Quintay

Looking for good value Chiliean Wines?  I found a few, let's go over them, shall we?

Chardonnay, 2009 - $14
Nose: pears, little citrus notes, and smells pretty crisp
Palate: Nice body with fresh pear flavors, and a touch of minerals and lemon zest.

As you should know by now, I do not like oak in my Chardonnays.  My basic description of most Chardonnays is as follows - "take a popsicle stick, dip it into melted butter and eat it.  Gross, right?"  This Chardonnay does have some oakiness to it, but you can tell it is older oak, oak that has had most of its tannins sucked out by other wines.