Ripe fruit

• November 2009

  WineGeek I would expect ripe fruit from Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc every third or fourth year, and then only if they don't overcrop. Heron Hill is a good producer, as are a few others. Among reds, only Cab Franc and Pinot Noir ripen there. The body and fruit should be similar to... Read moreWineGeek I would expect ripe fruit from Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc every third or fourth year, and then only if they don't overcrop. Heron Hill is a good producer, as are a few others. Among reds, only Cab Franc and Pinot Noir ripen there. The body and fruit should be similar to the Loire, much lighter than the CA products. Which style you like is a matter of personal preference.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Cabernet Franc by schellbe

  
  

• November 2009

  It's A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Perfect for Breaking Out of the ordinary with a Wild, White Rhone Blend Not too long ago I received a request from a fan on Facebook to put together a vegetarian menu for one of our Friday emails. With Thanksgiving bearing down on... Read more It's A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Perfect for Breaking Out of the ordinary with a Wild, White Rhone Blend Not too long ago I received a request from a fan on Facebook to put together a vegetarian menu for one of our Friday emails. With Thanksgiving bearing down on us I thought this would be a great opportunity to fulfill my promise to her. While I love the bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits that rolls out through the spring and summer months, the return of hearty, rich, stick to your ribs foods is something I look forward to each autumn. There has to be something redeeming about the fading daylight hours and return of cold weather, right? Well this is my silver lining, an antidote to the onset of the winter blues! I’ve tried to retain a certain bit of tradition with my dishes, so I sought out a stuffed entrée, gotta have stuffing for Thanksgiving, and an accompanying side dish that brings us back to the culinary roots of our cuisine. Thus I present to you: Eggplant with Creole Wild Rice Stuffing served with baked squash, dosed with a lime dressing. This meal has it all, sweet, roasted notes, spice and heat, as well as the refreshing, cooling qualities of the lime. What to expect: Roussanne Roussanne is a grape that usually plays second fiddle. An important component in most white Rhone blends, it is valued for its bright acidic character. Roussanne has usually added cut and depth to these blends, acting as a counterpoint to Marsanne’s rich, fruit driven character. In warm climates, certain clones of Roussanne have proven to be great soloists. The typical modern winemaking routine, harvesting when physiologically ripe, barrel fermenting, and aging sur lees,that has had mixed results for some grapes, has worked to draw our Roussanne’s strengths: it’s unusual orchard fruit and nutty components, as well as it’s ability to develop remarkable aromatic complexity with age. Find More Roussanne wines This compelling white is a great choice for your Thanksgiving dinner, vegetarian or not. 2006 Zaca Mesa Roussanne Priced from $19.49 Really rich yet bright on entry, with a seductive mouthfeel that manages to be both filling and vivid. The fruit is verging into the slightly honied, dried peach end of the spectrum, with lovely spice tones and creamy edges helping to frame the mid-palate. Vegetarian Dishes for the Thanksgiving Table By; Gregory Dal Piaz Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate, not spend in the kitchen. My recipes are designed to work together for a minimum of mess and fuss. My stuffing can be made in one pot and both dishes bake together to perfection. Click here to download a printable pdf file of this recipe. Eggplant with Creole seasoned Wild Rice Stuffing Ingredients for 6 servings 2 large or 3 medium eggplants 1 cup wild rice, uncooked 1/4 cup butter 1 cup onion, fine dice 1 cup celery, fine dice 1 cup red bell pepper, fine dice Scooped out insides of eggplant, 1/2inch dice 1 tbsp salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 chipotle chili pepper, finely chopped 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tbsp sweet paprika 4 cups vegetable stock 3 cups of French Bread, ½ inch dice, baked until well toasted, Toasting the bread cubes before adding them to the stuffing will help produce a crisper crust for the finished dish. ½ cup chopped celery leaves, or parley leaves 2 eggs, well beaten Directions Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin, about an inch, so that it holds its shape when baked. Dice the scooped out flesh, and reserve for use in the stuffing. Preheat the oven to 350F, make sure to place racks in the lower and middle thirds of the oven. In a strainer, rinse the rice well with cold water. Place a large (6qt or larger) stock or sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is warmed, add the butter and allow to melt. When the butter is melted, and just beginning to brown, add the onions, celery, peppers, diced eggplant and salt. Sauté the vegetables until the have softened, about 6-8 minutes, then add the garlic, chipotle, dried thyme and paprika. Blend well and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 3 ½ cups of the vegetable stock. Raise heat to high until the stock comes to a simmer. Add the rice, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. The rice will take about 40 to 45 minutes to fully cook. While the rice is cooking you can slice and toast the bread cubes and turn your attention to preparing the squash. Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet placed on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. After 4 minutes or so give the cubes a stir to help promote even browning. Allow to bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven and raise the heat to 425F Once the rice is fully cooked remove the pan from the heat and blend in the bread cubes, adding additional stock as required. Allow the rice to cool enough so that the eggs won't cook when you stir them in. Add the celery (or parsley) leaves and eggs and blend until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the halves. Place them on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes, on the lower rack in the preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve. I like to top the eggplants with a bit of cheese for color and flavor but I’ve omitted the cheese, keeping this strictly vegetarian. For this dish I like a Sheep’s milk cheese such as Manchego or Pecorino. Baked Squash with Lime dressing Ingredients for 6 servings. 3 1.5lb Kabocha squash, (You can substitute acorn, or buttercup) 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tbsp garlic puree 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste 1 tbsp minced Jalapeno ¼ cup tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Directions Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, Scoop out the seeds and slice the squash into ½ inch thick slices, discarding the tops and bottoms if they are too uneven or lack enough flesh to roast. Toss the squash with the pepper, salt, and olive oil then arrange on a large backing sheet. Roast squash, on the middle rack in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, halfway through the cooking process, remove the pan and flip the slice of squash over to brown both sides. While the squash roasts, whisk together the garlic, lime juice, and jalapeno. I like to do this in a mini-food processor. After another 20 minutes, once the squash are cooked, remove them from the oven and arrange the slices on a serving platter. Drizzle the Lime dressing evenly over the slices. Garnish with the fresh Cilantro leaves and serve.    (hide)

  From the article A vegetarian wine pairing, just in time for Thanksgiving

  
  

• November 2009

  Just wanted to update you all on some interesting things to report about the 74 vintage wines. I will be posting my reviews on several in the coming days. The Sterling Cab was fantastic. All that I could have ever hoped for. Classic, classic, classic. I found some 1977... Read moreJust wanted to update you all on some interesting things to report about the 74 vintage wines. I will be posting my reviews on several in the coming days. The Sterling Cab was fantastic. All that I could have ever hoped for. Classic, classic, classic. I found some 1977 Veedercrest, Cabernet, among the cases which were a delight. This was the oldest Rutherford wine I've had, and it was nice to see the "Rutherford Dust" was right up front. Fruit was a little ripe, but still a very nice glass. I was really surprised when i found some 1975 Cuvaison Zinfandel among the bottles. I never would have thought that the wine would have lasted, and thought I have had some nicely aged vinegar on my hands, but the wine was spectacular. It might be the best bottle of 2009 for me. I posted a full review. I have 4 more which i will try and hold on to, and see if it lasts a few more years. Maybe not though. It's so good, I don;t know if I'll have the will power to hold back. Has anyone else had experience with older Zin's?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic 1974 Vintage: Sonoma and... by dddunn

  
  

• November 2009

  It went great, I was just going to wait till I had a moment to collect my thoughts on the subject. THese best part about this group is that everyone in really into experimenting. You'd be amazed by how many different recommendations I received about this from this board and a... Read moreIt went great, I was just going to wait till I had a moment to collect my thoughts on the subject. THese best part about this group is that everyone in really into experimenting. You'd be amazed by how many different recommendations I received about this from this board and a couple of others that I posted on. Also, I waned to see if some of the stylistic differences in some wines might help to stand up to the cigars and so we went for another Zin and shiraz (since last months were failures). This time the Zin did stand up against the cigar 2005 Peter Franus Zinfandel Brandlin Vineyard, comes from mountain fruit and had significantly more structure than the one from the last event - Dark color in the glass with aromas of black currants, beef broth, cinnamon, and fresh cracked black pepper. The palate shows brambly wild berries, clove and distinct black pepper in the back of the mouth with a firm tannin and acid structure. The finish is very long and enjoyable. With the cigar it retained a great mouth feel and cleansing character, The nose muted slightly but still delivered with the currants and cinnamon. Good, but third place for everyone. http://www.snooth.com/wine/peter-franus-wine-company-brandlin-zinfandel-1/ 2007 Pure Love, Shiraz, Layer Cake - Was enjoyable at first but I could tell upon first sip that it would be devoured by the cigar. I was hoping that a big, ripe Shiraz would help but in the end this may as well have been water once the smoke permeated the room. http://www.snooth.com/wine/layer-cake-shiraz-2007-1/ And then there was the Amarone, This ended up being everyone's wine of the night. It was opened 12 hours before the event. 2003 L'Arco Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - Dark red to almost black in the glass, showing aromas of plum, confectioners sugar, floral fall leaves, coca, roasted chestnut and cinnamon. Cherry cough syrup, raisin, more cinnamon, clove and dark chocolate. It's full and soft on the palate but carried by a hidden layer of acidity that kept it fresh. Long, long cherry, chocolate finish. This was the wow wine of the night and kept pace once the cigars were lit. It was really great because the cigars actually added to this bottles complexities and brought out more wood and nutty aromas and flavors. http://www.snooth.com/wine/larco-amarone-della-valpolicella-classico-2003/ Lastly there was the 1991 Dow Porto Vintage - A light ruby color in the glass and giving off aromas of Black cherry, undergrowth, pipe smoke and walnut with noticeable heat. On the palate it's rich and sumptuous but not overly sweet with cherry cough syrup, sage, and cedar box. Long, long finish. This bottle did well against the cigar but lacked complexity over all which placed it second in the minds of the other smokers. http://www.snooth.com/wine/dows-vintage-port-1991-1/ Until next month....    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Wine and Cigars??? by Eric Guido

  
  

• November 2009

  GDP is a great resource for Barbera, so I wont go there... but I can speak to Dolcetto. Im a huge fan, and its one of my favorite reds. I favor Dolcetto di Dogliani over Alba, since they are not as "sugary". They have a great aroma, and nice dark color, but are not powerhouses.... Read moreGDP is a great resource for Barbera, so I wont go there... but I can speak to Dolcetto. Im a huge fan, and its one of my favorite reds. I favor Dolcetto di Dogliani over Alba, since they are not as "sugary". They have a great aroma, and nice dark color, but are not powerhouses. Still, some Alba and producers do a great job as well. Some of my favorites (in order by my opinion as the best).. 1. Pecchenino - San Luigi - A bit more bold them most Dolcettos, its a little bit darker, with nice plum and fruit flavors 2. Poderi Luigi Einaudi - Has a great aroma, dark color. The plum is balanced with a nice earthy tone 3. Francesco Boschis - another great balance of soft ripe berries, with subtle hints of smoke and earth 4. Abbano - Papa Celso - the fruits in Celso are a ripe and forward, but not big and burly. Another well balanced Dolcetto Cheers    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Seeking recs for traditional... by TL NJ

  
  

• November 2009

  GregT, I've had their Earthquake Zin and Cab but the rest doesn't seem to filter out to the East Coast much. I liked both of them but the Zin was better than the Cab. The richness of the fruit masked some of the complexity of the cab just a touch too much for my taste. The fruit... Read moreGregT, I've had their Earthquake Zin and Cab but the rest doesn't seem to filter out to the East Coast much. I liked both of them but the Zin was better than the Cab. The richness of the fruit masked some of the complexity of the cab just a touch too much for my taste. The fruit from the Lodi region tends to be super ripe because of the long dry growing season and you can get some big concentrated flavors out of that. That richness seems to be the hallmark of wines from that region. I'd love to taste what else that winery is producing. Sigh...It looks like I'm going to have to schedule a California trip.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic "Hi My Name Is" / Favorite Red by Jimmy Cocktail

  
  

• November 2009

  This year I got the opportunity to participate in a winery employee project. ... It is more herbaceous than ripe fruit. Nose has some some spice (cassis) with leather and dark fruit. Good fruit flavors with spice and silky tannins and great balance.... Read moreThis year I got the opportunity to participate in a winery employee project. ... It is more herbaceous than ripe fruit. Nose has some some spice (cassis) with leather and dark fruit. Good fruit flavors with spice and silky tannins and great balance. http://www.snooth.com/wine/gundlach-bundschu-cabernet-sauvignon-estate-vineyard-2006/ • 2006 Mountain Terraces Cabernet $40 (3.5) - The vineyard for this wine, while owned by GunBun, is far from the property in the Mayacamas Mountains. This is more of a ripe style than the estate cab. Very nice wine. http://www.snooth.com/wine/gundlach-bundschu-cabernet-sauvignon-mountain-terraces-2006/ • 2006 Vintage Reserve $80 (4.5) - This is the ‘big boy’ of the GunBun lineup. Labels feature the works of American artists. Seems to be the trend these days. Ignoring the label this wine is great. Classic Bordeaux style blend. Big aromas including leather, spice, cedar and red fruit. Layers of flavor including, coco, spice, leather and red & dark fruit. http://www.snooth.com/wine/gundlach-bundschu-winery-vintage-reserve-rouge-2006/ Wines I didn’t taste but were available are: • 2008 Tempranillo Rose • 2005 Mountain Cuvee • 2006 Estate Cabernet Franc If you find yourself in Sonoma and you want to visit a place with a true sense of history and continues on in the family tradition you need to stop in at GunBun. I did and very happy that I did. Gundlach Bundshcu (http://www.gunbun.com) General Information E info@gunbun.com P 707.938.5277 F 707.938.9460 Shipping Address: 2000 Denmark Street Sonoma, CA 95476 Wine Club E wineclub@gunbun.com P 866.GO.SWIRL (467.9475) Tasting Room: 707.939.3015 Hospitality, Tours & Events: 707.939.3019    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Gundlach Bundschu Visit ...... by HondaJohn

  
  

• October 2009

  Pairing Roast Turkey and Syrah By Forming a Flavor Bridge As many of you know I adore Nebbiolo, and have a soft spot in my heart for aged California Cabernet. What may be surprising to many is that Syrah is locked in a desperate struggle with Sangiovese for... Read more Pairing Roast Turkey and Syrah By Forming a Flavor Bridge As many of you know I adore Nebbiolo, and have a soft spot in my heart for aged California Cabernet. What may be surprising to many is that Syrah is locked in a desperate struggle with Sangiovese for the third spot on my list of favorite wines. I have been on a bit of a Syrah kick lately. Some of that is due to the fact that I have been tasting quite a few for next week’s Spotlight on Syrah email which will be sent out on Tuesday.  More importantly perhaps is that Syrah is simply a superb match for my Autumn Table. From stews, to roasts, with plenty of root vegetables in the mix, my foods of fall tend to be rich, but not to weighty, and full of deep, layered, earthy flavors.  This past weekend I had some Syrah, young and old, laying about so I turned to the kitchen to use a bit up and create a dish that captures some of the trademark notes of the wine, bacon fat and black olives, forming a brigde between the dish and the wine. What to expect: Syrah One of the few grapes to really be a global success. Syrah combines a meaty core of ripe berry fruit, with tones that range from herbal to peppery, in a package that tends to be medium bodied with good acidity and moderate tannins. With age the wines can gain lovely leathery and black olive notes that make them a great match for savory and gamy dishes. Find more Syrah perfect for this dish Bacon Fat and Black Olives: Classic Syrah descriptors Find Ogier's La Rosine Priced from $27.99 Ogier’s La Rosine is a mini Cote Rotie, of sorts.  Though the grapes  come from vineyards that lay between Cote Rotie and Condrieu, this 100% Syrah wine shares many traits with Ogier’s Cote Rotie. In it’s youth it exhibits typical Northern Rhone Syrah notes of grilled meats, red plum fruits and floral tones. With age the fruit melds into the background and  reveals layers of spice, earth, leather, and of course bacon fat and black olives. Roasted Turkey and Root Vegetables with the Essense of Syrah By: Gregory Dal Piaz This is a simple, one dish meal that combines roasted root vegetables with Turkey thighs. It's a recipe that would work well with gamy meats like Duck and Wild Boar as well, since it is formulated to work particularly well with Syrah. If you are not serving Syrah, fear not. This recipe works well with almost any dry wine, white or red. I have used virtually the same recipe, substituting Chicken and Pinot Gris for the Turkey and Syrah, with great results. To download a printable PDF file of this recipe please follow this link. Roasted Turkey Thighs with Aromatic Root Vegetables. Ingredients 3 pounds of Turkey Thighs, about 4 pieces in my case 1 lb Parsnips, sliced on the bias into ½ inch coins1 lb Carrots, sliced on the bias into ½ coins1 lb Rutabaga, quartered and sliced into ½ inch slices10 garlic cloves, peeled 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Thyme leaves 1 tablespoon Minced fresh Rosemary 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ lb thick sliced bacon, cut into ¼ inch strips 1 cup wine (I used Syrah) 24 Moroccan cured black olives, halved Technique Preheat oven to 475 °F with rack in middle. Blend together the olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. In a roasted pan toss the vegetables with the oil mixture and spread the vegetables out into an even layer. Layer the Turkey thighs, skin side up, over the vegetables. Put the roasting pan into the oven. After 20 minutes remove the pan and add the bacon to the vegetable mixture tossing to combine., and keeping the Turkey thighs skin side up on top. Replace the pan in the oven and reduce heat to 350 °F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then remove pan from oven and add the wine and the olives to the vegetable mixture, tossing thoroughly to combine. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Once the turkey thighs are cooked through (165 on an instant read thermometer) remove the pan and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Plate each Turkey thigh than add some of the vegetables as an accompaniment and drizzle the juices over the thigh to complete the plate.    (hide)

  From the article An Autumn dish of Turkey and Root Vegetables with Syrah

  
  

• October 2009

  From the article Experiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen with Beaujolais and Butternut Mac & Cheese

  
  

• October 2009

  And here's a link to the Tannat from Chateau O'Brien that I believe the good Dr. was refering to: http://www.chateauobrien.com/wines/detail/limited_reserve_tannat/ I would LOVE to give this a try... and wonder if any of my fellow curators or the bigs at Snooth HQ would agree to... Read moreAnd here's a link to the Tannat from Chateau O'Brien that I believe the good Dr. was refering to: http://www.chateauobrien.com/wines/detail/limited_reserve_tannat/ I would LOVE to give this a try... and wonder if any of my fellow curators or the bigs at Snooth HQ would agree to helping foot the bill for such a tasting? It's at least worth looking into. I mean, this wine sounds like something different altogether. From the official site, a great description of the kind of year it was for this wine back in '06: "The 2006 vintage for red varietals was met by a defoliating frost in mid-October causing all the leaves to fall from the vines prior to the initiation of reds harvest. However, aggressive viticulture practices starting during May and June, combined with quality minded production philosophies, set the stage to yield truly ripe late red varietals. At Chateau O’Brien, our harvest timing is based on the last parameter to ripen, typically balancing of acidity or softening of tannin. The earlier reds, such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot, were optimally timed for harvest when the frost set in. While, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat typically hang until late October or early November even in the best years. Due to fronts, the 2006 Tannot grape leave fell from the vine (in mid-October), and the fruit hung on the vines another two weeks before it was harvested. Our 2006 Tannat Limited Reserve shows exquisite development of opulent fruit and smooth ripe tannin, as well as assertive acidity. While appropriately bottle aged prior to release, the 2006 Tannat Limited Reserve can be regarded as a truly age-worthy red wine. As such, when consumed young, optimal balance and appreciation is achieved with a gentle decanting providing delicate oxygenation for a period of several hours. These same characteristics of this wine (concentration, tannin, bold acidity) effectively ensure it to naturally reach optimum balance with 5 to 10 years of additional cellaring, while ensuring an expected longevity of 15 to 20 years."    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Chrysalis Tannat 2006 by ChipDWood

  
  

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