Monthly Archives: November 2015

by

2013 The Count’s Selection Carignane, Buena Vista Winery

After a few recent blue-collar bottles it was time for a palate cleanser–a nice, medium-bodied red with a lasting finish. Something closer to a Cabernet than a Zinfandel or a Pinot, and once again it was a Buena Vista wine that rang the bell.

The 2013 Count’s Selection Carignane is a member of the Boisset Collection (look that up) and worth the effort to put your hands on one. It’s 100% Carignane, a grape traditionally available in the western Mediterranean and also in California’s Central Valley, and here courtesy of Mendocino County. Buena Vista Winery only produced 175 cases of this 2013 vintage, so do the math on the possible availability of a bottle.

If you find the 2013 Count’s Selection Carignane, you should expect some flavors of blueberry and black raspberry. I’m not exactly sure what currant tastes like in a wine, but I mention it because there is a lot dark fruits in play here that I can’t quite nail down; just a bit of spice or earthiness too. And the wine wasn’t the night’s only treat, as we had this 2013 with cole slaw and baby back ribs. Those we set up with an ancho chile-based dry rub and finished after nearly six hours of low heat with a “Whammy” all-purpose barbeque sauce, picked up from a Charlotte BBQ festival.

A couple important facts regarding the wine:

1) Its grapes were harvested October 19th, 2013. I’m not sure why but I love the specificity.
2) The grapes were aged 10 months in seasoned French and Hungarian barrels.
3) Of the outcome, the winemaker remarked, “Our 2013 Carignane exudes a classically decadent nose of rich, darker fruits…”

I apologize for including no photo with this first recap, but if you check back in the next day or two I’ll be sure to share a glimpse of this delicious 2013. Thanks for reading and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

by

2013 Merlot, Bogle Vineyards

Bogle is readily available to you, I know, and if you’re reading about the 2013 Merlot on Notes Of Note it’s not because you’re wrestling over some life-changing decision with your vino. Bogle Vineyards, after all, probably has a sampling of their entire lineup in your local grocery or big box supermarket. Why then?

2013 Merlot, Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg, California, USA.

2013 Merlot, Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg, California, USA.

You’re reading further, perhaps, because (like me) you recognize wine sometimes makes an impact on our lives that is greater than just its taste or its scarcity. Maybe you’ll come a little further and know what Bogle means to this guy?

First the nuts and bolts: This 2013 Merlot accompanied about 10 ounces of perfectly cooked steak, replete with good grill marks, a baked potato, and lemon-drizzled asparagus. It was fine in that regard, but I’d have preferred a Cabernet in hindsight.

Nevertheless, Bogle will always remind me of a great Boston meal, a work dinner with new clients. An Italian joint, steps leading down from the street to a dimly lit dining room where new colleagues met to hash out terms and next steps. We had an Amarone (which has left a similar indelible imprint on my brain) as well as the Bogle–which lit up my new contact, a world-class dental ceramist. With wild gestures from Greek hands he talked eagerly about this wine, which I’d never heard of beforehand. The wine itself is fine, but the memory of his excitement about Bogle is, oddly enough, far more lasting. It’s the kind of thing that, if you’re still reading here, is perhaps you recognize too in some of the wines you’ve tasted. Feel free to share…

by

2013 The Count’s Selection, Syrah, Buena Vista Winery

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to bottle number 3026 of The Count’s Selection Syrah, produced by Buena Vista Winery. Yes, another Syrah, loyal readers. You know I have a tendency to hold onto Buena Vista wines for special occasions, but this weekend (which also included the new Bond flick Spectre) I needed some TLC courtesy of these good Sonoma folks and fired up this 2013 to get my fix.

2013 Count's Selection, Syrah, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma Valley, California, USA.

2013 The Count’s Selection, Syrah, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma Valley, California, USA.

This Syrah is very easy drinking, a blackberry-flavored red with earthy undertones, a bottle that you’re so disappointed to see dwindling over the course of the evening. Savor every glass, my friends, because excellence is fleeting and impermanent.

Buena Vista says The Count has “…round, well-integrated tannins, flavors of dark fruits, and a touch of black pepper [that] lead to a velvety finish.”

The Count’s Selection works well in both low-brow (i.e., grilled cheese sandwiches) and high-guard (e.g., grilled steaks) applications. Accompanying the cheese you get a sense of the contrast, the spicy pepper-tinged underpinnings of the Syrah. Eaten with the grilled meat, you experience more of the complimentary flavors, the way the seasoning of the steak parallels the leathery complexion of the Syrah. But hell, a drink this fine you could drink with just about anything and it’ll improve both the food and your mood.

That’s my prescription for you this evening–take one of these to cure what ails ya. I hope I remembered to order another in the November shipment that’s presently en route.