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Cremant d’Alsace Arthur Metz Brut Prestige

It’s Thanksgiving, and this year we can only be with our families in spirit. We send our hellos, smiles, and just a smidge of our humor to loved ones enjoying a day of celebration and reflection.

On our holiday table are classics and new adventures. We have deviled eggs; we have hors d’oeuvre consisting of pickles, meat, and cheeses. Hard apple cider is a notable addition to the food prep phase, which includes fresh veggies (i.e., Brussel sprouts, asparagus, potato, carrots), jellied cranberries, and, most notably, a Cajun spice-rubbed turducken. Yup, it’s a day for new adventures.

Cremant d'Alsace Arthur Metz Brut Prestige, France.

Cremant d’Alsace Arthur Metz Brut Prestige, France.

The champagne–Cremant d’Alsace Arthur Metz Brut Prestige–fits into that same vibe. It is an odd mix both pale and gold, and it’s packed full of pear smells and fruits that you can detect on the nose and certainly on the palate. Compared to other bubbly that occasionally graces our celebrations, the Cremant is much sweeter in taste. Presumably more of a sugar profile than, say, a Veuve (which we’d prefer for its finish and its slightly drier taste). We’d hoped the Cremant might be a more affordable champagne option than Cliquot, and though it is less expensive than our go-to champagne it is certainly lesser in quality.

This isn’t a food blog, so I won’t spend too much time on the turducken–but it was delicious. I really enjoyed its soft, spicy goodness (not too rare or overdone but just right) and its unusual stuffings. It might have another seating soon, but the Cremant has run its course at our place. We’ll try another champagne in the future and hope for more Veuve.

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2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel North Coast, Buena Vista

I’m continuing the trend of drinking good wine when I get it rather than holding it in hopes of a bigger celebration. The November 2014 shipment of Count’s Club selections from Buena Vista has not been here long and I’m just pulling corks as the mood and opportunity presents. These wines ARE the occasion–know what I mean?

2012 Karoly's Selection Zinfandel North Coast, Buena Vista, California, USA.

2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel North Coast, Buena Vista, California, USA.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so the meal tonight is not the main event. Know that we’re not starving, to be sure, but rather looking forward to a food experiment with a turducken and some of our favorite holiday food traditions. Not all of ’em, but enough to keep the day fresh for us. Speaking of fresh, let’s talk about the 2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel. It’s a power-packed Zin that brings its A game right from the start. You don’t need to decant this bad boy; we poured in nice glasswear and just sipped contentedly. The best wines are either eagerly or contentedly consumsed, right? This one is a mix of both and infuses some interesting berry tastes and smells folded into this Zinfandel wrapper.

So how does Buena Vista describe Karoly? “The 2012 Karoly’s Zinfandel is a stunning ruby color in the glass with an aromatic bouquet of dark chocolate that evolves into notes of brambleberry and vanilla. Ripe dark cherries abound on the palate, where the rich flavor is rounded with hints of anise and cola and culminates in a lengthy finish that begs for another sip.”

Well said. A great wine, and an even better description from Buena Vista.

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2012 Elenora’s Selection Chardonnay, Buena Vista

Sometimes when a Count’s Club shipment arrives from Buena Vista I go into a Charlie Bucket mentality. Do you remember how Charlie receives a Wonka chocolate bar for his birthday and savors tiny little bites, just barely addressing his fix while keeping more for the future? That’s how I often feel about a new bottle of wine from our favorite Sonona winery.  I want a sip right away but also to preserve as much as possible for the future; they only arrive a handful of times each year, y’know?

2012 Elenora's Selection Chardonnay Buena Vista Sonoma County California USA

2012 Elenora’s Selection Chardonnay, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

On this one, I held out for nearly a week before opening–and it’s a golden ticket unto itself. My wife and I split the 2012 Elenora’s Selection Chardonnay on a Sunday evening, and this flavorful white wine accompanied an expertly cooked shrimp/scallop entre. The seafood was accented a great orange sauce and fresh herbs that are growing indoors, protected against the changing seasons and their widely ranging temperatures. Be sure to check out the photo too–it shows the inviting Elenora and the “golden jewel blend” cous cous, combining elements for taste and the killer presentation visual.

“This richly complex Chardonnay has flavors of lemon cream pie, vanilla, and just a touch of coriander. With a medium plus body, balanced acidity, and great length to the finish, this wine is the perfect pairing for grilled lobster with garlic butter sauce or toasted polenta and sauteed mushrooms.” Well phrased, winemaker, well phrased indeed.

Wistfully I report that we polished off this 2012 Elenora’s Selection in one seating, and we’ll have to wait several more weeks for another possible Chardonnay courtesy of the good folks at Buena Vista.

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2012 Buena Vista Legendary Badge, Limited Edition

A ripe red, this Badge, and one we had held for months after receiving in our April 2014 shipment from our favorite Sonoma winery. We opened this and knew right from the first whiff of red fruits that the Legendary Badge was going to be ready to drink immediately.

2012 Buena Vista Legendary Badge, Limited Edition, Sonoma, California, USA.

2012 Buena Vista Legendary Badge, Limited Edition, Sonoma, California, USA.

Four glasses for the Badge, and four happy wine drinkers sampling the luscious red blend here. You get tons of cherry, probably some strawberry, and a bit of subtle plumb in the tasting too. It’s substantive too, more like a Merlot, a fastball down the middle of the plate, than a Pinot or a Cab at the ends of the spectrum. Less of the spices in either of those, too. Buena Vista says “…Legendary Badge is a powerful wine, brimming with personality.” Not far from the mark, honestly. It may be a kitchen sink blend but it works.

We had the Badge with light hors de oeuvres, salsas, cheeses, and some tortilla chips. With this bottle gone it will be time to turn our attention onto a new red to go with dinner. Thanks as always, Buena Vista.

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2012 Mawida Merlot

This one is a special recommendation and selection courtesy of my wife, who was herself first exposed to the 2012 Mawida Merlot at a recent neighborhood tasting event (wish I could have joined her for THAT!). It was a surprise for this wine lover and a great treat for a Friday evening. We actually cracked open the Mawida last night and first enjoyed this deep purple beauty with pork chops slathered in a fantastic mustard/caramelized onion sauce, sided by a killer blue cheese salad with walnuts, apple, and onions (which could have been a great meal all by itself). I rushed it a bit on that initial sampling, and the finish seemed a bit tannin heavy on that first tasting.

2012 Mawida Merlot Central Valley Chile

2012 Mawida Merlot, Central Valley, Chile.

Tonight, though, we unsealed the 2012 Mawida and its encore performance earned top billing. This time the merlot accompanied some delicious tortellini (including both spinach and cheese as well as chicken and prosciutto) that I hit with only salt and pepper; my bride opted for a pesto topping. This Central Valley Chilean wine was better, pooling happily in my eager glass, and sharing blackberry and perhaps some plum notes.

The Mawida Merlot (a term meaning “Mountain in Mapudungun” in the language of the Mapuches natives of Chile) was rich and tasty, with a much gentler finish. I get the sense that the 2012 is intended for drinking right now, and gladly I did, comforted too by the knowledge that we have still another bottle to enjoy on a future occasion.

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2012 Biltmore Sangiovese

Halloween Night 2014, a night for ghouls, ghosts, and Night of the Living Dead–a classic for some but a first time for me. Just like the 2012 Biltmore Sangiovese opened for the occasion. We put some great candy outside for the trick-or-treaters (honor system and faith in humanity for our house) and fired up some homemade pizzas to go with this Sangiovese.

2012 Biltmore Sangiovese North Carolina USA

2012 Biltmore Sangiovese, North Carolina, USA.

Individual pies were the order of the day; one on wheat and one on white crust. The wheat was doctored up with a spicy pizza sauce, mushrooms, green olives with jalapeno pepper centers, pepperoni, red pepper flakes, and heaping piles of mozzarella cheese. Yes, I think wheat breads deaden the taste and thus compensated with a great mix of toppings–it turned out great and I buzzed right through this pie. The white crust I simply slathered with the sauce, pepperoni, and the same piles of shredded mozz; it was a delicious dish as well.

All that talk of pizza, you say, so what of the Sangiovese? I’ll classify this one as good but not great. I had actually cracked it last night to accompany a perfectly cooked NY Strip steak, and on both occasions the meal stands out more to me than the grapes. It was fruity, it had an easy finish, and it was rich in its appearance–but those are the key takeaways. I’m sorry I don’t have more to offer. This wine was a gift from family who’d visited the breathtaking Biltmore several weeks ago while I was away on business travel, and that’s more important to me than the taste or profile of the 2012. The gesture is what lasts here.

Maybe we’ll just have to have another go at this vino closer to Christmas when we revisit Asheville?

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2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah

The first thing you realize about the 2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah is its weight. I’m not talking figuratively but rather literally. The bottle itself is a heavy, crafted piece of art and holds so much promise in its customized glasswork. Without my muse here to document the Concannon, however, you’ll have to suffer with my crude photo instead.

2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah

2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah, Livermore Valley, California, USA.

I’m still thinking about how to best describe this 2005 Concannon Petite Sirah–which I actually picked from my mother’s wine cellar because it is from the Livermore Valley region of California. I did not have my favorite Sirah glass to further delve into the nuances of this grape, so it stands largely on its own merits. It pours rich and red, full-bodied and more tannic than the Pinot Noir we enjoyed last night. When you first sip it, the Concannon is more neutral and light…and then it warms in your mouth and has a much more substantive finish. Interesting complexity in that way for sure.

Helping to tame all the tannins here was our roasted pork loin, itself slathered in a purple fruity marmalade and expertly seasoned to taste. One of my favorites sides we had too–Wegman’s Golden Jewel Blend–and piled forkfuls of this on my plate. Alternating between bites of the couscous and pork, all the while sipping on the Concannon and listening to my family trading stories, made for an enjoyable and memorable dining experience.

Writes Jim Concannon on behalf of his vineyard, “This limited-release Petite Sirah is the essence of Concannon, displaying fantastic depth and character. It is full-bodied, rich with cherry flavors and has a hint of tasty oak for a smooth, silky finish.”

The oak eluded me but the cherry I definitely glimpsed here. Yet it presents itself to the consumer in a way very different from the Pinot Noir did just beforehand. I liked this Central Coast wine but it was not a world changer.