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Schug 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Fantastic meal to finish off this freezing January week–and featuring the Schug 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.  The wine is great, packed with red fruit smells that have to include some cherries for sure.  We cracked it to precede a fresh fish, a salmon that my wife selected right from the market, and she dressed it with a lip-smacking dijon mustard sauce that added just the right amount of zip.  A little fresh green beans and voila!

I know you’re raising an eyebrow on the Schug with a fish.  Not quite the usual approach, but then again we’re not usual.  And truth be told, the red was really dead by the time we finished hors d’oeuvres anyways.  Stay tuned for more information on the Chardonnay that followed closely on its heals.

The wine seller remarked, “Fresh aromas of primarily red fruit, especially cherries and raspberries…on the palette, dark raspberries, cranberry, pomegranate, and nutmeg.”  I don’t detect any strawberries in here (glad) and am pleased that I got at least a light sniff right on the cherries.  Still, the nutmeg escapes me…

…but a very easy-going Friday night standard.  Last one of this series.

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Schug 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, California, USA.

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Barbaresco Produttori 2007

Our tastes often run to the domestic and French in this house, but every so often have a fun detour to other fine regions of the world–like Italy in this instance.  Dining in Buffalo this evening with clients, I had the occasion to drink this full-bodied red for the first time.  The Barbaresco Produttori ‘07, I had to look up thereafter, comes from the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy.  It’s made from the Nebbiolo grape and fermented first in stainless steel and then aged in oak prior to bottling.

Barbaresco Produttori 2007, Piedmont, Italy.

Barbaresco Produttori 2007, Piedmont, Italy.

The Barbaresco accompanied a delicious spread.  Ignoring the fresh bread and olive oil, I sampled a selection of olives and then had a finely chopped Caesar salad (lemon and anchovy dressing!) for my Insalata.  I was still sipping the Barbaresco with my Seconi as well, a pair of grilled lamb chops that were panko crusted and drizzled with some dark, rich (too rich?) sauce.  The lamb was one of the Siena specials for the night, and the wine worked effectively with the smoky taste of the meat.  Green beans were a welcome side vegetable too.

And the wine itself?  Very fruity and floral-smelling, and I would have loved to enjoy more than just a glass.  As the driver, though, I was forced to savor just one…easy yet smoky on the tongue.  Sometimes a business dinner gets you outside of the norm, and I’ve now got the Barbaresco Produttori 2007 on my “try again” list for this reason.

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2009 Madonna Estate Reserve, Pinot Noir

Glad to include the 2009 Madonna Estate Reserve in this year’s list of holiday treats.  This delicious Pinot Noir, crafted in Napa Valley, we busted out to accompany soup and salads–a much-needed change of pace after all the rich foods of the Christmas celebration.  Harvest vegetables, mixed with a rich blend of seasonings and spices, simmered in a big soup pot with some tender chicken; the soup accompanied a light salad (I had mine without dressing) of greens, fresh pears, and dried fruit–and the Madonna Estate Reserve.

2009 Madonna Estate Reserve, Pinot Noir, Napa, California, USA.

2009 Madonna Estate Reserve, Pinot Noir, Napa, California, USA.

I’ve read some unflattering remarks about the 2008 vintage, but the 2009 seemed excellent.  It was light, nuanced, and easy on the tongue.  This Carneros Pinot Noir helped flush a less-than-great (apologies for failing to document it here in Notes) Cab/Merlot blend from my Christmas Day memories and instilled itself as my favorite from our Rochester trip.  It’s hues were deeper red than those of my Buena Vista favorites; while I prefer those Sonoma options that’s a tough comparison for many varietals so no stone throwing against the Madonna Estate.

I’d love to link you to the winemaker’s website for additional details but seems like a non-functioning URL so you’ll have to double back again sometime soon.  Just as I hope to with this Pinot.  Enjoy…

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Schug 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The first bottle in a new Pinot Noir series, the Schug 2011 we opened Friday for a “sneak peek” and then polished off the rest this Saturday evening.  It’s a lovely Pinot, a light red delight that contrasted in fascinating ways to the heavier Bordeauxs and Cabs that we have favored more recently.

Friday the Schug accompanied tuna and salmon sushi, and Saturday it was matched up with pepperoni pizza.  It complemented both favorably; this Pinot filled in tastes missing in the raw food yesterday and blunted some of the Italian red vibe of our pie today.  The Schug definitely has red fruit berries as dominant flavors, but with a hint of subtle spices too.  Though it’s the holiday season and our home smells of all kinds of warm, inviting scents, I cannot place what’s in the 2011 varietal.

The next one will be a treat and encourage you to find one for yourself.

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Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label

We’re a family that celebrates milestones, and we do it best when we have a great bottle of something special to share together.  This bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label, a gift from my best friend, was just such a bottle–sent to congratulate us for our relocation to North Carolina.

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label, Champagne, France.

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Yellow Label, Champagne, France.

We’ve been here nearly two months now, but with the Veuve on hand decided we would celebrate anew on this Sunday night.  Check out the delicious vittles that graced our table: Mustard-encrusted chicken breasts, fresh-cut green beans, and portabella mushrooms.  The Veuve, always a favorite of my wife, really accented the succulent food.  Its bubbles and inherent apple goodness complemented the flavors Becca wrangled from this light, healthy fare.

These guys have been producing champagne since 1772, so you know they’re doing more than one or two things right.  If you’ve had for yourself, you’re nodding in agreement.  If you haven’t had Veuve Cliquot yet, what are you waiting for?

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2010 Chateau Hanteillan, Haut Medoc

A celebratory Saturday night started–and finished–courtesy of the 2010 Chateau Hanteillan Bordeaux from the Haut Medoc region.  This is the second of four in our collection, and like our first tasting of this red, it too accompanied a great pair of steaks and blue cheese salads, though on this occasion we worked a perfectly baked potato into the mix as well.

2010 Chateau Hanteillan Bordeaux, Haut Medoc, France.

2010 Chateau Hanteillan Bordeaux, Haut Medoc, France.

Somehow I failed to recall the initial experience we had with the Hanteillan, and again my first sip showed the heavy tannin finish that I hadn’t cared for previously.  Rather than play a bad hand, this time I opted to decant the entire bottle–to a much better outcome.  A re-deal, if you will.  Allowing the 2010 to breathe really helped and would be my clear recommendation for anyone sampling this vintage.

Getting some air into this Bordeaux allowed its fruity background to play a bigger role and really diminished the tannin’s acidity.  I think the balance was restored through the decanter, and I know that’s how we’ll proceed with the remaining inventory we have in our possession.

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2010 Chateau Hanteillan, Haut Medoc

2010 Chateau Hanteillan, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

2010 Chateau Hanteillan, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France.

Scouting possible reds for the Thanksgiving holiday, we opened this Bordeaux to accompany a lovely dinner of steaks and blue cheese salad–a classic pairing in our home as frequent site visitors can undoubtedly attest.  We ordered four of these red blends, and the first leaves an interesting impression.

This 2010 probably could have been shelved for a longer period, and I think we erred in not properly aerating after opening.  It’s got the usual Bordeaux coloring, a shimmering pool of goodness, and nose too.  In my excitement to sample a new vino, however, I failed to detect the underpinnings that might have better informed me on its need to breathe.  Thus, this first exposure to the 2010 Chateau Hanteillan leaves me with notes that include “long finish” and “heavy tannin feel”.

I’m not sure we have in this bottle the right red for our dinner later this week, but we do have a few more so perhaps it’ll make the cut after all.  To be continued…

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2011 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Noble Vines

With fall temperatures shifting, it’s the full-bodied reds that seem to make their way to our evenings and dinner tables with greater frequency.  Tonight it was the 337 Cabernet Sauvignon from Nobel Vines, the Menteca, California winemaker.  My wife picked this one and sipped from a stemmed glass; I from a Riedel Bordeaux stemless glass.  No real intention there as much as what was handy as we uncorked the bottle.

2011 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi, California, USA.

2011 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi, California, USA.

We picked the 337 primarily because our meal consisted of wax beans, peas, garlic mashed potatoes, and killer steaks.  The latter, selected fresh from the deli, held in a ton of flavor and juice.  Great seasoning too, much like our Cabernet selection.  The 2011 vintage contains a slew of red fruit scents; some spice as well, and those combinations always seem to work well for me.  I can see this complementing pasta just as effectively as it did our steaks.

The winemaker claims, “Noble Vines 337 is the most coveted Cabernet Sauvignon vine stock in Bordeaux, France.  These rare vines are prized for their concentrated flavor and thrive in the red soils and cobblestones of our Lodi vineyard.”  Okay, some self-aggrandizing in that label, but the results do stand up favorably to the Bordeauxs and Cabs we have sampled as of late.

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Domaine Virginie Thunevin AOC Bordeaux, 2009

Sorry to say this is our last (at least currently) bottle of the Domaine Virginie Thunevin AOC Bordeaux, 2009.  On a beautiful fall Friday, this Bordeaux was a perfect option for one of our favorite meals–accompanying well-seasoned steaks, tender red baby potatoes, and blue cheese salads with the crumble, freshly ground pepper, and blue cheese dressing.

Domaine Virginie Thunevin AOC Bordeaux, 2009, France.

Domaine Virginie Thunevin AOC Bordeaux, 2009, France.

Created by winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin and named for his daughter, this Bordeaux combines Merlot (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), and Cabernet Franc (10%).  It’s excellent when working alongside a medium rare, salted steak–and my lovely and talented chef (photographer too!) knows how to tease all the flavors out of a great cut.

From a tasting standpoint, the 2009 Domaine Virginie Thunevin AOC Bordeaux is fruity and aromatic.  The berries waft up, juicy and full on the nose, and–despite a hint of tannin in your first smell–it has a surprisingly smooth and easy finish.  My wife thought much the same in her sampling.  It is very drinkable to say the least.

I think we’ve now had this Bordeaux with steaks on a few occasions, pizza on another, and I forget the other time.  Thinking back (enviously, I must say) now, the 2009 Virginie seems to be very functional–you can drink it upscale with steaks or downscale with a casual pie and it complements both effectively.  Wish we had another and you should too.

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2009 Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon Private Selection

This Private Selection Lyeth bundles together so many facets of a good wine–it’s a special gift from dear friends, it tastes fantastic, and we appreciated the hell out of it.  Originating from a quiet pocket of northern Sonoma County, this 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon comes at you silky smooth…it’s got an easy way about it that reminds you of a favorite Bordeaux and just engenders a great tasting experience.

2009 Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon Private Selection, Sonoma, California, USA.

2009 Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon Private Selection, Sonoma, California, USA.

Lyeth Estates was established some 30 years ago by a winemaker who purportedly aspired to the red blends of Bordeaux, and the 2009 Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is very much in this style.  My unrefined palate can’t quite break down the profile of this wine, but its finish has less tannins than other Cabs I’ve sampled, and of course I wonder if the Private Selection adds splashes of Pinot Noir, Verdot, or perhaps Merlot to calm down the aftertaste.  I think I get some blackberry in this deep, red beauty from the Alexander Valley, but it could be some other dark fruit and I really can’t be sure–except to say that it’s very enjoyable.  There’s some spice aroma here too…not quite tobacco, vanilla, or some dominant earthiness, but something.  You’ll have to taste it for yourself to hone in further.

As far as the foodstuffs go, you can see that we  paired up the 2009 Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon Private Selection with ravioli, seasoned with olive oil, fresh basil, and tomato.  Sort of a traditional combination but one that worked well for the two of us.  So thank you, friends, for your generosity and your taste.  We’ll see you soon and send our very best regards in the interim.