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Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio 2010

Can’t believe it has been since November 15th of last year that we had occasion to enjoy this pinot grigio.  This double dose was a great way to kick off our holiday and welcome our brother into town for the Memorial Day weekend.  This grigio accompanied a delicious salmon, grilled to perfection on our deck, and coated with a barbecue and blueberry marinade.  A little asparagus with browned butter and lemon on the side, together with baby potatoes, and voila you’ve got a treat.

2010 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio

2010 Ecco Domani, Pinot Grigio, Italy.

We polished these bottles off over some good stories told around the patio and dining room tables, smiling plenty and enjoying the light, fruity bouquet.  Grown in the northeastern “Tre Venezie” region of Italy, the 2010 actually blends pinot grigio (88.5%) and chardonnay grapes (11.5%).  According to the winemaker, “This wine has a clear, straw yellow color, with light golden reflections. A low concentration of surmaturo grapes gives the wine tropical fruit notes that make this unique vintage truly exotic, with apple and pineapple aromas and flavors. The wine is light bodied, with a pleasantly soft palate and a long finish.”

All good stuff.  And interesting to reflect back on our first occasion with the Ecco Domani and think about what the next one might hold.

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2009 Buena Vista Syrah

It’s no secret that our favorite winery out in Sonoma is Buena Vista.  This syrah was one of their wine club selections that I was exciting to break out over the past week.  In addition to providing a heart-healthy welcome home from work, it accompanied dinners that included 1) sushi, 2) a pork tenderloin with green beans and cous cous, and 3) chicken piccata with penne noodles in a white wine caper sauce.  All were delicious regardless of what wine one was supposed to have with the fish, fowl, or pig in order to complement the various tastes involved.

2009 Buena Vista Syrah

2009 Buena Vista Carneros Syrah

I’m sure finer and more experienced palates would offer a discerning analysis of this 2009 red…some pithy commentary regarding the bouquet, the nose, the fullness, and certainly the flavor.  From our time in California I know this wine is possible due to the unique temperatures of the days and nights out in the Carneros region, and the vineyard’s proximity to the oceans and mountains alike.  My taste buds simply offer a round of applause, and my eager hands reach for another glass.  The wine club shipments typically include both reds and whites but I’m always more interested in the reds; this 2009 is worthy of that same legacy.

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2008 Buenva Vista Carneros – Ramal Vineyards Chardonnay (Musque Clone)

2008 Buena Vista Carneros Chardonnay - Ramal Vineyards Musque Clone

A delicious chardonnay from the Ramal Vineyards at Buena Vista, our favorite Sonoma winery, we broke this open on a Tuesday evening as we prepared dinner together. Buttery and fruity smelling, this gentle white was sweeter than expected–but readily enjoyed.  It accompanied a delicious filet mignon (with french fries because my tastes are highbrow) and put us in a merry mood.  Here are some thoughts offered by our friends at Buena Vista:

“The Ramal Estate clonal wines give us the opportunity to showcase individual clones or blocks that perform exceptionally well in any given vintage. The 2008 Musque Clone selection showcases our most aromatic expression of Carneros Chardonnay with aromas of honeysuckle, orange blossom and floral notes. The aromatic fruit and muscat-like characters carry through with a rich, oily texture that pairs well with intensely flavored foods. The grapes were hand harvested at night from the Ramal Estate in September and whole cluster pressed. The wine was 100% barrel fermented; aged sur lies with lees stirring every two weeks for 9 months. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in Dargaud et Jaegle, Cadus and Francois Frères French oak barrels (38% new, balance one to five year old) and remained in barrel for nine months.”

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2008 Finca Lopez Noceti Malbec 1919

2008 Finca Lopez Noceti Malbec 1919

This Argentinian Malbec we’ve sampled once or twice previously (albeit before starting this blog), an affordable red from South America’s Mendoza region. It definitely has a whiff of berries and “deep red” about it. I’m reserving some additional notes for the next tasting, but this first bottle we split over two evenings–the second one with dinner. We had this Malbec with a delicious apple blue cheese salad and perfectly readied pork chops.

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2010 Castle Rock Pinot Noir

A nondescript part of Mom’s birthday celebration was enjoyment of this 2010 Pinot Noir…nondescript in part because I was the only one tasting and in part because it just…blended in with the evening’s fair.  It wasn’t stellar, and it wasn’t a disappointment.  It was just a solid, dependable red.  This California (North Coast) pinot from Mendocino County accompanied a meal that was indeed memorable–a light arugula and pear salad finished with a light honey/EVOO/mustard vinaigrette; an orange-tinted quinoa; sesame ginger snap peas, and roasted scallops on skewers.  All of those were great, so maybe it’s just in comparison that the pinot was just adequate?

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2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia

Some comfort food and comfort wine–this red Italian blend figuring prominently therein–marked this Tuesday evening meal. We had originally considered something more healthy and greens-based but deferred at the last minute. Given my own upcoming travel and the uncertain culinary delights I’d have along the way, I wholeheartedly embraced the move to the simple mac and cheese as well as the Neprica.
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Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label

Happy Valentine’s Day–a day to spend in celebration of that special something that you can’t quite define in words but can cite a thousand examples between the two of you.  Our HVD dinner, brightened with fresh tulips, consisted of a homemade lobster macaroni-and-cheese that armies would fight for, delicious asparagus in a lemon and burnt butter sauce, and the best company possible.

A molten chocolate cake – you see it in the photo here – was a featured dessert that my wife could sell in a high=end supermarket.  It was a great finish to an evening that began with the Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, one of our absolute favorites, and plenty of phone calls to our favorite people.  Hoping your celebrations and your bubbly were as good!

Veuve Cliquot from HVD 2012

Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, of Champagne, France, accompanying our fresh tulips, chocolate cake, and lobster macaroni-and-chees dinner.

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2010 Tormaresca Neprica Red Blend Puglia

Based solely on the tasting video and reviews shared on Wine Express, we bought a case of this red Italian blend “sight unseen”.  The first bottle completely fulfilled our every expectation, an amazing  fruity–and light–red that struck pinot-like chords for us.  It was the perfect complement to our evening meal, a delicious homemade potato soup with broccoli, fresh green onion, and chopped bacon.  Good bread on the side, too.

ImageMy wife’s soup was great, and the wine was too.  About Italian wines we know literally next to nothing, but so far we’re off to a great start.  We’re excited to have a case of this blend on hand for the coming weeks and months.  Anyone reading and following along would be happy to have this for him/herself too.  Here’s validation from the big shots:

“Neprica is an awesome blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon from southern Italy that offers an unbeatable price versus quality ratio. This rising star of Puglia would pair with meats, pasta or aged cheese and offers clean aromas of ripe fruit, spice and leather.“

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Gnarly Head Zinfandel – 2009 Old Vine

We cracked open the Gnarly Head Zinfandel about a week ago as an alternative to a pinot noir or cabernet.  It had a sharp aftertaste on that first evening, but subsequent glasses over the week tasted better and better.  Most evenings it was consumed just in small glasses prior to whatever dinner we had in mind; at least once it accompanied pork loin, purple roasted potatoes, and a killer apple-blue cheese-lettuce salad.  Here’s what the winemaker says about this wine:

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel makes a bold statement at first sip. Our quest for outstanding Zinfandel led us down a country road into the heart of Lodi, California revealing a sea of gnarled, 35 – 80 year-old vines pruned in a special, mop-topped way called “head trained”. True gnarly heads, these old vines yield fewer grape clusters with smaller berries than trellised vines. These mighty little berries produce intense, bold wines that are deep in color with concentrated dark fruit flavors. Our Old Vine Zinfandel has a gnarly core of rich, dark berry flavors with layers of spice, plum, pepper and vanilla balanced by light hint of toasted oak.