Tag Archives: $30-$40

by

2013 The Count’s Selection Syrah, Buena Vista

As the sun drops lower in the sky, so too does this thoroughly enjoyable bottle of the 2013 The Count’s Selection Syrah, from my favorite winery. It’s a reminder of another time, other adventures, and memories that are nearly a decade in age.

Screen Shot 2016-04-24 at 7.42.14 PM

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

Often I look for news of Buena Vista in the pages of Wine Enthusiast, a tasting note or accolade that California’s oldest premium winery (1857) may have engendered from some competition or critic. It’s not often that the Sonoma winery is covered in the pages of that magazine but I look nevertheless, probably for some affirmation that others enjoy Buena Vista offerings as much as I do. I look not for validation but a shared experience, a shared enjoyment of their approach to winemaking.

This one is bottle #1365, finished as you may gather on a bright, sunny Carolina Sunday. The 2013 Count’s Selection Syrah accompanies steak, Brussel sprouts, and a mashed potato (with just the right lumps and consistency). This wine has some great leather and pepper hints to it, both in the glass and to the taste, and plenty of dark fruits that carry those earthy notes to the taster.

The first glass in always my favorite in a syrah, and this one is no exception. The worst? That’s easy too–your last one.

 

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.

by

2011 Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir

It’s easy to think Notes focuses exclusively on grilled steaks and red wines, but that’s only partially true. The blog does share occasional feedback on whites, and sometimes shares great foodstuffs that far outshine the grapes. This is one of those times.

2011 Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, California, USA.

2011 Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, California, USA.

The 2011 Robert Stemmler is a great Pinot Noir; no question about it. No rough edges, it is light berry and polished all the way, a rich and fragrant treat any night you uncork one. On this evening, it accompanied a special meal–cheese grits, sautéed shrimp, Italian sausage, and a mix of red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. Swirled all together and topped with home-grown parsley and chives, this was an immensely enjoying evening; it had just the right punch of heat to offset the cheese (and yes this was my first cheese grits tasting experience).

Great textures, intoxicating blend of hot and cold, and medley of colors…a good night for the memories.

by

2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista

September of 2014 the good folks at Buena Vista shipped us the Karoly’s Zinfandel, and you know for damn sure this Russian River red sat beckoning from our wine rack each and every day until this holiday weekend when it finally made its appearance at our dinner table. The July 4th weekend is the perfect time to break out grilled steaks and all the summer fixin’s–including fresh corn, tomato, and arugula salad and the Karoly.

2012 Karoly's Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

We are drinking a bottle from one of just 504 cases of the Karoly’s Selection, and appreciating the complexity of what’s happening here. When you smell this deep red in the glass, you detect some acidity that seems to hint at a tannic finish–but that’s not how the drink actually tastes at all. It’s deceivingly smooth. When you taste this vintage of the Karoly, you actually get an entirely different vibe–it’s dark berry (plum? black cherry?) and kitchen spices that I called “peppery” and was unsurprised to read that I was in the right vicinity with that taste but not as detailed as you’ll hear from Buena Vista.

Here’s the vineyard’s summary: “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 bramble berry and vanilla. Ripe dark cherries abound on the palate, where the rich flavor is rounded into hints of anise and cola and culminates in a lengthy finish that begs for another sip.”

2012 Karoly's Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2012 Karoly’s Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

Am I crazy or does that sound sort of like the description I would give a wine? It’s a mash up of technical information (granted, slightly more nuanced than I could offer) and tasting experience. It was also a very good pairing for the grilled London Broil and an instant summer classic. Brian Maloney and Eric Pooler have done a great job with the harvest here and we should continue to expect great things from their collaboration at Buena Vista in the future.

by

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello

Dinner with clients and educators in the Windy City as we prepare to lead an all-day training course tomorrow at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. Yes that is a fantastic tuna tartar, mushrooms, and a smear of something creamy–squash? potato?–on my plate. I’m not sure in hindsight but know I absolutely crushed it like a viking and left only the faintest hint of dressing on my plate. Old friends and new spent a few relaxing hours together at this restaurant…

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello, Galicia, Spain.

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello, Galicia, Spain.

…As an accompanying beverage, we selected the 2011 Avanthia Godello–my first of this varietal. It’s been rated well by experts, but we were the most important critics on this particular evening. This Godello, which is aged in French Oak barrels for seven months, did not disappoint in the slightest.

Located in the mountains of Spain next to El Barco de Valdeorras in the province of Galicia, this winery brings a bright, minerally white to the table in the 2011 Acanthi Godello. I know that you often hear the wine bourgeois talk about “terroir” when referring to grapes, and this is one of those occasions when I agree with them. You can almost picture the soil where these grapes were growing as you sip contentedly. The vines were planted in 1975 nearly 1,500 feet above sea level in soil consisting of slate and quartz.

According to the winemaker, “The 35-year-old vines are grafted from the gnarled 300-year-old Godello vine planted by monks but now resides in the courtyard of the present-day winery.” Sounds cool, doesn’t it? The wine steward was very happy with our choice when we selected this 2011 Avanthia, and I was too when having it with my tuna dinner. Fun to research, and even more enjoyable to drink.

by

2012 Arpad’s Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista

Blackberry, pepper, and spice–you get healthy doses of each in the 2012 Arpad’s Selection Zinfandel, a great red from Sonoma Valley’s Buena Vista Winery. This wine is named for the third son of Count Agoston Haraszthy, who credited his father for bringing the Zinfandel grape to Sonoma. Be glad the Count did, because this wine is excellent in quality and rich in fruit. His legacy is surely intact in the 2012 vintage.

I’m sure there is more than just blackberry in the mix here, because the 2012 Arpad has great subtleties interwoven throughout. My wife and I both remarked on its fantastic, easy finish and its spices when we sampled from our porch on Good Friday, and I (with more than some appreciation) enjoyed it again this evening. Buena Vista Winery made just 300 cases of this Zinfandel, and bottle #690 graced our home.

2012 Arpad's Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma Valley, California, USA.

2012 Arpad’s Selection Zinfandel, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma Valley, California, USA.

The Arpad’s Selection Zinfandel first accompanied a local pepperoni pizza, and tonight a thick Angus steak seasoned with lots of freshly ground pepper and salt. Dinner included roasted baby potatoes (coincidentally suggested as a good pairing by the folks at Buena Vista) and asparagus, and the Zinfandel effectively complemented the sides. It was best, though, with the pepper and smoke of the steaks–each a solid inch in thickness.

The grapes for this 2012 were sourced from vineyards North East of the town of Sonoma. Quite a fantastic wine–this one you’ll see on our Top Reds list as well. Happy Easter everyone…