I got home too late tonight to enjoy much of a meal, especially one accompanied by a great bottle of wine (early and busy day tomorrow) and choose instead, to sip a new version of the Limoncello. We tried a new recipe using tequila instead of Everclear... Yum Yum.

Thank you Shawn!

Tonight was a special evening. We were invited to attend Savor Dallas. There were so many different wines, port s and spirits there that it was impossible to remember much less list them all. Oh, and the food was wonderful as well.

I was lucky enought to be the Top Bidder on a 2004 Grigich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 3 Litre!  Seems like a great reason to have a party!

Resistance is futile... MUHAHAHAAA....

When the crowd dwindled down to just us and three others, Shawn popped out my 2004 Provenance Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Hill.
Wow, what a wonderful wine. Especially after sampling some of the other bottles.

We closed Angel's at 10:00 and went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Richardson and had one of the most amazing meals. They ordered fish. The presentation was amazing. It was a huge catfish (at least two feet long) that had been baked twice and placed upon this huge platter and surrounded with vegetables and then sprinkled with crushed peanuts.
After we ohhhed and ahhhed, the waiter then removed the bones.
We took parts of the fish and placed it on the damp rice paper and made spring rolls and dipped them into a special sauce that was mildly spicy and had peanut and pineapple flavors.
This was enjoyed with two more bottles of wine, a 2005 Jorian Hill Viognier and a 2000 Jarvis Chardonnay.
We then proceeded to a "Hot Pot" and I brought out my other bottle, a 2004 Terlato Angels Peak which made everyone swoon.

After dinner I cracked open a Provenance Port and we shared some of that too.
To only say that this was a wonderful evening with friends would be like saying that a Bentley is decent transportation!

Once I got home, Laura had been playing in the kitchen and had whipped up a wonderful chicken and mushrooms with a creamy brandy sauce served on a bed of sautéed spinach.
I choose a 2005 Audesirk Chardonnay to accompany our meal. This is a very light chardonnay with light citrus and hints of apricots, slightly acidic and mildly tannic, it was a good pairing with our meal.
Although we prefer a more full bodied wine, this was a nice light wine that will be perfect as the Texas summer falls upon us.
And add to the mix that they retail it for only $15 and you have a real winner.

Tonight was definitely about the wine AND the label.
This was SHAFER Night!
TWP had been talking about having a dinner around this special vineyard for a long time and we decided to make it happen!
Our special guests were selected by not only their appreciation for these wines but also for our appreciation of each other. Each couple was each required to bring at least one bottle of Shafer preferably a HILLSIDE or at the very least a ONE POINT FIVE.
Dinner started when we approached the decanted Shafer vertical, 1999, 2000 & 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. J.R. and Keresa brought out a 1995 Hillside, Gary and Nancy a 1997 Hillside and Tim and Gail a 2003 Hillside.

We all had our "Back Up" bottles as well. It was a good thing too. We had to open Tim's 2004 ONE POINT FIVE and to accompany dessert I opened my 2005 FIREBREAK and later, a 1997 Noval Silval Porto.

Dinner had to be special to go with the incredible wines. It included an Iceberg Wedge with Danish Blue Cheese, Tomatoes and Crumbled Bacon, a magnificent Prime Rib, a Gourmet Blend of Mushrooms (including: Morels, Porcini, Brazilian Caps, Ivory Portabellas, Shiitake and Oyster) in a red wine sauce, Roasted Potatoes accompanied with Butter, Sour Cream, Grated Cheddar Cheese and Crumbled Bacon and Creamed Spinach.

Dessert had to be special too.
I woke up at 4:30am and started working on dessert. I found a recipe for Coffee Caramel Crème Brûlée that I really wanted to try. The custard in this clever crème brûlée tastes just like a rich caramel cappuccino. Although it took way too long (I figured out a few short cuts for next time!) it was a perfect way to end the meal - judging by everyone's comments.

Regarding the wines... I'm not sure that I can even begin to adequately describe the wonderful full bodies, dark fruit, jammy flavors, silky tannins, long finishes and complex nuances of so many superb bottles of wine, other than to say that it will be remembered as one of the finest and best experiences that I have shared with friends in my home.

Tonight, when I was heading out of the parking lot, I realized that I had not heard from anyone at Angel's today and so, I stopped in. It's a really good thing too! Tim was there with a co-worker picking up his bottles of Shafer (2 Hillsides and a One Point Five), Shawn was pouring some "samples" of their higher end wines.
And I HAD to stop for a while! We traded some banter and a lot of laughs. I made the attempt to leave a couple of times but frankly, seeing everyone laughing and having such a great time kept me there.
Then, Gary pulled up (actually backed in) and I had to stay and have some more "samples." We really had some great wines at Angel's Beverage tonight.

I pulled out a 2002 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.
I have to tell you about this wine. It actually has sentimental value to us. We were at a charity event years ago and "found" this wine. It was surprisingly good and yet decently priced. I bought a lot of it. I still have about two cases in my cellar and still really enjoy this wine.
What's not to like? It is dark, almost purple, lots of plums and cherries with just the right amount of oak. It goes perfectly with anything that is red and grilled.
I must warn you though that if you go and look for this wine, any of the younger vintages simply do not taste like this one. They do not have the complexity or the depth.

Tonight we stopped and picked up a nice chardonnay because we were going to a B.Y.O.B. Italian restaurant for dinner.

Shawn helped us by recommending a 2008 Alma Rosa Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County.  It is always a gamble when you bring a bottle of wine thinking that you will have one dish and then order something else.

We must have made a bad choice in our dinner selections as the wine just did not fit with the Chicken Piccata or the Chicken Saltimaboca that we ordered. We found that it was too light and not enough of anything really to keep up with the meals.

I wish that I could say that every wine that we pick is perfect... No big deal, there are always more wines to choose from and maybe in the coming years I'll be able to say that every wine is perfectly paired.

Tonight is a big night and I would like to have an incredible dining experience in Dallas with Laura. We are celebrating our wedding anniversary.

We decided to go all out and go to The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel. This is one of Dallas' best restaurants.

We started off being 30 minutes late for our reservation due to a huge traffic problem. The good thing is that we called and let them know that we would be late (sometimes cell phones are great!) and Della was able to hold our table until we got there.

After having a cocktail and settling down, we decided (rather quickly) to enjoy the Chef's Tasting Menu paired with the Sommelier's wine selections.

We began with Maine Lobster "Sous Vide," with Foie Gras, Morels and Truffle Custard paired with a 2007 Drouhin St. Veran Burgundy.  I'm not sure which we enjoyed more, the lobster, foie gras or the custard! It was all so incredible. The wine was a perfect pairing.  It was a beautifully crisp chardonnay (I know that I will make some readers cringe by saying that), that had virtually no oak at all yet it was full of flavor, lots of citrus, grapefruit even, without a lot of butter and a nice long, smooth finish that cut the richness of the dish perfectly.

Next came a Seared Yellow Edge Grouper with baby Shiitake Mushrooms on an Artichoke Puree paired with a 2008 Groom Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was delicious. It had a clean crisp taste without the typical diesel fuel smell of some Sauv. Blancs. On the nose, there were hints of tropical fruit aromas, pleasant yet not over-powering, slight acidity without the grassiness that you would expect from an Australian Sauvignon Blanc. Another perfect pairing. Our grouper, unfortunately, on the other hand was rather raw and was best left alone.

For Intermezzo, we enjoyed a Strawberry Banana Sorbet that was perfectly delightful.

Our entre was brought out... Sika Venison Chop with a Pistachio Crust, Beluga Lentil ragout and Venison Jus paired with a 2005 Paso A Paso "Volver" from Spain. Ahhh... What can I say about this course of our meal? To begin, the venison was cooked to perfection, the Beluga Lentil Ragout was exceptional. The wine with the meal was very nice. It drank almost like a California Cabernet Sauvignon, Big and Bold with so many flavors! The chocolate and coffee mixed with the bold dark ripe fruits almost over-powered the venison. The good news/bad news was that the finish was quick and uneventful. It didn't over-power the meal because it couldn't. We noticed that the wine when drank by itself, after the course was completed, was rather tight and tart.

Next came a Pecorino Pepato on a Blueberry Compote and a Candied Citrus Crisp paired with a 2005 Hullabaloo Napa Valley Zinfandel. The Pecorino Pepato is an intense, Italian, salty cheese made from sheep's milk and studded with peppercorns. This dish was served fresh from the oven! The wine was poured into a small port or dessert style glass, to keep it tight. It worked well with the cheese.

Our Pre-dessert was a nice little pot of custard with diced fruits on top.

Dessert was  a Slow-Baked Lemon Meringue and Sparkling Lavender Sorbet with Mint Oil and Vanilla paired with a 2007 Nivole Moscatto d'Asti from Italy. The only way for me to describe the dessert is to say that it was so light and elegant that it was almost as though it wasn't there. The Asti was paired well. It was also very light and mildly fruity, mildly sweet, almost like a bottle of Pellegrino had a very small amount of fruit juice added to it.

All-in-all it was a wonderful dining experience and something that you should try to do at least once, especially if you live in the Dallas area.

Happy Anniversary!

Tonight we thought that we needed to have a special treat!

This afternoon, Laura and I drove to Rogers, Arkansas.  (No, we didn’t do anything bad and didn’t make a wrong turn; we needed to attend a seminar.) Once we checked into our hotel, we decided to go to dinner and ended up at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Laura ordered the Tornadoes Oscar, I ordered the Bone-In Rib-Eye, and then looked for a wine that would compliment both entrées.  

Laura suggested that we try to pick something that we had not experienced before. We choose a 2004 Stonestreet Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Trevor, our waiter, came by to ask us which wine we would like and informed us that this would be a nice pairing. Trevor is getting ready to take his first sommelier test and said that he actually put the wine list together.

This wine was such a pleasant surprise. It was a medium to full bodied wine. It has a beautiful deep red/purple color with lush dark fruits, spices, hints of coffee and caramel, mild tannins and a slow lingering finish that complimented our meals wonderfully.  It is a nice bottle of wine that retails for around $30.

Tonight is going to be so wonderful that I can hardly wait to get home!

I stopped by my favorite meat market yesterday and picked up two incredible rib-eye steaks for tonight.  I decided earlier today that we were going to have a very BIG wine to accompany the steaks.

Laura started the grill and I dove into the cellar to see what treasure I could find…

I came up for air with a 2002 Pahlmeyer.  What a wonderfully delicious wine! Dark, thick, full of flavors. It started with a full jammy texture of blackberries and plums, silky smooth chocolate, leather, smoke, and then as it continued to open, just a hint of caramel (you have to wait for it…) on the nose but not on the palate, this is an earthy wine with silky smooth tannins that simply made me wish that I had another bottle already in the decanter.

The steaks were great, the veggies were yummy but the wine stole the evening. Laura said that it reminded her of a Rolls-Royce that she saw earlier today.

Tonight was to be a very special evening. A friend of ours (Greg Patterson) gave us a gift certificate for Tre Amici, a relatively new restaurant in the North Dallas restaurant row. OK, if you are familiar with North Dallas, this place is north of Three Forks, Ruth's Chris, Maguire's and across the toll road from Sullivan's Steakhouse. This is clearly high company and steakhouse heaven.

We made reservations for 6:00pm. I'll admit, I prefer an early evening, usually because it's a quieter time for dining. This is certainly true in the Dallas area. Having spent some time in Europe and the Middle East, where it is customary to dine with "quiet voices" in order to make sure that you do not disturb to other people in the restaurant. Apparently, this is a completely foreign concept in this part of the world.  With that being said here is the report about this evening.

Laura made sure to take extra time to make herself look beautiful. I dressed appropriately for a Dallas steakhouse. We arrived early enough to be the first ones in the restaurant. We were even seated across from the main wine cellar. It was interesting when a loud couple came into the place wearing “track suits.” They were seated very close to us and it seemed to bother Laura as they were in her direct line of sight. So much for a dress code.

We were considering our choices for wine as well as dinner when Darren, our waiter came up and asked if there was anything that we would like at that time.

Laura explained that I was still studying the wine list and would let him know in a little while.

Darren told us about the specials and then explained the calamari and said that it was wonderful. We ordered some right away. 

He brought it out and it really was as wonderful as he described. It was light, fluffy and full of “rings.” Simply delicious. We ordered dinner and discussed the wine. I asked for a certain wine that I thought would go with the
meals.

Darren came back and said that that particular wine was no longer in their inventory. I then asked for another bottle. He then came back and offered a replacement that was recommended by “Joey”. Again, the bottle of choice was not available. Considering that we were open to trying “new” things that night, I said “let’s try it.”

It was a 2003 Dunham Trutina from Walla Walla Valley. Darren said that “Joey” recommended the wine and said that it would be great with what we ordered.
It is a Bordeaux style blend with 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc. Sounded interesting and worth a try.

While we were waiting for the wine, a guy came up to the table and asked us how we were doing. We looked at each other and said “Fine.” He said “good” and walked away.
We had no idea who he was nor did he say who he was.

The Dunham was actually a very whimpy bottle of wine and really could never stand up to the tenderloin that was ordered much less the rib-eye. I  have to say that this is a poor attempt at creating a Bordeaux style wine. There was no depth, no finish and no flavor other than something like a weak grape juice. I was becoming frustrated.   At first, I thought to make the best of it but Laura said that she was not happy with the wine either and asked for something different.

I asked Darren if I could look at the wine list again. I asked for a different bottle of wine. It was not available either.

OK, by this time, I was getting frustrated and said that I was done with wine. Then I remembered that Laura wasn’t thrilled with “Joey’s choice” either and I asked to see the wine list again. I then asked for another bottle.  At this point, Laura excused herself for a minute.

While she was gone, the same “unknown” guy came up, said “I’ve always wanted to fold someone’s napkin.” Which he did.

I watched him and then asked “Who are you?”

He replied “I’m Judd Fruia, one of the owners.”

I told him  “We had no idea and that he could have been a customer for all we knew.”

Judd then agreed, “Yeah, I really do need to introduce myself.”

Darren came back without any wine this time and said that the Sommelier was no longer there and that there were quite a few holes in their wine list.

While this was going on our steaks were brought out. Really poor timing...

I then, quickly looked and asked for another bottle of wine. It was a simple bottle of 2002 Trapiche Cabernet Sauvignon from the Mendoza region of Argentina.

This is another bottle with some sentimental value for us. When we were first getting interested in the world of wine, Jim White (of KRLD fame) did an event that we attended some years ago at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum and we were introduced to Trapiche. I figured that, at this point, it was a safe bet. It wasn’t. It actually tasted off in a big way. Apparently it was not stored properly or something. At any rate it was terrible. I will not begin to make any notes on the wine as it was so far off the mark that it would not be fair on any level.

The calamari was wonderful, the steaks were good, the vegetables were just OK, and the wine list, while many pages in length, actually fell flat. There were four bottles that we asked for and only one that was there and it was bad.

I will certainly admit that I was looking for some new wines to try and did  not just jump to a "known Label." But isn't that part of the fun of playing with wine? You should be able to go to a quality wine list and pick out a wine and experiment without breaking the bank every time.

We were also told that the Sommelier had left a week and a half ago prior to our arrival. Either way, the wine should have been better than it was. The list should have been accurate and the wine should have been better.

We were also charged for both bottles that we could not drink.

This was such a HUGE difference compared to what we experienced last Saturday night. Even though we had a $100.00 gift certificate, this meal cost more than the wonderful feast that we loved at Bordino’s in Fayetteville.

This could be a place to go to for the steaks but certainly not the place to go to for the wine. Maybe one day they will get someone that understands the importance of a properly kept wine cellar AND wine list. Until that happens, stay away from Tre Amici or at least be forewarned.  This was a huge disappointment for us.

Tonight I grilled a couple of Rib Eye steaks from Hirsch's Specialty Meats to go along with a 2005 Baldacci Four Sons Cabernet Sauvignon.

I'm not sure which we enjoyed more to tell you the absolute truth.

The steaks were delicious. I think that maybe they put something in the meat to keep you hooked...

The wine was also wonderful. It is a typical Stag's Leap Cabernet. Full bodied, structured and with velvety smooth tannis but this was a bit differrent than some California Cabernets. It was not in my face with fruit. The arormas were more along the line of dried fruits, smoke, leather and lots of earthy notes. It cut the richness of the steaks wonderfully without excessive sharpness and a nice finish.

Beautiful.

Today was something else! I went with Shawn to a portfolio tasting event for one of the distributors and sampled so many different wines that my palate was completely overwhelmed!  I needed to take a break from all of the flavors, textures, and nuances of all of these fabulous wines so I stayed at my office for a while and drank some Pellegrino mineral water.

When I got home, Laura was already there and asked me what I wanted to do for dinner... Well, I wasn't all that hungry and I wanted to make sure that Laura had something to keep her in such a great mood so together we whipped up something kind of fun.

The best part was the wine. She pulled out a bottle of champagne. Kind of... It was a bottle of V. Sattui Blanc de Noirs, vintage 1994! She said that she wanted to celebrate tonight and we needed to make some room in our cellar for all of the wine that we bought while we were in Napa. Either it was OK to drink or we needed to get rid of it and open something else. This way we might be able to open up two spaces...

We both thought that the bubbly would be dead and long gone but to our surprise (the joys of a great wine cellar and proper storage), the cork was still nice and tight, the bubbles were abundant, the color was a very pale yellow, acidity was perfect and the flavors were still very nice.

What a very pleasant surprise!

Always be willing to at least sample your older bottles as long as they were stored properly.

Cheers!

Laura made an appointment for me with one of the RMT’s in her office and I had the absolute luxury of enjoying an hour and a half massage with Timmi. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

After spending some time at the office today I stopped at Angel’s Beverage to “just say Hi” where they had several beautiful bottles open and asked me if I would like to “taste” anything. One of the bottles was an ’02 Mount Veeder Cabernet. Very nice and still holding up well, although a little to “puckered” for me.  Next came a wonderful wine from Mendoza, Argentina. It was spectacular! I will write about it later, I promise.

When I got home, Laura asked me to pick out a wine to go with dinner. I pulled out a 2005 Provenance Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.

After decanting for at least an hour it showed smoke, black currant and coffee, lots of coffee in the aroma. Dark fruits, black pepper and clove on the palate, mild tannins, lush mouth-feel, velvety smooth with a  wonderful finish. This is not a huge in your face fruit bomb by any means. This is an elegant, balanced cabernet that has “Rutherford” written all over it. Thank you Tom Rinaldi!

Tonight, I came home with the idea that we were going to grill a couple of Rib-eye steaks from Hirsch's Specialty Meats, cook some green beans with almonds and bacon, some green peas with onions and enjoy a really nice bottle of Napa Cabernet.

I picked a 2005 Mi Sueno El Llano.

What a delicious bottle of wine! It is a very balanced bottle with dark fruits, berries, smoke, leather and slight hints of vanilla. This is a beautiful, dark wine with a full body and a plush mouth feel. What a treat especially when you can get it for around $35-40.00! Thank you Rolando Herrera!

ZAP!

Wow, what a wonderful experience! 

OK, before I get into the experience, you are probably
asking yourself, “What in the heck is ZAP?”

I warn you that this
is not my normal post and I apologize for the delay in getting this posted.
This was a wonderful event and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is
seriously interested in learning more about this delicious varietal.

ZAP, the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers puts
together the Zinfandel Grand Tasting
and they hold them in different cities. Later, you can go to www.Zinfandel.org
for more information about the events and the organization because right now,
I’m going to tell you about the ZAP
Spring Tour - Dallas!

The Grand Zinfandel
Trade Tasting was held at The Tower
Club, 1601 Elm Street, 48^th Floor from 2-5pm. Once we were
registered and inside, there were wines from over 35 vineyards represented,
mostly by people from the vineyards including every level from shipping and
hospitality people to winemakers and owners. A couple people that were there
and that you may recognize are Kent
Rosenblum and Pete Seghesio! It
was great that they were able to take a few minutes and chat with us. There
were lots of distributors at the event too, so we were able to visit with
several people that we knew.  All this in
just a couple hours…

Here is a rundown of the Zins (alpha listing by vineyard)
that I was able to sample:

Cline Cellars

                2007 Big Break, Contra Costa
County

                2007 Live Oak, Contra Costa
County

                2007 Ancient Vines, California

D-Cubed Cellars

2005 Napa Valley

2005 Howell Mountain

2006 St. Helena

Deep Purple Winery

                2007 Lodi

Four Vines Winery

                2007 Sophisticate, Sonoma County

                2007 Biker, Paso Robles

                2006 Maverick, Amador County

                2006 Old Vine Cuvee

Haywood Estates

                2005 Los Chamizal Vineyards,
Sonoma County

                2007 Morning Sun, Los Chamizal
Vineyards, Sonoma Valley

                2006 Rocky Terrace, Los Chamizal
Vineyards, Sonoma Valley

Hook & Ladder
Vineyards and Winery

                2006 St. 10, Russian River

                2005 Russian River

                2005 3^rd Alarm
reserve, Gambogi Ranch, Russian River

Lamborn Family
Vineyards

                2006 Lamborn Family Vineyards,
Howell Mountain

Mantra Wines

                2006 Old Vines Reserve,
Alexander Valley

                2006 Black Label, Alexander
Valley

Michael-David
Winery

                2006 Lust, Lodi

                2006 Gluttony

                2006 Earthquake, Lodi

                2007 7 Deadly Zins, Lodi

Peachy Canyon
Winery

                2006 Incredible Red, Assorted
Paso Vineyards, Paso Robles

                2006 Westside, Assorted Estate
Peachy Canyon Vineyards, Paso Robles

                2006 Snow, Snow Estate Vineyard,
Paso Robles

Pedroncelli Winery

                2006 Mother Clone, Dry Creek
Valley

                2006 Pedroni-Bushnell, Dry Creek
Valley

Rosenblum Cellars

                   NV Vintner’s Cuvee

                2006 Paso Robles

                2006 Annette’s

Seghesio Family
Vineyards

                2006 Old Vine, Sonoma County

                2007 Home Ranch, Alexander
Valley

                2007 Rockpile, Rockpile

Selby Winery

                2002 Zinfandel Port, Weber
Vineyard, Russian River Valley, White Vineyard, Dry Creek Vineyard

                2007 Old Vines, Dry Creek,
Russian River, Alexander Valley

                2007 Bobcat, Sonoma County

Sextant Wines

                2007 Central Coast

                2007 Wheelhouse, Paso Robles

                2007 Holystone, Paso Robles

Trentadue Winery

                2005 Sonoma

                2004 La Storia, Alexander Valley
Estate

After tasting all of these wonderful wines (some were
certainly more wonderful than others), I have to admit that it is pretty
difficult to even think about taking many notes. I started out with great
intentions but then realized that we did not have the time required to be so
precise and accurate. We only had TWO HOURS! They quickly became more along the
lines of either yes or no, tart, peppery, oaky, jammy, light, medium, full,
nice, very nice, or wonderful! Usually only a single word or two unless I was
stopped by something spectacular.  Honestly,
this happened only a few times and there were only two wines that I would say
were fantastic.

Michael-David
Winery - 2006 Lust (retails approx $60) and

Selby Winery –
2007 Bobcat, Sonoma County (retails approx $30)

Both of these wines were great and when you take
everything into consideration like price and availability, in my humble
opinion, Best of Show would have to go to Shelby
and the 2007 Bobcat.

I hope that you can find at least one of these bottles
and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

What a pleasant surprise I had today!

Tonight, I stopped by Angel’s Beverage on the way to a Chamber Business After Hours that was being held on the far side of town. I had something that I needed to drop off for them and as I was leaving, one of our favorite reps was there. As we shared pleasantries, he asked, “Where are you going?”

I told him about the Chamber event that I was headed to and he informed me that I should stay there.

I told him that I needed to go as there were some people waiting for me at the event.

He again said that I REALLY needed to stay.

Well, this went on, back and forth a few more times before it sunk in.

Apparently, I had the Chamber event and my wife, (who was waiting at the event for me) on my mind and therefore did not immediately appreciate what was being told to me.

Once it sunk in, well… I was really late to the event.

Our rep opened up his bag of yummies and pulled out a good portion of the 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards line up!

We sampled their Merlot, Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley and Georges De Latour, along with some of their REALLY SPECIAL bottles, Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 and Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6 (less than 300 cases of each).

Wow, what a TREAT!

The tasting notes of each are, frankly, not worth mentioning because they are non-existent, other than in my mind. Which brings up complete reams of discussion…(Let’s just say that we can leave all of that for another time.)

The wines were wonderful and when it comes in, please take a bottle of the Rutherford Cabernet home with you. It is a HUGE bottle for under $30.

When I came home I wanted to celebrate a little bit.

Laura made a salad (I wasn't really hungry) with some spinach, green beans and avocado with an oil and vinegrette dressing.

I popped a N.V. Moët and  Chandon White Star Champagne.

This is one of our favorite "every day" champagnes. What's not to like? It is a consistant champagne. It has the right amount of bubbles, flavors and acidity. It's simply wonderful.

Cheers!

Tonight I made Seared Ahi Tuna with some Blackened Cajun Spices and Soy Sauce accompanied by Broiled Asparagus Spears.

We knew that we needed a white wine but which would pair best?

From the cellar, I pulled a 2007 Provenance Estate Grown Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine was full enough to compliment the subtle flavors of the tuna yet mild enough to counteract the Cajun spices. This is a clean, bright, refreshing wine. Aged in stainless steel tanks, it had just the right amount and balance of acidity and fruit.

BEAUTIFUL!

Laura then made a wonderfully light desset. She soaked blueberries in a 2002 Rotta Dessert Sherry for a couple hours along with a light sprinkling of pure cane sugar and vanilla with a hint of orange blossom water topped with fresh whipped cream.

It was so yummy that she had to help me with mine while I was typing this.

Our friends, J.R. and Keresa, invited us to a Memorial Day party at their house. Laura and I were looking forward to this event so much!

We arrived around 6:00pm, said hello to everyone and started opening bottles of wine.

For the first part of the evening we sampled some really wonderful bottles including:

1995 Rutherford Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

2004 Campo Viejo Tempranillo Reserva

2004 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Chateau Montelana Zinfandel

2005 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Frank Family Zinfandel

2005 Provenance Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Cakebread Cellars Pinot Noir

2007 Peter Michael Winery ‘Belle Côte’

Then, later in the evening, more and more bottles began showing up with other guests and when those were empty, more and more bottles were opened from the wine cellar. There were too many to remember and as I was in the pool, I didn’t photograph them either. (I do recall a bottle of Dominus, a Provenance Port, a Frank Family Port and some others. I will work on getting photos of the bottles...)

The food was spectacular, the wines were over the top and the friendship is what we enjoy more than anything else.

It was the best Memorial Day celebration that we can remember.

Cheers!

Memorial Day, we worked around the house, well, puttered really,  for most of the day today.

Don’t worry, it was nothing too strenuous by any stretch of the imagination, especially after last night’s wonderful event!  We needed to take it easy today.

So, tonight was an impromptu kind of night.   We looked in our refrigerator to see what we had available to make for dinner… We settled upon scallops as the entrée.  

Now, what to do with them?

I was in the mood to try something new and I did!

I made Teriyaki Stir Fry with green snap peas, celery, onion, scallions and sherry.  Laura made a great salad with Spring Field Greens, Texas Sweet Onion, Avocado, Spinach and Blue Cheese Crumbles with a dressing of garlic, lemon, olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and little sugar.

The cooking process took less time than I thought it would.

The biggest hurdle was the pairing of wine.  I will admit that I did not do as good of a job as I could have with the wine. I even pulled out two different chardonnays.  The first was a 2002 Argyle Williamette Valley Chardonnay from Oregon and second was a 2005 Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Chardonnay.

(In retrospect, a bottle of champagne or a sparkling wine would have paired perfectly.) The Argyle was very tart, lot’s of green apples, not oak, none of the butter that I was looking for to go with the meal and a high amount of acidity, thin bodied and sharp.

The Chateau St. Jean was better, in that it was closer to what I thought I would find but not quite there.

Both bottles were fine and each would have been an excellent bottle if they had been paired with a different meal. The Argyle may go well with some spicy dishes like Vietnamese or Thai food. The Chateau would be nice with scallops and a lemon butter sauce or even a scampi sauce.

Both bottles retail for under $20 so go out and play.

 2004 Wakefield Chardonnay Wine Color: Light yellow with a bright green hue.

Wine Bouquet: The wine has lifted varietal aromas of white peach, pear and melon – there is also a lovely flint character. A savory, creamy complexity is achieved with the use of batonage. French oak characters are evident but not overpowering, giving the wine a hint of toast and cashew nuts.

Wine Palate: An elegant and luscious wine with layers of generous flavours. White peach, melon and lime are evident across the palate. The wine has a creamy, viscous texture across the mid palate, with subtle oak and yeast derived nuances adding complexity. The palate is soft and round but finishes with freshness and balance.

Marc Kreydenweiss 2004 Kritt Gewurztraminer "Les Charmes"

The Wine Advocate 89 points

 2004 Kritt Gewurztraminer

“Leading with a nose of sweet pea, honey, litchi, and rose petal, the 2004 Gewurztraminer Kritt comes to the palate polished and glossy, with a surprising combination of expansive richness and caressing texture with a nearly weightless mouth full of rose petals and pea tendrils. White pepper and chalk add interest to the long and elegant if understated finish of this expressively ripe yet surprisingly under 14% alcohol Gewurztraminer. Kreydenweiss claims that if you harvest the grapes too late in this site, besides gaining sugar, you paradoxically lose spice and pungency.”

February 28, 2008

Belvedere Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2005

Classic Pinot Noir from a classic region. Russian River fruit is distinctive because it proudly wears a cloak of spicy black cherries. As the Russian River becomes more widely recognized for its tremendous potential with Pinot Noir.

2002 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon

The addition of a small amount of Merlot and Petite Verdot to the 2002 Amici Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon adds richness to the mouth feel and increases the aromatics of the wine. The color is opaque and the wine has very soft tannins, which allow the currant-blackberry flavors to take center stage on the palate. The conservative use of new French oak adds just the right amount of vanilla and spices, helping to enhance the aromatics of the wine.

St. Francis Pagani Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel

A massive, chewy, intensely fragrant wine dense plum, raspberry and cherry fruit flavors and aromas punctuated by smoke, coffee, spice and minerals underscored by firm, masculine new oak tannins.

The three varietals from the Pagani vineyard are field-blended and grapes from the other vineyards hand-harvested, brought to the winery and crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The lots are racked into 60 percent new and 40 percent one year old American oak barrels, the spicy qualities of which marry well with the variety, for an aging period of 12 to 15 months. The barrels are topped roughly once every three months. At the end of the term in oak the blend is assembled without fining or filtration, and bottled.

This has been a very long day. It started off earlier in the evening, I was tossong and turning and around 4:00am I realized that I wasn’t sleeping well. The phone finally rang at 5:43am; my mother had to be rushed back to the emergency room. I beat the ambulance by almost 30 minutes! By the time we got her stabilized and I could leave without issues, it was almost Noon.

I got to the office, wrapped up a lot of paperwork, started getting ready for my trip to San Antonio in the morning, stopped by Angel’s to pick up the three cases of wine that we ordered while at the dinner on Wednesday and finally headed home.

Laura was working on something yummy. It was a wonderful shrimp salad and a vegetable medley consisting of spinach, onions and green sugar snap peas.

I figured that 1) we had a great month 2) we have a new restaurant moving into our center 3) my mother is still alive, we have reasons to celebrate!

I popped open the quintessential French Champagne, a Nicolas Feuillatte Blue Label Brut Champagne.  It is made with 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 40% Pinot Meunier. It has a golden yellow color with a floral nose with apple, hints of pear, almond and hazelnut. It is an elegant and well-balanced Champagne and as typical, it was dry. It was actually drier than what Laura prefers. I’ll pop another bottle (of something else) later tonight to make it up to her.  Thanks Shawn!

Today was certainly an interesting day. We were busy at the
office and then around 10:30am, one of our guys had an issue and we called “911.”
He was rushed to the hospital and we were left wondering what just happened.
That’s another story that I’ll be happy to share with you over a glass or two
of wine!

By the time that I got home, I was met with some of the most
wonderful aromas coming out of the kitchen that I wondered if I had brought the
right choice of wine home with me! Laura had been very busy before I got home and
it sure seemed worth it.

Laura told me to go shower as there was plenty of time
before dinner was ready.

I came down and was amazed once again by the smells coming
from the kitchen. She made some Panko Breaded Shrimp, Roasted Beets and Sautéed
some Onions with Mushrooms and Broccoli.

I brought a 2006
Bennett Lane Maximus White Feasting wine.

It was a perfect choice!  There were loads of citrus, honeysuckle,
grapefruit and apricots coming from the glass along with a full bodied texture,
the perfect amount of acidity and slightly off dry. This is due to the unusual blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay and 2% Muscat. The flavors of nectarine
and key lime fill your mouth with every taste. This is a wonderful bottle of
wine to enjoy on a typical Texas summer night with something light or even
nothing at all, that retails for $28-30 and Angel’s Beverage is selling it right now for
$14.99.

What a deal! Pick up a case or two, you won’t be sorry.

Cheers!

Earlier today my cell phone buzzed letting me know that I had received a text message. Once I entered the security code I was delighted to see that I was invited to stop by Angel's
Beverage for something special.

After I left the office I stopped in to see what "Something Special" actually meant...

Once I got to the tasting area I was given a glass that held some 2007 Peter Michael Winery “Belle Cote” Sonoma County Chardonnay!

Once I got home, the aromas came cascading around me. Laura really was getting serious in the kitchen tonight. She had some onions, scallions, garlic and butter sautéing.
As I was settling in she asked if I would be willing to help with dinner.

“Of course I would help!”

She started working on sautéing some Swiss Chard and I continued to work on the contents of the pan. I added some lemon juice and a few other things and then threw in the shrimp!

As I was cooking Laura brought me a glass of Conundrum.

This is another wonderful bottle of wine with flavors of peach and apricot and is lush and creamy. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Viognier and Muscat Canelli. The “Conundrum” is actually trying o figure out what category that this wine belongs in other than “wonderful!”

Shrimp Scampy, Swiss Chard, salad and Conundrum, a prefect summer meal.

After a long hiatus from writing (for which I sincerely
apologize!) it is time to get back into it…

Therefore, tonight is a big event!

We started with some Bone-in Ribeye steaks from Hirsch’s. I
put some special seasonings on them and lit the grill. Laura sautéed some
onions with spinach and beet greens.

Of course I needed to have a HUGE wine so, I cracked open
the cellar and found a 2006 Purple
Angel  by Montes.  This is certainly a big enough wine to stand
up to the steaks. It is 92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, an absolutely spectacular
wine from Chile.  

A bit of information about the grapes first. Carmenère was
thought to be extinct since 1880 when phylloxera hit Bordeaux, its original
home. Somehow, it resurfaced in Chile only about 12 years ago. Chile is
currently, the only source for this wonderful grape and they consider it the “Chilean
variety” and even call it the “Jurassic Park” grape.

This is a silky smooth, well balanced, old world style wine.
It is certainly a full bodied, silky smooth, deep purple wine with a wonderfully
long linger. There is a lot of musk on the nose and a balance of fruit, pepper and
herbs without being sweet. There are a lot of foods that would go well with
this wine and the steaks were fantastic. 
I am looking forward to another visit with the Purple Angel.