Bryan Page Dinner at Santa Fe Steakhouse

Back on May 6, Pris and I had the opportunity to attend the Bryan Page Dinner at Santa Fe Steakhouse thanks to David Robledo of South Texas Nation asking her to cover the event for him.  We've had a lot of good meals over the years, and a lot of good wines with those meals.  But this dinner was something exceptional.  Its taken awhile to write about it for a few reasons.  I wanted to let Pris do her review for South Texas Nation, it was overwhelming with the excellence of all the wines, and I'm a procrastinator.

The event itself was scheduled to start at 7, but didn't get going until almost 8.  By then Pris and I had already started in on the first wine.  It was going to be a long night of drinking. 

We started with a 2007 Page Sauvignon Blanc which was paired with fried oysters with and herb-lemon beurre blanc.  The Oysters arrived on our second glass of the Sauvignon Blanc.  The wine had a crisp and complex nose.  On the palate you discover a nicely complex and slightly sweet wine with a long mellow finish.  This wine was readily approachable.  The high acidity and strong fruit paired superbly with the oysters, which were so good even Pris ate them.

Our next wine was a 2008 Page "Proprietary Red" paired with a roasted tomato cream soup.  I really couldn't tell you which one was better since they were both phenomenal.  The wine was mellow with easy fruit over the palate and a slightly sweet finish.  Subtle tannins allowed the wine to have a longer dry finish as it opened in the glass.   The vintner, Bryan Page himself, described it as "sexy tannins for a sexy wine."  he was right.  This wine had a great structure and paired well with the creamy and smoky soup.

The third course consisted of Page's 2008 "Forsaken" Petite Verdot coupled with a duck stuffed tortellini.  Bryan Page stated "if purple had a flavor, this would be it."  This was a deep dark wine that had a strong nose and a mellow palate.  It starts off easy, but develops into a full and robust wine as you drink.  Light tannins finish allow for a smooth mellow finish.  The wine went perfectly with heavy flavors of the duck.  Once again, it was something Pris normally wouldn't eat, but it was so good she just had to.

Then came the main course, both with the wine and the food.  We were served a beef tenderloin filet over brocollini that was finished with a blue cheese croquette.  This was an amazing rich dish that required an equally robust wine.  Thankfully we didn't get just one wine but two.  We were served a 2007 "Perdition" Petite Syrah, and the crown jewel 2007 "The Stash" Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Perdition boasted a light and fruity nose befitting a Syrah.  It started off mellow and ended with a rich robust finish that was nicely dry and tannic.  Apparently this wine is perfect for barbeque, and Mr. Page has a sauce coming out to prove it.  One word described how well this wine went with the steak: wow.

But, as good as the Perdition was, The Stash was better.  In fact, The Stash is probably one of the best wines I've ever had.  Its simply amazing.  The Cab had a big bold nose and big bold flavor.  It fills your mouth to bursting with deep dark heavy ripened fruits and ends with a long dry finish.  This wine tamed the steak and the incredibly rich croquette.  They were perfect together, and I imagine this wine would be perfect with just about any beef dish.  Thankfully, this wine tasting wasn't just a little sip here and there.  Pris and I liked this wine so much had a number of glasses of it.  Ultimately the waiters got a little tired of coming back to our table and simply left a bottle for us and our table-mates.

The dinner finished with an incredibly rich mini chocolate bombe with a raspberry port sauce and the "Redemption" Zinfandel Dessert Wine.  The desert wine was essentially a port, and had all the great hallmarks thereof.  This was a full, heavy, and extraordinarily sweet fortified wine that Bryan Page dedicated to his "mum."  The fortification was noticeable even after a night of nearly bacchanal delight.  This was likely due to the 160 proof brandy that was used to fortify it.  As sweet and rich as the wine was, the bombe was sweeter.  This was probably one of the richest and most decadent chocolate desserts I've ever had, but I managed to finish all of mine and some of Pris'.

This was an amazing event.  We had such a good time we're already gearing up for next year's tasting.  Needless to say we could not, and did not drive back to Brownsville afterwards.  In fact we ended up at Empire, one of McAllen's new trendy bars/clubs.  I had told Pris early on not to let me order scotch after drinking the wine (its a habit I seem to have developed over the years).  However, after all the great wine we took in, Pris actually ordered two Glenlivets as soon as we hit the bar.  It was a great finish to great night.  We paid for it the next day (and the day after that), but it was well worth it.

You can read Pris' review of The Stash in the next edition of South Texas Nation.  You can also find out more about Bryan Page's phenomenal wines at: http://pagewinecellars.com/.  If we find the wines here we'll keep you posted, but otherwise you'll have to go online or attend next year's event to purchase the wines.

Dinner with Rick Two: Only 3 bottles, but we still Lost

As mentioned previously, Friday night's dinner was a little rough.  Needless to say, the drinking did not necessarily end with dinner.  This of course led to the usual problems the following day.  While the dining options in Houston are almost limitless, there is something to be said for having a home cooked meal.  There's also something to be said for hanging out and cooking while enjoying beer and wine with good company.  With all this in mind, Rick and I decided to do dinner at home Saturday night.  Rick's a great cook, and he and Shannon are great company.

We picked up the food and a couple extra bottles of wine at H.E.B. Central Market.  We also grabbed a bottle while we were at World Market earlier in the day.  The World Market wine ended up being our starter for the evening, but as per usual in these things, it wasn't the last bottle.

We started with a bottle of Famega Vinho Verde which is a light Portuguese white wine.  Pris really enjoyed this wine and has a separate post on it, so I won't say too much here.  However, this wine has been called "the perfect summer wine" and I'm hard pressed to disagree.  It was light, fizzy, fruity, and refreshing.  Everything a summer wine should be. 

We also opened a bottle of La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino Di Scansano 2006.  Pris and I had tried this fine Sangiovese before, and kept the empty bottle around.  We wanted to share it with Rick and Shannon since we liked it so much (to be fair we also grabbed a bottle of McPherson's Sangiovese, but we didn't quite get around to it).  Also, Rick enjoys cooking Italian foods, so wine from a winery co-founded by Mario Batali seemed fitting.

The La Mozza was an excellent starter wine.  It starts off light and fruity, but develops a full flavor as it opens up.  The flavors of dark fruit dominate the palate, but swish it around some and you'll discover an underlying spiciness that really adds kick to whatever you're pairing the wine with. Both wines paired splendidly with Manchego cheese drizzled in olive oil and olives.

Then came the main course: Rick and I had one and a half inch thick Kobe beef rib eyes (Pris had her NY Strip, as is her custom) and Shannon had a tenderloin.  To go with the steaks Rick prepared a cheesy polenta and sautéed mushrooms, garlic, and onions in a cream sauce; and Shannon grilled up asparagus.  All the food was incredible, and easily as good as anything we would've had in a restaurant.

We continued with the fine Italian red as we started dinner, but there wasn't much left by the time dinner came around.  Rick brought out a bottle of Rutherford Hill 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon to work on as we worked our way through the piles of food on our plates.

The La Mozza did well with the steak, but the Cab truly shined.  Deep dark garnet in color and tasting of deep dark fruits and currants.  This wine complemented the steak perfectly.  It was bold and full bodied, but not too dry.  The Rutherford Hill had a strong fruit finish that lingered nicely on the palate.  All in all it was an excellent Cab for anyone wanting the perfect pairing for a big juicy steak dinner.

Ultimately the food and wine won.  No one was able to finish their steaks.  To be fair, I think the rib-eyes were over a pound each.  It made for great leftovers later though. We did finish the bottles and then some, but didn't do near as much damage as the previous night.

Pris and I picked up the La Mozza I Perazzi at Central Market, and it runs about $20 a bottle.   I haven't seen it anywhere here, but if we find it we'll be sure to update. You can find more about it at: http://lamozza.com/winery.html.  Since we didn't get the Rutherford Hill, I'm not sure where to find it here.  However, I imagine our local stores would be up for ordering some if they don't already carry it.  For more information you can visit: http://www.rutherfordhill.com/

This meal capped off an incredible weekend of eating and drinking in Houston.  I'd be remiss if I didn't give Rick and Shannon a big public thank you as well.  They were incredible hosts and showed Pris and I a great time during our stay with them.  We're already looking forward to a time when we can make a repeat trip up.  Although I think we'll fly next time, that drive is a little rough.

Country Living promises and delivers on the Perfect Summer White

On our way to Houston, I was reading through the June 2011 Country Living magazine (yes, I'm an addict because of the food recipes, decorating ideas, and their bargain of the month recommendations). This month's bargain was the Famega Vinho Verde that runs for $6.99 a bottle. Their promise was: "Trust us: Take one sip of Famega's Vinho Verde, a light and fizzy Portuguese white, and you won't serve anything else on hot afternoons." That was a bold statement, so I told Eric we needed to find it.

The feature listed the website http://www.astorwines.com/  As luck would have it, we found it at World Market in Houston for $6.99 a bottle quite by accident! We bought it to try and they were right. Even now, I wish we had picked up a case because it really is the perfect summer wine. The wine was light, citrusy, a bit sweet, but not too much, it was just a perfect wine for a hot summer day.  There was a certain tartness to it that added a bit of bite, but also kept the wine refreshing.  This is a great drinking wine since the alcohol content is only 9.5%, quite a bit lower than most wines on the market. This is the perfect wine for seafood, lighter cheeses, fruits, or salads.

We plan on picking up more as soon as we can make it to the closest World Market in Corpus Christi. If we can find it somewhere that will order it for us locally, I will update this post.

**This post should be credited to Pris, but we've been having some problems with Blogger and she can't log in. I write this only because I am not a Country Living addict, but I do like their recipes and keep a good number of them.**

Dinner with Rick-- Dinner One with Four Bottles. Score: Wine: 1; Eric, Pris & Company: 0

A couple weeks ago Pris and I headed to Houston.  This was a perfect time to get away, and enjoy all the great epicurean opportunities Houston had to offer.  The only problem was where to start with so many options and so little time. 

My brother Rick and I began discussing dining options earlier in the week.  After narrowing down our options, we decided on a place called Mockingbird Bistro.  It was a great choice and an amazing meal.  There were raspberry vinaigrette salads, lamb sweetbreads in a cream sauce, beef carpaccio, a great steak and salmon, and amazing pork chops.  In fact, probably one of the best pork chops I've ever had. But, this blog is more about the wine than the food.

We started off the evening with a bottle of Albert Mann 2009 Pinot Blanc.  I figured the white wine would go well with the lighter fair of the appetizers and salads.  That and it was hot outside, so the white would be more refreshing. 

The Albert Mann had a great floral nose to start, with subtle musky undertones.  What followed was a crisp and slightly citrusy flavor that flowed easily across the palate.  The Pinot Blanc was well balanced and a perfect start to the meal.  This was a good wine, one I'll definitely be on the lookout for at the store. 

We also ordered a 2007 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes Du Rhone at the same time we ordered the white wine.  Pris remembered this particular wine since we still had an empty bottle at home, and it is on her wish list.  In our experience, Cotes Du Rhone's can be hit or miss, fortunately this one was a hit.  The Coudeoulet de Beaucastel was flavorful, full-bodied and also was a perfect compliment to the first portion of the meal. Going back over my almost illegible notes shows that this wine held spicy notes on the palate with a full  fruit finish.  Dark fruit abounded in this blend of Granache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. This was a rich wine that contrasted well with the lighter appetizers.

To go with dinner we selected a slightly more robust wine since Rick and I were have the pork chops and Pris was getting a steak.  Rick's girlfriend Shannon had salmon and more of the Pinot Blanc with her meal.  To complement the heavier fair we chose a 2007 Bell Napa Valley Merlot.  This was a great full bodied Merlot that had a rich flavor.  The mix of grapes played well with a full fruit palate that contained strong dark cherry flavors.  The wine was slightly dry with soft finish of supple tannins.  Again, this is a wine I'll be looking for when I head out to look for wine.

I'm not sure where to find the Albert Mann, the Coudoulet de Beaucastel, or the Bell here in the Valley.  I haven't really had a chance to look for them yet, but I will do an update if I find it.  That said, the Albert Mann Pinot Blanc can be found online for about $10 a bottle.  For more information on this wine you can check out the vintner's website: http://www.albertmann.com/site/Home-page-79.html.  The Coudoulet de Beaucastel goes for around $20 a bottle.  For more info you can visit their website: http://www.beaucastel.com/index.php?langue=en&page=vins.  The Bell Merlot runs about $22 online and you can find more about the wine at: http://www.bellwine.com/wines/.

**During the course of discussing the need to write this belated post, I kept mentioning that we had 2 bottles of a red wine at this dinner, while Eric insisted that we had only had the Bell Merlot. It was not until I finished reviewing what Eric had written that I reminded him yet again of the Cotes du Rhone we polished off at the dinner. This was our first wine. The Bell was the second red wine of the night. I told Eric I had ordered a Cotes Du Rhone that was from our personal collection and that I knew we liked and had before. Sure enough, when I grabbed the empty bottle sitting on our shelf, Eric remembered that we had indeed polished off a Cotes Du Rhone. Score one for the wine kicking our butt. It isn't often one can say you polished off 4 bottles of wine in one sitting. **

Three Cheers for Borsao Tres Picos

Since I had more time than usual this Memorial Day, and we had a plethora of leftovers from our niece's graduation party I decided to cobble together a small Spanish style tapas plate of leftovers.  With this in mind, Pris selected Borsao Tres Picos 2009 Granacha whichwe picked up at Jones Liquor here in Brownsville.  We've had this wine before, but that was before we had the blog.  This was another of Mike Jones' incredible picks.

The Tres Picos Granacha is superb.  It has a deep rich nose of ripe dark fruit.  From there you get a light wine that still has full fruit across the palate.  This wine is well structured with rich berries and undertones of vanilla.  The Granacha lingers in the mouth with a long smooth finish.

There's nothing like a good Spanish wine to go with the "lighter" fare.  We paired the wine with brushcetta topped with fresh mozzarella, fajitas simmered in red wine with capers and feta, and toast topped with Spanish chorizo and manchego cheese.  Okay, so its not exactly light so much as its rich.  The Tres Picos held up great against the richness of the food.  Not surprisingly it was at its strongest when paired with the chorizo and manchego.

This is a great wine, as are all of Mike Jones' recommendations, and you can find it at Jones Liquor here in Brownsville.  It may be at other stores here, but I haven't seen it at H.E.B.  The Tres Picos runs about $20 a bottle, and is rated at 91 points by Robert Parker.  You can find out more about Tres Picos at:  http://www.bodegasborsao.com/en/

And for Dessert... Gewürztraminer

A couple weeks ago Pris opened up a bottle of Messina Hof 2005 Gewürztraminer for her sister Mel and her husband.  They tend to like sweeter wines and Pris was trying to broaden their horizons.  Pris and I went through a really long Riesling phase a few years back, and we do enjoy our dessert wines from time to time, but we don't usually do sweet wines much anymore.

Since the Gewürztraminer was open I decided to have a glass with some dessert the other day.  The Gewürztraminer waseverything I thought it'd be.  This wine has a heavy floral nose that jumps out at you right away. Its sweet and light, with a slightly syrupy finish that lingers nicely.  The heavy sugars are out in full force in this wine, but it is a dessert wine.

We picked this wine up at H.E.B., and Messina Hof wines can be found at most of our local liquor stores.  It runs about $10 a bottle.  You can find out more about Messina Hof's Gewürztraminer at: http://messinahof.com

Notable Nobilo

On Friday I got the ingredients for a great little Greek meal.  However, due to multiple unforeseen circumstances, I wasn't able to actually put it together and enjoy it until today.  Since Pris and I didn't have a bottle open I put her to selecting the wine while I got everything put together in the kitchen.  We had a nice meal of chicken with Greek spices and sides.  To go with it, Pris selected Nobilo's 2009 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

The Nobilo is a great refreshing white wine, perfect for our warm summer afternoons here in the Valley.  It has a light fruit nose with lots of citrus.  The citrus continues on the palate, though with a slightly so sweet undertones.  The Nobilo is well balanced on the palate, and leaves a lingering light finish This Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, flavorful, and exceptionally refreshing.

We paired the wine with a Greek salad, Greek grilled chicken, tzatziki, flat bread and olives.  The wine paired incredibly with the food.  Its light citrus flavor complemented the grilled chicken and olives perfectly. 

We picked up the Nobilo at H.E.B. and it runs about $12 a bottle. You can find out more about Nobilo's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at http://nobilo.co.nz/index.html

Amazing Amancaya

So we're finally getting back into our habit of having some wine with dinner this week.  While we went for an everyday wine on Sunday, we decided on a somewhat fuller and more robust wine for last night.  To that end, I pulled out a bottle of Bodegas Caro Amancaya 2008.

This is a dark and vibrant wine, with a complex nose.  The nose is only rivaled by its full fruited and complex flavor.  The boldness in the mouth slowly recedes and you're left with a long dry tannic finish.  This excellent blend combines the best of both of its component parts for a near perfect wine.

The Amancaya is an Argentinean wine which masterfully blends Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon for a sublime final product that's rated with 91 points.  The grapes for this particular blend from the Mendoza region of Argentina.  What's more, this particular blend is the product of a collaboration between two wine heavyweights: Lafite-Rothschild and Nicolas Catena.

We paired the Amancaya with the remains of a phenomenal Kobe beef ribeye that my brother Rick grilled up this weekend, olives, manchego cheese, smoked cheddar, bacon spinach dip, garlic hummus, and seared Spanish chorizo.  The boldness of the wine tamed the full flavors of dinner.  It was a great pairing.

You can find Amancaya at Jones Liquor in Brownsville, and it runs about $18.  You can find more info about this fine vino at:  http://www.lafite.com/eng/Other-Estates/Bodegas-Caro/Amancaya/2008

Coming Home to Campo

Its been a while since the last post, but Pris and I haven't exactly been idle.  There have just been too many wines packed into too short a period, and I think we've still been recovering from the Page Wine Dinner (the review is still forthcoming).  So we got back Sunday night from a brief visit to Houston where we stayed with my brother Rick and his girlfriend Shannon.  We ate well and drank well, and the reviews are also coming soon.  When we got home from the windswept six hour drive we opened up a bottle of Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 2005. 

The Campo Viejo is one of our everyday wines, most of which are Spanish since they're just so easy to drink.  This wine is smooth, perfectly balanced, and went down great after the trip.  The full fruit flavor held hints of cherries, blackberries, and other rich full fruits.  The Campo had a long full finish that lingered nicely.  The quality of the wine is due in part to its make up: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, and 5% Mazuelo.

We paired the wine with some olives, manchego cheese, and a Spanish casserole from Central Market.  Needless to say, the wine paired flawlessly with the respective foods.  It was an excellent finish to a spectacular weekend.

You can find Campo Viejo at H.E.B. and most other liquor purveyors.  It runs about $10 a bottle for even the Reserva, so its great as an everyday wine.  You can find out more about Campo Viejo at: http://www.campoviejo.com/home.php?idioma=en-usa

Wonderful Juan Gil

After a Saturday of recovery from Friday's revelry (still working on that post), Pris and I were ready for a little wine Sunday night.  The question was which wine.  We'd imbibed copious amounts of six outstanding wines on Friday, and the Page Wines were going to be an incredibly tough act to follow.  So Pris selected a fine 90 point Spanish wine to ease us back into our collection. 

We opened up a bottle of Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil 2008 Mourvedre to finish off our weekend.  This wine started out with a deep fruit nose.  At first taste the wine was lighter with a full fruit flavor on the palate.  But as the wine opened up in the glass it developed a far more full and robust flavor.  The Juan Gil closed with a full tannic finish that seemed to linger nicely.

The Mourvedre was a great accompaniment to the leftover grilled fajita and steak, and some fajitas slow cooked in red wine and spices.  It sounds like a lot of beef, but it really wasn't.  As with most Spanish reds, you can't go wrong pairing them with grilled meats.

This is a great wine that runs about $16 to $18 a bottle depending on where you pick it up.  It definitely opens up nicely, so let it breathe plenty or use a decanter. We picked up our bottle at Central Market and its widely available online, although several retailers are sold out of the 2008.

Chiarieri's Molto Bene Granaro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

A few weeks ago Pris and I were visiting San Antonio and buying up what wine we could at Central Market.  While we were there, we decided to get my mom a Montepulciano since we weren't able to get one from the Cheers Y'all wine tasting.  Central Market didn't have the Duchman from the tasting, but they had a pretty good selection of Italian reds to choose from.  In fact we ended up having to ask for recommendations due to the number of wines. 

While I never used to ask for assistance, I now enjoy asking for recommendations with wine since we haven't had a bad wine yet.  The clerk took time from cleaning up a broken bottle to point out Chiarieri's 2008 Granaro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  We actually opened this wine on Sunday to go with our sirloin, pesto mashed potatoes, and César salad.  It was a great choice.

The Montepulciano had a heavy fruit nose with strong cherry notes.  This was followed by a full, rich, dark fruit flavor.  Initially there was a strong dry finish with heavy tannins, but as the wine opened up, the finish and tannins mellowed significantly.  The Granaro has a deep garnet coloration.  There are strong hints of blackberry and currant up front, followed by a hint of sweetness just before the finish.

Granaro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was a solid and delicious dry Italian red.  It does help if you're already partial to Montepulcianos like my mom.  In fact, she had set aside the bottle we got her so she could share it with us.  However, she opened it by accident and ended up finishing it off in short order.  This wine will pair well with your richer foods.

It took a little while, but I finally found the website: http://www.chiarieri.it/Inglese/Prodotti1.htm.  There's a little information there, but there's also quite a bit out on the web.  We picked up our bottle at H.E.B. Central Market in San Antonio, and it cost about $13.  You can find it online for about $10.  I'm not sure if any local sellers carry it, but it never hurts to look since you never know what you'll find.