Château Geneau: A Bordeaux That Won't Break the Bank

Since it was a longer weekend I was able to grill up a bit more beef than usual.  On Monday night I whipped up a quick sirloin, a deconstructed wedge salad, and savory rice.  Since the previous Malbec was quickly finished, Pris decided to open a bottle of Château Geneau 2009 Bordeaux that we picked up from the Wall Street Journal Wine Club. 

The Château Geneau was a great bold Bordeaux that paired well with the meat.  It was a prefect blend of Cabernet and Merlot that incorporated the best of both varietals.  Aromas of plum, blackberry, and dark berry hinted at what was to come in this garnet hued wine.  Plum and dark ripe fruit dominated the palate with loads of juice and flavor.  Light oak and a touch of mineral provided a nice counter point to keep the wine from becoming too fruity.  Supple tannins provided a long and savory finish.

This Bordeaux was a great wine to pair with the heavily peppered sirloin I prepared.  I'd recommend it for any rich and savory meat heavy dinner, particularly beef or lamb.  Lately some of the WSJ wines have fallen a bit short of their predecessors in the taste area, but the Château Geneau is easily one of the best wines we've tried from the wine club.  Well balanced with great full fruit flavor this is a wine to be savored with a great meal.

The Château Geneau 2009 Bordeaux is no longer available on the Wall Street Journal WIne Club's site.  But you can still pick up the 2010 vintage which also has great ratings.  The 2010 vintage retails for $15 a bottle or less depending on the number of bottles you order.  You can get more information on this Bordeaux at: http://www.wsjwine.com/jsp/product/productDetails.jsp?productId=prod740027

90+ Cellars Malbec: Big, Bold, & Delicious

First off, thank you Rhiannon Cizon for this great wine.  Pris' employee Rhiannon brought us a bottle of the 90+ Cellars 2009 Malbec for Thanksgiving dinner last year.  We already had our wine selections for the meal made so we set it aside for future consumption.  This last weekend we decided to open it up to pair it with a couple of NY Strips that I grilled up.

This Argentinean offering from the Mendoza region was one of the better wines we've had lately.  The first thing that hit was a nose full of bold dark berries.  On the palate this wine was loaded with smooth layers of blackberry, cherry, and blueberry.  Further down the palate spicy notes emerge to compliment the ripe fruit.  The Malbec had a big full finish mellowed somewhat by supple tannins. 

As stated earlier, the 90+ Cellars Malbec was opened to pair with a couple of steaks.  As usual, rich Argentine wine and beef were a perfect compliment.  This Malbec was well balanced and incredibly smooth.  This wine went great with the steak, but was exceedingly easy to drink all on its own the following night.

From what I can tell from its website, the 90+ Cellars brand similar to the Cameron Hughes in that they take wines from all over the world and bottle them under their own label.  We didn't buy this wine, so I'm not sure what the actual price is, but its listed for under $20 on the internet, and that is a great deal for this fantastic wine.  Its my understanding that Rhi picked up this wine at Feldman's Market Center here in Brownsville, and I'll definitely be looking for it on my next trip there.  For more information on 90+ Cellars' wines you can visit: http://www.ninetypluscellars.com/

Alegría Cariñena: A Carnivore's Dream Wine

It's Saturday, and there is an event going on downstairs this afternoon.  This usually means settling in and enjoying left over brisket from Rudy's BBQ for lunch.  Since there is not much else to do, Pris and I decided to try pairing another wine with some delicious smoked beef.  For today's pairing I pulled out a bottle of Alegría's 2010 Cariñena Old Vine from Spain.  I've found that when wines are listed as old vine they usually have a more intense flavor with substantially more fruit and sweetness, traits that pair very well with BBQ.

The Alegría Cariñena was no exception to my old vine experiences, which primary involved Zinfandels.  This was interesting since the Alegría Cariñena exhibited attributes akin to some of the Zinfandels we've had.  The wine had a good nose with plum and berry on it.  The ripe fruit continued on the palate with strawberry and raspberry leading the charge.  The big fruity notes lessen as the wine progresses through the mouth.  Tannins are mostly non-players, and the wine tapers off quietly towards the end.  The Alegría Cariñena has a nice light finish which lingers with a pleasant and refreshing aftertaste.

Thankfully this wine went very well with the brisket sandwiches I threw together with the leftovers.  Pris didn't really care too much for it, but then she's always been a bit leery of the sweeter reds.  For me, the sweet fruit of the wine was a great counterpoint to the savory and spicy BBQ.  I threw in some jalapenos with my sandwich, and the spicy briny  treats took the Cariñena to a whole new level.  I definitely recommend this wine for smoked and spicy foods.  If you're looking for a big, bold, tannic red then this is not your wine.   However, if you're into sweeter wines, or looking for something different for the weekend BBQ, definitely keep this wine in your collection.

The Alegría Cariñena is a Spanish wine, albeit a fruitier one than its Tempranillo or Granache counterparts.  This was another selection from our Wall street Journal Wine Club stash.  It costs about $12 a bottle, but remember to factor in shipping.  You can get more information on it, and order it at: http://www.wsjwine.com/jsp/product/productDetails.jsp?productId=prod760004

Tapas Night with Pagos de Eguren

Normally if someone comes up to me and tries to get me to buy something because they're working through the last of their stock on it, I'm a little skeptical.  Of course if that person is Mike Jones then I simply buy what he's selling because he hasn't steered Pris and I wrong on a wine yet.  Several weeks ago I was in Jones Liquor to pick up a bottle of a Spanish wine Pris had seen advertised on Facebook (link to review).  While there I chatted with Mr. Jones who directed me to the 2007 Pagos de Eguren Tempranillo from Spain.  He had some leftover from an event and was moving through the remainder and recommended I try some before it was sold out.  Once again, it was a good call.

The Pagos de Eguren Tempranillo was a solid and versatile red that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It had good nose that was loaded up with ripe red berry and blueberry.  This Tempranillo was light on the palate with solid and well-balanced fruit.  Red berries were dominant, but a subtle hint of mineral and spice kept the wine from becoming overly fruity.  The Pagos had a silky smooth finish that was aided by its lack of tannins.  This was a incredibly easy to drink wine that went down very smoothly.

 We paired the Pagos de Eguren Tempranillo with an assortment of meats and cheeses from H.E.B. Central Market last week.  As expected from a Spanish Tempranillo, this wine excelled with the soft Spanish cheeses and cured meats.  The ripe red fruit cut through the savory and salty meats perfectly.  The following night we paired it up with a bit of flank steak and leftover cheese.  Again, the wine went exceedingly well with the grilled meat.  Thankfully, the Tempranillo is an incredibly versatile grape that is one of our favorites because you can pair it with almost anything.

I purchased the 2007 Pagos de Eguren Tempranillo at Jones Liquor here in Brownsville, and it was selling for between $12 and $14.  When I was in a couple weeks ago they still had some left, but it appeared to be moving.  If they're out, I did see it advertised at a number of sites online.  You can find out more about Bodegas Pagos de Eguren at: http://egurenugarteimports.com/

The Last Flight of the Flying Winemaker: 2007 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

Pris and I have been trying to work through the last of our selection of Cameron Hughes wines.  As I stated in an earlier post they seem to be deteriorating on us.  Sunday when we arrived back home, Pris opened up our last Flying Winemaker bottle.  This happened to be a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva from Chile's Maipo Valley.

This was a great Cab.  It wasn't ready to go until it decanted in the glass for about 40 minutes, but once it did, it was very good.  The nose was a little rough with big dark fruits mixed with heavy earth and mineral undertones.  While the nose had some issues, on the palate this Cab was big bold fruit and ripe tannins. It was everything a good Cab should be.  Dark cherry and raspberry mixed with good oak undertones up front.  Big tannins provided a nice full finish that lingered well after the wine was finished.

The Flying Winemaker's Chilean Cab would have been great with a perfectly grilled NY Strip, but we didn't have that on hand.  Instead we paired it with a Cowboy Casserole from Central Market.  It wasn't the best of pairings, but the bold wine went well with the heavily spiced casserole.  The wine does appear to be sold out online, but you may find it somewhere.  It you do, pair it with a nice piece of beef, you shouldn't be disappointed.

 This particular Flying Winemaker offering was $9 a bottle.  It is sold out, but you can find similar offerings at Cameron Hughes' site: http://www.chwine.com/wine/flyingwinemaker/

Stella Solitaria Shines Brightly

Pris and I went up to Austin this past weekend for the Country Living Fair.  I wasn't big on spending Saturday looking at antiques and artisan goods and collectibles, but I'll take any excuse to head to a city with a Central Market.  When we arrived in town, I headed to Central Market to pick up some food and refreshments for dinner.  While there I decided to do a little looking at the wines they had out as recommendations.  I decided to get a bottle of Stella Solitaria, a 2010 Syrah from Sicily to work on over the weekend.  At $10 for the bottle, the price was right and it also had a screw top which worked for me since I forgot our travel opener.

The Stella Syrah started off a little stilted, and needed to breathe quite a bit.  When it finally opened up it developed into a good Syrah.  The nose was fruitful and laden with ripe raspberry and strawberry.  After the Stella opened up it was exceptionally smooth, with loads of ripe red fruit on the palate.  Smooth tannins created a nice, mild and smooth finish.  This was a great red table wine.

The Stella Solitaria went fairly well with our meal Friday night, but it really came into its own the next day with my lunch and dinner.  The Syrah was a perfect compliment to the muffaletta sandwich I picked up at Central Market on Saturday.  The ripe fruit paired perfectly with the savory salted meats and the crisp bite of the olives and peppers.  For dinner I paired the last of the wine with spaghetti and meatballs from Mandola's Italian Market.  Again this fruitful and mild Sicilian red paired perfectly with the classic dinner.  The tomato sauce had just a touch of spice to it that worked very well with the light fruit in the wine.  The Stella also paired well with the bread and seasoned oil and caprese salad.  If you haven't tried Mandola's definitely head that way when you're in Austin.  I could probably have eaten nothing but the bread with olive oil and the homemade mozzarella; it was that good. 

You can find the Stella Solitaria 2010 Syrah at H.E.B. Central Markets, and it costs $10 a bottle.  It is hands down the best wine I've had that comes with a screw top.  I wasn't able to find a specific website for the Stella, but I did find the Italian company that bottled it.  For more information on them you can visit:  http://www.cantinesettesoli.it/?op=home