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/

Los Rosales Chapel Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Its been a really big slump in the wine drinking here in Brownsville.  I occasionally get comments from readers lamenting the fact that we're really not posting too much lately.  So a couple weeks ago I dove into our stash and pulled out one of our Wall Street Journal Wine Club Cabs to go with a Sunday steak dinner.

I pulled out a bottle of 2011 Los Rosales Chapel Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rafael Valley in Chile.  The Cab had a big bold nose with lots of dark fruit and mineral.  Then the first sip.  Unfortunately my first impression was that the wine was awful.  It was compact, bitter, and I was even wondering if it had already turned. 

However, not being a person to let things go to waste I decided to let it breathe and give it another try.  I'm glad I did.  After resting in the glass and breathing for a good thirty minutes the Cab opened up, and the bitterness mellowed. It turned into a decent little wine.  After breathing you could make out a lot of cassis, mineral, and spice in the back of the palate. 

If you get this wine, let it breathe.  It may even be good to cellar it for a few years to see if that mellows things out.  I would recommend using a decanter and letting the wine breathe for at least an hour.  If you're not going to finish it in one setting then you can do the one glass decanting like I ended up doing.

The 2011 Los Rosales Chapel Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon costs $14 a bottle, and you can order it at the Wall Street Journal Wine Club's website: www.wsjwine.com.

Los Vascos Revisited

Between revolving bouts of flu/colds and bad allergy attacks, February has been a very rough month for wine drinking.  I fact this is both the first and last post for the month.  However, we hope to get back into the swing of things this weekend with the BHA's Third Annual Wine Tasting.

Despite everything, I did manage to get in a good meal and nice bottle of wine last weekend.  I worked up some skirt steaks from Thomas Heller's Ad Hoc at Home and cracked open a bottle of Los Vascos' 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Colchagua Valley.  The previous Los Vascos review was of a different vintage of the winery's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and you could tell the difference.  The Reserve was both more refined and bolder on the palate, but the standard Cab was still a good wine for dinner.

The 2008 Los Vascos Cab had a big nose with nice aromas of cherry, plum, and dark fruit.  On the palate it was slightly sweeter and thinner than its reserve counterpart.  Still, nice strong overtones of cherry and currant worked over the palate.  Despite being a nice Chilean Cab, the Los Vascos offered up a very mellow finish with nice soft tannins.

The Chilean Cab was tailor made for the skirt steaks, mashed potatoes, and salad with red wine/herb vinaigrette.  I know skirt steaks are fajitas, but these were cut into 6 ounce steaks; marinated in garlic, rosemary, thyme, and pepper infused olive oil; and then pan-seared and broiled to a perfect medium rare.  You could taste all the herbs in every juicy bite.  A stronger red may have overpowered the subtle flavors the marinating infused into the beef, so the mellowness of the Los Vascos was a perfect compliment.  All the flavors of a solid Cab were present, but they didn't overpower the meal.

We picked up the 2008 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon at H.E.B. for about $12.  You can find out more about Los Vascos' wines at: http://www.lafite.com/eng/Other-Estates/Vina-Los-Vascos

Celebrating Pris' Birthday with Santa Rita's Medalla Real

Monday was Pris' birthday and we celebrated simply with a couple steaks and a bottle of fine Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.  To go with her birthday meal Pris selected a bottle of Santa Rita Medalla Real 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Maipo Valley.  For Pris, and to some extent myself, there's nothing better than a big red wine and a medium rare chunk of beef.

The Medalla Real has a great nose, full of berries and black currant.  Even though its a big nose and flavor, the Cab is exceptionally smooth and easy to drink.  The palate is full of dark ripe berries with undercurrents of vanilla.  While this is a full bodied Cab, mild tannins allow for a smooth and uncomplicated finish.

The Medalla Real went great with the steaks, and its going down great on its own as I write this review.  This Cab will go great with beef and even some lighter fare.  It's flavors make it a great partner for both milder and sharp cheeses.

We purchased this bottle at H.E.B. for $16.  For the price, this is an excellent buy.  It will work for special occasions or just everyday sipping.  For more information on the wines from Santa Rita you can visit: http://www.santarita.com/international/home/

Step by Step Sauvignon Blanc

Pris and I don't drink much white wine, that should be pretty evident from the overall lack of posts on white wines.  So I figured I'd do a quick review on Step by Step's 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Chile.  In all fairness, I only bought this wine for cooking up some pork chops with apples and onions.  It was on clearance at Feldman's Market Center and its original price showed it probably wasn't a bad wine. 

After I used it in the dish it sat in the fridge while Pris and I worked through a number of reds.  A couple days ago I decided to braise some chicken in the remaining Sauvignon Blanc with garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, and sage.  One of my favorite shows growing up was the Cajun chef on PBS.  He was an older man with a Cajun accent who poured as much wine, beer, or liquor for himself as he did for his dishes he was working on.  I can still imitate his accent. 

So to follow his lead I poured myself an ample glass of the Step by Step and then poured the rest into the pot.  The Sauvignon Blanc I poured for myself was crisp and refreshing with strong citrus notes on the nose and palate.  There's a touch of apple sweetness mixed in on the palate that was thankfully subtle.  What followed was a light lingering finish that faded nicely.

 I picked this wine up at Feldmans Market Center here in Brownsville.  It was on clearance for about $5.  Since this was a clearance wine I'm not sure if they have any left, but its worth looking for if you enjoy a nice crisp white that's not too dry or sweet.

Loading up on Los Vascos

The other night Pris and I cracked open a bottle of 2006 Los Vascos Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon to go with our customary Sunday steak dinner.  Its been slow on the wine drinking lately, but this was a great wine to come back to.  The deep garnet wine was also a superb choice to go with our blue cheese, chevre, and garlic crusted strip steaks.

Los Vascos' Reserva Cab had a rich nose that was loaded with blackberry, cassis, and cherry.  All the usual hallmarks of great Cabs.  On the palate Los Vascos was big and bold with lots of fruit and great tannins.  Despite being big and bold, the Cab was still smooth and easily drinkable.  A blend of cassis and dark berry mixed with nice mineral undertones to create a robust and complex flavor.  Like any good Cab the Los Vascos had strong tannins that allowed for a satisfyingly dry and lingering finish.

This Chilean Cab went great with our steaks, shallot and crème fraiche potatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette salad.  The boldness of the wine was an excellent counterpoint to the richness of the flavors in the meal.  The cheese topping was extremely flavorful, and Los Vascos was not overwhelmed.  If fact it went great with the cheeses.  Overall, this was a great meal with a great wine.

I'm not sure where we picked up this particular bottle because we've had it for a while, before we started tracking our wine purchases.  Pris has it listed at $19 a bottle.  I've seen it at Jones Liquor (where we purchased a bottle when we moved) and at H.E.B.  Now the weather is turning "colder" these heavier wines will be good to keep you warm at night.  For more information on Los Vascos you can visit:  http://www.lafite.com/eng/Other-Estates/Vina-Los-Vascos