Celebrating Bastille Day with La Domeliére Rasteau!

It was Bastille Day yesterday, the start of the French Revolution.  A movement that mirrored our own, but moved along somewhat differently than our own revolt.  But I digress, sorry it the history geek in me.  Bastille Day is a good day to pull out a fine French wine and indulge in some provincial French dishes.

For tonight's dinner Pris had picked out the La Domeliére Rasteau 2009 Cotes Du Rhone Villages to go with our meal.  We tried this wine a while back on a trip to Feldman's Market Center.  They were offering samples of some of their wines, and we really liked this particular bottle.  At $10 it was a really easy bottle to like.

The La Domeliére Rasteau 2009 Cotes Du Rhone Villages is an exceptionally smooth wine.  It has a very complex nose that's almost pungent its so strong.  Its full and fruity on the palate.  Dark fruits and currant dominate the flavors, but despite the potency of the flavor, the wine is well balanced.  Nice round tannins finish off the La Domeliére and help create a long dry finish.

We paired this wine with a Dijon and herb crusted pork roast, roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, and assorted cheeses all from Feldman's Market Center.  The pairings went wonderfully.  The wine, while full flavored, actually worked extremely well with the lighter meat and cheese.  I made a cheese toast with some brioche slathered in dijon mustard, then covered in a hard chèvre cheese and toasted.  Fantastic stuff, especially with the wine.

The La Domeliére Rasteau 2009 Cotes Du Rhone Villages is a great wine, especially at $10 a bottle.  We got it at Feldman's here in Brownsville.  For more information on the wine you'll have to Google the wine and check out the other blogs since I couldn't find a central website.

F*@k that's Good! Meeker Winemaker's Handprint Merlot

Mike Jones of Jones Liquor is definitely our "go-to guy" for wine recommendations when Pris and I are looking for something for a special occasion.  He's never let us down, and has given us two of the best bottles we've had.  The first was the Tolosa Pinot from the very first post on this blog.  The second was Meeker's Winemaker's Handprint Merlot, which as the title suggests is an incredible wine.  Pris gravitated to this bottle immediately because it looks like an abstract painting, which she prefers, but had to work on me a bit before we ended up purchasing one.  We opened up our first bottle to celebrate the end of our move to Brownsville, and now on our one year anniversary of the start of our move we're on our second bottle.  Thankfully, its every bit as good as I remember.

The Meeker Winemaker's Handprint Merlot is a work of art, literally.  As the name suggests, each bottle contains the handprint of the winemaker in a myriad of colors with a depth of texture.  Its a thing of beauty, and what initially drew Pris' attention.  Even though some wineries use flashy bottles to move inferior wine, Mike Jones highly recommended it for its contents.

The 2005 Handprint Merlot that we opened is bold and bursting with flavor, but incredibly smooth on the palate.  This was another wine we finished in one sitting without realizing it.  There is a rich and complex nose with loads of fruit.  Rich dark fruits flow on the palate and are mixed with toasty oak.  Bold tannins enable a fantastic full aftertaste that seems to linger just long enough to the next sip.

One of the beauties of this wine is that you can pair it with pretty much anything.  Ours was paired with steak seasoned with a java-steak rub from Fredericksburg Farms.  It paired perfectly.  We're actually finishing off the bottle now with a plate of manchego cheese, cheddar cheese, and olives mixed with feta.  Its amazing.

The Meeker Handprint Merlot is only made in select years in small batches.  We got our at Jones Liquor, and it was about $40.  For us, that's a special occasion wine, and it worth every penny.  According to Pris, Feldman's is now carrying Meeker as well.  For more information on Meeker Vineyards you can visit: http://meekerwine.com/

A Lazy Summer Afternoon with Casal Garcia Vinho Verde

Ah hot lazy summer afternoons, they're hard to beat for having some good food and wine.  This is especially true with a Vinho Verde, which is arguably the perfect summer afternoon wine.  The combination of refreshing taste and lower price (usually under $10) are a hard combination to beat.  Pris read about these Portuguese wines a while back and we've been on the lookout for them ever since.  We tried one with my brother and his girlfriend on an excursion to Houston, and decided to pop open another bottle this afternoon.

This time we went for a Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Branco that I found at Feldman's here in Brownsville.  Its light, fruity, sparkly, and exceedingly refreshing.  This delicate white is full of citrus on the nose and the palate.  There's a light acidity that lends just a touch of tartness in the finish.  The low alcohol content aids in making the wine refreshing, and you can enjoy more of it without the intoxication issues (depending on how much more you drink).

We had a couple glasses with a chicken salad made with olives and feta on toasted pita.  The lightness of the wine went very well with light meal.  All summery and refreshing, and neither left the heavy feeling you get when you eat or drink too much.

The Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Branco is a good little wine to keep in stock for these hot summer afternoons.  It'll probably be a great pre-dinner go to wine as well due to the low alcohol content.  We picked up this bottle at Feldman's here in Brownsville for about $8.  You can find out more about this wine at:  http://www.casalgarcia.com/microsite/

Sacré Bleu, Chateau D'Arcins Cru Bourgeois is Good!

The French may be rude and have a dim view of Americans, but man do they make some great wine.  They're a people that are haughty about food and wine, but with good reason.  In fact, Pris and I have been going through a few more Bordeaux, Beaujolais, and wines with the Haut-Medoc appellation. We've reviewed a few of these wines here, but none yet as good as 2006 Chateau D'Arcins Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc. 

We'd tried this wine a while back, and the bottle stayed in our collection after it was gone.  We finally found it again at Central Market on our trip to Austin a few months back, and we decided to crack into it since we were supposed to go to Austin this weekend.  In theory we were going to replace it, but the trip had to be put off unfortunately.

This is an excellent Bordeaux with a deep dark color and deep redolent fruits.  This is a rich wine with loads of fruit, especially plum.  It has a bold nose full of ripe fruit.  What's really nice is how smooth the Chateau D'Arcins Cru Bourgeois is, considering how bold and complex its flavors are.  Refined tannins add to this red wonder and provide a smooth mellow finish.

We paired this wine with grilled steak and it was flawless.  Definitely put the Chateau D'Arcins Cru Bourgeois to work with grilled or roasted red meat or something heavy and rich.  This is an excellent wine we'll definitely be replacing in our cellar.

We picked up this bottle at H.E.B. Central Market for about $21, which makes it a great value considering the quality of the wine.  If you read French then you can find out more about Chateau D'Arcins Cru Bourgeois at: http://www.cavedarcins.fr/, otherwise you'll just need to do a Google search on it and scope out the various wine blog's write-ups.

Celebrating Independence Day with the Hahn Family

Yesterday we had a nice little family BBQ here at our place to celebrate Independence Day.  It wasn't quite the 4th, but doing it on Sunday would give me time to relax and recuperate before getting back to work.  In order to prepare for the festivities, I went to Jones Liquor to grab some wine.  Pris asked me to look into some Pinots and get some wine that was good with barbeque. 

Luckily, Mike Jones was there and greeted me when I stepped into the store.  We chatted a bit and then I asked him about any recommendations.  He pointed out a number of bottles, and I grabbed his four top picks (the other three will be reviewed in due time).  Even though I know wine goes well with grilled meat, I pretty much have to be drinking beer while I work the grill.  Its just a thing. New Belgium Brewery Sunshine Wheat, Brooklyn Summer Ale, and Twilight Summer Ale for any who are interested.

Like with any good barbecue, we had a pretty decent amount of leftovers.  So for lunch Pris and I uncorked one of our BBQ recommendations to go with lunch.  We selected the Hahn Winery's 2009 Pinot Noir, and once again Mike Jones did not steer us wrong.

The Hahn 2009 Pinot Noir is light and fruity, slightly sweet at first.  It mellows some as it breathes, and the sweetness melts away.  The Pinot has a good fruity nose that leads into ripe berry flavors.  Smooth tannins allow for a smooth finish with just a spicy bit of bite.

On its own, the Pinot is a good wine, but paired with barbecue it fantastic.  The fruit and spice paired great with a BBQ bacon cheddar burger, a bit of beer brined grilled chicken, and pasta salad.  The wine really added to the overall flavor of the food and I can't wait to try it out with some other barbecue dishes in the future.

You can find this wine at Jones Liquor here in Brownsville, and it runs about $13.  If you're into lighter wines, this Pinot's for you.  I'd also recommend going to Jones.  We were discussing how the number of Pinots he's carrying has doubled recently.  Its not a large collection, but its very well curated.  For more info on the Hahn Winery you can check out: http://www.hahnestates.com/

Chatting up Château Ste. Michelle

A few months ago I happened to pick up a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon at the H.E.B. on 802 and Paredes Line.  I grabbed it because it was on sale, had a good rating on the tag, and was almost sold out.  I figured that had to be a good sign.  It was an excellent wine, and Pris and I really enjoyed that bottle.  However, by the time I went back to get another they were sold out.  And H.E.B. stayed sold out for quite some time.

Finally, on a trip to Austin we happened to find a 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells at a Central Market in Austin or San Antonio.  We grabbed a couple bottles this time since we knew it was good.  Of course a week or so later I found it again at the Ruben Torres H.E.B.

Pris had planned to open a bottle earlier last week right after the Malbec, but our joint illness threw a bit of a monkey wrench in those plans.  We finally got around to it Saturday night.  I grilled up a couple of steaks using a new seasoning rub and opened to the bottle to let it breathe.

The 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon is a really smooth easy drinking Cab.  Its got loads of lush fruit on the nose.  The wine opens up nicely, so you definitely want to let it breathe for a while or even use a decanter.  This Washinton State Cab is smooth in the mouth, and lighter and fruitier than your California Cabs.  Even though its fruitier, its still got some bite, and the loads of dark fruit keep it from being sweet.  While this is a good bottle the 2008 was better, a little fuller and more robust.  So some cellaring and waiting would likely make the 2009 even better.

The wine paired excellently with the steak and mashed potatoes.  And the last of it is going down really well as I write up this review.  Due to the soft lush flavoring of this Cab, you can drink it pretty much any time, and it works great in the balmy summer evenings.  Of course it doesn't really beat a cold beer in the heat, but nestled inside in the air-conditioning its great.

 A quick note, Chateau Ste Michelle also makes a Cab that's not of the Indian Wells variety.  It is listed as an "Old World Style" while the Indian Wells is listed as "New World Style."  We had some of the old world when our friend Cecilia Balli brought over a bottle one evening.  It was a solid wine, but you could tell the difference between the two.  Either way, you can't go wrong, but if you're looking for something lighter, definitely look for the Indian Wells on the label.

For more information on the winery you can go to: http://www.ste-michelle.com/ or for more info on this wine in particular: http://www.ste-michelle.com/wines/indianWells

An Argentine Treasure in Achaval Ferrer

Its been way too long since the last post, but both Pris and I have been under the weather this week.  Needless to say, being on cold meds is not conducive to enjoying wine.  However, before we were struck down we opened a bottle of Achaval Ferrer 2009 Mendoza Malbec to go with Sunday dinner.

The Achaval Ferrer was everything a Malbec is supposed to be.  It had a ripe fruit nose with dark cherries and raspberries.  On the palate it was smooth, complex, and full of dark fruit.  Most notable among the flavors were blackberry and cassis, but there was a nice mineral undertone.  Bold tannins provided a nice long finish.

Initially we paired the Malbec with grilled sirloin and mashed potatoes, and of course it went perfectly.  I've said it before, you pretty much can't go wrong pairing an Argentine red with beef.  Last night we paired the remainder with our usual round of food from Gazpachos which we hadn't ordered in a while.  The Malbec was perfect with the bacon wrapped tenderloin and beef empanadas.  It also kept surprisingly well after being opened, but sealed, all week.  However, I guess we could expect this from a wine that was rated 92 points by Robert Parker and 91 points by Wine Spectator.

We picked up the Achaval at Feldman's and it runs about $26.  This is a great wine for anytime drinking, but definitely keep it in mind if beef is what's for dinner.  For more information on Achaval Ferrer and its wines you can visit: http://www.achaval-ferrer.com/eng/principal.html