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

Cameron Hughes Lot 125

Last week Pris and I were looking for a mellow red to go with a nice light dinner of flank steak, brown rice, and a light salad.  Pris selected Cameron Hughes' Lot 125 a 2007 Pinot Noir from Napa and Carneros.  This was the last of our Cameron Hughes Pinots, and one of our few remaining Cameron Hughes wines.

We were looking for a lighter wine, and Pinot is usually a fairly safe bet for this, but Lot 125 was not a light wine.  The nose was full of deep rich red berry and spice.  On the palate, this wine was full of rich ripe fruit with cherry, strawberry, and raspberry all making an appearance.  The rich fruit is underlined by subtle oak, spice, and earthy notes on the mid-palate.  Soft tannins allow for a gentle and earthy finish.

Definitely let this wine breathe for a bit or decant it prior to drinking, as it needs time to breathe and open up.  On a similar note, this wine needs to be finished in two days tops.  I don't know if it was the age of the wine, or the ravages of shipping it during the summer but on the third day, it turned on us.  Alas, it went before its time.  Fortunately there was only about a glass let, but its still a shame to let perfectly good wine go to waste.

Unfortunately Lot 125 is sold out online at Cameron Hughes website (www.chwine.com), but you may still find a bottle somewhere in circulation.  If you find it and you're looking for a good richer Pinot, this is your wine. It went exceedingly well with the flank steak, and is heavy enough to pair well with richer meals.  If you do find it, enjoy it and finish it off expediently.

Kickin Back with Köster-Wolf

On Sunday I cooked one of our now favorite meals: Thai chicken with coconut rice and Asian slaw.  It is a great sweet and spicy dish, but it is always a bit tricky picking a good wine for it.  Last time we enjoyed the meal with a Reisling, but this time Pris selected a bottle of 2008 Köster-Wolf Weingut Scheurebe, which is another sweet white German wine.  Once again, it was a excellent selection for the meal.

The Scheurebe was sweet, crisp, and very refreshing.  The nose was all ripe light fruit and citrus.  On the palate this wine was light with mild citrus notes.  Mild bubbles provided a nice effervescence.  The Scheurebe ended softly and mildly with a mellow finish. 

 The crisp fruit from the wine was a great counterpoint to the spicy, savory, and slightly sweet chicken.  The dish itself was a grand combination of flavors, and the Scheurebe cut through these flavors.

This is an exceptional Spring/Summer wine that's great for the hot South Texas days that are now upon us.  I feel like I could drink this wine all afternoon on a weekend, and at 8.5% alcohol by volume I could probably do so for a while.

We've had this bottle for some time, and unfortunately neither one of us can remember where we purchased the Köster-Wolf Weingut Scheurebe.  A quick look online shows that they carried it at Feldman's, and possible H.E.B. Central Market.

Bodegas Portia's Impressive Tempranillo

Its been a long while since Pris and I had a wine so good that we just cruised through the whole bottle in one setting.  Thanks to Bodegas Portia's 200 Tempranillo, we rediscovered how easy it was to polish off a bottle in one setting.  Pris first saw the 92 point Spanish Tempranillo from the Ribero del Duero region of Spain offer by Jones Liquor on a post on their Facebook wall on Tuesday.  She asked me to swing by and pick up a bottle, and always looking for an excuse to shop for wine, I decided to drop by.  I picked up a bottle of the Portia and noted a couple other wines on hand that we've been looking for before I headed home.

We wanted to crack open the bottle earlier in the week , but decided to wait to the weekend when we could fully appreciate the wine.  Last night we opened the Portia up and let it breathe for a good couple of hours before serving.  This was a wine that was dark, hearty, and delicious.  The Portia had a great full nose loaded with spice and berry fruit.  On the palate the Tempranillo offered a solid body with good fruits and a touch of spice.  A nice toasty oak provided a subtle balance to the hearty fruit.  This Tempranillo was well balanced with a fairly substantial body to it.  The wine does tend to end rather abruptly, and does not offer much in the way of a finish.  However, this did not detract from the full set of flavors that were displayed very well. 

This was a good wine on its own, and a great wine with food.  We paired the Portia Tempranillo with beef, olive, and garlic stuffed empanadas; a cheese, chicken, and poblano stuffed crepe; and tocinetas-- all from Gazpachos.  After the food was gone and we returned from walking the dogs I cut up some manchego cheese and skillet fried a couple slices of Spanish chorizo to go with a little more wine.  Everything went perfectly with the Tempranillo.  The salty and savory of the empanadas, the salt and spice from the cheese and chorizo.  Everything worked solidly with the wine.  I even added a few pieces of a milder cheddar cheese, which generally needs a bolder wine, and it work well.  Not as well as the salty manchego, but well enough.  This a great wine to eat with, and ultimately nothing beats the combination of a great wine paired with great food.

We purchased the 2006 Bodegas Portia Tempranillo at Jones Liquor here in Brownsville.  At about $50 a bottle it is on the higher end of our buying scale, but it was worth it.  In fact I've already secured another bottle for the future.  I'd recommend this one for a special meal, or just to open up when you feel the need for a solid and delicious red.  You can find out more about Bodegas Portia at: http://www.bodegasportia.com/index_portia.asp

Silverstrike Merlot: Smooth and Satisfying

Last Saturday Pris and I decided to grill up a couple of steaks and crack open a bottle of wine.  We used to do this pretty regularly, but with the current economic issues our country is having we find that we're cutting back on a lot of what used to be "regular" habits.  That said, Saturday we decided to splurge a bit and I picked up two NY strips and some potatoes for baking at H.E.B.  While cooking everything up, Pris pulled out the 2010 Silverstrike Merlot.  To be fair, Pris was looking for a Cab for the steaks, but the bottle was in the wrong area in our wine rack so we ended up with a Merlot.  Despite the mix up, this turned out to be a good little wine that worked well with several nights worth of meals.

The Silverstrike was  a good, albeit fairly standard, Merlot.  The bouquet was full of dark fruit, blackberries, cherries, and currant.  These fruits also reigned supreme on the palate making this a juicy red.  The blackberry and cherry were the dominant flavors, but touches of oak and mineral provided a nice backbone to the wine.  A little touch of spice prefaced subtle tannins that provided a smooth and easy finish.

On the subject of smoothness, the Silverstrike is an extremely smooth and easy to drink Merlot that works well on its own.  Of course it worked nicely with the food as well.  Even though it was juicy, the steaks did not overpower the wine.  The two worked well together, but where the Silverstrike really shone was with the following nights meal.  The Merlot paired exceptionally well with a roasted pork tenderloin, steamed asparagus, and sweet potato wedges.  The milder meat was a better fit with the wine's smoother and fruitier flavors.

This is a very versatile wine since it drinks well with or without food, and it pairs nicely with a variety of foods.  We received the wine as a gift, but you can buy it at the Wall Street Journal Wines for $12 a bottle.  For more information on the 2010 Silverstrike Merlot you can visit:  http://www.wsjwine.com/jsp/product/productDetails.jsp?productId=prod590088