Wine Blogging Wednesday #63

 

It's Wine Blogging Wednesday!  Wine Blogging Wednesday was founded by Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS, and it's purpose is to create a focal point once a month for wine blog writing.

This month my friend Rob Bralow is in charge of this topic. He presented us with the challenge to find a wine we have enjoyed in the past and not written about, or a wine you have been meaning to try.  Well Rob, I am up for the challenge and have chosen 2002 Dark Star Cellars Paso Robles Merlot.

A few years ago Paul and I spent 10 days in Central California. (We almost didn't come back.)One of the wineries we stopped at was Dark Star Cellars in Paso Robles.   They are a small winery that we just happen to stumble upon.  We really enjoyed their wine and brought some home with us.  I've alway gone into the cellar and Paul always told me NO when it came to their Merlot.  For this blog, he answered YES.

Boy was this Merlot amazing!  It was definitely at it's peak.  Dark fruit on the bouquet. Very little tannins.  Very nice complexity on the mid palate.  Very strong taste of licorice and anise with dark berry.  Gorgeous!

How long did I enjoy this wine!  I savored every sexy sip for at least a 35 seconds.  It is one of those wines that just come alive and dance in your mouth.  Puts a smile on your face and makes you and who you are sharing it with happy. 

WBW - California Inspiration

California is where it all began. A trip to Napa in 1997 before a friends wedding, led us into the world of wine. Not knowing much, I stopped to see a travel colleague and he sent us up the Silverado Trail. We came home with what we later learned was some really good wine! It was a good thing we cellared it. (Silver Oak and Staggs Leap)

Because we enjoyed it so, I searched the then young Internet for a wine club to join. I came across a winery called Goosecross in Napa. I didn't know anything about them, but I liked their label. I joined, I liked, I shared.

What I later learned when my friend from CA was in town in 2000 was that she knew the owners of Goosecross. Having just placed an order, I emailed Colleen and told her of our mutual friend. What we later learned was that her husband David and I both grew up in our young childhood in New Rochelle, NY not to far from one another. Six degrees of seperation.

Now over 10 years later, I am still a member of their wine club. I visit when I'm in the Napa area and I send clients their as well, we exchange Christmas cards, it's a friendship that's been created over a label and a desire to join a wine club.

Since the picture above which was taken July 22, 2006 while fishing off the coast of Cape Cod with a bottle of Goosecross Syrah, I opened a 2006 Goosecross Syrah that recently came in my wine club shipment.

The Syrah had alcohol on the nose at first. But as it opened the vanilla came out. I could taste cherry in the back of my palate. It was oaky and on the finish had earthy spice with some toasted oak. I know this will improve within the next year as the flavors will come forward.

This Syrah sells for $34 on their website.

Now that I have a smile on my face from the memories and friendship created over this wine, I look forward to stopping by in July when I'm in the area for the Wine bloggers conference.

WBW #54 - A Passion for Piedmont

Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday. This month the assignment is by David McDuff of McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail. - A Passion for Piedmont.

I looked in my wine cellar and I didn't find any wines from Piedmont (surprise..surprise) so off to Arlington Wine & Liquors I went. When I entered neither Bob was there, so a clerk pointed me in the direction of the wines from Italy and specifically the Piedmont area. Of course he showed me the $50 plus bottle but I had to be economical. In my typical form, I couldn't decide between two bottles. Gut told me Vietti, label told me otherwise. As you see, it wasn't a price issue, it was a label issue. I thought the girls on the bike were so cute. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as it's label, so today for WBW #54 the winner is 2006 Vietti Barbera D'Asti.

This wine was inexpensive at $18.99, so it didn't break the bank. The color was a deep ruby red with cherry on the nose. Cherry wasn't just on the nose, it was everywhere. Very strong flavor of cherry. What was nice was the light spice on the finish. It was also light on the tannins. As my husband and I sat there and talked about our day at work the wine seemed to open up nicely.

I served the wine with a no frills dinner of pasta and red sauce. The wine went very well with dinner.

Breakfast and Wine - Adair Vineyards Nouveau WBW#53

Breakfast and wine. You don't have to eat it at breakfast. Sometimes breakfast makes a good dinner. This blog post in is conjunction with WBW#53. What is WBW - it's Wine Blogging Wednesday. Blogging with a theme. I am taking part in this with wine bloggers from all over the world.

This Wednesday Twisted Oak's El Bloggo Torcido asked us to pair wine with breakfast food. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this pairing. Wine with Breakfast? There were also guidelines to his. Breakfast had to be paired with a dry red or white. Since I am not a big breakfast person, I had to put some thought into this. My friend Steve makes an fantastic Creme Brulee French Toast, so I decided to do some research and walla...a decision was made and recipe found. In keeping with Hudson Valley Wine- I decided to pair the Creme Brulee French Toast with Drunken Strawberries with an Adair Vineyards 2008 Nouveau.

The French Toast needs to be prepared the evening before. As I was preparing it, I realized I didn't have any Grand Marnier. Since it was 9pm and the liquor stores were closed, I called a neighbor. (lifeline). My wonderful neighbor Kathy came to the rescue and I sent my son down the street in zero degree weather to fetch that bottle of Grand Marnier. Thank you Kathy!

Let me tell you first about the wine. The Adair Vineyards 2008 Nouveau is made from 100% Hudson Valley Grapes. It is 60% Frontenac, 30% Millot and 10% Foch. Before the Creme Brulee French Toast was ready, I tasted the wine. It was an earthy on the nose with a nice ruby color. It was light with hints of sour cherry. The sour cherry hung around under the tongue.

Now the French Toast has been baking in the oven and was ready to eat. The Strawberries also soaked in Grand Marnier over night. They were very tasty! Went wonderful on top of the French Toast or just right out of the bowl.

I sat down with my glass of Nouveau and Creme Brulee French Toast. I was impressed on the combination. Never thought I'd be drinking wine with my french toast no matter how gourmet the french toast is. The Nouveau stood up well with the french toast it became softer and the sour cherry that hung out under the tongue disappeared.

Thank you Jeff for creating an interesting combination for us to pair.