The Official Wine Thread

Thinking of a Pax Syrah with steak au poivre tonight.

BBQ at one of my advertiser's smaller mansions!

The wine.



The 500K system!

A 3-course last night...

Nice green salad with greens, fresh apples and peach paired w/Malvira Arneis.
Petit Filet over squash hash browns paired w/Barnett Pinot
Puff pastry with macerated strawberries and cream paired w/Vigin Moscato...


Then finished a bottle of Stephen Ross Pinot (Edna Valley) and two more small pours of Sottimano Barbaresco.
Ah... morning came around a wee bit too soon.

^ Very nice.

Dinner was too rich for me last night. I think what sent it over the edge was the cream/cognac sauce I made in the pan after doing the steaks.

Tonight, I might go dry

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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^ Very nice.

Dinner was too rich for me last night. I think what sent it over the edge was the cream/cognac sauce I made in the pan after doing the steaks.

Tonight, I might go dry

know I will...

Enjoyed an '04 Ancien Pinot Noir "Toyon Vineyard"

I took this from their website:
2004 Carneros Pinot Noir
Dense, brooding flavors with spice, smoke, sl. Meatiness, and dark layered fruit ranging from blackberry, black cherry, to brighter strawberry, raspberry and violet notes. Dark chocolate, sandalwood and a slight earthiness add layers to the rich fruit. Nuances of smoke, toasted wood and baking spices linger in the finish. The wine will continue to develop in the months and years ahead. Drink now or age 5 - 7 years.

About the Vineyard...
Our Carneros Pinot Noir comes entirely from the Toyon Vineyard, located in the eastern side of Napa - Carneros. This vineyard was planted for us in 1998 with cuttings originating from the Swan estate in Sonoma County and Dijon 115 from Burgundy. The Swan cuttings are a mass selection, rather than a single clone, originating from buds hand carried by Joseph Swan from Burgundy in the 1950s and 1960s. It exhibits layers of complexity and a deeper structure and darker flavors than the Dijon clones or Martini selection. The following year we planted Dijon 115 in a block adjacent to the Swan block. It represents approximately 30% of the blend. It brings its characteristic perfume and higher note fruit to complement the dark fruit and structure of the Swan Selection.

My tasting notes were different as I didn't get the dark chocolate or earthiness from this. THe tart cherry and strawberry were very upfront. Picked up a little rose in there as well. I wish there was a little more earthiness to round this out.

^ Was it barrel fermented?

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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^ Was it barrel fermented?

I will have to check. We received this as a gift from a family friend maybe 4 yrs ago and this is the 1st offering I have had from Ancien.

Saturday I spent all day at our newly revived 7th Annual "It Could Always Be Hotter" chili cookoff. Some friends and I conceived of this about 13 years ago as a spit in the eye to the oppressive heat of August in North Texas. We wondered what we could do to get back at the heat and decided to get together and cook chili outside. A friend who has 40 acres near Southfork Ranch (from the 70's TV Show "Dallas") in Parker, TX volunteered to host the event.

The thing grew in scope over the next 6 years until 2003 when about 200 or so people showed up. We had a large stage and various bands played all day and into the evening. We had some bad things happen that last year and the thing died off for a while.

But this year, it was back. We had 10 teams and well over 100 people at the newly revived event. We covered the cost of the event and raised a few bucks for the local volunteer fire department.

I was going to take pictures and post a thread, but my camera decided to have issues, so no pics. My team's chili didn't win. I think it was too traditional for the "amateur" judges that they recruited. Some sort of bastardized chili that had coffee and chocolate and some **** wound up winning. It worked as soup, but didn't really resemble chili.

Anyway...a great time was had by all.

That said, this was a weekend for Shiner Bock and may have been my first wine-free weekend in months.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Dinner was too rich for me last night. I think what sent it over the edge was the cream/cognac sauce I made in the pan after doing the steaks.

Tonight, I might go dry

Did you end up popping the Pax Syrah? How are the acidity levels in that wine?

Just going on rep, I think it's NOT in the extra-ripe Cali style. But there's high acid and then there's West Coast "high acid", and I think the latter rarely stands up to extremely rich cuisine. A cheap Barbera in the classic style - or maybe even a Rhone Syrah - might have carved some zesty, juicy swaths through all that creamy fat.

Of course, inexpensive Barbera in the classic style may itself soon be a thing of the past. This seems a fait-accompli among the Piedmont growers, at least for the short term, and so I'm left merely hoping they'll label the riper, heavily-oaked Barberas as "Riserva", charge more for it, and leave the rest of the juice relatively unmolested like Chianti Classico vs CC Riservas.

Need a little help here. The head of the music department at my school has been extraordinarily helpful to me, to the point where I really want to get him something nice to show my appreciation. The problem is that he went to a culinary institute and is also a wine enthusiast.

Is there anything in the $50 range that won't disappoint him? Are there any specific wines which are "safe bets", or should I not even bother without knowing his preferences? I can spend a bit more if necessary. I'm a complete wine noob, but live near the Party Source which has a seemingly incredible selection of wines.

http://www.thepartysource.com/index.php

Thanks for the help

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malocchio

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Did you end up popping the Pax Syrah? How are the acidity levels in that wine?

Went with an 03 BV Latour Reserve, Cab. Sauv. Been a while since I had a Pax, but I do remember it being the more lush, Cali style of Syrah, not the more "foxy," spicy type version someone like Peay makes.

Spent the last few nights in Rhinebeck enjoying the great restaurants and of course some wine. Saturday night - Food: Goat cheese wontons, duck quesadillas, and crisp artichokes to start off. Main course was a braised shortrib over onions, broth, yukon gold mashed potatoes topped with a melted gruyere crostini. Wine- 2003 Fattoria la Lecciaia Brunello which was tight to start off but opened up beautifully. Sunday: Food- Fondue Bruxellois, mesclun salad, and for the main a duck confit with a calvados apple sauce. Wine- A Chateauneuf du pape I cant remember but was excellent.

A pleasant evening after yet more renos. Fruit forward, but very nice $17 Shiraz.