2010 Chateau Arnaud Bordeaux Supérieur

Because I tend to have an affinity for blends, it would only seem natural that my curiosity for wine would ultimately gravitate toward Bordeaux – perhaps it should have started there. So for the second week in a row, I'll share a Bordeaux. Bordeaux wines after all, for the most part, are inherently blends either red or white.  Red Bordeaux are generally either predominantly Merlot or predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon.  Those that are predominantly Merlot are considered “right bank” and those predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon are considered “left bank”. 

The main river in Bordeaux is the Gironde.  Two smaller rivers, the Dordogne and the Garonne, feed into it. Together, the rivers are shaped almost like an upside-down Y. If you're standing in Bordeaux facing west, toward the ocean, the "Left Bank" is south of the Garonne and Gironde rivers, and the "Right Bank" is north of the Dordogne and Gironde Rivers. (The area in between is known as Entre-Deux-Mers.)

The left bank vineyards are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and the right by Merlot. It should be mentioned that other varietals that can be added to red Bordeaux wines in addition to Cabermet Sauvigon and Merlot are Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

This week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2010 Chateau Arnaud Bordeaux Supérieur is an example of a red, right bank Bordeaux, predominantly Merlot (70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). How can you tell by looking at the bottle if it’s right or left bank?  Well, you sort of need to know the region. On the back of the bottle it indicates this wine is from Saint - Émilion an AOC in the Bordeaux region, which is right bank, thus likely this wine is predominantly Merlot.

On the nose - blackberry, violet and a hint of spice. On the palate, raspberry, moderate tannins (right bank are usually less tannic than left bank Bordeaux wines) and a touch of cocoa on the lingering finish.  We enjoyed this with Jambalaya one night and with Grilled Lamb Chops over Wild Mushroom Couscous and sides of Grilled Marinated Portobello and Asparagus the next. 

To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions click the links below.

Jambalaya

Grilled Lamb Chops

2011 Château Haute-La Péreyre

This Wine Wednesday, I chose a Bordeaux. A Bordeaux wine is any wine that is from the Bordeaux region of France which is centered around the city of Bordeaux. A Bordeaux is generally made with a blend of grapes. The red Bordeaux are either predominantly Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2011 Chateau Haut-La Péreyre Bordeaux Superior is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon; however Bordeaux wines can be a blend of many different varietals.

This one being labeled Bordeaux Superieur simply means that the grapes may be sourced from all over the region and are usually sourced from older, more mature vines.

On the nose, I found this to be highly expressive with notes of dark fruit, violet and subtle hints of forest floor and baking spice. Once the wine was allowed to open up it was very well balanced with moderate tannins and a lingering finish.

We enjoyed this with my Bistro Burgers and I used some in the burgers themselves. It would also be great with a grilled steak - substitute this wine for the burgundy in my Burgundy Mushrooms and serve them along side. To print or save my pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Brittany's Bistro Burger

Grilled New York Strip with Burgundy Mushrooms

Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

2013 Rob Murray Vineyards Force of Nature Red Blend

“We cannot command nature except by obeying her”. This text which reads like sage advice appears on the back of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2013 Rob Murray Vineyards Force of Nature Red Blend. The label on the bottle is an Armageddon type scene with fiery explosions engulfing a city. It’s what appears to be more like nature’s fury than force.  (Nature’s force can be good at times, right? Maybe in the bottle, fury turns to fortune.  Read on…..)

It got me thinking that growing grapes is like any other type of agriculture where the farmer must deal with what Mother Nature doles out – some years good – others not so much and to a winemaker comes the task of how to treat the grapes your given to arrive at a successful wine. Or in this case, you can just bottle it and blame Mother Nature.

This wine is a blend of 67% Merlot, 11% Cabernet, 11% Syrah and 11% Petite Sirah. When I opened the bottle, upon taking that first sniff, I decided to give it some time.  However, even after about 30 minutes I still wasn’t pleased. After researching this wine for this review, I found the suggestion that it should be decanted for 1 hour.  However when we tried again the next day, it quite honestly didn’t seem to help it – not enough for me anyway. The nose, was sort of confusing – sort of everything at once – bombarding – much like the depiction on the label. When I thought I could sort a few things out I thought I detected, dark fruit, mostly plum, a touch of spice, leather and cedar.  On the palate, I found this wine to be unexpectedly sweet almost sweet like Concord but not with the Concord flavor. Not fruit forward, just sweet. There seemed to be this large gap between that experience and then really bold tannins.  The wine lacked balance. Even after decanting I feel this wine fell short. 

Ironically we opened this on a night when I had decided to doctor up a frozen pizza so I didn’t have any big pairing in mind for it.  The sweetness of the wine, in my opinion makes it difficult to pair with food.  It worked with the pizza, but not well enough to consider a second glass. In this case, the Force of Nature sided on the unfortunate.

2014 Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix Pinot Noir Blanc Wine Review

From the vine to the wine. This week’s Wine Wednesday feature is steeped in family history.  It’s a story of the Wagner family spanning five generations who privately own and produce many familiar and popular labels such as Caymus, Conundrum, Meiomi and also Belle Glos (pronounced bell gloss and named after winemaker Joseph Wagner’s Grandmother Lorna Belle Glos Wagner). The Wagner family farms their own vineyards thus overseeing the quality from start to finish.

Winemaker Joseph Wagner is well known for his Pinot Noirs – Meiomi and Belle Glos. The 2014 Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix (French for eye of the partridge which refers to its jewel like color) is a Pinot Noir Blanc from Sonoma County.

A Pinot Noir Blanc is made from Pinot Noir Grapes.  Pinot Noir grapes produce clear juice and the red color of Pinot Noir comes from the skins.  In a Pinot Noir Blanc the juice is exposed to the skins for a shorter amount of time.

On the nose I enjoyed hints of strawberry and orange but actually what struck me as dreamsicle and a slight minerality. It’s a light bodied dry wine with a pleasant concentration of fruit on the palate. Serve this wine well chilled 45°- 50°F. It’s a great summer wine by itself.  We enjoyed this with Seared Sea Scallops and I think it would pair wonderfully with a Lobster BLT Salad.  To print or save my recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops

 Lobster BLT Salad