The Buccaneer Back From the Dead Red 2013 Wine Review

A red wig, a buccaneer costume and a bottle of wine!  With Halloween just around the corner, it struck me as the perfect costume/theme for a party, at least for the host or hostess anyway.  I was browsing the wine shop looking for a fun Halloween wine ( of course it would have to be a new world wine because the novelty of the name is part of the party fun) when I saw the 2013 Back From the Dead Red and knew I’d found my wine. This one was plucked from the shelf solely on the merits of its label design.

The label briefly tells the story of Jacquotte Delahaye. My curiosity caused me to dig a little deeper. Jacquotte Delahaye was born in what is now Haiti the daughter of a French father and Haitian mother in the 17^th century. Her mother died giving birth to her younger brother who suffered from mental retardation. After the murder of her father, her brother was left in her care. According to legend she became a pirate - a buccaneer in order to support her brother. It is believed she faked her own death, living as a man for several years to escape her enemies. It worked for a while, but eventually her signature red hair gave her away and she became known as “back from the dead red”.  What became of Jacquotte is uncertain. Some believe she died in a shootout. What we do know is that now there is a wine named in her honor.

This offering from The Buccaneer (A label created for Plata Wines to be sold exclusively by BevMo) is a California red blend with grapes sourced from throughout CA. It’s gotta be a red wine for Halloween, right?  A bold red with great legs at that! 15.5% Alc. by Vol.

On the nose were notes of blackberry, cassis, cedar, spice and leather. After time, as it opened up, there was a subtle pleasing hint of caramel. On the palate it was fruit forward, slightly jammy with bold tannins.

As for pairing, after all, it’s Halloween so here are my candy pairings.  Try it with Twix, Snickers, 100 Grand or Rolo. It loves chocolate and the addition of caramel in the candy could really play up the subtle caramel in the wine. For a cheese pairing, it was wonderful with the Smoked Gouda with Bacon cheese I just so happened to have in the fridge.

So, put on a red wig (unless you’re so fortunate as to be a natural red head), a buccaneer costume and pour “Back From the Dead Red”.  Your Halloween 2015 will be off to a great start. 

For a food pairing at your party ( you may have to double or multiply the recipe or serve as sliders) click the link below.

Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes

Curious Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Wine Review

Today’s Wine Wednesday feature is the 2014 Curious Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc.  I know what some of you are thinking, kiwi fruit must be listed among the tasting notes right?  Actually, it’s not.  In this case, kiwi is a reference to the bird, a national symbol for New Zealand. So important is the bird to New Zealand that New Zealanders have become known internationally as kiwi. The winemakers’ description on the bottle reads, “The curious kiwi loves sticking his beak into an aromatic glass of wine instead of burrowing and digging.”  You see a kiwi is a flightless bird and also the only bird to have nostrils on the end of its beak. They have a keen sense of smell and poke their beaks in the ground sniffing for food.

Well, here’s what my “beak” detected in this Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. I’m a big fan of Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs and this one is among the finest I’ve tried. On the “beak” or rather the nose, was that wonderful citrus note signature to the Sauvignon Blancs from this region but also subtle apricot or white peach and a grassy or herbal note that I found quite intriguing setting this one apart from some of the others. On the palate a burst of citrus but yet a slightly rounder mouth feel than what I’m accustomed to making it seem a touch more centered than some - a well balanced wine.

The wine store I visited was offering a special on this particular wine, buy one and get the second for 5 cents. Of course I was skeptical that they were for some reason trying to unload a bunch of it.  However, I went for it and I’m excited to say it was a GREAT deal! The wine was $17.99 and the second bottle just 5 cents.

I now see what they were up to, reel me in with the deal and keep me coming back for a great wine.

For food pairing, try with Tempura Fish Tacos or Grilled Swordfish with Lime Crema. To print or save the recipes, click the links below. 

Tempura Fish Tacos

Grilled Swordfish with Lime Crema

2011 Morillon Blanc Wine Review

Botrytised is the word of the day on this Wine Wednesday. Botrytised grapes are wine grapes affected by a grey fungus known as “grey rot”. The fungus grows in wet humid conditions and in some cases it can destroy crops.  When the humid conditions are followed by drier cooler weather conditions it can cause the grapes to become partially shriveled or raisined. When picked at a certain time during infestation, the grapes can result in particularly concentrated and intense wines most often sweet dessert wines like Sauternes. In desirable situations like this, the condition has come to be referred to as “noble rot”.

The 2011 Morillon Blanc unlike the typical wines affected by botrytised grapes is a dry wine. This wine comes to us from winemaker Jeff Carrel who doesn’t have a vineyard or a winery.  He buys small parcels of grapes, those for this wine from a special parcel in the Languedoc region in the south of France known as “garde miel” (honey pot) then rents cellar space and make his wines.

This wine is 100% Morillon (another name for Chardonnay) though I find this to be unlike any other Chardonnay I’ve had before. The color, indicative of being made from botrytised grapes, is a deep intense golden color. The nose struck me like aromatherapy, stimulating the senses with floral notes as well as honey, melon and spicy pear. The wine starts slightly sweet on the tongue followed by a silky round mouth feel then a juicy delightful acidity as you swallow followed by a long finish with lingering notes on the top of your palate of toffee and caramel. The evolution in the tasting of this wine was really quite exciting – what an adventure! Each time I went back new notes seemed to present themselves.

Because of the nature of this wine, though it is a white wine, I would consider it a full-bodied wine.  Try with strong cheeses and creamy pasta dishes like my Prosciutto Pasta Roulade or Scallops with Fettuccine Alfredo. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Prosciutto Pasta Roulade

Seafood Penne Alfredo

Domaine de la Fruitière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur lie “Gneiss de Bel Abord” - 2014 Wine Review

Sur Lie, French for “on lees” is something I learned more about because of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2014 Domaine de la Fruitière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur lie “Gneiss de Bel Abord”. I’ve been exploring Muscadet and it was the mouthfeel of this one that stood out, For a light bodied wine, it had a noticeably round, silky, more viscous mouthfeel than others I’ve had -  giving it more structure and making it quite pleasing. Aging sur lie is quite common with Muscadet, but it was this particular Muscadet that caused me to take notice.

In winemaking, sur lie means that the wine is aged on its lees (grape or yeast). In this case, the lees are yeast particles that settle to the bottom of the vat.  During this process the yeast particles break down releasing sugars and proteins that interact with the wine chemistry. This can enhance the structure as well as the aromas and flavors of the wine. This wine, was aged on the lees or “sur lie” for 5 months.

From the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Appellation (between the Sèvre and Maine rivers) in the Loire Valley of France, the wine is 100% Melon de Bourgogne.  On the nose -  slightly floral (orange blossom)  salinity and minerality.  On the palate, silky giving way to a crisp acidity with a lingering finish. We enjoyed this with Pan Sautéed Halibut seasoned lightly with salt, pepper and paprika over a wild rice medley and a side of grilled asparagus. Enjoy as an aperitif and with a Grilled shrimp cocktail or with Clams alla Puttanesca. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail

Clams alla Puttanesca

Fragile Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes Rosé - 2014 Wine Review

Fragile? My eye! This week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2014 Fragile Rosé Vin de Pays (Vin de Pays is a step in the French wine classification above table wine) des Cotes Catalanes (Languedoc-Roussillian region of Southern France) reminds me that looks can be deceiving. Of course, by the name and pretty pink color (the hue that lines a prize sea shell found when combing a secluded beach), I was expecting something light, delicate and refreshing.

First off, it took me a minute to ponder just how to open it.  I loved the fact that I could see the cork and the text on it through the bottle - fun.  At first I thought it may be a zork closure, but that quickly proved incorrect.  So, what else could I do, I started in with the corkscrew through the black plastic cap.  As it went in, the black cracked and fell away from the bottle – perhaps that’s the fragile part in all of this.

I had chilled this blend ( predominantly Grenache with a little Syrah and Carignan) as is preferred with rosè,  and swirled at first with little hint of anything on the nose.  After a little time there was a nice salinity (or was it just me thinking about sea shells) and subtle watermelon as well as strawberry, but the strawberries were how they smell just after picking, where the scent of the soil and the vines are still present. The salinity is likely due to the sea breezes from the Mediterranean coast and not just my imagination.

On the palate, fruit forward and slightly sweet on the tip of the tongue giving way to a crisp acidic and mineral finish. The finish was moderate in length but then I felt that warmth, you know the kind you get from a big red wine, the kind that usually accompanies a wine with high alcohol content. This caused me to check the label. 15.3% alcohol by volume.  Wow, not what I’m used to in  rosé. This one could sneak up on you.  The wine could benefit from decanting and once allowed to open up, as expected, it became more aromatic.

I usually would suggest a rosè as an apéritif or with lighter fare, but the alcohol content here prescribes something a little bolder.  An exception may be Garden Fresh Guacamole. The fatty avocado could be a lovely contrast. Try also with Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol or Pimento Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Garden Fresh Guacamole

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol

Pimento Cheese Mac 'n Cheese

Yalumba "Y Series" Unwooded Chardonnay - 2013 Wine Review

It was back in June when I reviewed the 2012 Yalumba “Y Series” Shiraz and vowed that I'd try their Viognier. Well, I haven’t gotten to that yet, but I will. Yalumba is Australia’s oldest winery and because I so enjoyed the Shiraz it prompted me to pick up a bottle of today’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2013 Yalumba “Y Series” Unwooded Chardonnay.  Yes, Unwooded, another term for unoaked or to say that the wine was aged in stainless steel tanks rather than oak barrels.

For many years I was sort of an “anything but Chardonnay” white wine drinker mostly because many Chardonnay’s were too toasty or over oaked for my taste. The finish always made me feel as though I’d licked the barrel sans the splinters.  Discovering an unoaked Chardonnay was a big deal for me.  I felt I could finely taste the true expression of the fruit itself. Over time I’ve expanded my taste for Chardonnay and can now appreciate that the type of oak used and the amount of time aged in oak (sometimes both oak and stainless) can make for some very delicious and intriguing wines.  However, I still prefer a bit of restraint when it comes to oak and Chardonnay.

About the label, the bird is a Cape Barren Goose -  an endangered species. Over the years, many birds and animals have sought refuge in Yalumba’s sanctuary – land dedicated to native wildlife rehabilitation.  Yalumba’s focus on sustainability is something I respect. Yalubma is the first wine company in the world to recieve the Climate Protection Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency (2007). All Yalumba wines are vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Now, the wine. On the nose, herbal and tropical fruit notes as well as pear. In many ways, this doesn't "drink like a Chardonnay" even an unwooded one. Its bright acidity and assertive citrus notes on the palate are refreshing and enjoyable, but the wine is a bit lighter bodied and more "one note" than what I'm looking for in my Chardonnay these days.

The price point on the wine, at about $12, makes for an enjoyable weeknight wine. So, I have no regrets. If you tend to shy away from Chardonnay because you think they are over oaked, this wine is a great place to start if you're interested in changing your view of Chardonnay.

We had this with Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps and it was perfect with the Asian flavors. Also try it with Tempura Fish Tacos. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below. 

Spicy Chicken lettuce Wraps

Tempura Fish Tacos

Féraud – Brunel Côtes du Rhone Villages Rasteau 2010 Wine Review

Here it is mid August and I’m already thinking about fall.   I see my adored Le Creuset pot looking kind of lonely on the shelf, I taste this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2010 Féraud – Brunel Côtes du Rhone Villages Rasteau and I’m suddenly longing for braised meats and stews.

This red wine from the Southern Rhone Valley of France is a blend of largely Grenache. AOC guidelines for Côtes du Rhone (pronounced Coat – dew- roan) Villages require wines to be at least 50% Grenache and contain a minimum of 20% Syrah or Mourvedre.  They may contain up to 20% of other permitted varietals.  Wines must also have a minimum alcohol content of 12%.

This particular wine is 14% alcohol by volume, visible in the lovely legs I noticed as I observed its deep purple color. 

On the nose - blackberry, dark fruit and baking spice, with specifically a hint of clove.  On the palate, full bodied, velvety, fruit forward with light tannins and a wonderful spice on the finish though more pepper like here than baking spice.

Though the wine has light tannins, with the higher alcohol content, I would avoid lighter dishes like fish, (even salmon or tuna), seafood or salads.  Beyond that, it’s quite versatile and can handle some spice. Try with a wonderful harvest stew like my slow cooker Bouja, a Cajun Filet or even  Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes.  I think it would be wonderful with venison too for my deer hunting friends. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Bouja (Harvest Stew)

Cajun Filet Mignon with Crawfish Cream Sauce

Chipotle Chili Sloppy Joes