As the San Francisco Giants game began tonight, Jeff opened up a Biodynamic wine from Lake County…
Wine Tasted:
Dynamic 2010 Red Table Wine
Paired With:
A Straight Up Ridiculous Chili Dog
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Stay Rad Wine Blog TV Episode 66: A Dynamic Wine
September 22, 2012Wine and Burritos
September 19, 2012Tonight, Kara and I were in a burrito type of mood…
You know the feeling.
But… I was also in a wine type of mood…
You know the feeling.
Finding the right wine to pair with a burrito is kinda tough though…
I mean…
When’s the last time you ordered wine at a Mexican restaurant?
After picking up a couple burritos at La Choza Taqueria in Morgan Hill I took a look in the wine cabinet to see if any of my GV Specials would work. After a few minutes, I came up with this one…
Estampa 2007 Assemblage
The Estampa 2007 Assemblage is a Chilean wine composed of 63% Syrah, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Merlot. This wine retails for $10. I picked it because Chilean wines always come off as tasting a little green and spicy… The perfect complement for a big, savory burrito.
Here’s how it went down…
Color: This wine is a dark and dull reddish purple.
Nose: For a ten dollar wine, I was surprised by the big, decadent aroma of juicy plums, blackberries, and blueberries. There was a nice chalkiness to the nose… And you know I love chalk. This wine smells expensive.
Taste: Woah! This wine has big, aggressive tannins. For a 2007, this wine strikes me as tasting very young… But it’s gonna be a beast one day. Good fruit of plum and fig. Nice notes of green bell pepper.
Score: The only thing that is holding me back about this wine are those big tannins. I mean… They are big. I’m giving it an 89 today, but I think it has potential to knock some socks off in about five years.
Now, let’s try it with the burrito…
Un Super Burrito de Carne Asada
I love the burritos at La Choza.
I love them.
Chewy tortillas.
Juicy chunks of beef.
Sour cream… So creamy and sour.
I love ’em.
I just don’t love them with the Estampa.
Look…
The greenness of the wine did compliment the burrito, but those tannins… Those tannins are just too overwhelming.
Here’s what you should do.
Get you a burrito and a beer.
Enjoy the wine later.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Wine on Tap
September 15, 2012Look…
I love San Jose.
I love it.
It’s where I went to college.
It’s where I work.
It’s where I lived for my entire 20’s.
In late 2009, Kara and I moved to the neighboring city of Morgan Hill.
As much as I love MH, it’s a world away from SJ.
Unlike other bordering cities like Los Gatos, Campbell, and Santa Clara, Morgan Hill has a good stretch of country between it and San Jose.
Consequently, outside of going to work, I don’t spend as much time in San Ho as I used to.
Luckily, there are plenty of places that keep calling me back to my favorite city.
About a year ago, my buddy Dave introduced us to The San Pedro Square Market. It’s a collection of shops and eateries in downtown San Jose where you can meet up with friends to get a bite to eat, some dope drinks, and just hang out.
Last night, Kara and I decided to hit up a wine bar inside the Market called Vino Vino.
The slogan of this place is “Wine Without Attitude”. The idea is that they focus on serving good wine and food in a laid back “neighborhood bar”-type of environment.
While they do offer wines by the bottle, most folks tent to gravitate towards the local wines that they offer on tap for eight dollars a glass.
Wines on Tap
Before I get to the wine, I wanted to show you the dope Panini I had for dinner…
Italian Meat and Cheese Panini and Seasonal Mixed Greens in Lemon Vinaigrette
A textural and flavorful sensation…
But that wine looks good too…
I was very familiar with the majority of the local wines that they had on tap, so I was stoked to see that they carried a few wines from Nottingham Cellars of Livermore… A winery that I’d never heard of.
My first glass was the Nottingham Cellars 2010 Awakening GSM. This Rhone style blend is made of 57% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre, and 15% Grenache. I was very happy with its balance of juicy red fruit and racing acidity. It’s a perfect wine to pair with (you guessed it) an Italian Meat & Cheese Panini.
Next up, I tried the Nottingham Cellars 2009 Aguirre Vineyard Malbec. This one showed much more restraint in its red fruit… While present, the juice gave way to a nice, earthy herbaciousness. This is not an Argentinian fruit bomb. It’s much better.
I recommend trying either of these wines on tap. For eight bucks a glass, you really can’t go wrong.
In fact…
I kind of wish I had one right now.
Yet another reason to take a quick trip to San Jose.
Good thing I know the way.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Sometimes, you just gotta…
September 15, 2012To me, life is all about the simple pleasures.
When I was a student at San Jose State University, it was not uncommon for me to stop by Dollar Chinese on the way back from class to pick up a little grub.
There’s something about Chinese fast food that just soothes the soul.
It’s my comfort food.
I don’t eat it that often, but boy do I love it.
So…
When Kara’s mom brought back a Chinese feast the other night, I was stoked to the hella.
Chinese food. Lots of Chinese food.
On the top right of the picture, you’ll see that I cracked open a bottle of Korbel that was lying around.
I broke this out because sparkling wines are always known for their versatility when it comes to food pairings. With the diversity of flavor profiles on the table, the Korbel really did the trick.
As tasty as the food and wine was, I’ve gotta say I am most proud of what I did with the leftovers the next morning.
I reheated the Mongolian Beef on a griddle, and scrambled me up an egg to make myself a Chinese Omelette…
Boom!
Aside from tearing the omelette during folding, I was really happy with the end result.
The next time I have some Chinese leftovers, you know I’ll be making more of the same.
Simply fantastic.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad Wine Blog TV Episode 65: DMZ from GV
September 8, 2012In this episode, Jeff tries his frist GV Special…
Wine Tasted:
DMZ 2008 Shiraz, South Africa
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Toys for Wine? I can dig it!
September 5, 2012So…
Some of you may know that Gary Vaynerchuk (of Wine Library TV, Daily Grape, and Crush It fame) is my wine hero.
I liked wine before I ever watched an episode of WLTV, but Gary Vaynerchuk helped me love it.
You’ve gotta know that I was stoked to find out on Twitter recently that Gary was looking for old 80’s toys… and that he was looking to trade wine for them.
I ran over to my closet, picked out some of my old toys that were gathering up dust, and hit up @GaryVee on the Twitter.
After a little negotiating back and forth, we came to an agreement, and I shipped my stuff off the next day.
Well…
Take a peek at what showed up on my doorstep today…
Twenty-One Bottles of Wine, Picked out by Gary. Why 21? Well… It’s football season, and Frank Gore is my favorite player.
Check out some of the bad boys that Gary sent my way…
Russiz Superiore 2005 Collio Cabernet Franc
Barossa Jack 2008 Shiraz
L’Argentier 2009 Vieilles Vignes de Cinsault
Hella nerdy.
Hella fun.
And I can dig it!
I’m looking forward to tasting and reviewing a bunch of these wines for y’all. In honor of Gary, I will be referring to these wines as GV Specials.
Here’s hoping they bring the thunder.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Great Food. Good Wine. Not So Good Pairing.
September 4, 2012Ever since Kara and I spent a weekend in Bodega Bay, I’ve been thinking a lot about Malbecs from Argentina.
Most all of them are made at Bodegas.
I’ve been sitting on this one for a while…
Bodega Norton 2010 Mendoza Malbec
Anyways…
The other day, I decided to make some carnitas in my crock pot.
While walking through the wine section at Trader Joe’s, I was thinking of a nice Riesling to pair with the spicy white meat of the pork, but nothing struck my fancy.
Then I was all, “I do have that Malbec at home. I don’t think it’s gonna go that well with the carnitas, but what the hey. I’ll give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”
So I went home and put the carnitas together…
Pork Carnitas on a Corn Tortilla with Greek Yogurt, Hot Sauce, and Cilantro
I’m usually not one to toot my own horn, but…
Toot toot!
This was the bomb!
Tender, juicy, and spicy pork. Delicious earthiness.
Just great!
The wine wasn’t bad either…
Color: Dark red to black. Inky.
Nose: Oak, tar, raspberry, and blackberry.
Taste: There’s a good bike tire type of note that I always like. I like the play between all the red and dark fruits. Cranberry, blackberry, pomegranate, and black cherry for days. My only concern is the astringency of the tannins.
Score: This is a solid $10 Malbec. 88 points.
As good as the carnitas and the wine were, the pairing was awful.
The wine lacked the acidity to cut through the fattiness of the pork. The spice of the dish paired with the astringency of the wine tasted reminded me of a ripe armpit… Not that I’ve ever tasted one of those.
I’ve always heard that two wrongs don’t make a right…
But…
Sometimes, two rights make a wrong.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
New Releases @RidgeVineyards. Same dope juice.
September 2, 2012With as much as I talk and write about Ridge Vineyards on this blog, you’d think they are paying me to do it…
In reality…
I pay them…
Gladly.
Being a member of any winery will always set you back a couple of bucks, but you do it because of the privileges that it gives you.
In this case…
With this winery…
The privileges are dope!
Sure, I get to taste for free at both of their tasting rooms.
Sure, I get to purchase futures of the epic Monte Bello at a DEEP discount.
But it’s the events that get me to schlep up that mountain in Cupertino time and time again.
Yesterday, Kara and I hit up the Ridge Tasting room at Monte Bello for their Fall Release/50th Anniversary event.
Upon check in, we were presented with this bad boy…
Ridge 2010 Estate Chardonnay: Good lemon citrus crossed with the scraped up crust left over from a delicious apple pie a’la mode.
After that tasty treat, we headed up to the barn to try three new Ridge wines paired with some fantastic wood fired pizza from the fine folks at Pizza Politana. If I were smart, I would have taken a few pictures of the pizza. I’m not. So I didn’t.
Anyways…
Here’s the wine…
Ridge 2010 Ponzo Zinfandel: From the cool climate of the Russian River Valley, this Zinfandel is blended with 4% Petite Sirah. This is not your over-the-top fruit bomb. This is restrained red berries rounded out by a great earthiness. I love the lingering finish of rainbow sherbet.
Ridge 2010 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel: Blended with 16% Alicante Bouchet and 2% Petite Sirah, this is another cool climate Zinfandel. This time, the vineyard is located in the Northern Sonoma Valley. This is wine has a good juiciness and concentration with its red fruit, but it is very laid back.
Ridge 2009 Monte Bello: When Antonio Gallioni uses terms like “utterly magnificent” and “towering masterpiece” to describe a wine, then blesses it with a 98 in the Wine Advocate… You take note. This year’s installment of Ridge’s flagship wine is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. This is not an in-your-face Napa cult cab. This is a complex marrying of rubbery tannin and earthy mushrooms. Oh… The dark red fruit is there, but this wine is much more than that. I like it.
After we were finished with these barn-burners, we strolled down to the tasting room to chill with three more fantastic wines…
Ridge 2010 Lytton Springs: Composed of 67% Zinfandel, 23% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane, and 3% Mataro (Say it with me… Mer-Ver!) from the iconic vineyard in the heat of the Alexander Valley, this is consistently one of my favorite wines from Ridge. Awesome nose of tires and clove spice. Fantastic balance of blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry fruit. Gallioni gave it a 93+. I agree. It’s a towering masterpiece.
Ridge 2009 Lytton Estate Zinfandel: Blended with 29% Petite Sirah, this is another great example of the balance of acid, tannin, juicy red fruit, and dope bike tires that makes me love the wines of Ridge.
Ridge 2003 Santa Cruz Mountains: I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating… This is THEE wine that introduced me to Ridge Vineyards. Once every couple of months, I’ll stare at this bottle in my wine fridge and debate as to whether or not I should open it up. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc from the Monte Bello Estate, this nine-year-old is maturing into something amazing. Fantastic nose of menthol, mint, tobacco, blueberries, and blackberries. On the palate, there is a great leafy and minty herbaciousness to go along with berry and tomato fruit. This is in its prime right now, but I would not be surprised to see it show well for another five years at least. Dope!
Oh man…
That was a great event.
Membership does have its privileges.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
More #CabernetDay Fun on The Lonely Vine
September 2, 2012A couple of hours after my last video post, I jumped over to another website to continue the #CabernetDay fun with my buddy, Jeff Eckles of The Lonely Vine.
Here’s the link to our SpreeCast hangout…
http://www.spreecast.com/events/cabernetday
What you’ll find is about 40 minutes of us shooting the breeze about everything from Franciscan Cabernet to Vinturi Usage to Wine Snobbery.
In spite of the 1 second delay (which leads to a couple of moments of silence), this is one of the funnest wine videos I’ve ever taken part in.
Check it out.
Enjoy.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad Wine Blog TV Episode 64: Happy #CabernetDay
August 30, 2012In this episode, Jeff dives into two wines for #CabernetDay…
Wines Tasted:
Franciscan Estate 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Wild Horse 2010 Central Coast 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad 