In this episode, Jeff celebrates his 100th post on Stay Rad with his ol’ buddy Dave Thevegetarian. Watch as these two friends battle for wine supremacy in the Super Wine Throwdown I…
Wines featured in this episode:
Argiano Non Confunditur 2009 Toscana Rosso
Joel Gott Wines 2009 California Zinfandel
To see the scores, check out the Rad Wine Reviews page here.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
One of the perks of membership at Ridge Vineyards is getting to experience their First Friday series at the Monte Bello tasting room.
First Friday is a neat members-only tasting event with a new theme every month.
For February, they went “Old School”.
Check out the menu…
Going "Old School"!
For starters, there was a three vintage vertical from the Old School block of the Geyserville Estate… a block that traditionally brings some hella ripe Zinfandel to the table.
First on the list was the 2003 Independence School (Soon to be renamed “Old School”)…
Goin' back to the Old School!
The ’03 brought some extremely concentrated red fruit on the palate. Extremely concentrated. Like… Extremely concentrated.
Moving into the 2006 Old School, that concentrated red fruit was still present… but not nearly as overpowering.
The 2009 Old School… Now that was my jam. This Zinfandel blend still brought the concentration of the prior vintages, but was rounded out with these really nice, powdery… dare I say… CHALKY tannins. You know I love chalk. Love it!
In general, I really liked this Old School vertical. It gives a good idea of how the ’09 would evolve over the next couple of years. For my money (at $30 a bottle), I would have no qualms popping and pouring this one.
Now, on to the some fun stuff…
Barrel Samples!
Ridge 2010 Geyserville Barrel Sample!
You know that Geyserville is one of the iconic single vineyard wines from Ridge. It’s a fantastic, Zinfandel based field blend that “brings it” year in and year out. 2010 is no exception. Red fruit. Acid. Spice. Minerality. This wine has it all… All!
As great as the Geyserville was, there was one wine I had at First Friday that I just cannot get out of my head…
Ridge 2010 East Bench Zinfandel Barrel Sample!
Here’s the thing about the 2010 East Bench…
This is a powerful wine.
Powerful!
One sniff of this Zin, and I was 18 again.
Let me explain…
The Summer after I graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School, I worked at a juice bar in downtown Santa Cruz. The juice bar was called Juice World. The year was 1997.
You won’t find any Juice Worlds today. They went out of business in 2000. They just couldn’t compete with the juice juggernaut that is known as Jamba. To this day, I am convinced that JW was the best juice bar on the planet. We made some bomb smoothies!
Working there, I was given my first real opportunity to experiment with flavors. As part of our pay, we got one free smoothie for each shift we worked. Each day, I would play around with different combinations of juices, sherbets, and fruits to see which combinations would work the best.
My favorite smoothie was a blend of strawberries, cranberries, raspberry and orange sherbet, and peach juice. I called it the Orange Screech.
In retrospect, drinking 32 ounces of sugar every day isn’t the best thing for your body… But I did load up my smoothies with tons of supplements (like protein powder, bee pollen, and vitamin C)…
Chalky…
Chalky…
Chalky Supplements.
I probably haven’t had an Orange Screech since 1999, and yet… as I took my first whiff of the 2010 East Bench Zinfandel, that’s exactly what is smelled like.
Strawberries.
Cranberries.
Raspberry and Orange sherbet.
Peach Juice.
Chalky Supplements.
The Orange Screech!
I’ve got to be honest with y’all…
I don’t even remember what the East Bench tasted like.
But the way it smelled…
I’ll never forget it.
I want some more!
F-ing Devine!
I wanted to hang out in the barn at Ridge and smell that wine for another hour, but sometimes you just gotta move on…
Night Falls Over the Ridge
That…
And I was hella hungry.
On the way home, we stopped by Toto Trattoria for beer…
Acme IPA
And pizza…
Pineapple and Prociutto Pizza
What a great Friday.
I still can’t get the smell of that East Bench out of my mind.
It makes me wonder…
When is the last time you’ve had a wine take you “back in the day”?
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Hey Y’all,
Just thought I’d check in right quick.
Word on the street is that there’s mad foos out there that don’t know how to use chopsticks.
To me, that shiz is unacceptable.
It ain’t hard.
Just take a peek…
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Now, you too can pick up anything!
Stay Rad,
Jeff
It’s a La Nina year… as was last year.
Because of lower than normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, we Californians are experiencing an extremely dry, mild Winter.
Take this last weekend (Please!)…
It was F-ing beautiful outside.
Clear skies.
Not a drop of rain.
Highs in the 70’s.
And it’s the end of January!
It’s days like these when you just have to take advantage of the situation.
It’s days like these when you have to break out the grill.
It’s days like these when you’ve gotta have a barbecue.
But first…
The wine!
La Crema 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Color: Golden yellow.
Nose: Vanilla. Oak. Lemongrass. Toast.
Taste: The La Crema has a rich mouthfeel. There’s some good green apple fruit on the palate, rounded out with some fluffy whipped cream. It’s got a nice mineral driven finish.
Score: The La Crema runs for $16 at Trader Joes. I give it an 89+. This should be your go-to under $20 Chardonnay for get-togethers. This wine is a crowd pleaser.
Next…
Valreas 2009 "Cuvee Prestige" Cotes du Rhone Villages
The Valreas is a Southern Rhone blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah.
Color: Dark burgundy.
Nose: Leather. Blackberries. Jerky.
Taste: This wine gives a nice burst of cherry and plum up front with a touch of rubber and fine tannins. There is a mid-palate of cranberry that transitions to a citrus finish. This is a food friendly wine with some fantastic acidity.
Score: 87. For six bucks a bottle (or something like that), you should give it a try at your next barbecue.
Now, to the food…
I tossed some broccolini with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary. I grilled it over low heat.
Deconstructed Turkey Guac Burger, Grilled Broccolini, and some Pickles
I topped this turkey burger with a lot of the stuff I throw in my Killer Guacamole. It’s got a nice slice of onion, tomato, and roasted red bell pepper. I mashed the avocado with salt, pepper, and a touch of mild deli salsa. On top, there’s a dab of salsa and diced chiles.
F-ing dope!
Look…
I’m not saying that I’m happy with the lack of rainfall so far this Winter…
But…
There’s nothing like a January Summer.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
We all know that this past Thursday was Australia Day.
I did my duty, and gave you an episode on Australian wine (like a good blogger should).
So I was shocked to wake up Friday morning to discover on Twitter that it was now #PortDay.
Really?
The next day?
How could this have happened?
How could a day of celebration for the national dessert wine of Portugal come this close to a day celebrating the foundation of Australia as a country?
My brain just couldn’t process this information.
I mean… really…
What do you do when worlds collide?
I never thought it would ever come to this…
When Kara came home from work yesterday, I looked her in the eyes and said, “I need a drink.”
I grabbed her hand, and took her down the street to Fuzia for some happy hour drinks and apps.
Here’s what we had…
Vinegar, olive oil, bread, and actual olives!
The house Chardonnay. The best 3 dollar wine you will ever taste.
Bruschetta. You betta!
French Fries
Sure…
The food was fantastic.
The wine was great.
But…
We were dealing with Armageddon!
Kara didn’t seem to see anything wrong with the whole Australia Day / Port Day doomsday event (Obviously, she didn’t see the trailer).
Feeling defeated, I decided that we should go to Bubbles Wine Bar.
If we’re headed for the end of days, the least we could do was enjoy the present.
Here’s what we got…
I ordered up the Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Syrah. Good acidity and spice.
The Three Fromage Plate with creamy goat cheese, Danish blue, and English cheddar.
That cheese plate was fantastic!
After I finished the Syrah, I got a craving for some dessert wine.
Considering it was #PortDay, I figured I’d get some of that fortified Portuguese nectar… So I asked our server which Port she preferred.
“Actually, I really like the Yalumba Antique Tawny. It’s Australian, so it’s not technically a Port. They like to call them Stickies over there.”
How serendipitous!
An #AussieWine… on #PortDay!
“I’ll take one of those.”
Yalumba Antique Tawny
Color: Well… It was a little dark in Bubbles, so I can’t give you an accurate description. Just look at the picture. Pretty, ain’t it?
Nose: Caramel. Toffee. Coffee. Walnut. Grape skin. Apple brandy. Yup. It’s pretty.
Taste: Sweet, but not overly so. There is a great balance of toasty oak, caramel, and whipped fudge.
I tried the Sticky with both the blue cheese and the English cheddar. Each pairing was fantastic.
Score: I loved this wine. Give it an 89.
If this is what happens when worlds collide, I think we’re gonna be just fine.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
In this episode, Jeff tries two wines from Lindeman’s Bin Series…
Wines Tasted in This Episode:
Lindeman’s 2010 Bin 99 Pinot Noir
Lindeman’s 2010 Bin 50 Shiraz
Kara and I hit up a baby shower last weekend near Sacramento.
Check out the art I made with some left-over clothespins from one of the games…
Lincoln Logs in the Ghetto
On the way back from the baby shower, we stopped by the Pyramid Alehouse in Walnut Creek with some friends for dinner.
The restaurant was fairly packed, so we decided to get a drink in the bar while we waited for our table.
The Bar at the Alehouse
The four of us split a pitcher of the Draught Pale Ale…
Pyramid Draught Pale Ale
For a pale ale, this bad boy was amber in color. The beer had a medium head. It had a clean aroma and flavor. The palate was quite malty. There was not so much as a hint of hops to it.
The beer was okay, just not what I expected.
Score: 3 (out of 5) bottle caps
We finished up the pitcher…
Where'd it all go?
And were promptly seated… behind the bar.
The view from out table behind the bar.
We ordered up another round…
A view through the brew...
And I got myself the Black and Blue Burger…
You gots ta order it medium, foo.
The burger was covered with cajun spices, smothered with crumbled blue cheese, and topped with a scattering of shoe string onions…
Delicious!
Kara ordered some sweet potato fries with curry. I could not help but dip each of my fries into her curry sauce.
Super dope!
The food at the Pyramid Alehouse was pretty good. I just wish the beer was better…
You know what I’m sayin, baby.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Look…
You know I’m a 49er fan, so I feel I need to backtrack to earlier this day…
There was so much hope…
I made this killer guac!
Killer!
We were headed over to visit some friends to see the NFC Championship Game.
Niners…
Giants…
Winner goes to the Super Bowl against the Patriots…
Loser goes home.
Considering this was a football party, I was prepared for copious amounts of “junk food”.
Knowing this, I was on the lookout for the perfect wine to pair for the event.
Here’s what I chose…
Piper Sonoma Brut sparkling wine...
Here’s how it went down…
Color: Pale yellow.
Nose: The aroma was dominated by lime fruit with a bit of peach, followed by a touch of yeast.
Taste: This is a mineral driven wine. Tons of river rocks covered with a lime fruit acidity. There is a medium finish of fresh-baked sour dough bread. Quite dope.
Score: 88
First, I paired the wine with some potato chips… The acidity cut right through the fatiness of the chips to give a round and smooth finish.
Next, I tried the Piper Sonoma with some guacamole… The crisp wine provided a nice contrast to the creaminess of the guac.
Back to the game…
You can look up the final score on the interweb.
All I remember is that we went to overtime…
My buddies and I decided to text pictures of food to each other for luck.
Dave Thevegtetarian sent me a picture of pizza dough, so I fired back with this…
Cheese Balls!
He came back with some mixed nuts, so I shot this pic…
Deviled Eggs... Ewwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!
Next thing I knew, the Giants kicked a field goal to win the game…
Shucks!
The crowd scattered in an instant.
Now I’m home, and I just don’t know what to do…
At least I got this guac…
Let's go Pats... I guess.
Thanks for a great season, Niners.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Jeff gets another blind wine to try. A treat? Let’s find out…
Wine tasted in this Episode…
Rex-Goliath NV Cabernet Sauvignon (The NV stands for Non-Vintage… or Not VeryAwesome)
In this episode, Jeff honors the first big rain of the season with the Sterling 2008 Vintner’s Collection Central Coast Syrah.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad 