King Estate Pinot Noir

 Business trips are a great opportunity to discover new wines.  Granted, it usually comes when out to dinner (where I gained my nickname of half bottle).  But, every now and then I am very fortunate to receive a nice bottle as a welcome amenity upon arrival to my destination.  

I recently returned from a trip to Seattle, and my arrival experience at The Westin was well, quite personal.  When the plane touched down, I (along with most everyone else on the plane) powered up my phone.  The first email I received was a personal welcome from the GM.  She indicated they had been reading our blog, and that a bottle of King Estate Pinot Noir (sustainably farmed in Oregon) was waiting for me when I arrived to my room.  I was in Seattle for a conference, and this welcome kicked off the week perfectly!

The King Estate Pinot Noir has a lovely dark ruby color, and flavors of black cherry and pomegranate, and a light spicy finish.  It has very soft tannins, medium finish with lingering fruits throughout.  It’s a fruitier pinot for Oregon, but quite delicious. 

It was an excellent treat to end each night with a glass!

Thank you, Westin Seattle!

From the unusual grape files: Carignane

Carignane is one of the most widely planted wine grapes in the world. It’s best known as a blending grape used in inexpensive table wines such as jug wines from California’s Central Valley. It’s also a staple in French and Spanish table wines. In fact, at one point in the 1980s there were more Carignane vines in France than any other varietal. 

Despite its global popularity, you don’t often find Carignane as a stand-alone varietal. It can be a tricky grape for winemakers because it tends to be very tannic and doesn’t have a lot of fruit flavor. It’s kind of funny that a grape so popular is also so rare.

We have a few bottles in our collection but they’re often overlooked because we don’t really know what to pair them with. Even our favorite wine pairing resource, What to Drink with What You Eat, makes no mention of Carignane. That leaves us with just one tried and true pairing strategy – open the bottle, taste it, and then select the meal.

Terra American Bistro is a perfect place to implement this strategy. Their seasonal menus offer a little bit of everything and all of it is very, very good. We recently decided to pay them a visit with a bottle of 2009 Seghesio Carignane in hand.

The wine’s inky purple color really stood out when our server opened our bottle. Sally’s first reaction to the aroma was “It’s so big, it smells big! Put me in a cigar room.” The taste was fig and dried fruit and the trademark Carignane tannin quickly made an appearance. This is a wine that needs meat!

Sally paired it with a pappardelle short rib dish while I paired it with Terra’s bistro burger. Both were garnished with gorgonzola cheese which was a perfect flavor companion.

Discovering Chardonnay

“I don’t care for Chardonnay”.  When I hear this statement, my response is typically to ask which type ~  crisp and acidic? smooth and buttery? Or both?  … “uh, Chardonnay”.    

Chardonnay is one of the most diverse white wines out there, with flavors ranging from crisp (lemony citrus, green apple, passionfruit) to creamy (buttered popcorn, pie crust, crème brulee), and everything in between.  It took a lot of tasting to determine what I like, and don’t like about Chardonnay.  But, along the way I learned that asking a couple of key questions helps determine the likelihood of enjoying it. 

Oak or No Oak?

Oak: wines aged in oak typically have rich, intense flavors of butter, vanilla, and even caramel. 

No Oak:  wines processed in steel tanks, or neutral oak tend to be more crisp and acidic, with flavors of green apple, pear, lemon, and pineapple. 

Malolactic Fermintation (MLF)?

MLF is a winemaking process in which tart-tasting malic acid is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid.  It’s what gives the wine that smooth, rounder, creamy feel.  Chardonnays with larger amounts of MLF are your butter bombs. 

I’m sure you are thinking…those are great questions if I’m at a tasting.  But, when I’m staring at a wall of Chardonnay how do I know if it was done in oak or not, or has been through malo-whatever? That is a little more difficult to do. Another quick tip, take a look at what region the wine is from ~ this can be a good indicator as well:

Like crisp and acidic?  Look for wines from cooler climate regions like Sonoma Coast and Oregon

Like smooth and buttery?  Look for wines from warmer climate regions like Napa Valley and Paso Robles

So, for those of you who “don’t care for Chardonnay”, I challenge you to keep drinking!  You may discover one that hits just the right balance for your palate.   

Here’s some of our favorites:

Cuvaison S-Block

Domaine Drouhin “Arthur”

Simi Alexander Valley

Grgich Hills 

2009 Rombauer Zinfandel

When I hear Rombauer, the first thought I usually have is, “Jeff’s favorite chardonnay”. On one of our recent trips to Napa, we had a chance encounter with their tasting room manager and were encouraged to pay them a visit. My thoughts now no longer immediately jump to their buttery chardonnay. I also think about their excellent reds.  One new discovery during that tasting room visit was their 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel.

This wine not only looks great in the glass, it tastes great, too. It is bright purple, with aromas of dark fruit to match it.  A jammy zin with rich blackberry flavors, and a splash of pepper.  The berry flavor stays strong throughout the lingering, smooth finish. You’d never know it was 15.9% alcohol.

We enjoyed this wine with honey glazed pork chops, sweet potato mash and a fig & goat cheese salad. The wine notes recommend pairing with a rib-eye steak with bleu cheese, or Cajun spiced sausage. Sounds good to me ~ where’s that second bottle?  

Wine for your favorite cheese

Cheese is without a doubt my favorite pairing with wine.  Our friend at AGirlintheSouth is running a monthly, “You Asked…” column.  So, of course I took the bait and asked about her favorite cheese – on its own, and to cook with.  Here are recommended pairings to her responses, which happen to be some of my personal favorites as well! 

 “…my favorite cheese is Blue Cheese”

Blue cheese is wonderfully sharp and salty, and goes well with a fruitier cabernet, or even a merlot.  If you really want to be different, pair it with a port.  Slice into some Roquefort, and pour a glass of our favorite, Heitz Ink Grade Port.  It would make a great beginning, or end to your meal!

The port is currently available in limited supply at select Spec’s stores

“I cook with parmesan more than any other cheese…”

As you start to build your Italian feast, open a Sangiovese or Sangiovese blend (like a Super Tuscan).  Sangiovese typically has high acidity and moderate alcohol, which makes it a great match with tomato-based dishes.  We enjoy Cosentino Sangiovese, especially with pizza!

“I must admit to also loving to cook with feta”

I must admit, I love cooking with feta, too.  One of my favorite go-to apps is feta whipped with basil, lemon, and pepper.  Spread this on a baguette, and pour a glass of Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay.  It is well balanced, without too much oak or citrus, and would let the feta remain the star of the meal.    

What's your favorite cheese and wine pairing?