Why you should always buy two bottles

Sally and I recently brought a bottle of 2007 Laird Suscol Ranch Syrah with us on a trip to Phoenix with my parents and Sally's Mom. We shared the bottle one night before dinner, but local laws prevented us from bringing another bottle to the restaurant. That was a real shame since the wine was outstanding, but would have been even better with food.

Good thing we had a second bottle!

Sally and I enjoyed bottle number two over dinner a few nights ago. The Syrah paired well with Sally's beer braised short rib and my pappardelle ragu. It had dark fruit flavors, like blackberry pie filling, and a silky smooth finish. As you can tell from the picture, we also picked a very nice setting for our meal.

The Slammer Syrah

The windy and rainy weather San Diego had this weekend put me in the mood for a big pot of chili, and a glass of red wine.  Fulfilling both cravings posed a bit of a challenge, as my chili tends to be a little more on the hotter side than normal and this can be bad news for good red wine. 

Knowing that less expensive reds you find in the grocery store tend to be younger, and fruiter, (exactly what my chili needs) I decided to head to the store and make a fairly random pick.  I set two criteria for this adventure:  pick a red under $10, and find one to test Jeff’s theory ~ the cheesier the wine name and more novelty the label, the less likely something good will come out of the bottle.

After cruising the aisles, checking out basic red table wine, zinfandels, and syrah, I walked out with a bottle of Big House – The Slammer Syrah for $5.50.  Under $10 – check, cheesy name and novelty label – check!  As soon as I unscrewed the top, I knew it would be a match.  Nice elements of blackberry and black currant instantly hit the nose.  Those same fruits were found at first sip, followed by ripe and smooth tannins.  Is this a wine I’d put at the top of my list of all Syrahs, no (but tasty for the price point).  But, I would definitely buy it again to enjoy with a Roundtable King Arthur Supreme pizza, or have in the house as a “third bottle”.

Big House produces other catchy wines you may be familiar with ~ Cardinal Zin, The Usual Suspect (Cab Sav), Unchained (Chardonnay), The Birdman (Pinot Grigio), and their table wines Big House Red and White.  The Big House winery is located in Soledad, Monterey County very near the Soledad State Correctional Facility, which explains the theme of their wines.  Check out their website, which carries on the theme, to locate these wines near you.

The Slammer definitely opened my mind to trying other wines with cheesy names and novelty labels.  Do you have a favorite that fits the bill?  Share the name, and I will give it a try!

Cheers!

Every bottle can't be a winner - even if it's wine you like

It’s always interesting to try a favorite wine a second time. Last weekend, Sally and I shared a bottle of 2008 Halter Ranch Cotes de Paso. The last time we drank this wine, we gave it rave reviews (“If you taste something good, don’t let it get away”) and I lamented not buying a second bottle after we enjoyed it at a restaurant. Sally later surprised me with another bottle as a present, but it was a bit of a mixed bag the second time around.

We drank the wine with a wonderful feast Sally made comprised of some of my favorites: French onion soup for starters, veal brisket with root vegetables for the main course, and tiramisu for dessert. The meal was incredible. The wine was very good, but it wasn’t on par with the first time bottle.

The first time, we gave the wine our coveted “ingredients to dessert” nod, meaning it was good enough to open while you were cooking and would still taste delicious by the time you got to dessert. Assuming you had some left, of course! The second time around, we felt it definitely wasn’t in this class. Even the tasting notes were a little different, with the flavor profile being pleasant, but a little less robust and refined than the first time.

It's even interesting to compare our flavor notes:

Bottle #1: cocoa, earthiness, and blackberry

Bottle #2: strawberry, apple, and raisin

I may now have to revise my earlier statement that if you discover an outstanding wine, you’ll need to buy two bottles. I now think you need three, just in case bottle #2 is a dud!

 

If you taste something good, don't let it get away!

I've recently had some outstanding wines, made a mental note to buy some later, only to find out that the wine was no longer available. The moral of the story? If you drink something you really like, buy it!

The latest was a 2008 Halter Ranch "Cotes de Paso" Rhone-style blend. It was a delicious blend of 41% Grenache, 30% Mouvedre, 18% Syrah, 7% Counoise, and 4% Cinsault. These types of wines are wonderful with food and pair well with a wide variety of dishes. 

The Cotes de Paso was what Sally would describe as an ingredients to dessert wine. You can open it while you are cooking and enjoy it without food. The wine will hold up through your appetizer, your main course, and even your dessert. Ingredients to dessert.

The wine's flavors were a nice mix of cocoa, earthiness, and blackberry. We enjoyed it with a burger topped with short ribs (yes, it WAS awesome) and short rib pappardelle at Cucina Urbana, one of our favorite restaurants in San Diego. It only cost $34, which was a steal for such a tasty treat.

Now, the sad news. The winery is sold out of their 2008. I guess I'll have to head back to the restaurant and see if I can pick up a bottle or two!

Now that's a Syrah!

One of the reasons Sally and I love wine is it gives us an excuse to search for adventures and then share those adventures with friends and family. 

Last June, we toured the Santa Ynez wine region for the first time. One of the wineries we visited was Bridlewood Estate Winery. The wine room and grounds were beautiful with sweeping views of the valley. They also served a lot of great wine and the employees in the wine room were very knowledgeable and friendly. Our favorite was their 2007 "Six Gun" Syrah so we bought a couple of bottles.

Sally outside of Bridlewood Estate Winery

Last week, Sally's Mom and my parents came to our house for Thanksgiving. The night before we all decided to dine out at a favorite restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy, Buon Appetito. Syrah is a terrific companion for Italian food, so we brought the two bottles of "Six Gun" with us.

It was perfect with our meal.

The best description is this is the way a Syrah should be. It had nice fruit concentration that reminded you of dark cherries with just enough earthiness and tannin to pair nicely with food. You could tell the wine was a hit by the way everyone at the table savored the last few sips in their glass, not wanting the enjoyment to end.

Sally, Jeff, and parents enjoy a meal with some Six GunThe best part was the meal gave us a chance to share some treasured wine with family. We talked a little about our adventures at Bridlewood, which inevitably led to more stories about good food, good wine, and good company.

Shared bottles always taste better.