WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’

On this 19^th day of my 25 Days of Christmas, I present to you a really badass, New World style wine that will appeal to a wide spectrum of red wine lovers:  the 2009 PlumpJack Syrah ($50 US) from Napa Valley, California.  The Spirit of Christmas is about sharing and being together. This special red can bring together and unite lovers of Pinot Noir, and those that love bold and rich Cabernet Sauvignon.

This red wine also made me think of Christmas Past.  Well, not Christmas exactly…

It brought me all the way back to September 2000 – our second jaunt to Napa and Sonoma Wine Country – when we experienced a 5.2 earthquake.  Scared the living shit out us, I tell you! 

But it was also on that very same trip that I discovered and fell in love with PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon.  I could have drunk it morning, noon and night…if my liver, wallet and wife would have allowed me!  This particular trip to California Wine Country was extra special because my brother-in-law and another friend of ours were also there to help us drink and explore…one tasting room at a time.  On the last day of our trip, my brother-in-law presented me with a bottle of 1997 PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve as a special gift that he secretly purchased for me while we picnicked at PlumpJack Winery.  I gotta say, I’ve loved that guy ever since!!  And I still have that very bottle that just might get opened when he’s in town this weekend! 

Back to Christmas Present.

What makes the 2009 PlumpJack Syrah such a badass wine, is that it finds this halfway point where all the great things you love about Pinot Noir can cheer and sing with all the wonderful things of a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Like any great Cab, the 2009 PlumpJack Syrah is big, ooey-gooey rich and chewy inside.  Yet, this Syrah is very bright with a tad of tarty-sweetness, reminiscent of a fantastic Pinot.  It has the perfect amount of mouthful flavors – delicious plum, strawberry, licorice, black currents, clove, dark chocolate and vanilla – to pair with just about any holiday meal.  It will keep you puckering up and licking your chops from start to finish, and is sure to please all of the red wine lovers sitting at your table.

Thus far in the WineLife365 25 Days of Christmas countdown, I’ve shared with you some terrific wine choices, under $20, for holiday parties, marathon wrapping sessions, and even a cookie/wine pairing.  With Christmas now only 8 days away, it’s time to intensify the countdown.  If you’re a frantic, harried procrastinator like me, shopping for last–minute Christmas gifts, then you don’t have time to mess around with bargain shopping.  You need something amazing NOW!  So for the remaining shopping days, it’s only 100% totally badass wines…regardless of price! You can worry about that credit card bill later, when it arrives next month.

The first badass is the 2007 Bodega DiamAndes de Uco Gran Reserva (Sample: $42 US) from Argentina.  Take a close look at the label on this red wine:  it’s got a big ole sparkling diamond – the size of the rock that Kris Humphries gave to Kim Kardashian – on the front.

The 2007 Bodega DiamAndes de Uco Gran Reserva is a luxurious treat of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It’s an avalanche of blackberry, black cherry, plum, black currants, black pepper, leather, roasted almonds (breathe…breathe…), and finally some vanilla.  And the finish?  Let’s put it this way – it lasted way longer than that Humphries-Kardashian union.

Expect at least 10 “atta boys” and 5 high fives from your peeps thanking you for bringing such a great bottle of wine.  There are only 3,500 cases to go around, making this gift even more special!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Does it get any better than a classic BLT sandwich on a summer day?  It’s pretty ingenious when you stop to think how a simple homegrown tomato, combined with crispy bacon, lettuce and mayonnaise, between two slices of bread can be so damn good. 

Last night, I was really jonesing for a BLT… but I thought I’d to add a touch of gourmet to the classic standard with my own no-fuss variation.

Ingredients:

• 1 fluffy, soft sesame-seed bakery roll 
• 1 homegrown super-ripe tomato 
• 4-6 slices of fully cooked bacon (the pre-cooked kind like Hormel, Oscar Myer, store brand, yadda yadda) 
• Monterey Jack Cheese with Hot Peppers
• Balsamic Vinegar 

Split the roll in half and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to both halves.  Place strips of bacon, a slice or two of the tomato, and top with a thick slice of Monterey Jack Cheese with Hot Peppers.

Place in toaster oven and cook until toasty and melty.

I decided to pair my little BLT BCT creation with the 2009 William Cole Columbine Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (MSRP: $18 US, Sample).

It’s not one of those big and bad, club-you-over-the-head Cabs, but it did show some attitude with its black cherry, plum, black current, vanilla and oak flavors.  It’s definitely the kind of Cab that demands a little food.

3 out of 4 stars for the 2009 William Cole Columbine Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  It showed some spunk, but fell in line perfectly with our BCT!

Remember when getting together with a few friends for a barbecue used to mean firing up the old charcoal grill, tossing on some hot dogs and frozen Topps burgers, opening up a few bags of chips, and sitting back in a rusty aluminum meshed folding lawn chair while throwing back some ice-cold PBRs?  If you came home with the smell of charcoal smoke in your hair and clothes, roasted marshmallows stuck to your shorts and feeling the effects of drinking in the afternoon sun …you knew you had a good time.

These days, barbecue has taken on a whole new meaning for every Backyard Gourmet.  This past weekend, our fantastic foodie friends, Holly and Mike, showed off some of their impressive “Go Big or Go Home” skills on the grill - so I thought I’d share.

We started things off with some fresh sliced strawberries, cantaloupes, grapes, a little salsa and chips and delicious homemade guacamole.

Holly’s Fresh Guacamole:
(Serves 6-8)

• 3 Hass avocados, pitted and scooped out
• 1 small tomato (I like to use the vine ripened tomatoes) seeded and diced
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of one lime
• One small bunch of cilantro chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash together.  I prefer to use a large potato masher; some folks will use the tines of a fork to blend things up, while others use a food processor.  Just depends on what consistency you want to achieve.

For the second dish, Holly created a Grilled Citrus Chicken and Mango Quesadillas with Chipotle Sour Cream.

Grilled Citrus Chicken and Mango Quesadillas with Chipotle Sour Cream
(Serves 4-6)

For the marinade:

• Juice of one half of a blood orange
• Juice of one lemon
• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken (I used package of fresh chicken tenders)

Marinade chicken for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight

For the Quesadillas:

• 1 package of burrito size flour tortillas
• 1 medium mango peeled, cut into medium size dice
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 small bunch of cilantro chopped, reserve some for garnish
• 1 package of goat cheese crumbles

Chipotle Sour Cream:

• Use 1/2 of a chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Blend together in mini food processor or blender.

Grill chicken, and then chop into medium dice.  Brush tortilla with olive oil.  Assemble chicken with remaining ingredients on one half of tortilla, sprinkle with goat cheese.  Fold tortilla over.  Brush both sides with olive oil.  Grill for 2 minutes each side over medium heat.  Top with dollop of the sour cream and garnish with cilantro.  Serve immediately.

A wine that came up big with this creation and that was also a huge hit with folks at an earlier tasting this year was the Cantine Riondo Prosecco Spago NV (Veneto, Italy $10 US).

For the main course, Holly assembled a few Food Network inspired dishes along with a Creamy Cheese and Chipotle Polenta (see recipes below).

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
(Serves 6)
Recipe found on FoodNetwork.com, we tweaked it by adding cumin and cayenne

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper 

1. Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
2. Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second.
3. Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks.  This will cook it to approximately medium-rare.

If you want, you can take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak. Great also with salsa or horseradish sauce.

For the sides, Holly put together one mean slaw and an interesting take on polenta.

Green Onion Slaw:
(Serves 8-10)
Recipe found on FoodNetwork.com

• 1 cup coarsely chopped green onions, white and green parts
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 Serrano chilies
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small head of purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• I substituted one bag of Dole Classic Slaw in place of both cabbages

To make the dressing for the slaw, combine the green onions, vinegar, honey, chilies, mayonnaise, oil and salt and pepper to taste in a blender and blend until emulsified.

Combine the cabbage, red onion and poppy seeds in a bowl, add the dressing, and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate while you grill the Steak or for up to 1 hour.  

Creamy Cheese and Chipotle Polenta
(Serves 4-6)

• 1 3/4 cup corn meal
• 6 cups water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely diced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring the water to a boil, add generous pinch kosher salt.  Slowly add in the corn meal, using a whisk, stirring constantly.  When cornmeal has absorbed the water, has a cream of wheat texture, then add remaining ingredients, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Searching for a balance that would be bold, concentrated and full of spicy goodness to complement this meal, I decided to take a chance with a couple of wines that I had received as samples from Chile’s Viña Santa Carolina.

Celebrating over 135 years, Viña Santa Carolina is best known in the local markets that it has served over this time span.  More recently however, the winery has made an effort to step up its marketing campaign in the US to establish itself as a producer of quality driven wines at affordable prices.

First up was the 2010 Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Sample, MSRP: $12 US).  The general consensus on this red wine was that with it being a 2010 it seemed a bit sharp on the tannins and registered a lot of overly sweet raspberry flavors on the palate.  We tried it over the course of two hours hoping that this breathing time would open up some other interesting flavor components.  Unfortunately, we all thought that the vanilla was too overpowering against the subtle black peppery notes and forward sweet raspberry fruit flavors.

We were all in complete agreement  – 2 Stars out of 4 for the 2010 Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our second wine of the evening from Viña Santa Carolina was the 2010 Reserva Carmenere (Sample, MSRP: $12 US).  Much like the Cabernet Sauvignon, this red also showcased a noticeable amount of upfront vanilla flavor.  One of our hosts’ described it as being like a “vanilla smoothie on your tongue.”  The difference between the two wines however, was that this red wine was much more concentrated and balanced out with dark fruit and soft spices.  We all agreed that the 2010 Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere was silky smooth and offered a lot of good value for everyday wine drinkers.

3 Stars out 4 for the 2010 Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere. 

And what would a barbecue be without dessert?

We ended the evening on high (albeit stuffed) note with a cheese course that was out of this world good!

Shown in picture: 

Delice D’Affinos (France) cow’s milk, soft, creamy, mild. 

Cabrales/Valdeon  (Spain) blue cheese, sheep and goats milk.  This cheese came highly recommended by the crunky looking European cheese lady at the cheese counter.  She also recommended lightly drizzling honey over top.  What!?.. it was Delicious!  Thanks cheese lady!

Murcia Al Vino (Spain) Sheep/ goats milk, red wine notes, very tangy.

Romero Vall De Cati (Spain) Sheep/goats milk packed in a rosemary herbed crust.

After all this, who would have thought that a pile of Pillsbury crescent roll dough mixed with butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, honey and sugar could have be so effin’ good!!  (Don’t judge!)  Checkout this Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie that my wife stumbled across on Allrecipes.com.

Trust me, when I tell you – it was good for dessert, but you’ll wake up the next morning wanting it for breakfast too!

Good Friends, Good Food and Good Wine!  That’s what Good Livin’ is all about!  Bon Appétit!