Spring Far Niente Shipment Arrives - Life is Good!

The shipment included a 2003 Far Niente Estate Bottled Cave Collection Cabernet Sauvignon (Oh Yeah!), a 2008 Nickle & Nickle Suscol Ranch Merlot, a 2008 Nickel & Nickel Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel and a 2009 EnRoute Pinot Noir.   Four bottles all red, I am a happy camper.

Well I just couldn't wait, so I cracked open the Pinot Noir over dinner last night with Meredith and tonight i am enjoying it again as i write this post.  The EnRoute Vineyard is a new edition to Far Niente up in the Russian River Valley.   Most good California Pinot Noirs will come from the cooler climates like this valley or along the sonoma coastal areas.   This Pinot is aged in oak for 11 months and has a very bold Pinot flavor; very few light notes here.    If i didn't know what i was drinking on this one, I might even guess it was a Merlot.    Maybe the heavy oak flavor gives is that bigger body, but it is definitely not a textbook Pinot.     No earthy aftertaste at all.

Now I cant wait to try the Cab, but it will have to be a special occasion for sure.

Marasco treats to an Itallian Dinner and a little Itallian wine education

April 5th, 2011 - Mike Marasco has a love for Italian Cuisine and Italian wine.    He has spent many weeks over the past few years in Italy in culinary schools learning about the finer points of the Italian culture.   He hosted dinner this week at Lombardi's new Tuscan Steakhouse, La Fiorentina, in Uptown, for the MPM Group; the Lummus', Mikeskas', Peschels' and McBees'.   He ordered some great appetizers and had some suggestions for main course which included the risotto, the ahi tuna and of course the osso bu co.

Italian wines are not my expertise, but Mike really took the lead.   He ordered a few great wines, including a 2007 Banfi Cum Laude, an Italian Blend which includes Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah from Montalcino.   It was a great wine, very similar to other blended wines but much more subtle than a California blend, with less fruit and just a hint of oak.   You could really taste the dark, intense Sangiovese and Syrah grapes.  I never order Italian wines...   not because i don't like them, but because there are always so many American and French wines that I like that I just never get around to it.    I am so glad Mike took us for a tour of some of these wines.  

Thanks again Marasco!   Let's do it again soon.

It's Spring - Let's Go Antiquing! (grumble, grumble)

April 2nd, 2011 - Meredith talked me into joining her for a few days of antique shopping and a date weekend in Round Top, just East of Austin.   I have to say, we had a great time; it was a real taste of America.   Just imagine a scenario where every citizen, vendor, expert and hillbilly in a 3 town radius in the middle of Texas decides to set up a tent and display every piece of furniture, nick knack and yard art they can find.  It is quite an amazing scene really.   The vendors, which are a cross between professional garage salers and  Gypsies are negotiating and mingling with everything from vacationers to big city antique dealers and interior decorators.  All in all, the outdoor experience, food and fun was a must see.

We stayed just down the road at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop.   Had a Great dinner back at the hotel at Stories Restaurant Saturday night which included crab salad appetizer, red snapper and rack of lamb.    Our table was delayed a bit, so the gracious host delivered a complimentary glass of champagne.   We both loved it and I was surprised when I inspected the bottle; a Spanish Champagne.    Segura Viudas Brut Reserva from Pendedes, Spain.  Not sure how much they normally charge for the bottle, but I have found it locally for just under $15.   I will take this opportunity to mention, for those of you that don't know much about champagne, "Brut or Ultra Brut" is another way of saying "Dry".   Sometimes you might see "Sec or maybe Demi Sec" which basically means sweet.

We split a bottle of 2008 King Estate Pinot Noir, from Oregon.   It was a real reasonable buy (suggested retail $29) and we enjoyed it.     King is a family owned "Organic" winery in Eugene, Oregon, which is about 20 years old.  Our waitress for the evening was great, but ruined the surprise and mentioned strawberry...   she was right on.  This wine was rich with strawberry, other berries and chocolate.    This was a really nice Pinot for the money; we appreciate the suggestion!

By the way, we each only had one glass, and there was more than half of the bottle left.    We corked the bottle and took the bottle home, which in most places is perfectly legal and acceptable; so don't leave it behind.