2009 Maggio Old Vine Zinfandel

And the Oscar goes to...well it's Sunday, and the one night where Big Daddy will park himself in the den and watch the event for several hours. As for me, I will read my newspaper with occasionally peering over my glasses to see the various stars. Big Daddy will make comments on the dresses, the hair, the make-up, while I agree or disagree. At any rate, Big Daddy has some spaghetti and meatballs cooking with a fresh homemade garlic bread that is making itself known as the aroma has now been perfuming the house since the garlic cloves were cut up.  Can't you just imagine how wonderful our house is smelling!  The sauce too reminds me of dinners at Grandma and Grandpas house where Sunday was ALWAYS pasta, salad and fresh baked Gonnella Italian bread.

I've decided to try this Old Vine Zinfandel that I recently purchased. I like a Zinfandel and this one had a great price point so I decided to give it a try. When I opened the bottle and poured an ample amount into my glass (yes ample) the deep rich color like the skin of black cherry, glistened against the light. It's coloring could only be surpassed by it's delicious aroma. Fruit, spicy and a bit of chocolate perfume your nose as I tilted my ample pour up to my nose. When I tasted the wine, there is an explosion of flavor! I'm not kidding!  It is a jammy fruit taste of blackberry and smoke, spicy nutmeg and cinnamon, a touch of black pepper, chocolate with a medium body and a nice long finish...such a refreshing vino!

Now this wine has also placed in competitions, including the Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Competition where it won a 2012 Silver Medal.

The price point on this wine is pretty unbelievable, are you ready...$7.99! That's right $7.99! You can contact me here if you can't locate it near you. I'm going back to pick up a few bottles myself, because this is a wine that will age nicely on the shelf.

This vino definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON! Taste it for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Pair it up with the Meatballs that Big Daddy has on his blog or some of his famous Brushetta. So very     tasty! http://bigdaddyscookingtonight.blogspot.com/

2009 Verdejo Cala Blanca

So, Big Daddy has a cold. That head, slight headache with the cough and slight rattle in the chest,  kind of under the weather situation.  At any rate, he just completed cooking two oven roasted chickens and is making homemade chicken soup. He calls it comfort food. The broth works like that vapor rub that I remember that my mom smeared all over my chest as a kid to combat any sinus and cold that overtook us. I still remember my mom making sure we had our t-shirt under or pajamas,and that burning sensation and warm feeling with the vaporizer running in the bedroom. All part of the healing process. And you know what, it worked! Thanks mom!

So I decided to try this wine that I bought  from Spain. I've tried the various reds they have produced and like them. The Old Vine Garancha and Tempranillo both great and flavorful.

The Verdejo has had many reviews some great, some not so great. In my tasting, I liked it. I liked it being a nice wine that had a nice crisp peppy taste. It has a great aroma that gives a hint of the flavor that you'll taste. The peach and nectarine scent are so refreshing and crisp. When you taste it, it does not disappoint.  As my aunt would say "just a little bit of sunshine in a glass"! It's fresh and light with a floral bouquet and smooth finish.

Here are some notes from the winery:

"Hot days and cool nights during the growing season stress the vines, create low yields and produce wines with the maximum varietal expressions."

It's a nice simple wine that I could certainly see being paired with ceviche or that wonderful avocado salad that Big Daddy makes.

Put it on your list for wines to serve when the weather heats up. I certainly will, as this one is refreshing, light and perfect to have ready and cold as an alternate to Chardonnay and Pinot Grigo.

This wine priced at about 13.00 and definitely worth it. This vino made THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

2011 Unruly Cabernet Sauvignon

So after the last Pinot Noir debacle, you know, where I had really hoped that I had a hidden treasure in a bottle and it turned out to be, well, shall I say not so good.  The second bottle I selected was the 2011 Unruly Cabernet.  Big Daddy had some crackers, cheese and other snacks before our Valentines dinner. Just a quick story about Valentines Day and dinner. This story is the reason why we stay in and have dinner versus trying to have dinner at a restaurant.  The story starts at a restaurant that no longer exists, but for many, many years, it existed as a fine dining establishment.  When we arrived, it seemed to be utter chaos! So many people, so many frazzled nerves. Not just of the people waiting to be seated, but all those persons that worked at the restaurant as well!

After being seated, we realized that it was a fixed menu where you order your salad, entree and two side dishes and dessert all for one fee! What a deal! Then of course some really overpriced wine and that was your romantic evening.  Well, as we began with our appetizer, we noticed our waiter was to say the least perspiring...he was perspiring a lot! Wiping every once and a while as he served the various courses. Now it really wasn't all his fault, it was a bit warm in the restaurant, he had too many tables to tend to, and it was what I call amateurs night. Where so many people who do go out to dinner go only twice or three times in a given year. I think you know what I mean.

It was at that moment that I proclaimed to Big Daddy, why are we going out for such mediocre (at best) dinners?

Now on to the wine.  The  Unruly line is all red wines. They have all been getting great press and certainly moderately priced.  When I opened the bottle the aroma is really quite wonderful, very robust and very enticing. There was the blackberry and plum which was a wonderful combination, then seeing it in the glass, with it's jewel tone and dark, dark cherry color was beautiful.   When you taste it it will give the plum taste and blackberry, but also the taste of currant and and a hint of roasted coffee. Flavorful, hearty and great for sure. Not a really deep Cabernet, even a bit sweet, that being said, for the price, pick up a bottle or two and try it yourself. This vino really made THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON.

It retails for about $12.00 per bottle,you can even get it on sale for under $10.00 at some places.

Post Valentines Day Thoughts

Well it's the 15th of February and Big Daddy and I celebrated the evening of St. Valentines with a great meal. You know Big Daddy does like to put out the food and last night was no exception.  A run down of the meal was, a nice juicy steak, fresh mushroom risotto (with one of his clients bringing him fresh dried mushrooms from their farm in Europe) asparagus and artichokes. For dessert, Bananas Foster. So needless to say, it was a fantastic gourmet meal. The wine though, was another story!

I recently was cleaning things as we just purchased a new wine rack that we are waiting on delivery of. During the reorganization process I found a bottle of 2004 Pinot Noir from Korbel. We purchased several years ago (obviously) from Korbel in the Russian River Valley and I thought that, perhaps it would age well. Big Daddy on the other hand, declared that is had probably had turned (his word) and was sceptical at best. 

So carefully removing the foil and cork, I looked at the cork, it looked in tact. I smelled it, nothing foul or unusual. Big Daddy wanted to taste it first, so I poured him a glass. The color looked brilliant! I silently thought to myself that we had a wonderful discovery and that this Pinot Noir would be perfect for dinner.

Big Daddy took a sip, and then, his entire face made a wincing kind of look, you know eyes squinting wrinkled up nose, that kind on wincing look!  I thought by the look it must truly be in an advanced state of vinegar! I then tasted it for myself. Well it wasn't THAT bad, it wasn't good either. It did taste a bit "OFF", so it turned out to be no great bottle that had been stored and forgotten. No treasure that we would have enjoyed and been so happy to have tasted.

We did settle on another wine after this, and I'll write about it. I wanted to share this with you all. Finding the 2004 bottle and thinking it was vintage, well it was something, but NOT vintage!

2008 Clos Du Bois North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon

"This is Julia Child, bon appetit", I immediately thought of that when I got home. The house had a great scent as soon as I pulled into the garage. When I went into the kitchen to investigate, Bid Daddy announced that he was making Beef Bourguignon. WOW!  That has to be not only a classic, but such a great dish that blends great flavors especially, since the weather here has been really chilly at night.  When you smell that beef cooking slowly with all great vegetables and herbs, you need a really nice wine that will bring it all together.

I selected the Clos Du Bois North Coast Cabernet. When I opened the bottle, still admittedly very distracted by the wonderful aromas of the kitchen, the wine gave you the fantastic vibrant blackberry, vanilla and roasted coffee.  The color is a deep, deep garnet, it picks up the light and creates a beautiful sparkle.

When I tasted the wine, the plum and mocha with a hint of clove spice leaves your mouth with a beautiful finish of cassis. This wine is really, really a great choice that I could see pairing with a nice red sauce meat pasta or so many other great dishes.

This wine really is tasty, the retail price is about $18.00

I'm telling you that this vino really made THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

Give it a go.I think this one will really put a smile on your face.  Well that's it for now, Big Daddy made an apple cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I believe that this last bit of vino will pair well with this dessert also!

2010 Central Coast Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, I have another wine which surprised me. First, I would have never even thought about trying let alone buying a wine by the name of "Cupcake", but I am glad that I did!  You know the old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover". One of the stores I frequent was having a sale and this was one of the wines that they had. So after reading the write up I made the purchase. 

I decided to give it a try on Friday night. After a long week, well it seemed long anyway, I opened it up and settled in for a relaxing evening. With Miss Ruby at my side on the couch in the den, we had decided that it would be a evening to watch some taped House Hunters International and wait for the arrival of Big Daddy.

When I opened the wine you could smell the great bouquet that accompanied this beautiful garnet color in the glass.  The smell of dark cherry and blackberry were just wonderful.  As I took my first sip, I was not disappointed. The same great smell carried over into the taste. The fruit flavors carried through as well as some cocoa and light oak. The fruit melts in your mouth and this vino has a great smooth finish.

Here are some notes from the winery I found online:

“The Cabernet Sauvignon was cool fermented with frequent pump-overs in the early stages of fermentation to extract the soft tannins and color during the aqueous phase. Then the grape skins were pressed before the fermentation reached dryness to maintain the wine’s lush tannin structure. The must was kept cool during fermentation to help create a slower fermentation and allowed the wine to retain more aromatic properties as well as complexity of flavor and body. The wine was then aged in premium American oak barrels – adding richness and complexity."

Here's the bottom line, this wine tastes great and tastes like a much more expensive one than it is. I can certainly tell you that I WILL be trying the other varieties that they make. SO get out and buy a few bottles and give them a try. I know I'm making my shopping list! 

So now I'm going to back to watch my House Hunters International program, where a family searches for a new home in Spain, it looks just wonderful. I know I should hope to visit there one day, so many great wines there as well.

Until I can give you my tasting notes from Spain, give this one a try as you won't be disappointed.
It retails for under $12.00 and is quite smartly priced. This vino definitely Made the Pig Jump Over the Moon!

Big Daddy will be home soon, once he has a taste, I'm sure we'll have a nice dinner built around this wine for sure!