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!

2010 Lamadrid Reserva Malbec

Finally, a moment to myself. Since my last posting, I survived the Christmas and New Years holidays relatively unscathed. Shortly after the new year, Big Daddy and I fled the country for a much needed vacation. Off to Costa Rica we went and enjoyed the warmth of the sun, the beautiful beaches and our own private piece of paradise that always recharges the batteries of life.

I arrived home and had started on my "project list". It keeps me busy especially since Big Daddy stayed down in Costa Rica for another 10 days!  We have been using Skype to chat, although Miss Ruby will have nothing to do with that technology.  So on Sunday, I decided that I was going to try this Malbec while relaxing in the den, reviewing the newspaper. So I opened it and poured some of it into the glass.

The color is really amazing full ruby red. The immediate aroma is spicy, with a hint of licorice and blackberry. When you taste the Lamadrid, you can taste the blackberry, then some chocolate, more of a bitter chocolate and then a spicy finish. Really, really, really a nice vino! Now as far as pairing it, I would suggest with a nice piece of beef or steak or even ribs! Big Daddy wasn't there to taste the wine and make suggestions, nor was he "cooking tonight". I did enjoy it though, each sip really had a nice deep texture and crisp finish.

The Lamadrid Reserva Malbec has been getting some really high marks also, so just checkout what others are saying.

Here is some history about the winery:

"The Lamadrid winery is owned by Guillermo García Lamadrid, and the manager and winemaker is Héctor Durigutti. Lamadrid owns three vineyards in Agrelo: Finca La Matilde (planted 1929), Finca Lamadrid (planted 1973), and Finca La Suiza (planted 2004). Each wine comes from one of these Agrelo single vineyards and only indigenous yeasts are used, with no fining or filtration The winery combines a unique mix of traditional and cutting-edge winemaking.

The district of Agrelo, in the department of Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, is called “the land of the Malbec.” This is one of the oldest and most premier growing regions in Argentina. Lamadrid strives to represent the best expression of the beautiful terroir of Agrelo. In each bottle of Lamadrid we open a door and discover a world of unique experiences and sensations.”

 

I am looking forward to trying the other varieties as well, because this one is certainly a winner! This vino retails for about $16.00 and definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

2009 Opolo Summit Creek Zinfandel

So nice isn't it when you sit down in your favorite chair, recliner or curl up on the sofa and decide that you are going to relax. Now relaxing to each person is so different isn't it. Some people like to turn on the television. Some people like to read a book or page through a magazine. What ever you do to relax, I say good for you.  For this personal session of relaxation I chose the couch, a wonderful wool and mohair blanket from Ireland (Thank you Miss Lynn) and a stack of catalogs that we received in the mail. You know how right before the holidays you receive TONS of them. Houseware stores, clothing retailers, specialty food houses and so on! Well, I piled them up on the table to my left, put the leaf up on the side table, and brought in some cheese and a fresh baguette and a bottle of vino. I selected the 2009 Opolo Summit Creek Zinfandel.

When I opened it the fruit smell was very distinct. Black cherry and some hints of Raspberry. The color is dark, dark garnet. As you swirl the glass, the wine clings to the glass, then gently slides back down. The taste is the same as the bouquet, but the subtle spice and pepper is compliment the soft tannins.
So very, very tasty! 

So as I checked out the catalogs, marking various pages as possible treasures that might need to be purchased, I kept drinking the Opolo Zinfandel and thought what a great vino!  I mean it really was fantastic!
The bread and cheese went great as would a great dish like Big Daddy's Sweet and Sour Meatballs. A great dish for appetizers with some crusty bread...YUM!

While you are out shopping around, pick up a bottle or two. You'll love the taste of this Zinfandel from Paso Robles. This one will age really well also. I have another one in our wine rack and will do another taste test later in 2013.

Do you think it's too obvouis to put a note with each of the pages with the folded back corners, as a hint of a few things that I would like? 

For about $14.00, this vino definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

Really? 2013 is almost here...

Well, I've had notes written down about several wines I 've tasted, just have not had time to put them here on the blog! Yes, it is the holiday season! That non stop express train that starts right before Thanksgiving, and keeps flying down the tracks until New Years Day!  At our house, I know we're in the finality of the season when I'm on the roof.  As I climb the ladder, start to detach the Christmas lights from the eaves and reflect back at how fast yet another year went by.

When up there on the roof, you have a fantastic view. Gives you the time to reflect and think too. When it's sunny and clear you can see the snow capped mountains in the distance. If you climb up at night, a great view of the Disneyland fireworks! While it's not quite time to take down the decorations, it will be soon enough, like in the blink of an eye.

One thing that I know I am really thankful for is my partner. While driving me crazy, being so creative it takes me to the edge of my understanding, he is a fantastic person. Truly special. Also, so very lucky and blessed to have a mom that is more like a friend. She also loves her "grand dog", Miss Ruby and comes by most everyday to take her for a walk and generally spoil her with tons of affection and love.

Of course, all of our friends. They are all more like family then anything else. You all know who you are! How wonderful that we've shared some great dinners, great parties, great adventures here and in Costa Rica. Memories that just add to the already fantastic memories for years earlier. It's really a funny thing about the group of friends that all hang together, so diverse, yet so much fun to be with. A recap of the all the various trips and celebrations makes me smile...all I can say is thanks, such great people and such great memories.

Looking forward to writing about more wine and stories in the coming year. More adventures, more wine and more fun! 

So warm wishes to everyone! Have a Happy Christmas and a truly Spectacular New Year!

All my best, and watch for more exciting news from The Pig Jumped Over the Moon!