2011 Moobuzz Pinot Noir Monterey

Thursday as I walked from the garage to into the house I smelled the most amazing aroma filling the air. As I approached the kitchen, lifted the lid of the slow cooker, there it was, Beef Bourguignon. One the best dishes for an evening dinner that was ever invented.  Now the wonderful dish contains a beef roast, red wine, carrots, onions, mushroom and potatoes that all cook slowly for hours resulting in one of the most delicious meals in the world. Served with a warm baguette straight out of the oven and a very healthy amount of butter and you have quite the dinner.  As you've read, Big Daddy knows his way around the kitchen and we always have plenty. So when I decided on a wine I wanted something that complimented the meal, and would not be too heavy. So I pulled out a bottle of Pinot, it had been sent to me by the great folks at TOG Wines. Moobuzz, a 2011 Pinot from Monterey. The bottle has this really wonderful closure, the "ZORK", a revolutionary new wine closure with the convenience of screw cap and the celebration of cork. ZORK is, easy to remove by hand, simple to reseal and is completely recyclable.

When I opened the bottle and poured it into the glass the aromas of wild cherry, caramel, and fresh strawberry jump from the glass. The color of the wine in the glass was amazing as well.  The deep garnet color was so jewel like.  Deep ruby and as it swirled against the side of the glass, it gently rolled back like a wave on the beach. My first sip was of some wonderful cherry,  dried cranberry, and strawberry as well as savory notes of berries and a slight hint of french oak.

Here are some notes from the winery:
"Our 2011 vintage Monterey Pinot Noir comes from a large vineyards in San Bernabe. The 2011 harvest was a long cool season. This allowed the Pinot Noir to stay on the vine longer than normal and allowed this cool climate varietal to ripen over a long time. The result is a balanced, bright cherry inflected fruit with nice acidity and round tannins. We blended in a touch of Sangiovese to add some fleshy fruit to this blend as well as a touch of Tempranillo and Syrah for color and depth. This blend has firm acidity and rich notes of French oak. Enjoy!"

This wine was so tasty, I can't wait to serve it at Thanksgiving!  This wine is a real winner. Not only affordable at $16.00,  an OUTSTANDING stand alone in the Pinot category. Great job TOG, keep up the great work! Pick up a few bottles today and celebrate the holiday...or just celebrate this fine Pinot with a wonderful dinner.

This wine definitely made THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

2009 MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

So I write this the day after a spectacular dinner party at our home. Now that the holidays drawer closer, it's great to have a few friends by to relax and enjoy some great talk, great food and great wine!

Our dinner party was small just 6 of us, Big Daddy though cooked like 12 were coming! Everybody could not believe the starters that were produced before dinner! Too many to list, but after a bit of a rest, the main dish was brought out, one of my favorites, Chicken Picatta. It was served with a lovely green salad (Thank you Alsion & Mike)  some extra creamy whipped potatoes, asparagus, brussel spouts and crusty rustic bread. So great on chilly fall evening. The wine I chose was new to me. I had just seen a program on the Mac Murray Winery located in the Russian River valley. One of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL places in the world. Big Daddy and I have spent many a vacation in the area enjoying all it has to offer. We've visted several wineries, but not this one. It has an interesting background. Here is some of the info about the winery:

"At MacMurray Ranch, our wines reflect our passion for the special places that give us extraordinary grapes. Beginning with our home vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley, we select grapes from the premier vineyards of Sonoma County, the Central Coast and Willamette Valley to craft exquisite Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

Our roots in the Russian River Valley run deep. In fact, our majestic ranch has been a homestead since the 1850s. Our modern history began when actor Fred MacMurray bought the ranch in 1941 and began raising cattle here. Today, Fred's daughter, Kate MacMurray, is intimately involved with MacMurray Ranch, helping us share the incredible story of our world-class wines."

When I opened the bottle the aroma just begged to be released! It has a really great vanilla aroma along with orange blossoms, spring flowers, honeysuckle and white peaches As I poured the wine into the glass and swirled it around, the beautiful light amber color really caught the light. As I tasted my first sip, you could taste the hints of vanilla right away. Then the sweet taste of caramel, and lemon cream. Great finish that really was so refreshing. Not abrupt, nice and smooth.

This is a great wine and it has a really great price too. Retails for about $20.00, however, in my research found it for about $14.00 at some stores. This is a great chardonnay that has rated up to 90 points in some circles.

So get a bottle or two and try it yourself. This vino definitely made THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

2011 Leese - Fitch Pinot Noir

Well it's been a while since I posted a review. Well things been a little bit on the crazy side. It's Sunday and dinner is being created in the kitchen as I write this. Big Daddy is making a nice "big and hearty" meal. which could mean that after eating and cleaning up the kitchen, sitting down on the couch in the den and relaxing to the point of "nodding off" or as my grandmother would "just resting my eyes, dear".

A few weeks ago the great people at The Other Guys Winery send me a few bottles to sample. This is one of them. The TOG brand as I 've told you in the past, is not only and excellent wine, it is an excellent value! The closure in lieu of the conventional cork top. Amazing engineering used so that if you should have any left over (never a problem here at home) the closure will work great!

The Pinot has a fantastic deep dark cranberry in color, it has a boasts aromas of wild strawberry,  plum, caramel, sage, and a hint of  Oak. Your first sip shows flavors of  tart red raspberry,  cranberry, cinnamon spice, and sweet earth and finish. 
 
Here are some notes from the winery: "This blend shows the cool climate of the 2011 vintage. The cool climate leads for a longer hang time on the vine and more expressive flavors. The acid is integrated for good structure and the wine is vibrant and palate cleansing. We captured this vibrancy in our Pinot Noir from appellations like Monterey, Clarksburg, Mendocino, Northern Interior Valley, and Santa Barbara. Some of our Pinot Noir came in very light in color and structure, so we realized that we needed to add some other varietals for a little more depth the overall blend. As we assemble this blend, we added Syrah, Grenache, and Barbera from Lodi and the Sierra Foothills to add complexity and balance to the blend. The sum of the parts is a delicious glass of Pinot Noir that can fit the mood of any occasion.

This crowd pleasing Pinot Noir blend would pair wonderfully with an assortment of hard cheeses and dried fruit, turkey burgers topped with Colby Jack cheese and a roasted red pepper aioli, or any kind of pasta with your favorite marinara sauce."

This wine is a great taste and the blending of the varietals is done masterfully. Once you have your first sip, you anticipate the next! The longer this vino swirls around in your glass,the more it opens and reveals the more intense flavors of the wild strawberry and plum. The sweet caramel too makes your mouth just feel happy!

Well, the TOG Winery has done it again and I am happy that they have. The wine retails for about $12.00 and I'm telling you, once you taste it, you'll discover that this Pinot has it all. Wonderful color, spectacular aroma and a taste that would rival a much more expensive bottle of wine.

The wine definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!

Enjoy some and tell me what you think.

2010 Rodney Strong Cabernet Alexander Valley

Well on Saturday Big Daddy felt that he needed to some red meat in his diet. So much so, he brought home some what looked like brontosaurus T-bone steaks. Not kidding!  These could have fed 8 people. I had to ask what they were because at first, I thought we were having pot roast! He assured me that they were in fact T-bones and that I was just use to having a petite filet. He is correct on that. I really enjoy a filet, just love them so much! At any rate, he fired up the grill and the sizzle was soon heard in the den where I sat enjoying a glass of 2010 Rodney Strong Cabernet Alexander Valley.

Now I need to preface this with you knowing that Rodney Strong sent this to me to try. Now, I either like a wine or I don't. If you read my past post on a Chardonnay from them, I didn't like it. All that being said, on to my review.  When I opened the bottle the aroma was fantastic. Very rich in spice scents and fruit aromas. When I tasted the first sip, plum, boysenberry just a hint of vanilla. The finish was very interesting. It had some smooth tannins and earthy taste. It was really, really nice!

Now as we we enjoyed the meal, the wine was a great compliment, so this is perfect with a grilled steak. Hearty meal, hearty wine, great combo.

Miss Ruby, our Norwich Terrier sat between the two of us, not knowing which one of us to watch, just hoping for a piece of the brontosaurus T-bone steak. Which in the end, she was lucky enough to have a piece of. She however, did not get a taste of the wine. I decided after having it with the meal, I wasn't sharing any of it! 

This wine definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON! 

2010 Coppola Rosso

Last night, Friday, we had a real treat, Deep Dish Pizza from Tony's Little Italy. As a pizza snob, yes I am a pizza snob, and I feel that I have the right to be since I was born and raised in Chicago, where some of the best pizza was ever invented comes from! Not kidding...actual fights have broken out in my family regarding which pizza is the best! I'm telling you though, if you want to have some truly unbelievable pie, go to Tony's Little Italy. It's located in Placentia, plan of waiting about 45 minutes to an hour for it. If you go there, relax and have a beer.I like to order it and then pick it up. Although, driving the 20 minutes back to the house is pure torture. Thisis thick pizza, it needs a fork and knife, so if you tried to eat it not on a plate, you would suffer some pretty nasty burns. That is why I place the pizza in the back seat area as to not tempt me to have a piece, have an accident and become was a termed as a "Sig-Alert here in California.

So on to the wine. I opened a bottle of Coppola Rosso which is a great red wine that goes great with a pizza and salad dinner. I'm a great fan of Coppola Wines. Great vino. So opening the wine, you can really smell the sweet aroma of fruit and vanilla. The wine has a great jammy strawberry, with hints of plum, some spice, and boysenberry. It is a great wine that as you have your pizza, you can really taste the fruit and spice with each sip...so GREAT!

Here are some notes from the winery:
"Rosso is made from a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from climatically diverse growing regions across California. This helps us achieve more complexity and intriguing nuances. Lodi fruit in particular benefits from temperature differentials where extremely warm daytime weather is offset by cool afternoon breezes from the San Joaquin Delta.

The supple texture and rich, juicy flavors of plum, cherries, mocha, and strawberry jam make this wine a perfect accompaniment to almost any meal."

This is a great wine for about $10.00 and it is perfect for you pizza.  Our friend, Mary came by to visit last night, and she agreed, a great vino for the pizza! This wine made the PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!  So enjoy this the next time you have some pie, and if you are close to Tony's Little Italy, treat yourself! You won't be disappointed by the pizza and certainly not by the wine!

2010 Corazon De Plata - Malbec Merlot

As I've mentioned in a few of my past posts,  fall arrived and I always enjoy the cooler weather and the opportunity to have a nice wine that helps you "warm up". You know, it's much nicer to have a pair of comfortable sweat pants, sweatshirt and either a book or magazine and relax with a great wine. Well last night was just that night.

Big Daddy made the announcement when he got home from work that we would be having a Tri Tip, would be seasoned with some Montreal Steak Seasoning and then grilled. Served with some mushrooms in red wine sauce (of which I did sacrifice some of my vino...such a good move on my part). Also some roasted cauliflower and mashed potatoes. You can only imagine how wonderful all of that tasted...yes, it was an awesome Saturday night dinner!

And Mike when you read this, that meat was so goooood. You know, real goooood!

So when I knew what we were having, I selected the Corazon De Plata - Malbec Merlot. This wine after I poured it into the glass and saw that deep dark ruby color, that had a wonderful aroma that gave you the scent of plums and ripe fruit, and a hint of spice. After tasting my first mouthful, it was bold. Great fruit flavors, plum, hints of cherry, a nice spicy and earthy finish.  Each time I took another sip, it just tasted more wonderful!

The winery is located in Argentina, other tan that, there is not much information! Estate grown in the Tulum Valley is about all I found online about it.

So the bottom line is, this wine was GREAT! Absolutely a great vino! Corazon De Plata Malbec Merlot retails for an amazing $12.99!  So get a bottle or two,or a case! This vino, MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON!



Lovely and refined, the playful '10 Corazon de Plata Malbec/Merlot shows up with plenty of ripe fruit flavors that simply dance on the palate; yummy stuff.

2010 -14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon

Recently after reading an article about the wineries in Washington State, I decided that I should try a couple of them. I like to support wineries. ALL wineries! I wouldn't be writing this blog if I didn't! The article mentioned quite a few of them, but I decided that one in particular, looked really interesting, 14 Hands. So after reading the article I checked their website, and here are a few things out:

"The inspiration for 14 Hands wine recalls when wild mustangs once freely roamed the hills of eastern Washington State. These small horses, measuring a scant 14 hands high - a “hand” being equivalent to a man’s palm width and how horses were measured then - would travel down from the hills every day to drink from the mighty Columbia River and graze upon the luscious waist high grasses along the riverbank, and then retreat back up into the hills to cool off at night. Strong and tenacious, these little horses became known for their endurance and were revered around the world.

This unique and beautiful landscape that gave these unbridled horses their spirit and tenacity now feeds our vines. With loamy-sand and gravel soils, these hills require a strong and determined grapevine, and our 14 Hands vines revel in this unique and world class terroir. With the fruit from these tenacious vines, 14 Hands wines are handcrafted into big, bold, juicy fruit forward reds and crisp, fruit forward white wines that are laced with the unbridled spirit and legend of the region." And you what, they are RIGHT ON!

The wine heralds from the Columbia Valley and when I opened the bottle and poured it into the glass, it gave to me, a tremendous aroma of red currants and raspberries with subtle hints of spice. Nice dark color. A really dark, dark ruby red. Very earthy nose initially, then some berries come through. First sip is quite pleasant. It starts out fruity, then transitions nicely to an almost smoky taste in the mid palate. The finish is smooth. As time went on, this wine opens up really nice. I have to tell you, with the fall season now upon us, a great cabernet makes the evening just that much better! So add this one to your collection to have on hand. When you serve it, be ready to answer ALL the questions about it too. Everybody is going to say, "this is so nice, what is it?" Then use that special little, I knew it smile, and give them the spiel!

With this rich flavor, pair it with a nice Bruschetta. Now for those of you who have been to our home, Big Daddy makes a GREAT one that has very addictive qualities as well. Make some yourself and see, here is the link: http://bigdaddyscookingtonight.blogspot.com 

You could also have a great Eggplant Parmesan or a nice Italian American Meatloaf dish with this wine as well.

This wine definitely MADE THE PIG JUMP OVER THE MOON! For about $11.00 a bottle well worth it to buy a few. Enjoy this vino, it's fall and it is enjoyable!