Wine review: Terlato 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley

In case you have not heard the 2007 vintage of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons has produced wines of stellar quality. The weather offered perfect growing conditions ,all over the state of California, but especially in Napa Valley. Mild summer, with few heat spikes, and cool evenings. The wines are balanced yet voluptuous with good tannic structure, lower than usual alcohol levels, and decent acidity levels. The Brix Chicks got lucky and were able to taste a luscious bottle of Cab from Terlato Family Vineyards (given to us as a sample.) Here are our thoughts:

2007 Terlato Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley, 14.2% alcohol, cork enclosure.

Dark garnet almost purple core with a clear rim. The nose tempts with aromas of berry, brown sugar, cigar box, steak sauce, sage and eucolyptus. The voluptuous mouthfeel is flavored with vanilla, berries and cassis. I love the balance of this wine and it has just enough fruit. Defintely not a fruit bomb or an oak bomb (thank God.) And the linger fills your palate with chocolate and berry. Have it with food or don't. As honorary Brix Chick Marina stated: "I can sip it without feeling like I need food with it." But I have to say that it is a natural chocolate wine and we enjoyed it with a flourless chocolate cake. As Liza said, this wine is jailbait! It is lucsious and makes you want more. If you have a codependent type of personality you may not want to drink this as you may become addicted. Just sayin'!

Wine Animals

I am totally guilty of buying wines whose labels display cute animals, especially dogs. There was the Papillon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that Trader Joe's used to sell whose label was adorned with the cutest brown and white Papillon. And I could not resist "Pug Wine" Pinot Noirs from Sonoma County. But I am now tasting a whole new world of wines with new animal mascots.





#1: Mosel Riesling Qualitatswein 2009 Zeller Schwarze Katz
This is the "Black Cat" wine they sell at Cost Plus World Market, and just in time for Halloween. Before I review this wine I must admit that I know very little about German Rieslings and cannot decipher the German label. All I know is that the vintage is 2009 and that it comes from the Mosel region. But I am not gonna let that stop me so here is the review: Light gold in the glass with some effervescence. The palate is medium-sweet with high acidity. Nose is green apple (not cat piss hahaha!) with some yeasty and minerally notes. Is it good for a German Riesling? I don't know. I don't drink them but I think this wine is well-made for $10 and I certainly did not spit it. If you like sweetish, light, fruity whites then I would say go for it. The Black Cat would be a great match for spicy Thai curries. Plus the sleek feline-shaped bottle will one day make a lovely vase. Meooooowwwww...




Wine #2 - The Wild Duck
2008 Canard Sauvage Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Trader Joe's has done it again. A delicious $10 Zinfandel.

I see a gorgeous dark purple core with a magenta rim. I smell muddled black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries with a whiff of black cherry liquer. The palate is medium-bodied, with low tannins, and a blackberry linger on the palate.

Unfortunately the 2008 vintage is gone. The palate was more complex than the younger 2009. It also had higher alcohol (15.5%) making it hot, hot, hot. The 2009 alcohol content is a little lower at 14.5% and the palate is younger but the nose is very similar to the 2008.

The winery actually bills this wine as "better than most at this price point" and I am not about to argue with that. Try the 2009. I think you will pleasantly surprised.




Wine #3: And the winning animal is:
2006 Running Tiger Syrah

Okay, this is not a $10 bottle of wine you will find at the Supermarket(it is $32.) This wine is sold in fine restaurants and wine shops all over California. I first tried this Syrah at a winemaker dinner at Pican restaurant in Oakland, CA. where they specialize in Southern cooking and BBQ.

Running Tiger Syrah is made by vintner Daniel Bryant who specializes in Syrah and he has made a 2004 and 2006 bottling. The fruit for each vintage is from Dry Creek Valley. We tried the 2006 vintage and it was as sleek, unique and as graceful as a tiger.

Daniel describes his wine as a "bite of plum, hint of vanilla, a sip of smoke and pinch of white pepper." I also detected a nice mocha note and this rich Syrah is defintely a wine to pair with bbq.

Visit their website at www.runningtigerswine.com.


Winemaker Daniel Bryant


So tell me, what is your favorite wine animal?

Rave Wine and Food Pairing of the Month - Octopus and Vermentino!

Who does not love a good deal especially in the world of fine dining?  The Brixchicks certainly do (especially when one of them is unemployed!)  So when BrixChick Liza found a $45 prix fixe menu featuring Sardinian cuisine at San Francisco's Jardiniere we jumped on it.  Three courses including wine for $45 on a Monday night at a well-known SF resto.  SCORE! 

 

Being a lover of seafood there was one course that really stood out to me which was the Octopus Salad paired with a Vermentino from Sardinia.  Here are the details:

 

The Wine - 2008 Canayli Vermentino di  Gallura Superiore DOCG Sardinia

Vermentino is the most widely-grown white grape on the Italian island of Sardinia.  This wine is a medium straw color.  There are aromas of orange blossom, herbs, coconut and green pepper.  The thing about this dry white wine is that it is acidic yet it has a smooth texture on the palate.  It totally gratified my discerning palate that is not usually so gratified by dry white wines!

 

 

The Food - Salad of Octopus with potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs on a pool of aioli

If you have never eaten octopus because you are afraid it may be chewy and tough, perish the thought!  Octopus is tender and mild and delicious.  In this particular salad the glistening chunks of octopus swim in a pool of garlic aioli with acidic tomatoes and supple pieces of potatoes all sprinkled with oregano and thyme. 

 

 Together the wine and octopus become a symphony of smooth and acidic flavors complementing one another.  It was heavenly.

 

And yes, the rest of the prix fixe was fantastic which included roasted pork, pork belly terrine and fennel salad which was expertly paired with a Sicilian Nero D'Avola.  Dessert was Semolina Cake with bruleed figs accompanied by a Late harvest Moscato from Napa.  If you are are in search of a new yet inexpensive dining adventure on a Monday night go to www.jardiniere.com to make a reservation.