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Reviews June 1, 2013

Ogier Clos de L’Oratoire Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, France.

Grapes 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault Facts It’s been a little-while since I last had/reviewed a bottle of CdP (what the cool kids call it…or at least…what I call it). Chateauneuf-du-Pape isn’t for everyone – its intensity and “tertiary” flavors certainly take some getting use to – but I’d probably put it up there as my overall all-time favorite French wine region. Seven generations of winegrowers have tended to the…

Reviews December 20, 2012

Domaine Juliette Avril, Cotes du Ventoux, France.

Grapes Grenache, Syrah, Carignan Facts If you’re looking to slowly step into France, but aren’t sure where to start, wines from Ventoux might be right up your alley! I speak to a great number of people who tell me that when they buy red wine from France, it’s always so earthy, tannic and dry. The bonus with wines from Ventoux is they tend to skew a little more juicy/jammy, certainly more than their neighboring…

Reviews July 26, 2012

Duel by Darioush, Napa, California.

Grapes 60% Cabernet, 40% Shiraz Facts I’d never seen this wine before, so I was over the moon when I received it as a gift on Tuesday! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Keep your friends close, and your wine-drinker friends closer!” The name Duel comes from the blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, and is illustrated on the front label by the dueling lion and bull. The idea is that the…

Reviews July 12, 2012

Barnard Griffin Syrah Port, Columbia Valley, Washington State.

Grapes 100% Syrah Facts I’ve had this bottle laying around my office for a few months now, and I finally decided (late last night) that it should probably get a review. Normally I wouldn’t review a “cold weather wine” such as the Barnard Griffin Syrah Port in the middle of summer, but I’ve always been of the opinion that fortified wines don’t get the recognition they deserve. Instead, they unfortunately seem to get pigeonholed…

Pairings April 25, 2012

Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape Paired with Pale Ale Beef Stew.

This isn’t exactly seasonally-inspired cuisine (since this is very much a winter-esque dish), but I’m not running a restaurant here, so get over it! :) Seriously though, a great amount of thought goes into these pairings (and indeed everything I put on this site). I want people to enjoy them, relate to them, read the whole-thing through to the end and possibly even make them in their in home. My rule-of-thumb is that if I…

Reviews February 24, 2012

Smokescreen Red Wine Blend, Napa Valley, 2008

Wine: Smokescreen (Red) Grapes: 72% Cabernet, 22% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot Place: Napa Valley, California Price: $24.99 available from Fiftyrow.com/SmokeScreen

Reviews February 19, 2012

Fiftyrow Spring Mountain Syrah, Napa Valley, California.

Grape 100% Syrah Facts There was such a huge amount of press over previous years on how Syrah was supposed to be “the next big thing”, and then more recently how that just never really panned out.Personally, I don’t see any need for people to wait around for a grape / wine to be named “so hot right now” before you give it your attention (i.e. hard earned $’s).Look at what happened to Malbec!…

Pairings, Recipes January 23, 2012

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Chops Paired with La Griveliere Cotes du Rhone 2010.

Ever since receiving a set of insanely expensive Laguiole steak knives for Christmas, I’ve been dying to test them out. Truth-be-told, when I unwrapped the small rectangler box on Dec 25th, my heart dropped into my shoes when I saw the Laguiole logo on the wooden case. For one second I thought the Mrs. had dropped $100+ on a Laguiole wine opener. I don’t by any means want to sound ungrateful, it’s not that I…

Reviews January 12, 2012

The Wolftrap by Boekenhoutskloof, South Africa 2010.

Grape Syrah 65%, Mourvedre 32%, Viognier 3% – often referred to as a “Rhone-blend”. Facts Boekenhoutskloof, pronounced book-n-howeds-kloof, has always been one of my favorite wineries to say! Established in 1776, Boekenhoutskloof means "ravine of the Boekenhout". A Boekenhout is an indigenous South African tree generally prized for furniture making. Syrah brings the power, spice and dark fruit, Mourvedre brings red fruit and earthy notes, and Viognier (white grape) mellows the wine out and…

Reviews December 17, 2011

Perrin & Fils “Les Sinards”Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France, 2007

Grape 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre Facts I do have to say, I’ve always had an affinity for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, even before I started really getting into wine. Maybe it’s because, for some reason, I deemed it to be my first “serious” bottle of vino. I’ve always thought of Chateauneuf to be almost stuck in time. Whereas most other wine regions of the world have seen at least a partial amount of modernization;…

Reviews November 25, 2011

The Police “Synchronicity” Red Wine Blend, Mendocino, California.

Grapes Carignane, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache and Viognier (probably in that order, %’s unknown). The term “Synchronicity” refers to a “meaningful mix of seemingly unrelated events resulting in a significant sum”, which was the inspiration for this red wine blend of grapes which aren’t commonly seen together. Facts Quite unbelievably, Sting is actually hand-harvesting all the grapes himself from this “Synchronicity-blend”. He also serves as winemaker; and can regularly be seen in the…

Reviews November 15, 2011

Domaine Carobelle Gigondas 2009

Grapes 80% Grenache 15% Syrah 5% Cinsault Facts I have a special little place in my heart for Gigondas, it was one of the first bottles that really got me into the world of wine. The name Gigondas [jhee-gon-dahs] comes from the Latin Jocunditas meaning “great pleasure”, as the region was home to many Roman Legions as an area of recreation. Grenache is always the main grape in red Gigondas, and is not permitted…