It’s only Rock ‘n’ Rhone but I like it…

Apparently the secret to perfect Michelin starred restaurant mash potatoes is equal parts potato to butter and that’s the formula I followed last night.

But mash is not what this blog post is about (nor the roast chicken that accompanied it)…the back of Barrel 27‘s bottle says “Each bottle of this wine represents a dream realized by three friends.”  I first came across this winery about five years ago, they must have just started.  Some friends of mine (Cielo & Erin) had gone to university with them up in SLO and kindly gave me a bottle.  I packed it back to London and opened it with some sommelier people…and remember we all enjoyed it.

So, upon my permanent return Stateside I was very pleased to see Barrel 27 at my local bottle shop (The Winehound) …and last night decided their Grenache would go well with my 3 pounds of butter added mash. (It did!)

2008 Barrel 27 'Rock and a Hard Place' Grenache

Here’s a tasting note:
2008 Barrel 27 Santa Barbara County
Rock and a Hard Place
Grenache, 15.6%

Crisp and juicy with the ripest of berries.
A little bit of sherbert too.
An easy drinker, the wine quenches your taste buds.
After a little bit of time the wine changed completely.
Dark licorice and a more broody character all together.

(tried the last dredge the next morning, still really bright and crisp…decided to add two years to ageability, due to the crisp acidity.)

BTW very well balanced at 15.6%…

Drink now until 2016 — I paid $17.99

A very enjoyable wine indeed, most especially at that price point, very happy with the purchase and will buy it again.

The Wine Train #2

I don’t see myself ever buying a bottle of Robert Mondavi’s Woodbridge 2010 Chardonnaybut when it’s handed to me as a complimentary bottle on a train ride…WHY NOT?

2011 Woodbridge Chardonnay

Surprisingly, in fact VERY SURPRISINGLY, this little bottle is perfect for just whetting my appetite for dinner tonight.  Distinct lemon on the nose and crisp apple on the palate I am slightly amused at how drinkable this wine actually is…

My view from the train...not the brightest day but beats looking on to Crawley!!

I don’t know the price but I’m looking at the slightly confusing food and drink menu… I think it’s between $6.50 and $8.00

I leave you with this iPhone shot of Rincon…it’s a famous beach and you should know about it.

About as flat as Rincon gets...

Wine to rough it with

Destination Sequoia.

As excited as I was to see the land of the tree giants I was equally as excited to to try a couple of wines I’d been holding on to…

Tin Barn Vineyards, a winery up in Sonoma, was kind enough to send me a bottle of their 2006 Coryelle Fields Vineyard Syrah.  The grapes are sourced from a vineyard near Jenner – I have yet to go there but from what I hear the vineyard is up a dirt track and planted on a fairly element exposed spot. Sounds great to me!

Tin Barn Syrah 2006 Coryelle Fields Vineyard

As for the Syrah the nose is full of dark berry fruit and spice but where this wine excels is its take on earthy Rhône.  We’re not talking dank Gigondas here, but for something out of California there is a lot of earthiness, soil even, and plenty of smokey savoury bacon, flavors.  Basically, a perfect wine for sitting around a campfire.

Tin Barn Syrah is available at the winery for $25 or you can go order it off their site

Giant Sequoia

Mini Clubman in a Sequoia

Another wine that made the trek northward was a very fine bottle of 2007 Rey Syrah.  Rey is the second label of the garagiste duo Chris and Deanna King.  They make their wine up in Lompoc under their main nomenclature De Su Propia Cosecha.

2007 Rey Syrah - Great with steak

Rey has mostly Syrah in it but there’s a bit of Grenache and even less Cab.  Immediately on the nose you get hit of fresh bluberries as well as fresh aniseed and licorice.  The palate is crunchy with just enough tannin to roughin’ up your inner cheek.  This wine is very nice and very affordable at only $19.

2007 Rey Syrah

If you live in SB I believe Winehound carries it, if not they can probably get it for you. It’s worth a note too that DSP has just been awarded 92 points for both their Grenache blend and Roussanne…worthy of a look.

A meadow near "End of the Road" in the Kings Canyon

As for Sequioa, even with spending a week there, we only touched the surface as it were.  We will definitely be going back again soon.

Adieu for now.

Vindictive ***hole? No, it’s Volatile Acidity! please vote

Partly due to this article http://huff.to/jKqGDN that rubbed me the wrong way and partly due to a wine I cracked open last night…I would like to know your thoughts on Volatile Acidity….the notorious VA!

This is your brain on Ethyl Acetate

I am a fan.  This is mostly influenced by the winemaker guy, Gavin Crisfield, I worked  for  in the Languedoc.  Gavin really likes VA and played the winemaker’s equivalent of Russian roulette by intentionally oxidizing his wines, mostly in the form of long barrel aging.

But faithful readers…what are your thoughts?

Would you be so kind as to vote below…merci.

Crisp white is the only way.

In regards to white wine, I like them cold, I like them to be white, but most importantly I like my whites to be CRISP!

There was a time that I could enjoy a non-acid-searing white wine, but those days have long gone…

This disdain, avoidance, dislike, of whites, mostly of the Southern French variety, didn’t come to me in the middle of the night as a message from God but rather was a sort of pebble in the shoe for a while.  What I blame most is my lengthy time spent in the Languedoc, surrounded by fat whites, no acidity and an overall blah taste in my mouth.

This is why I stir clear of most Rhone white varieties, why I will always drink dry Riesling, certain Grüners, some Chardonnays, and most if not all Colombards from SW France.

I like crisp!

Recently, when I was generously handed a bottle of Vionier from Sashi Moorman, I was of course skeptical, would this bottle from Lompoc be the saving grace?

I first met Sashi about eight years ago. I was a pretentious, know-it-all, sommelier, visiting from the UK;  Sashi was a young ambitious winemaker, gaining respect in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Much has changed since then…now, Sashi’s main job (he’s got like twelve) is head guy at Evening Land Vineyards.  He also owns his own label Piedrasassi and the second label from that New Vineland.
Myself, I am no longer a sommelier.

2008 New Vineland Viognier matched great with Trader Joe's goodies.

I mentally committed to try the wine, so I thought why not put it through a small test of matching to culinary delights! I went to the local Commerçant Joe and purchased a variety of cheeses and cured things.  I only mention this because there is  a cheese there that you must try…it’s called Delice de Bourgogne Double Cream (I think it was $6-8)…well I could have had that cheese and this wine all night long!! Suffice to say the wine was very impressive and stood up to the pairings.  The cheese has been locked away to save my waist line.

Don’t forget white and cheese is sometimes better than red.

As for the wine, here’s the note:

2008 New Vineland Viognier, Santa Barbara County, $22.00

On the nose was lots of citrus, especially tangerine and peach.
The palate I particularly enjoyed, there was quite a lot of quenching fruit, but also fresh almonds and best of all distinct minerality –  like a freshly cut slab of wet granite…loved it!

As Viogniers go, I actually did enjoy this guy.

Piedrasassi’s tasting room is located within the Wine Ghetto in Lompoc. Sashi’s wife Melissa can usually be found there.

They are open from Noon-5pm Friday to Sunday
And you can call them for an appointment on other days

1501 E. Chestnut Ave.
Lompoc, CA
805-736-6784

www.newvineland.com

@newvineland

Oh and a little tidbit for you… New Vineland was going to be the name of Lompoc but for some reason Lompoc (which is Chumash for stagnant waters or lagoon) was already chosen.

I seem to write about Pinot a lot, even though it’s not my fav grape

The story of Sanford Winery isn’t a happy one, but a story nonetheless told time and time again through the history of wine.  Sanford was one of the top Pinot Noir producers in Santa Barbara for much of the late 80’s and 90’s.  Richard Sanford set up the organic vineyard and to cut a long story short….the place ended up going to the man.

However, all is not lost – because the vineyards are still in operation and the grapes bought by the very famous winery Au Bon Climat, (aka ABC).

Au Bon Climat (ABC) Pinot Noir

I tried the ABC Sanford & Benedict recently and was quickly reminded of how good the Pinot in Santa Barbara is, especially from the popular Santa Rita Hills…although it still has some time there is lots of cherry, some herbs and a savoury, velvet-like palate. The wine does come at a price though, averaging about £25.  Find it though, and you should be happy.  Here are some agents that sell it online, found them on wine-searcher.com also Berry Bros sells a lot of the ABC range.

Wet, hot and…for your face?

I was lucky enough to be invited to Benares earlier this week, as a guest of Lenz Moser the Austrian winemaker via Bibendum Wines.

Amazing restaurant and the wines were quite spectacular too.

But what impressed us diners most was not the splendid delicacies of each course nor the 1970 Prinz von Hessen Winkeler Riesling, no what impressed the table to a near silence were the…face towels??

Check the video to see what I mean.

Rhone Gang – making wines you can’t refuse

Have you heard of the Rhône Gang? No? It’s probably because they are still underground, peddling their wares to mob bosses across the land.  Or most-likely because they are just recently being launched in the UK.
I ran into them two years ago at Vinisud.  Then, they were talented, Rhône winemakers trying to promote themselves en force, only at the begining of their underworld rulings.

The Rhone Gang - during their more innocent times

Now, things have changed. Individually, the wines are still excellent and have been recognised by some very influential wine writers on both sides of the pond.  But even better, and what sets them apart from other winery alliances (the Douro Boys for instance) is the Rhône Gang are making wine under their own Rhône Gang label, and it’s good.  Recently, Jason Haynes of Flint Wines (the Gang’s UK affiliation), made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, to come and try the wines, reviews are below.

During their un-steady younger years. Sadly, Pencil-head Eddie (on the far left) died tragically in a hose-pipe incident

I’ve also heard on good authority, that  Wanted 2006 is one of the most popular wines at the newly opened Galvin La Chapelle and that no strong arm tactics were used to get it a listing.

With this combination of good wine, creative labels and quirky website, the Rhône Gang is destined to be a hit in the next decade.

The Gangsters are comprised of the wineries – Avitus, Ch de Montfaucon, Ch Pesquié and Ch de St Cosme

Hold Up 2007

The Rhône Gang £9.95  Pinot Noir/Grenache Flint Wines –  0207 582 2500 www.flintwines.com

WTF. A Pinot/Grenache (70/30) blend from the Rhône?!?! Something we might see from Australia but France…JAMAIS!!

This wine throws away all those ‘France can’t compete with new world innovation’ accusations out with the spit-bucket. Pinot is sourced from Burgundy and Grenache from S.Rhône, as most of you might know, two completely separate areas on the French wine map. Sure we see Shiraz-Cabernet blends from Australia and there are Pinot blends from Chile.  In France, it’s sacrilege to openly blend wine with that from other regions (I say openly, because lots of wineries do it illegaly).

Fragrant, savoury, cherry (Pinot) nose and juicy red berry (Grenache) on the palate, backed by soft tannins. A very nice, every day drinking wine.

Wanted 2006

The Rhône Gang £23.50 Grenache/Syrah.Mourvèdre/Carignan/Cinsault and Cournoise
Flint Wines – 0207 582 2500 www.flintwines.com

Heavy, rich nose that is full of fruit and gushing with blackberries. It tastes just as good as it smells and is actually kind of savoury with rich, concentrated berry flavours…all that and perfectly balanced.

Bloody Marys aren’t just for breakfast

Went to The Clarence last night (it’s on Balham High Road, in Balham) and was greeted by this massive tomato on their bar.  “What is it for!?” I asked, immediately taken in by the little guy.

have to get one!

The tomato was supplied by 42 Below – that Kiwi vodka, they’ve been in the UK for awhile now – and it opened up to reveal a complete set of goodies. Now I am a total sucker for marketing and immediately and without a second thought craved and wanted a Bloody Mary.

Robot's in disguise

And the Bloody Mary was divine! So taken by the whole experience I was, I decided to get another….which incidentally went great with my fish & chips…

Apparently there are only four of these tomatoes in the country…and I really, really want one for Xmas. Yo, 42 Below get in touch and send me one please, I’ll pay for it!

Battle of Waterloo

There you are just south of the river, near Waterloo in fact, with so many cool little dineries to try…there’s Baltic, the Thai behind the Kings Arms on Roupell St, Cubana even has food, in fact there’s loads of places….well trust me to get the worst of them all.

Waterloo Brasserie – is not good.

Don’t really want to make this a long rant but between my being ignored and our order not being taken for a good 15 minutes…there were also plates riddled with more finger prints than CSI-Miami, ice cold fries, a mound of welted salad hiding some nuked goat cheese (it was stuck to the plate in that tell-tale microwave way) and a gloopy, chicken Caesar salad, drowned by salad cream (Rest In Peace you poor, poor salad leaves)….suffice to say, I ain’t going back.
Oh, but the Prosecco was good.

Waterloo Brasserie is across the street from the Old Vic

Local is the way to go.

I am a closet glutton, please help.

I’ve been walking by Numidie for awhile now and only recently stepped in when I saw rouille (and fish soup) on the window menu.  Well actually it was fish soup with rouille but I didnt really notice the soup bit because  I have a sort of crack-like addiction to rouille.  It could have said rouille and 3 day old pizza or rouille and toast., I wouldn’t have cared.

This is the place!

Numidie is on Westow Hill in Crystal Palace and serves French/N.African cuisine.  The place looks nice it has three little art-deco chandeliers, little wooden tables and chairs, and a cool retro-French decor. And best yet there’s a little basement bar too!  Well the basement bar is only part of the best bit…the actual best bit is that three courses is only £14 and nothing on the wine list was more than £40?!

So, they have rouille, the menu and wine list are both excellent value and there’s a cool bar in the basement…PLEASE GOD make the food good!  Well to make a long story short — the food wasn’t good.

le menu

The food was SUPERB! In fact I have since found out that this little bistro is quite famous and has a very dedicated and loyal following.

The fish soup and rouille was very nice, I asked for extra rouille to put on the home-made foccacia-like bread.  For mains I had a roast chicken (always a test for restaurants) with Algerian dumplings and a chickpea sauce. It too was very good.
M, my dining partner enjoyed salade Numidie (say it with a French accent) as a starter – salad leaves mixed with an array of brightly coloured roasted red peppers, houmous and probably the best falafel I’ve ever tried.  For her main M had Couscous Royale with merguez, roast chicken and lamb (I secretly wanted her main) – the portion was huge and like everything else we had, excellent.

I opted out of dessert which was a tarte au chocolate but once taking a nibble of M’s decided it was too good to share, and promptly ordered another (this is the glutton bit, btw)

louis with the rouille

All in all a great experience and the bill came to under £50.  I have vowed not to frequent any more famous chef restaurants, offering little more than a bloated cheque after the meal.  To find such a welcoming, great value and excellent little place only 5 minutes from where I live, was a great surprise and pleasure. I will be most definitely going back.

Oh and nearly forgot, they gave us each a glass of pear digestif after our meals – loved it!

Numidie Bistro – 48 Westow Hill – Crystal Palace – SE19 1PX – tel: 020 8766 6166

Wine I recently tried

If you read imbibe magazine you will see I have a story about Zinfandel in the current issue.  Zin is one of my favourite grapes, that is, if it is made correctly.  Too many times it can be over-ripe, too tannic, sweet – in fact, it can be everything I hate about wine.  But when it is good, I can’t get enough of the stuff.
Sadly, like most things wine and American all the good things come with a price.  Plus with the added bonus in the UK very few California wines – and I’m talking around ten – are good and readily available.

That’s where Ravenswood steps in, Joel Peterson – founder and winemaker – is very well-known for his motto of “no wimpy wines” and this stands true to all that he makes.  Admittedly I am not a fan of all the wines in Ravenswood’s range, but one of my favourite is the Vintners Blend 2006 … for an entry-level, zin-introduction (I refuse to use zin puns) this wine is perfect. So,  I was happy to try it out (again) for the people at Constellation.

very good zin

On the nose there’s loads of dark berry fruit, ripe black-cherries, while on the palate it’s a mouthful of dark black berries, bramble, licorice and a nice cranberry tartness on the finish.  It’s costs £7.99 (Waitrose, Tesco & Spar) and for an entry-level Zin (in fact for a wine in general) it is good value.

By the way I had it with some homemade steak nachos, fresh salsa and guacamole, it was perfect.