Back in the saddle with Napa Family Vineyards Cabernet 2010

Hey everyone!  With all the changes since September the Blog has been put on the back burner.  We welcomed our second child in early September and have been adjusting to having two little ones around the house.  My love of a good drink remains but those first few weeks were spent sleeping not catching up on a backlog of new wine and beer.

Bryant informing Will and I its time to get up. 

Due to the extra rugrat we are trying to eat in more often but still with style.  Carm is in the process of trying out some entertaining recipes that we can throw parties with, so if your in the Long Beach area we hope to have you over to the house soon.  To pair with the tasty experiment tonight we tried the Napa Family Vineyards (NFV) Cabernet Sauvignon.

NFV Cabernet Sauvignon 

The NFV is the Cab counterpart to the Meritage I featured several weeks back. This Cab is a medal winner in its own right winning awards at the Critics Challenge Intl. Wine Competition 2011 and Los Angeles International Wine Competition, 2011.  The NFV Cab is a young fruity Cabernet with a good nose and bright fruit flavors.  It is a full bodied classic Napa Cab so it is intense with the taste of dark berries.  Carm felt the alcohol content was a bit much but I thought it was tasty with that intensity.  The price point is about the same as its brand mate around $10~ which is a good value for a wine this good.

Meritage, its like a Bordeaux without the Frogs. Napa Family Vineyards Meritage 2009

Carm and I have been eating in a lot more lately, biding our time till our next child comes in a month or so and takes all of our time.  This is a good an excuse as any to drink through our wine supply, [with me taking the lions share of course.]  The dinner menu tonight included chicken lasagna, a loaf of oven baked crusty garlic bread and this tasty 2009 Meritage from Napa Family Vineyards ["NFV"].   www.napafamilyvineyards.com/

Technically only sparkling wines from Champagne can be labeled Champagne, similarly Bordeaux can only be labeled as such if it comes from Bordeaux France. The French take two month long holidays per year allowing their industries to grind to a halt, but protect to the death the integrity of the wine trademarks... [insert your favorite French joke here] A "Meritage" in a nutshell is a Bordeaux style blended wine that does not come from the Bordeaux region of France.  I enjoy a good Bordeaux and this Meritage is a very tasty California take on a Bordeaux.  Considering that buying a Meritage will save you $3-5 per bottle over their French counterparts it also makes for a great value.          

This NFV Meritage has a subtle bouquet.  The Meritage has a wonderful clear garnet hue in the glass.  On the taste you get the wonderful complex explosion of dark fruit on the tongue, followed by a smooth aftertaste.  Carm felt that the alcohol was too stiff for this wine;  I thought the alcohol profile was bold but not over the top.  All in all a very enjoyable weekday wine from our friends from northern California.    

New Zealand; the home of Hobbits and Boro Hills Pinot Noir

I know nothing about New Zealand.  I love the people, as there were many Kiwi ex-pats living with us in Saudi Arabia during the early 1980's, and still have fond memories of them.  The country itself I only know through the Lord of the Rings movies, which I enjoyed thoroughly.  If this Boro Hills Pinot Noir is any indication I should learn more about New Zealand, than what Peter Jackson filmed.  After all Mr. Jackson  had his hobbits drinking beer instead of this great Pinot.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir 2008

I am fond of Pinots though more fond of Shiraz and Merlot in general, however I am fully stocked on Shiraz and Merlot this month.  Since I have been sampling wines from France, Spain and Argentina lately I thought that a New Zealand Pinot available at your local F&E would be a good change of pace.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir is a 2008 vintage with deep ripe fruit notes.  The fruit flavors that shine through are warm and pleasant raspberry, cherry and plum. I enjoyed the level of oak feel to the wine and the smooth finish. I typically only buy California Pinot Noir but I will definitely pick this bottle up again.  

End of Summer Block Party, a Band, the Kiddos and Doon Buggy Wine.

The second week of August marks the end of summer in our area of Long Beach,CA and the Annual Belmont Heights Block Party.  Our friends the Kinneys who live on that street invited us over to join in on the fun.   Courtney is also an occasional F&E blogger but she specializes in cooking and baking featuring F&E products, and makes a mean chili!

Fun in the sun with a good band @ the Block Party.

One of the wines she provided was a wine I was meaning to get to.  Doon Buggy is a 2009 Red Wine Blend priced at $10.  Doon Buggy has a taste profile along the lines of "Menage a Trois Red."  I barely poured my first glass before I had to chase my kiddo who made a break for the bounce house.

Doon Buggy, 2009 Red Blend $10

Considering the venue, this was a good choice, this is a simple wine for a relaxed venue.  Bright ruby in color its a bit on the lush side for my tastes.  The finish was nice and clean considering it was a blend.  All in all this was not my cup of tea but priced two dollars less than the comparable, though more memorably and cheekily named Menage a Trois, I would bring this to a picnic or block party without hesitation.

Arizona Produces Wine, Who Knew? Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus" 2009

Today's wine is a 2009 Red table wine called Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus," yes its a wine from Arizona.  Except for northern Arizona I assumed the rest of the state was barren and incapable of growing anything.  When I heard there was an Arizona wine I thought it would have come from the north, where I went on a memorable trip to a dude ranch in Prescott Arizona many years ago with Carm, my buddy Gary, his then girlfriend, and a friend of ours who stopped taking her meds... It was a memorable trip. Saw several farms up there but no grape vines to speak of.  

AZ Stronghold "Mangus"

Apparently the wine growing region is in Cochise County, Arizona east of Tucson towards the south east corner of the state.  I didn't know what to think of this wine at first, this is a  bold red blend,  with a touch of spices and  a healthy alcohol content.  Each wine in the AZ Stronghold series has its own moniker, this one was "Mangus," a blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Merlot though the Cab really stands out to me. 

I was ready to write this wine off when Carm pointed out that this is exactly what it claims to be a bold red blend table wine; a Monday to Thursday wine if you will. As usual she is right.  This is a good red table wine that would pair well with a good steak, or a roast or Bob the 200 lb pig that Kurt and I butchered, with Chef Paul a few weeks ago.  Arizona Stronghold "Mangus" 2009 will be carried at your local F&E or it can be purchased directly through its website http://www.azstronghold.com.  

   

Enjoying WineWrights Napa Merlot 2009, with Bob the Pig.

I remember watching the movie Sideways the great 2004 ode to binge wine drinking, with Carm a few years back.  Good movie but there were several things I didn't get and maybe the director cut out.  I did't get the  subplot of Miles' hatred of his parents or his mysterious hatred of  Merlot.  Maybe his parents beat Miles with Merlot bottles.   

I enjoy a good California Merlot, and the Winewrights Napa Merlot is a great example of an affordable high quality Merlot, its also $10 which is just icing on the cake.  I picked up a bottle of Winewrights Merlot along with some spare bottles of Chateau Coucy before a "whole pig" butchery class I attended, taught by Chef Paul from Primal Alchemy Catering.   It was 11 am on Saturday, I was drinking good wine, sampling cured meat, head cheese while separating the shoulder of a 200 lb organically raised pig; good times.  

Bob the Pig, after the hams were removed.
Chef Paul in the background.

My buddy Kurt from Probasketballtalk.com [a one stop shop for all of your NBA related news] joined me for this culinary adventure and by 11:30 we finished the bottles of French wine I brought. [between us Kurt and I have 4 soon to be 5 kiddos, so when we get out, we drink!] Chef brought out another round of figs wrapped in prosciutto so we cracked open the Merlot.  The primary flavors on the taste are dark berries, plum and chocolate. enveloped in a dense Merlot package. There is a hint of oak and gentle tannins on the finish.  I also love the label I dig the very Leonardo Da Vinci look to them, at a $10~ pricepoint this whole package wine is an absolute steal.   

Near the end of the class Chef prepared a pork loin as a demonstration.  That seared pork tasting alone with the Merlot accompanying it was worth the price of admission. 

I Love CA and family reunions.

A while back the F&E rolled out a selection of California wines, due to the old blog and my being acquainted with one of the F&E people I got invited along for the tasting party.  At the tasting party I really enjoyed some of the higher end wines [which I will cover later] but felt that the I Heart California line ("IHC") was more of an afterthought.  I didn't care for the Chardonnay but the Cab was serviceable.  Carmen and I had fun that night and we even ran in to an old UC San Diego Classmate Annette Holland who runs a F&E food blog.  

Up to this weekend I had not thought a lot about the IHC but I was heading out to see my Japanese side of the family the annual Kumamoto Summer Picnic, and per the stereotype they don't tend to drink much.   My aunt said they had everything covered but I hate only bringing my teeth to a party.  At $4 per bottle I could afford to make a mistake so I picked up a couple of bottles of IHC Pinot Grigio to beat the summer heat and a IHC Cab for later.    

I think my prejudice towards Chardonnay skewed my view of this line.  I popped the cork and between my cousins and I was out of the first bottle within minutes.   

I was surprised how much everyone really enjoyed the IHC Pinot but going through the old Copia tasting checklist I found my opinion change quite a bit.  

I had a set of picnic glasses and a waiter's corkscrew to work with so this is about as basic a wine experience as you are going to get.  The appearance on the pour is light and clear, as a good Pinot Gris would be.  The nose on this Pinot Gris is simple and lightly citrus.  The taste is clean, refreshing and fruity almost like a summer peach.  The aftertaste unlike other lower price point wine is smooth without the bitterness of say a two buck chuck.  By the way the Miyamura team won the soccer competition and the water balloon toss winning a beach ball and a bag of rice if you were wondering.  

I drank the Cab with some peppered tri tip  tonight.that I put in the slow cooker before work.  The Cab is as smooth as I remember it, the taste is simple and dark berry accented table wine which is wonderful  for a weekday meal with the family.  All in all not bad for $4 and a heck of a lot better drinkability wise than the closest competition.  

Cheers!

Matuco Malbec

Typically I avoid anything from Argentina it usually is overly boastful with little substance explaining its cheating ways by explaining the situation being a result of divine intervention.  [Ask your friends that follow world cup soccer if necessary.]  At long last however I finally have found a reason to give Argentina a chance, this Matuco Malbec.  

I was recently reading "The Rembrandt Affair," a spy novel by Daniel Silva.  Part of the story took the protagonist to the Mendoza region of Argentina to investigate the theft of a long lost Rembrandt masterpiece.  It had a wonderful side story describing the Malbec produced by the grief stricken son of a war criminal who was haunted by the sins of his father.

Soon after I finished "The Rembrandt Affair," I found this Malbec at F&E and being $9 I gave it a try to pair with a pre-seasoned tri-tip roast.  

On first glance in the glass it is an intense ruby color that is very visually appealing.  The nose is intense and appealing.  The Mantuco Malbec is a full bodied wine, and a little heavy on the tannin straight out of the bottle.  I poured myself a glass before I went out to the grill and was initially disappointed.  When I came in  after the tri-tip was done the tannin mellowed appreciably, so Carmen and I enjoyed the remainder of the bottle.  The flavor after some airing is very fruity with a deep berry tone which is just the way I like it.  

If you give this Malbec a little time to breath you will be pleasantly surprised by this fun and intense wine.  Growing up with a bunch of British expats overseas though I still am sore even all these years later about that "Hand of God" play, but if Argentine wineries continue making wine like this we can let bygones be bygones!  

Cheers.

Quick Update

Another cache of Chateau Coucy has been located.  I spoke with the F&E wine buyer who I met through Carmen's Mom's Club.  He confirmed that a quantity of 80 bottles has been moved from a San Gabriel Valley area store and moved to the Manhattan Beach flagship store. The remaining stock is still at $9.99.

I'm as excited now as my old buddy Cheston is in this photo.  I will be there tomorrow with my wine tote bag, if you get there first save me a couple of bottles.

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Update 7/12/11

The stock has now sold out.  I promise to update if I find more.  Maybe I will hit the IE this weekend during Carmageddon.  I picked up a French sav blanc as a consolation prize  that I will review tomorrow.

Theme Parties (Spanish)

Last year Carmen got involved with her local Long Beach Moms Club.  We ended up getting along with several members and decided it would be a great opportunity to revive one of Carmen's favorite activities; the theme party.   Over the years we have thrown Greek, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian, and many others.  My college buddy Edgar made a Spanish tortilla during one of his dinner parties, we liked the presentation so much we decided to try a Spanish tapas party.  Since all of us have kiddos now it gave all the adults a chance to get together and enjoy adult conversation.  

To pair with the tapas, we chose a F&E wine, Castillo Rioja, a Spanish Rioja (red) which paired well with the dinner that night.  The Rioja is predominantly Tempranillo and has a well aged deep fruity taste.  I think the bold taste stood up well to the tapas pairings, and would pair well with some medium spicy Mexican staples like  enchiladas as well.  At the $9 price point I feel that I get a good bang for my buck and I continue to enjoy this wine.

In case you missed it, Chateau Coucy

The first wine that I wanted to highlight is either out of stock in your stores or soon will be.  If you happen to have a store near you that has a large supply please let me know so I can visit it.  I cleaned out Signal Hill, East Long Beach and Walnut already.

Chateau Coucy was a special purchase of French wine made by FnE and its parent company that came in about two months ago.  It is a quality 2008 French Bordeaux with tasty berry aromas and flavors that was sadly the victim of the worldwide credit crunch.  Apparently in France, letters of credit are not as easily accessible as they are in the US.  French wineries maintain inventory as capital and if needed sell them off to raise funds.  This little number and half a case of its friends ended up at my home.  Originally priced at $20.00 it has now been reduced to $9.99 to clear space for the next batch of products.

If you see this bottle, buy it!  You are getting a great tasting and smooth French Bordeaux which should closer to a  $30-40 price point for $9.99.  Better yet email me first and then only buy one bottle... I am getting a little low.

Support the Troops

There are times that Sales and Marketing is spot on, and there are times they completely whiff. This product got the secondary treatment.  I saw these wines on promotion when I was picking up some last minute burgers and buns for Independence Day.  $1 from each sale goes to Azalea Charities, a charity dedicated to assisting wounded US and UK veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. http://www.azaleacharities.org/

I don't know why this wine and the cause it supports was given such short shrift by marketing.  If you see it in the stores buy a bottle or two to support this great cause, at $6 why not buy two?

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Update 7/12/11
Just saw this in the discount bin.  Now $4 on closeout.