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mostly wine stuff

skibob

Skiing the powder
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Santa Rosa Fire Belt
Went to this dinner a couple weeks ago, and though not quite a substitute for my scuttled trip to Piemonte, it was very pleasant. Great food and conversation with Massimo Ponte on how he thinks football has gone to hell ( Especialy Juventus) and his families wines of which he presented three examples. The Roero, Barbera, and Barolo were all very good.
Opened a bottle of the Barbera tonight which complimented very nicely my homemade picci pasta with spicy sausage tomato sauce. Loved the way the freshness and fruit of the wine balanced out and enhanced the spices (especially the fennel) of the sausage

For dessert I watched a show about some young Italians riding bikes along the Strada Del Vino in the Alto Adige/Sudtirol.
They stopped at all the wineries along the way. Very interesting variety of wines and vinticulture and spectacular scenery. Even a shot of Reinhold Messner along the side of the road in his vinyard.

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Had to look up picci pasta. Fun!
 

pete

not peace but 2 Beers!
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Liking this, Runquist petit verdot

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skibob

Skiing the powder
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And now for something completely different . . .

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Turkish Syrah!

I was at a Turkish restaurant last night and they had just gotten in a shipment of Turkish wines. They explained that they are trying to emphasize "Turkey" more on their menu, including a new selection of wines (spread across a countertop at the side of the restaurant) from their home country. But they didn't have prices yet. I picked one and asked our waiter to see if he could find out how much it would be. I honestly expected it to be inexpensive. So when he told me $67 I was a bit hesitant. But my wife and our friends were gung ho, so we said yes. I was prepared to be disappointed.

And I shouldn't have been!

Very Northern Rhone with tobacco, spice, raw meat and dark fruit. But also much more developed tannins than you might expect with 13.5% alcohol and Northern Rhone expectations. Super structured, super intense. Two things that often don't go together in Syrah. Loved it, as did the rest of my group.

It was quite good and went great with the food. I am not finding it very available in the US. I would guess $15-$20 retail. And well worth it.

If anybody is going to be in Santa Rosa, I highly recommend Grill Santa Rosa in SR Plaza. Ignore the fact that it is a mall and expect excellent Turkish food.
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
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So I wandered into Copper Lane Provisions in Northstar village yesterday looking for wine to go with pizza. I didn't want to spend a lot (which is not terribly compatible with Northstar lol). I was just about ready to give up when I found this beauty. Not only is carignane a great pairing with pizza, it was $20 ($12-15 online). But, also, it is from about 30 minutes from where we are moving to this summer (Montpellier). Saint Guilhem le Desert is a beautiful town in the hills NW of Montpellier with a best in my lifetime hike up the "Castel de les Geants" 700' above the town.

So, naturally, I had to buy it. And it was quite good. Round and juicy with a little tabacco thing going on. Carignane is one of those varieties that may never be sublime, but is almost always good.

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As a footnote, it was right next to Pinot from Puy de Dome which is another favorite hike and right outside our second choice destination of Clermont Ferrand. Both are barely know appellations even in France. So bizarre to see them sitting side by side in a sparsely stocked shop at Northstar.
 

Mendieta

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I went to the grocery store and after doing the shopping I roamed the wine section, thinking that there was probably something unexpected and inexpensive. And there she was:

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She's sweet and a little voluptuous. After a half an hour she become more enticing! :D

Ok, this is a 10 years old Aussie reserve Cab for 10 bucks. It's not a sophisiticated wine, but if it keeps hold up as well on day 2 (and day 3 if it makes it) I'll get the rest of what they had, which is I think about a half case. Fruit forward, with a bit of herbs and a hint of minerals/earth once it opened up. No signs of any oak in the flavor, but it hast the roundness of a wine aged in oak.

Great find for 10 bucks. Amazing, actually, at this price. Don't tell anybody please!
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
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Santa Rosa Fire Belt
I went to the grocery store and after doing the shopping I roamed the wine section, thinking that there was probably something unexpected and inexpensive. And there she was:

View attachment 230538

She's sweet and a little voluptuous. After a half an hour she become more enticing! :D

Ok, this is a 10 years old Aussie reserve Cab for 10 bucks. It's not a sophisiticated wine, but if it keeps hold up as well on day 2 (and day 3 if it makes it) I'll get the rest of what they had, which is I think about a half case. Fruit forward, with a bit of herbs and a hint of minerals/earth once it opened up. No signs of any oak in the flavor, but it hast the roundness of a wine aged in oak.

Great find for 10 bucks. Amazing, actually, at this price. Don't tell anybody please!
I had to look up Goulburn valley. It is north of Melbuhn and near the "Alpine Valleys" which means it is a cooler climate than places like Barossa or even WA. I have had some sublime Shhhhqch . . . dammit, I just can say it, it is Syrah FFS. Anyway, if you can ever get your hands on Dahlwinnie Syrah from the Alpine Valleys, it is truly sublime. $10 is a shocker though for a wine from that area. Which grocery store was that? I almost wonder if it was someice kind of .closeout
 

Mendieta

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I had to look up Goulburn valley. It is north of Melbuhn and near the "Alpine Valleys" which means it is a cooler climate than places like Barossa or even WA. I have had some sublime Shhhhqch . . . dammit, I just can say it, it is Syrah FFS. Anyway, if you can ever get your hands on Dahlwinnie Syrah from the Alpine Valleys, it is truly sublime. $10 is a shocker though for a wine from that area. Which grocery store was that? I almost wonder if it was someice kind of .closeout

Thanksc Bob, for the info! It is at my locale Safeway. It is, indeed, a closeout. The wine is not going down any time soon, either! There is no way it will make 3 days, it kept improving with time. It developed this liquor character that I find in older wine. I am sure there is a more proper term, but it seems to be what tannin developes into a concentrated round flavor that you find sometimes in good distilled drinks (which are also aged for long). It got a bit bitter, in a good way, as the night went on, and I stopped sipping at the point that it was more of a long term health decision than will :roflmao: .

Next bottles, I will use a decanter to speed up oxygen exposure.
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
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Santa Rosa Fire Belt
This is the Langhe nebbiolo I referenced awhile back. $15 at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. Wish I had bought more. But we are trying to drink all of our wine before August (when we move), so not accumulating. Outstanding value. Had it with parmesan perline in roasted red pepper/marinara. Match made in heaven.

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