aka Wine Steve

Have you tried the Cab Francs from New York Finger Lakes? Delicate, pale, elegant and well priced. I prefer mine with a bit more heft, like this one.

An Argie Cab Franc for Sunday Roast-spectacular. A touch of capsicum, silky tannins, balanced and showing cellar-worthy structure.

One of my favorite wines, period. Some love the style, others....

Smoked Duck breast with fig reduction paired with Napa Cabernet. Stunning how well they went together.

I think I was really looking forward to the perfume tbh. I could almost taste the lychee and rose water as I strolled down the aisle. I'll be on the lookout for said orange wines.

I did the same the other day.... it's like playing "Chopped" at home. From now on, a black marker with the date and contents are a must on any bag that goes into the freezer.

Alsace Gewurztraminer- not many regions do it this well. I had a long think about this pairing- Gumbo. This off-dry wine will do wonders to the dark roux, chicken, Andouille and shrimp methinks. It ran me $27 and is the first of several that I bought to try out. I had a Gewurz hankering per se.

$30 gets you a delicious Napa Cab blend that shows off Cali sunshine, deft oak, great primary flavors and decent cellaring capacity. Brought over to the SB party by a friend. I'll get it again for sure.

Further to my earlier post on Grifone and their "1967" cuvee- I present the Primitivo (aka Zinfandel). Priced at the same level ($7 at Trader Joes), it delivers an unfettered, lowish alcohol quaffer that I really enjoyed with our Beef dinner. Not jammy or heady- easygoing and smooth.

Slight, but more so an orange marmalade note. It was gold in color, but not as deep as I would have imagined.

Had a delicious dinner at a new restaurant in Aldie, Virginia. The owner treated us to a taste of this beauty- still fresh but developed with gorgeous marmalade, honey and wild flower notes. A special bottle for sure.

The missus asked me to get this $7 Sangiovese blend from Trader Joes. I gotta say, it's very serviceable and may be added to the weekday pounder rota. What it lacks in structure and depth, it makes up for in smoothness and personality.

Braised Pork cheeks and a Margaux my buddy brought over. Sunday cooking....

I don't get it with this wine. Second try , different vintage, same conclusion. There's not much there. No intensity, lacking concentration and certainly not true to form structure-wise. It's easy to drink, true. Is it me?

Finally- a decent Saperavi for $15. I like that it runs at 12.5% ABV yet delivers a medium bodied, red fruit driven wine with decent tannins and a nice finish. Paired it with peppers and Andouille.

On sale for $7, down from $10 at my local Costco- this Kiwi Sav Blanc rocks. The acidity was en pointe, the aromas/flavors were delicious and the finish was decently long. What more could you want?

I taught this class in DC. A client runs an apartment building, for their tenants.

Taught my Wine Tasting 101 class last night, it's been a while since I did the last one. Tons of fun, great students and delicious wines.

I have a few bottles of their Kupe, stunningly delicious.

My last bottle of the 2000 vintage- this Shiraz is stunning. I recently drank a 2014 which was one of my favorites of the year but this one is next level. Baby brother to The Armagh.

Never had an orange Gewürtz. The pairing sounds awesome.

Icee what you did there

Petite Sirah before the big storm.
What are you popping this weekend?

I hear you. It's interesting how certain regions do different styles, like Finger Lakes Cab Franc.... not typical yet so delicious and fresh. Here in Virginia, they are getting better at what they do well. Oak use is judicious and extraction is balanced.

A Right Bank blend from
Virginia. Delicious, structured, age-worthy and available for $37. It should cellar nicely for a decade or so.

This guy is a lunatic.

Loved this rosé at the winery and brought some home back in the summer. I opened it to pair with Vietnamese rolls and it was just meh, lacking concentration, acidity and direction. Interestingly- there is no ABV statement on the bottle, I searched for a while.

An interesting story about the McBride sisters. They make a very good Kiwi Sav Blanc that is consistent and well priced at $14. Lovely and juicy!

Nice write-up. I found myself looking at pictures of berries to try and determine what I was tasting- ripe mulberry was the best I could do. I'll be on the lookout for more of his offerings.