Price: ~$18

Blend:

Roussanne, Clairette & Grenache Blanc

Nose:

Bit O Honey, marzipan and ripe pear

Palate:

Medium bodied and firm acid.  Shockingly intense apple, biscuit, honeysuckle and peach.  Long stony finish

Synopsis:

Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer, Andre Brunel, has been blowing people away with this white Côtes du Rhône for some time now, but it’s only recently come to my attention.  Shame on me.  As much as I love Rhône reds, the whites often leave me wishing I had opened something else.  This, on the other hand, is quite delightful.  It has richness and weight but balanced wonderfully with acidity and fruit.  Enjoy with baked salmon, roast chicken or fennel salad.

The Som Rating: 7/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads

Price: ~$25

Nose:

Stewy, thick fruit with notes of blackberry, garrigue and hot bacon grease.

Palate:

Full bodied, moderate acid, and sweet ripe tannin.  Intense frontal attack of dark berries, S’mores, and brown spices.  Long finish with a touch of bitter cocoa.

Synopsis:

Terrific stuff.   I’m going to go into a little more detail than I normally do because of my Rhône preference.  Perrin & Fils is the producer.  Rasteau is the southern Rhône village from where the grapes came.  Côtes-du-Rhône Village is essentially alerting you to the fact that this is indeed a C-d-R wine.  L’Andeol is the vineyard name from where these grapes came from within the town of Rasteau.

I am well aware that I am not the first guy to proclaim the wonders of the 2007 Rhône vintage nor will I be the last.  The growing season was near perfection and the proof is in the many 07′s I’ve tasted thus far.  All the pieces are there to make an amazing red wine, but as I taste through the 07′s I’m often reminded of Brett Favre’s comment before joining the Vikings:  “The pieces are in place.”   At the time I composed this (12/06/09) the pieces are not in place.  You’ve got your fruit over here, your acidity over there, your structure right there, and tannins in your face.  This vintage would love to lay down in your basement for 6 months to a year just to let the pieces relax and meld together a little.  It will happen, but a little patience is required.

All that being said,  the 2007 P&F Rasteau is the first one I’ve tasted where I can feel it coming together and it is awesome!  It will probably cost you upwards of $25.00 but is easily worth it.  SJH wise…better than an 8 but right now I cannot go all the way to 9.

The Som Rating: 8.5/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads

Price:  ~$19

Nose:

Stewed beef, blackberries and hazelnuts.

Palate:

Full bodied, mouthwatering acidity but very well balanced. Tight knit bitter tannin and notes of dark chocolate, tobacco, bacon grease and a long herbal finish.

Synopsis:

The bright fruit notes and spice are missing right now The fruit is buried beneath the structure.  All the elements are in place but need time to incorporate.  Drink late 2010-2015.  I have found this to be a common issue with the 2007′s just coming onto the market.  2007, by all reports, is a vintage for the ages in the Rhone Valley, but these baby’s need time to relax.  It’s like a football team with newly acquired pro-bowlers all over the field. You can see the promise and the talent but it usually takes half the season for them to learn to play together. Buy them and set them aside for a year. The patience will pay off big time.

The Som Rating: 8/10 Scarlett Johansson Heads

Wines featured in today’s show:

• Robert Sinskey Vin Gris Pinot Noir 2008   (~$16)
• Château Beauchêne Le Pavillon Du Côtes du Rhône 2008  (~$11)
• Castaño Monastrell 2008  (~$12)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

So I’m going through my recipe collections trying to come up with the perfect pairing for Rosè wines.   The problem was that every other recipe I looked at would work great…proving once again just how versatile Rosè wines truly are.  So I picked one, almost at random, that I think would be delightful.  Here we have chicken breasts layered with lots of Mediterranean flavors.  Honestly, this pairing works on the regional pairing level as well as the “break the meal down” level.  I do believe that a heavier bodied Rosè would work best (the Castaño from Spain in this case).  Enjoy!

Show Note from the Producer:

Please don’t freak out…it was a toy gun.   I’m just glad he didn’t bring his lightsaber.

Featured in today’s show:

• 2007 Chateau Beauchene Côtes du Rhône Viognier (~$16)
• 2003 Taurino Salice Salentino Riserva (~$13)
• 2007 Hey Mambo Sultry Red (~$10)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

As I mentioned in the show, I really enjoy Viogniers with soup…especially cream based soups.  They tend to be fuller in body, full flavor, decent acidity, and higher alcohol levels (not to mention a gorgeous floral nose).  Why?  Full body to stand up to the heavier soup, good acidity to cut through the heaviness of the cream, and full flavor so it does not get lost in the layers of flavor a good soup should have.  Here is a Potato-Bean soup I would gladly enjoy with this Côtes du Rhône Viognier.  A moderately oaked Chardonnay would work nicely too.

Recipe for Potato-Bean Soup:

• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• ½ cup sliced celery
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon margarine or butter
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh dill 2 teaspoons dried dillweed
• 1 15oz can cannelinni beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup sour cream or plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• Pepper and salt

In a large saucepan cook and stir carrots, celery and garlic in hot margarine or butter over medium heat for 4 minutes or till tender.  Carefully stir in Chicken broth, potatoes and dill.  Bring to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or till potatoes are tender.  With the back of a spoon lightly mash about half of the potatoes in the broth.  Stir the beans into the potato mixture.

In a small mixing bowl stir together the sour cream or yogurt, flour, pinch of pepper and if desired, salt; stir into potato mixture.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Featured in today’s show:

• 2006 Domaine du Trapiadis Côtes du Rhône
• 2005 Domaine Sainte-Anne Côtes du Rhône Villages
• Domaine de Cassan Gigondas
• 2005 Château Boucarut Lirac
• 2005 Domaine Bois De Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• The Côtes du Rhône wine is  more medium bodied with fairly simple flavors, but it does have good fruit, is slightly dry, and has very good acidity.  I proclaim the 2006 Domaine du Trapadis a great grilling hamburgers wine!  No recipe needed here.  If you can’t grill a hamburger, then you probably prefer Seagrams anyway, and in which case we at WineGeekTV pity you.

• For the Château Boucarut Lirac,  few things would go well with a simply prepared rack of lamb as a grenache/syrah based Rhône…especially when you find one as full flavored and nuanced as this Lirac.  Lamb is rich, naturally flavorful,  and when cooked right, can be incredibly juicy with tantalizing texture.  This recipe pairs a great wine with a simply prepared lamb rack brushed with a killer mint pesto sauce.   This pairing matches richness to richness,  herbiness to herbiness, and seasoned meat flavors with the seasoned meatiness that is a wine from Lirac.

Ever get invited to a holiday or wine tasting party and need to bring the hosts a gift…but have NO idea what to bring them?   Well, this is the episode for you!   The Som gives you 10 great wine suggestions to give your party hosts.

Featured in today’s show:

• L’Ecole No 41 Recess Red from Columbia Valley in Washington
• 2006 Hey Mambo “sultry red” blend from Don Sabastiani & Sons in Sonoma, California
• Vollereaux Champagne from northern France
• Chateau d’Orignac’s Pineau Des Charentes from just north of the Bordeaux region of France
• 2005 Côtes-du-Rhône from Chateau Beauchene from, again, France
• Bosquet Des Papes’ Chateauneuf du Pape from, no surprise, the Rhône Valley of  France
• Gigondas from Domaine De Cassan from….what do you know…, the Rhône Valley (see any themes developing here?)
• Quady’s Essensia late harvest Orange Muscat from Madera, California
• R.L. Buller & Sons Tokay from Victoria, Australia
• Quinta do Noval 10 Year Tawny (nummy!!) from Portugal

Recommended food pairings from the Som:

• I think the marinade on this chicken sounds great and very easy.  Pounding out the chicken breasts seems unnecessary to me but try it both ways and let me know.  Anyway, the L’Ecole 41 Recess Red should soar with this dish.  Mild but flavorful chicken with a subtle kick of smoke from the grill and heat from the chili powder I believe would meld wonderfully with the L’Ecole’s red fruit, chocolate and just enough acidity to make it food friendly.
• Honestly, almost any quiche recipe would work great with the Vollereaux Champagne, but I really like the brown mustard idea in this one.  New Years Day brunch anyone?  Egg and cheese recipes need a wine with a great zip to clear the pallet of that thick, mouth coating conglomeration in your mouth and nothing works better than a great sparkling wine.  What better way to start your year that with quiche and Champagne!
• Enjoy the Pineau Des Charentes with conversation as an aperitif including strong cheeses (ya know, pungent-blue veined types) and assorted nuts.  Or have it as an after dinner drink to aid digestion…along with a cigar and (if necessary) unbuttoned pants.