the joy of cooking: chicken piccata

Tonight Sara and I had the 2002 Red Diamond Shiraz. Since I have previously reviewed the 2001, and this isn't significantly different (I think the '01 was slightly richer), I'm going to talk about food instead.

Sara was still doing work when I got home, so cooking dinner fell to me. A quick inventory revealed my only options were really Matzo Ball Soup and something chicken-based. So I pulled out our trusty copy of The Joy of Cooking and flipped to the poultry section. The first entry under sauteed boneless, skinless chicken sounded good: Chicken Piccata. It's a pretty straight-forward recipe, but I had never made it. Further inventory investigations revealed I had no capers, no lemon and my shallot had gone bad. So I had to make a grocery store trip. I also got some salami and mozzarella cheese, so if I screwed the pooch on the chicken I could still make pizza. :)

I must say, in the end it turned out pretty damn good. Here is what I learned:

• The Joy recipe said it would make 3-4 chicken breasts, but it was really only enough for three. Luckily I only had three.
• When they say saute four minutes on each side, they mean it. I flipped one early out of paranoia, but I was wrong. And I made lots of cuts to see how the inside was doing. However, four minutes on each side was exactly right.
• Three tablespoons of lemon is enough. Don't put four.
• Use this truffle salt instead of regular sea salt. It's awesome.
• Use the minimum amounts of better in the ranges they suggest.

It wasn't the best wine pairing, but it was cheap!

2001 Castello Sonnino SanLeone

Sunday once again found me singing the praises of Tuscany. Vinny had us over for dinner and, since he has been known, on occasion, to cook in the Italian style, I decided I had best bring an Italian wine. After many minutes in the cellar, I decided to try the 2001 Castello Sonnino SanLeone, another Super Tuscan.

The blend on this wine was a bit unexpected: Merlot, Sangiovese and Petite Verdot. As a result the wine was darker-purple in color than most Sangiovese based wines. The wine was very rich, with licorice and minerals very apparent, in that order. I would comment on how it went with the food, but we finished it long before the meal was served. This wine was $28 and Parker gave it 91pts. Apparently the Sonnino family has a long history of inconsistent wine making, but they have renewed drive and a new winemaker and have begun producing consistently good wines.

This is a very unique wine, at least in my experience and I think I'll be looking for more of it soon.

2004 Gaja Ca'Marcanda Promis

Sangiovese blended with Merlot and Syrah by winemakers who truly know what they're doing makes this wine a Super Tuscan in both the literal and classification senses. This wine, the 2004 Gaja Ca'Marcanda Promis is pretty much everything I look for in an Italian wine. Fruit and spice in the nose, fruit and leather in the taste and smooth on the back end. You can really taste the unmistakable elegance of the sangiovese. I picked this bottle up from Nabil's shop for $35. I know, it's a bit on the pricey end, but this wine is worth every penny for those who are willing to pay for quality Italian reds. All of the tastiness and none of the disappointment that seems to so often accompany Brunellos.

We drank this with pasta in a garlic-cream-tomato sauce (with lots of garlic; I've got Sara tuned to my garlic-needs) and it was a great match-up. I would think almost any pasta will compliment this wine. It was a bit young-tasting and really opened up after the first hour, so I'd recommend buying a case and letting them age over the next five years, tasting them at intervals to track their progress.

2004 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon

I love it when my wine club wines are awesome.

Justin is the only winery of which I am currently a club member. That's not because I think they are the only one worth joining... it's just that I can only afford so much wine. The first time I had the Iscosceles I fell in love. It was teh awesome.

The other night Sara and I decided to open one of the 2004 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon bottles that came in the last shipment. I am happy to report that it was everything I've come to expect from this producer. The wine was a wonderful dark purple, the kind you can't see through when you hold it up to the light. There was fruit--cherry, blackberry--on the front and lots of oak in the back. It really made my night.

We drank the wine with Vegetable soup. Which seems like an odd pairing, but the soup had chunks of steak in it. I guess, maybe, technically, it wasn't what a purist would define as Vegetable soup. Anyway, it was a pretty decent pairing.

2005 Columbia Winery Cellar Master's Riesling

Got this for a guest. It was around $10. It's pure sweet, cheap crap.

2004 Domaine de Piaugier Sablet

Lucas and Jen came over for dinner last Sunday. Sara made a crab and ricotta stuffed manicotti (which was excellent). Tradition would dictate that I should open a white wine of some sort, but I just didn't have any. That's not true, I have some, but I didn't want to open them. So I decided to pull a southern Rhone wine out of the cellar.

The 2004 Domaine de Piaugier Sablet (appellation Cotes de Rhone Villages) was perfectly suited for the task. I picked it up for $10 a bottle. The wine was a wonderful drinker; well-suited to accompany the crab. Lots of blackberry in the front and just a hint of pepper in the finish. The wine is aged in concrete casks, so there's no oak to it. Incredibly smooth for a wine at any price point, but especially this one. I'm a convert. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up some more.

french wines

I have two french wines I need to review, a CDP and a Rhone wine. I'll be posting those as soon as I get some free time. In the mean time, Nabil is tasting some interesting looking french wines this friday at Seattle Wine Co. If you get a chance, you should head over and check them out. I'll be there when I can get free of work.

Nabil says:
"Friday, February 9th, 4pm - 630pm - FRENCH WINE TASTING - Unbelievable French wines, come taste the 2004 Janasse Cuvee Chaupin Chateauneuf du Pape, 2005 Janasse Vin de Pays Principaute d'Orange "CDP", 2003 Calvet-Thunevin Les Dentelles, 2003 Calvet-Thunevin Hugo and the 2004 Calvet-Thunevin Cuvee Constance. These wines are amazing and you will fall madly in love with them. "

screw tops

Yesterday The Washington Post posted an article on screw tops. In summary it says that people think screw tops are for cheap wine because only cheap wines have screw tops; expensive wines are going to have screw tops because less wine will go bad due to cork issues; it's hard to change peoples minds once they associate cheap with something.

Most of this is obvious. Personally, I like the whole process of removing a cork. I don't mind buying wines with screw tops. What I hate is bringing a wine with a screw top to a resturaunt and then paying a corkage fee. I paid $20 for you to twist off the cap? Down with corkage fees.

There's also a bit about an expensive NZ Merlot going "pop." I'm not sure what that's all about. Maybe I just haven't been drinking enough expensive NZ wines, but I generally associate corks going "pop" with bubbly wine.

2005 Portteus Zinfandel

Portteus is a 74 acre, family operated winery in Washington's Yakima Valley. Their winery is very scenic and they have big fuzzy dogs. But that's not the real story here. The real story here is their Zinfandel.

I got the bottles at the Winery. I remember hitting the Zin in the tasting room--I hadn't had any coffee yet and it woke me up. Then a few months later I opened the bottle and poured some for some friends. My friend Don took one sip, squished up his nose, let out a moan crossed with a "yuk" and put the glass down, never to taste it again. He's not a red wine fan.

Oh. My. God. The 2005 Portteus Zinfandel is a monster. I mean, it's huge. I don't know how the wine fits in the bottle. You want pepper? You got it. You want to taste the rocks in the soil? This is the ultimate expression of the soil.

You want a wine that can stand up to The Man? This is a wine that can beat down anything. In fact, you'll need to eat something fairly strong with this wine.

(Those of you who don't know, The Man is a hot sauce made from, in no particular order: pure capsicum powder, Mexican insanity peppers, transmission fluid, and tear gas; further reading here.)

This is probably the most unique wine I have tasted in Washington state. At $26, you need to have some of this wine in your collection.

why buy expensive wine?

Slate has an article today on one man's pursuit of a rare $700 wine. This is a good read for those of you who ask questions like, "is that $100 wine really that much better than this $10 wine?" This might give you some insight on why someone would be willing to spend so much money on a single bottle of wine.

The most expensive bottle I have ever bought has been the various vintages of Penfold's Grange at about $225.

What is the most expensive bottle you have ever bought?

2004 Vieux Chevrol Lalande de Pomerol

This weekend I visited another character in my cast of wine-snobbery: Garagiste. Those who don't know, Garagiste is a Seattle-based importer of limited production and good-value wines. The way it works, as far as I know, is this: you get on their e-mail list, when you see something go by that you want, you reply and say how many you'd like to order. Then every once in a while, you call them up, make an appointment to pick-up and go see what you got. It's kind of like Christmas every time I go.

To celebrate my good friend Don getting a new job, we had breakfast Saturday at Coastal Kitchen. Since it was breakfast, only scanned their wine list briefly, but I did note that they have half-priced wine nights on Tuesdays. The breakfast was excellent as well--I got a ginormous portion of blueberry marscapone coffee-cake. The fresh squeezed orange juice was welcome as well.

After breakfast we went to Garagiste to perform my semi-annual pick-up. I got lots of goodies. And just like Christmas, I had to open one now. So when Ben's wife called last night asking if I wanted to go to dinner at their place, the perfect opportunity presented itself. I brought along a bottle of the 2004 Vieux Chevrol Lalande de Pomerol, which I got from Garagiste for $18. We drank it alongside an Australian meat pie and raw carrots.

This is what Gargiste had to say about the wine, and I have nothing to add, except it goes great with Australian meat pie:

"Vieux Chevrol is one of those important properties that remain a beautiful jewel in the face of sandpaper. They are a one of a kind winery and they have more in common with Trotanoy or Lafleur than one may imagine (without the new oak). This wine bridges the gap between Romanee St. Vivant, Pomerol and some form of satiny, sultry Syrah. It is light to medium bodied, bright red cherry in color and owes its pedigree to its place as well as to the owners of the property that allow the wine to express itself without heavy extraction or color - all with the velvety sap of a Grand Cru Burgundy. A gorgeous wine that is as special as it gets from this area."

So, if you can find some of this excellent Bordeaux, please pick one up for your enjoyment.

Ben Strikes Back

This is a blatant plug for my friend Ben, who has been mentioned on this blog several times. Ben and I have shared many bottles, and I respect his opinions and recommendations. He is Australian, however, so beware his bias toward the Aussie wines. That man loves a Shiraz...

Anyway, here's his blog which is an obviously inferior response to mine. :)

2000 DeLille Chaleur Estate

Not to be outdone by his brother-in-law, Sara's uncle brought a bottle of the 2000 DeLille Chaleur Estate to help celebrate Sara's mother's birthday. The winery that Parker so famously dubbed "the Lafite-Rothschild of Washington," DeLille has never let me down and this was no exception. For a Bordeaux-style blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc, the wine comes out very dark in the glass (which I like). Fruit-forward and a good finish. Definitely a wine that deserves to be drank with food. I can't say enough good stuff about Delille.

My first experience with Delille was St. Valentine's day last year. Sara and I had a bottle of the 1999 Delille Doyenne Syrah with dinner. This turned out to be the perfect wine to drink with Ragu of Wild Boar. My next experience was the D2, simply because it is affordable and it lived up to the expectations the Doyenne set.

You know, when I pay off my student loans, I may just join their wine club.

1998 Behrens & Hitchcock Merlot

Sara's father brought a 1998 Behrens & Hitchcock Merlot over to help celebrate Sara's mother's birthday. Up front I have to say it's a great winery and an obviously well made wine. And I love a good Merlot. One of my favorite wine's is the PlumpJack Merlot and if I could afford it I would drink it every night. That said, the majority of Merlots (where the wine is overwhelmingly Merlot; I often love blends that involve Merlot) just do not do it for me and this was one of those wines. It was smooth--not too tannic--and the label is very pretty. But I can't really say much more for it.

2000 Stag's Leap Estate Reserve Cabernet

The other night we had dinner with Mitch and Sarah at Cafe Flora. Those of you who have not experienced Cafe Flora, you should check it out. I am not a vegetarian--in fact I generally don't consider it dinner unless a large land animal died--but I appreciate good service and finely crafted food, no matter what it is.

A quick glance at Cafe Flora's wine list didn't reveal anything I especially felt like paying for that night, so I decided to let my friends pick up the corkage fee and bring my own wine. I entereed the cellar and came out with my last bottle of 2000 Stag's Leap Estate Reserve Cabernet.

At this point I will introduce a new character in my little blog-narrative: Nabil. Nabil owns Seattle Wine Co., which is located on 130th in Bellevue. 2000 wasn't the best year for Napa Valley wines. Somehow Nabil got a close-out deal on the 2000's and recognized that, even though it may have not been the best vintage ever, a well-made wine is still a well-made wine. Raphael and I picked up several 6-bottle cases for $25 / bottle. This was truely an excellent deal.

The wine itself was great. One of my favorites. The tannins were mellow and the wine was complex. A hint of vanilla on the finish. Not as much oak as I generally like (I'm an oak-freak). It's 98% cab with just 2% merlot.

If you have this wine, you may as well drink it now; I don't think any further aging will get you anything.

how to buy wine

I found this guide to buying, ordering, pairing and tasting wine quite interesting.

I will be posting more wine review/experiences tonight. I have a backlog that includes Stag's Leap and Delille, among others.

The Ball Buster (round 2) and Columbia Crest Merlot

It snowed in Seattle yesterday. This is always a huge disaster, as it generally never snows here. The abundance of rear wheel drive cars where I work doesn't help either. Trying to leave campus yesterday was impossible until way into the evening. To pass the time, we started drinking the wines we could find.

My esteemed colleague (let's call him 'Clint') happened to have one of two bottles of the 2005 Ball Buster Shiraz in his car that he had bought on my advice. He had tried the other bottle previously and agreed it was a great wine for the price. So we drank it. I enjoyed it as much as the first time. Bold, fruity, smooth. Not a real big wine, not real mineral-ly. And at 15.5% it definitely livened things up.

Then another colleague of mine (let's call her 'Lum') procured a bottle of the 2002 Columbia Crest Merlot. And a corkscrew, which we didn't previously have (The Ball Buster is a screw-cap). It wasn't bad at all. It was smooth, and that bottle emptied just as quickly as the first one. I have no idea how much it cost, but I wouldn't pay more than $10 for it. Whoever donated that--thank you very much.

A Tale of Three Wines (and Three Australians)

Last night we went over to Ben's house to meet his parents who were visiting from Australia. That explains the three Australians (Ben's wife is from Washington).

Now for the more interesting part where I talk about the three wines we drank. First was a local find from their recent expedition to Leavenworth (a small town in Washington that decided one day that they would get more tourism revenue if they adopted a Bavarian theme). The Icicle Ridge wine that we drank was an interesting blend of Merlot, a grape I have never heard of, and Cab Franc. I am usually skeptical of tourist-town wineries (outside of the Napa ones, of course), but it was actually very good. A bit of mineral taste, but smooth and pleasant. Not sure what it was called -- my cell phone camera pic I took is too blurry to read. Their website is terrible and doesn't bother to have pictures of the labels, so that was no help either.

We moved on to the 2005 Balboa Cabernet that I brought. This was another Washington value wine. I picked up three bottles for $8 each. Still a little young, it needed a long time to open up: approx. 8 hours (!). But the tannins were mellow, the fruit was forward and I would recommend this wine to anyone who wants a decent cab to drink with any normal meal during the week.

Lastly Ben opened a 1999 Rosemount GSM for us on the theory that since his Mom and I were both over, it was only fitting. Now I know exactly how long one needs to sit on this wine for it to come into fullness: eight years. The wine was excellent, as always, but Ben's restraint in letting it mellow in his cellar this long made it the best GSM I have ever drank. Dark color, very smooth, no tannins at all to speak of, oaky, earthy, a hint of mineral from the rocky soil... a spectacular wine. Current vintages go for about $25 at Costco.

2003 CRS Klingele Vineyard Syrah

I've recently had the pleasure of tasting two of C. R. Sandidge's wines: the 2003 Tri*umph and tonight the 2003 Klingele Vineyard Syrah. Another Washington syrah, it was much more exciting than the previously mentioned Isenhower. A dark in color and full in body, it really needs some decanting time before drinking, but as it opens up the wine is amazing.

I had the Tri*umph a long time ago, so I don't remember the details other than it was a very unique wine that I really enjoyed. I have another bottle in the cellar, so in a few years I'll be able to give it the review it deserves. In the mean time, pick some up if you can.

I must say, the CRS web page is one ugly site. 1998 wants its graphics and layout back.

2004 Isenhower River Beauty Syrah

This 2004 Isenhower Syrah from the Horse Heaven Hills appellation of Washington was disappointing. The wine makers had some skill, you can tell that, but it there was almost no flavor and it burned on the back-end. I would seek to spend my $32 elsewhere.

2001 Red Diamond Shiraz

Previously I mentioned the Red Diamond Cab and tonight I was able to try the Red Diamond Shiraz. It is apparently not widely sold in stores but most can order it. Also about $8, this wine is an incredible value. It's a great Washington syrah for the price. It doesn't have any of the burn that the Cab displayed, and it can probably bottle age for a good while only improving.

If you've been drinking the el-cheapo Rosemount Estate, then stop and buy this instead. You'll be buying local and, imho, buying a better wine.

2004 Delille D2

The Lafite-Rothschild of Washington State. Every wine I've had by Delille I've liked a lot. The Doyenne will always have a special place in my heart as one of the great Syrah's I've had. However it is the D2 that we had with dinner last night. We did the prix fix dinner at Cafe Juanita, which included quite a range of food--beef tongue, fois gras, veal, duck... so it was hard to pick a wine. The D2 is Delille's second bottling of their Bordeaux blend. It's a great all-around wine and most restaurants around here have it for about $65 making it relatively affordable.

The prix fix menu was a 10 course meal, but our waiter somehow managed to skip a course for us. In return he comp'd us a bottle of some Italian wine that I neglected to remember. It was nice, and a good wine, but we had to drive home, so we barely made a dent in it.

2001 Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon

This just might be my new house wine.

As far as daily drinkers go, I have a few staples. You can't go wrong with the 7 Deadly Zins ($15), or the Maramonte Syrage ($11). Raphael and I used to keep about a half case of each on hand for when random people stopped by for dinner. Setting the dial on the way-back machine even further, we would keep Penfold's Bin 128 around, but it's gotten too expensive to keep as a daily drinker.

Now I've found a new wine, the Red Diamond Cab. A very unpretentious Washington cab that costs a whopping $9 at the Safeway near my house. It has good color, good legs, good smell. I'd cook with it, and I'd drink it. My one complaint is it's not the smoothest wine in the world; you can feel a little burn while it's going down.

I heard this was the house red at a very upscale Seattle steakhouse, but I haven't verified this. I could believe it--it's a great by-the-glass wine if you see it on a menu somewhere.

Follow-up: The Whole Foods in Bellevue has The Ball Buster for $17 if you're looking for some.

2003 Cayuse Syrah

Almost everyone has heard of Screaming Eagle. Cayuse is sort of like the Screaming Eagle of Washington, with two exceptions. (1) I've actually drank several Cayuse wines. (2) The prices tend to be between $30 and $60 per bottle instead of $500 and up.

You've never heard of Cayuse because it's not sold in stores and very few restaurants can get it. I heard a rumor that the Wolfgang Puck in Hawaii once had a few bottles, but I've not been there to verify.

The other night we had the '03 Cayuse Syrah which was excellent as always. The wine is saturated with the mineral taste of the Red Mountain soil. The wine is well-made and consistent. I'm not sure what the long-term aging prospects are, but the man is French so I suspect it will last a good amount of time in the bottle and only get better with age.

If you want some, get on their list now and in two years or so you might get some.

2002 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz

Once again, back to Barossa. The Magill Estate was awesome. Every bit what we expected. Like the St. Henri, but more so. Like the '99 Grange, but less so. Very similar to the 2001 RWT that I once had. A dark, serious wine that was obviously meant to be bottle-aged for a fair amount of time. We decanted it for a few hours and it was very drinkable. The price point is a bit high ($45 at Seattle Wine Co), but where are you going to find '02s these days? And Ben was buying. :)

1998 Chateau Beychevelle - St. Julien

I'm making it a Christmas tradition--Bordeaux. I have two favorites: Cheateau Beychevelle and Chateau Moulin-St. Georges.

I have now had both the 1998 and 2000 version of the Beychevelle. Both Bordeaux-blends (of course), the 1998 was almost as good as the 2000. At the time, the 2000 was the rock star year for Bordeaux, but as global warming continues, the vintages just keep getting better and better. This wine, still tasted like it could sit in the bottle for at least another ten years, but at 9 years old, the '98 was definitely drinkable.

Both of these wines are less than $40--I picked up the '98 Beychevelle at an undisclosed location in St. Louis in June for $35.

An excellent wine.

A Tale of Three Brunellos

On Thanksgiving we drank a 1997 Brunello di Montealcino that broke everyones heart. It had been properly cellared, lovingly cared-for, gently de-corked and decanted, and given plenty of time to breath surrounded by beautiful crystal. It turned out to be crap. After we all had a taste, we sinked it. Unfortunately I didn't remember to write down the name.

On Saturday, the same owner of the above brought over another 1997 Brunello, this one from Mastroianni. It was okay. I liked it well enough, though it felt a bit weak sitting next to two Aussies and and the Cougar Crest Cab Franc. The owner was clearly disappointed and began to question if he even knew what the big deal about Brunello was. My Aussie friend merely tasted it, said, "tastes Italian" and poured himself another glass of The Ball Buster.

Then, for Christmas, he gave me a bottle of the 2001 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova. This was the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year. Its a 98pt Brunello. It is now safely in my cellar and in about 10-15 years, we shall see what the peak example of Brunello really is. Until then, I reserve judgement.

Cougar Crest Tasting

On Friday I tasted three new Cougar Crest wines.

Dedication (Non-vintage) - Interesting. The finish was incredibly long, but it was kind of a nasty taste so that wasn't necessarily a good thing. For $18, if you find the right food to match it with, this might be a good wine. But for those who just want something to drink, save your money.

2004 Cab Franc - Excellent. Lots of vanilla and just an amazing example of this varietal. I bought a couple of bottles and they were a hit at a recent birthday party. ($28)

2003 Reserve Cab - Very good. But for $38 you might be able to find something better.

Overall I've always been impressed with everything these guys make and I can't sing their praises enough. The wines are consistant and reasonably priced, and they're made by some Washington locals. If you can find any of the Aniversery Cuvee, I highly recommend picking that up at any price ($25).

2005 Tait "The Ball Buster" Barossa Shiraz

I'm only going to say this once: 92pt (RP) Barossa Shiraz, $16. Get thee to Seattle Wine Co. and buy some.

A very earthy wine, everything I expect from a Barossa Shiraz. Great by itself or with food
(beef, lamb, etc). If you want to have something good to drink that's affordable, this is it. Don't think, just buy The Ball Buster.

2000 Hamlin Bay Margaret River Shiraz

Ben and I drank this after the disaster of the '75 CDP. Of course he's been carefully aging it in his wine cellar and he judged 7 years was long enough. It's an excellent wine, a great example of Australian Shiraz. I don't remember what he paid for it, but it's definitely one to pick up when you can.

1975 Comte de Lauze CDP - A Cautionary Tale

Welcome to my Wine Blog. Several of my friends have requested that I keep track of my drinking an a public forum so they can reap the benefits of my liver. So, with no further ado, I'll just proceed.

Last night my esteemed colleague Ben and his wife Kim brought over a 1975 CDP that one of Kim's relatives had given her. I was excited but my excitement quickly dissipated when I was informed of its "less than stellar provenance." Basically whatever relative Kim had gotten it from had left it standing upright in a cupboard in their kitchen for twenty years. Oh, the Humanity!

Looking through the glass, the wine was a brown, port-like consistency; this is not necessarily bad, but probably not a good sign. I still had hope the wine might be drinkable or at least sippable. I was very interested in how it would taste.

When I took the foil off, the top was covered in calcium deposits and rust. Not a good sign. I used my Dremel with a soft brush attachment to gently clean the sediment away from the top of the cork and the surrounding glass. Then I used a non-cork-damaging opener to remove the cork. The stench that came out was overpowering.

The stuff was undrinkable. We poured it down the drain, cursing those who buy french wines and then fail to store them properly.