Friday, November 18, 2011

fall in san antonio is the new autumn in new york...

Ahh...
Back at the bistro for a pre-Thanksgiving petite fete. After a long-anticipated ending to the week before Thanksgiving break, I headed over to Mark's after a day of standardized testing, abstinence talks, and the first half of a JV basketball game. While the world of high school sports in Texas has a rich and illustrious history, it pales in comparison to a nice glass of wine at the end of a long week. After staring at blank faces trying to understand Julius Caesar, it was refreshing to see Tucker and Mark understand a Blaufrankisch. 



First on the menu was a 2010 Pacific Rim Riesling from Columbia Valley. Made with organic grapes, it was a great complement to the salmon and cream cheese on toasted rye with slivered onions, leeks, and capers. The wine didn't just hold up to the salmon -- it soared. Don't think sushi, but it would go well with duck, Cornish game hen, pheasant, and, of course, our annual pilgrimage to the tabernacle of turkey. We deciphered peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, cloves, and a little spice-box peeking out from behind the fruit. The acidity was focused, with the wine straddling dry and off-dry. At 10.5%, this was the perfect balance between sweet and dry. This one will not bring couched emotions to the surface at your elegant Paula Deen table -- the alcohol content is low enough to ensure no one's going postal at this party, while the bouquet is arresting enough to transport you to Mosel, Rheingau, or New Braunfels in spring. 




Up next was a 2008 Fogdog Pinot Noir from Freestone Vineyards in Sonoma County (the step-child of Napa). We found this to be an approachable, well-crafted wine which, to be honest, caught us slightly off guard. While we tend to dismiss California Pinot Noir because they're usually over-oaked or taste like an off-brand strawberry jam that lists the first three ingredients as corn syrup, modified corn syrup, and partially-hydrogenated corn syrup, this one was a crowd-pleaser. There was a little alcohol burn on the nose and fruit that took us to Northwest U.S. Mark got some mock-Burgundian orange. It was thick, had great acids, and would go great with duck or anything else a solid Pinot would go with. This is no new frontier, just a solid Pinot. Damn pretty, Mark said. The American Heritage Dictionary defines FogDog as "a bright or clear spot that appears in breaking fog," which couldn't be more appropriate for this wine, as it stands in stark contrast to the dross of some nearby new world pinot. 

 Seeking redemption from California after the last Merlot post, we hoped the Beringer Knights Valley 2006 Alluvium would prove chivalry is not dead. And indeed it is not. With notes of bold, chewy red fruits, and coffee, the wine exhibited a sense of (paradoxically) restrained hedonism. It has the harmony of Bordeaux and the sunshine of California. With 79% Merlot, the rest is made up of Cab, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. This is an AVA to keep an eye on. 

Last up was a bottle that Tucker procured through various and sundry indiscretions. While we're not at liberty to divulge what those might have been, we can say that the wine is wonderful. It was around this time that Laura and Noel showed up to the party. Laura got notes of Rooibos tea, violets, stewed fruit, and blue flowers. Noel noted that the wine was very delicate, and needed some food...something with fat to balance out the acid -- "pure Burgundy". You definitely want to lay this down for at least a year and a half, three years max. Strident and sinewy, Mark called this a "young buck," fuzzy antlers and all. 

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