From pot to boat to pound to pot, Glah-sta Lahb-sta

I visited Argyle Winery’s tasting room when I went on my trip to the Willamette Valley last November. Argyle is famous for their sparkling wines. I don’t really care for sparkling wines, however, theirs were very good. What I did enjoy was their Riesling so I procured a bottle "for future reference". This Riesling was planted in the Lone Star Vineyard in a high density on devigorated rootstock.

Riesling
Argyle Winery
Willamette Valley
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13.0%
Residual Sugar: 1%
Cases Produced: 635

Color: Yellow
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Melon, honeysuckle, stone, cedar
Flavors: Grapefruit, melon, pear, lemon, mineral, a little wood flavor.
Body: Medium Bodied
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Semi dry
Finish: Moderate

Summary: This is a clean, refreshing Riesling. I liked the acid and semi-dry balance in this wine. It has some nice mineral characteristics with a teeny-tiny bit of vanilla. It also left a nice, low grade glycerin feel in the mouth. The citrus is very refreshing.


This is a good wine for sitting down with a meal of chicken picante, fish (haddock, red snapper, whitefish, sole, or cod). Shrimp and lobster would go great with this. In fact, I think we will enjoy our Argyle 2006 Riesling with lobster! Read on!

Glah-sta Lahb-sta
I had a hankering today. I really wanted to have some lobster, and why not. We live in a fishing port in Massachusetts, all’s I have to do is go see my fellow Blogger, Joey at Captain Joe and Sons and pick up a couple of "frisky ones". Joey is a dedicated Blogger and family man who runs Good Morning Gloucester. Good Morning Gloucester is a very well read Blog about life in Gloucester and I owe much of the local popularity of SMU to Joey. [Meet Joey on SMU!]

This time of year, the lobsters are headed out to deeper waters, out of Gloucester Harbor. We have fewer lobster pots in the water. Fishermen bring them in for storage. Here are some pots coming in to Captain Joe’s for winter storage.

We are lucky. The lobsters that B and I buy go from the pot to the boat to the pound to the pot in one day.

Tips on buying lobsters
Just because you live in Kansas doesn't mean you can't get lobster. Gloucester sends them to markets all over. When you buy a lobster, make sure that they are frisky. The tails should curl up. Ask your fishmonger to pull the tail out and see if it pulls back. If it is limp, pass; the lobster is not really in good condition. Your fishmonger should boil this and put it on display for some of the uniformed to buy. Our lobsters were flipping and pissed off to be picked up from behind. Real “frisky ones” as I call them.

When you get them home, put them in the refrigerator. Don’t put them in the sink or bathtub with water, they will drown. They will be fine in the fridge in a bag for a while. Me, being spitting distance from the nearest lobster pound, I pick them up at 1:00 and put them into the pot at 5:00. (Sorry for throwing salt into the wound, not everyone can live on the Atlantic coast.)

When I cook lobsters, I get a big stock pot boiling with water. I cut the claw bands off and drop them head first into the water and set the timer for 10 minutes. (We ask for 1.5 to 2.0 pound lobsters. For 2 pounders, maybe 11 minutes.) While this is going on, slice up some lemon, melt some butter, pop open the Riesling and get the glasses ready. After the lobsters are done, pull out and drain and eat. (In the summer time, I’ll throw some ears of corn in the water about three minutes before the lobster is done.)

The Argyle Riesling was absolutely perfect with this lobster. It was citrusy enough to hold up to the lemon in the butter and sweet enough to not seem sour against the lobster meet. B made a great green salad with chipotle lime dressing with shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro and corn kernels.

This is without a doubt the best lobster meal I have ever had. Pairing this Willamette Valley Rielsing with Lobster was just a fabulous treat.

Cacophony

The last Toad Hollow we had was a tasty Russian River Merlot. It was a bit more pricey than the Cacophony Zin at $19.99, but it we enjoyed it.

We picked up this 2006 Paso Robles Zin in the bargain bin marked down to $11.99. Sometimes you take your chances with marked-down wine--it sounded like a deal. It definitely lived up to Zin name in terms of having lots of super-extracted red and black fruit flavors, and an equal share of black pepper. To the wine's credit, it didn't seem hot at all at 14.8% alcohol. However, I found the wine somewhat discordant--probably nothing a bold meal couldn't smooth out though. It was a bit of a cacophony in my tummy too, so dyspepsia may have dampened my review.

$10 Tuesday: Red Côtes du Ventoux

The Côtes du Ventoux AOC is located in the southeastern region of the region of the Rhône wine region of France. The geology has limestone soils giving the wines a good mineral balance and lighter touch.

Red wines are made from, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Carignan (maximum 30%). White wines are produced from Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Grenache Blanc, and a maximum 30% Roussane. There is an interesting article about the 2000 years of wine production history on the Côtes du Ventoux website.

The wines from this region are made to be enjoyed young. This one is four years old, purchased past its pundit declared prime of 2007. How did it do? Is it past its prime?

Côtes du Ventoux AOC
Chapelle St. Arnoux

Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 14%
Price: $10.00

Color: Ruby
Intensity: Deep
Aromas: Blackberry, cherry, plum, earth, slight smoked meat
Flavors: Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, plum, earth, stuck flint, anise, oak, coffee, cassis, sandalwood, black pepper
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Suede
Finish: Long

Summary: Very long finish starting with the fruit flavors working to an earthy-spicy taste. The tannins have mellowed out a bit leaving a very pleasant feel. This wine was supposed to be past its prime? I think we caught it before it declined. No, it doesn’t taste young. It is very enjoyable, maybe a little mellower than in its younger day, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. This has a good enough tannin structure to hold up. If you got one in the back of the cellar, pull it out and enjoy it right now.


This will go well with anything; a good hard cheese, grilled meats and veggies, Mediterranean food, or a darn good cheeseburger made with sharp cheddar cheese. Try some dark chocolate too.

What we've been up to

You may have noticed another long hiatus this past week on Smells Like Grape. Rest assured, we were tasting lots of wine (we just weren't blogging about it). We were deep in wildest California with no access to wifi or running water. We did manage to cobble together a short vlog with clips of our trip captured on the flipcam Santa left for us. (Okay, there was running water too--but the internet connection was in short supply.) Enjoy.

$10 Tuesday: White Cotes du Rhone

We've been on the prowl for some good ten dollar wines, and this week's selection is an interesting wine with, an arguably even more interesting website. I knew nothing about this producer when I selected the M. Chapoutier Belleruche other than that it was Côtes du Rhône, and there was Braille on the label. I thought there was probably a story there but, the main selling point was the ten dollar price tag.

It turns out that the Braille has special significance due to the historical connection to Maurice Monier de La Sizeranne, the inventor of the first version of abbreviated Braille. Under a tab labeled "Convictions," we also learn that M. Chapoutier adheres to a "demanding" biodynamic cultivation method.

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Vin Blanc

Vintage: 2007
Appellation: Côtes du Rhône
Grape Varieties: hand-harvested White Grenache, Clairette and Bourboulenc
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $10-$12
Aromas: Pear, melon, pineapple, citrus zest
Flavors: mineral, citrus, apple

Summary: Pleasant aromas give way to a nicely balanced wine with full mouthfeel and clean acidity. During dinner, I kept finding my glass empty, and I also noticed that I was refilling it often. Yes, this is a refreshing and tasty wine. All this for ten bucks? How do they do it?!

Chianti Classico

On our last visit to Ceres Street Wine Merchants last fall, I asked David for his recommendation for a Chianti Classico. Knowing David’s reputation for carrying great wines, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

The Castle of Verrazzano is located on a hilltop in the Chianti Classico region. The vineyards are farmed organically with mechanical weed control and hand cultivation. The vine production is kept low by culling inferior bunches of grapes through the growing season. Harvest is also done manually.

The grapes are fermented in smaller batches and aged in small and medium oak barrels. Bottles are cellared under the castle providing excellent temperature control.

Keep in mind that this is Chianti Classico, not Chianti. You will expect a much higher quality wine with Chianti Classico as we have previously discussed.

Chianti Classico DOCG
Castello di Verrazzano

Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $33.00

Color: Garnett
Intensity: Dark
Aromas: Cherry, hay, raspberry, cassis, earth, mild European oak.
Flavors: Cherry, elderberry, cassis, mineral, anise, licorice, black pepper, coffee, tobacco,
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Leather
Finish: Long

Summary: This is moderately complex wine as you would expect for a Chianti Classico. The aromas and flavors are bold and present. It stands up well with food. It has good tannin structure and should be enjoyed now and for the next three to five years.


We are having this tonight with B’s pizza. I’d have this with Mexican, grilled stake, salty foods, red pasta dishes, baby back ribs, eggplant parmesan, chocolate covered asiago, or Ciappino.

Well Wishes $2 You | Pistachio

At this festive time of year with so many libation choices, it's important to remember that in many parts of the world, children don't even have access to clean drinking water. Today on Twitter, @Pistachio is running the an interesting charity experiment:

I’d be so incredibly stoked to see 12,500 tiny donations from all over the web come together to make my Well Wishes dream come true… It just takes $2. Won’t you?Well Wishes $2 You | Pistachio, Dec 2008

I donated--it's easy. You should read the whole article.