Wine Club Newsletter - August 2022
The Best Wine Pairings to Serve with Your Next Barbecue
Wine is a better pairing with barbecue than beer, at least that’s how two-time James Beard award-winning Sommelier and Editorial Director at SommSelect, David Lynch sees it. He cites acidity as the main reason but concedes, “That’s the short answer. Acidity cuts fat, and BBQ is typically pretty fatty stuff.
To me, the ideal pairing for a plate of BBQ ribs, pulled pork, chicken, etc. would be a bright, fruity Cru Beaujolais from France. These are high-acid, low-tannin, low-alcohol reds with bright (but not overripe) fruit. That’s the sweet spot. Rich food counterbalanced by a lighter-weight red with energy; that’s the play.”
Yet, those full-bodied reds are also welcome to the party. Richer reds make the cut when it comes to barbecue adds Lynch; “Two that I often recommend with barbecue—especially the saucier, smokier styles—are California Zinfandel and Australian Shiraz or Grenache.”
And there is even a place for rosé lovers in the barbecue pairing game, explains Lynch, “Dry rosé is a fantastic choice, especially with some of the barbecue styles where vinegar plays a more prominent role: you need plenty of crisp acidity to counter that.
The moral of the story is to think unconventionally and experiment with different things—if only to give you a reason to host more barbecues.
Lynch’s Best Practices for Pairing Wine with BBQ:
Keep your red wines cool. Depending on the wine, in fact, you might consider throwing the bottle in the cooler with the beer. 50-55 degrees is ideal but you can go lower (refrigerator temp is typically around 40 degrees, which is a little cold, but it’ll rise quickly once the bottle is out).
Fancy glassware and other formalities associated with wine tend to go out the window with barbecue—especially considering a lot of the food is meant to be eaten with your hands.
Large formats are your friend: A barbecue is a great time to serve wine in magnum or jeroboam—it looks cool and accommodates larger groups of people.
Consider the setting: If it’s a hot daytime barbecue at the beach, you’ll likely want to choose different (i.e. lighter, more refreshing) wines that if it’s a backyard dinner that’s a lot cooler.
Josh Jensen, Winemaker Extraordinaire, was Pinot Noir Pioneer in America
I had the pleasure of meeting Josh Jensen on a few occasions, and he was a very fine man. He was THE leader for developing high quality Pinot Noir in the United States, specifically in California.
His wines have stood the test of time, older and recent vintages showing spectacularly, the Jensen label on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and even Zinfandel denotes wines of exceptional character and superiority. GP
Josh Jensen, who, after a single-minded quest in the 1970s to find the perfect site in California to grow the pinot noir grape, became the first producer of consistently excellent American pinot noir through his Calera Wine Co., inspiring a new generation of West Coast winemakers, died June 11 at his home in San Francisco. He was 78.
Good American pinot noir was rarely seen in 1972 when Jensen, enamored with the Burgundy region of France, the source of the world’s great pinot noirs and chardonnays, set out to produce his own version in California. With a few exceptions, most American pinot noir at the time was at best simple and fruity; more often it was stewed stuff from the hot Central Valley.
But Jensen had a different idea. He had worked briefly in Burgundy and saw firsthand pinot noir’s affinity for limestone, the region’s bedrock. He was convinced that if he could find limestone in California, where it was rare, he could make great wines with the complexity and ability to age that was typical of good Burgundy.
It took him a solid two years of monkish devotion — poring over geology charts and mining surveys, scouring the countryside for the combination of limestone and mild climate that might give him the great wine he envisioned.
In 1974, he found his site, 2,200 feet high on the remote slopes of Mount Harlan in the Gabilan Range in San Benito County, two hours southeast of San Francisco. Never mind the isolation, or the lack of paved roads, electricity and running water, or the fact that, as Jensen later put it, the site was “a Frisbee toss” from the San Andreas Fault. His vision outshined the potential pitfalls.
He bought the parcel, on which he found a well-preserved old limekiln. Soon after, living in a trailer with his wife, Jeanne Newman, and her small child, he began to plant his first three vineyards — Jensen (named after his father), Selleck (for a mentor) and Reed (for an investor) — circumscribing the mountain, each with different exposures to the sun. In 1975, Calera Wine Co. was born, taking its name from the Spanish word for limekiln.
The first small crop arrived in 1978, a year after Jensen bought additional land 1,000 feet down the mountain to build a winery, a makeshift facility that was largely exposed to the elements. Soon enough, in the mid-1980s, the Calera pinot noirs began to receive notice. They were classically styled in the Burgundy tradition, not easy to enjoy young yet structured to age well, with the intense fruit flavors that come from California sunshine.
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Cheers!
Gary Parker, Owner
The WineSellar & Brasserie
2020 Touraine, Marquis de Goulaine, Les Lendelles
Growing Region Loire Valley, France
Varietal Composition 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Fermentation Stainless Steel
Alcohol Content 12.5%
Suggested Retail $20.00
WineSellar Club Price $17.99
Broad Strokes:
The Château de Goulaine is a historic château located near Nantes, France. The property has been home to the family of the Marquis de Goulaine for over a thousand years. The Goulaine name is also used for estate-bottled wine that is produced at the property. While it is not clear exactly when the estate vineyard started producing wine for commercial use the millennium during which the estate of Château de Goulaine has been producing wine makes it the second-oldest known wine business still in existence. According to one telling of the story, as favored by the American chef Bobby Flay, the white sauce beurre blanc was allegedly invented in the kitchen of Château de Goulaine by the head cook, Madame Clémence Lefeuvre.
Appearance:
Love the embossed bottle! The front label reads clear, except the font on “Goulaine” is too scripted and the lettering isn’t quite clear. You need a microscope to read the nice story (size three font) on the back label. Liquid has a light lemon-yellow color and is pretty and clear.
Nose:
Fresh white peach and persimmon fruit aromatics are trimmed by youth and lively acids. Gooseberry, grapefruit, and lemon/citric fruits. Notes of fine white pepper sliced green bell pepper, ginger flower, rosemary-sage-basil herb suggestions.
Texture:
Medium to medium light in body. Edgy, fresh acids feel almost halting at first, but the depth of fruit opens this wine up, making it a pleasant, mouth-watering sipper.
Flavors:
The wine has a fresh, lovely clean and sparkling feel, much like that of fresh rainwater. It also has a pureness to it, where the winemaker has allowed the authenticity of the grape shine through. Ginger and ginger flower, white peach and star anise, and the herbs mentioned above. Include a hint of menthol, sesame oil/roasted peanut tinge to it. And then of course, a bit of the citrus of Meyer lemon.
Serving Suggestions:
This wine would be killer with oysters, or any shellfish for that matter. Try with hard cheeses or grilled fish with Beurre Blanc sauce! (See “Broad Strokes”)
2018 Rive Droite, “Right Bank”, San Marcos Winery
Growing Region South Coast, California
Varietal Composition 61% Merlot, 9% Malbec, 15% each for Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Fermentation Barrel Fermentation
Alcohol Content 14.4%
Suggested Retail $36.00
WineSellar Club Price $32.39
Broad Strokes: Only 125 cases made! Rare!
From the Winery: Malcolm Gray’s passion for winemaking started with his passion for drinking wine. As an accomplished Electrical Engineer working in Silicon Valley for over 25 years, he would spend weekends at wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Sierra Foothills that led to extensive, in-depth conversations with the winemakers about grape varieties, climate, and soil. Malcolm began reading everything he could get his hands on about grapes, grape growing regions, and the art of making wine. He then attended enology courses at UC Davis when he realized, “this is what I really want to do”. Malcolm absorbed himself in “everything about wine making”, expanding his knowledge and developing his skills. His efforts paid off, winning a silver medal for the inaugural red blend, 2013 Sunset Red, at the 2016 San Diego Wine and Spirits Challenge.
Appearance:
“Rive Droite” translates from French to mean “Right River”, or “Right Bank”, known for producing excellent wines in the region of Bordeaux, which this wine is patterned after. The wine has a dark cranberry skin hue with clear edges, looking almost light. It is very pretty and looking correct.
Nose:
Good fruit extraction, this Bordeaux blend is subtle, unique, and intriguing. Red licorice, cherry cola, red tea, and more cherry fruit surface. White and black pepper as well.
Texture:
Medium light weight and body, and yet maintains a weighty feel in the palate. Ripe fruit with a delicate and soft approach, it travels through the palate with a smooth feel backed with grippy acids.
Flavors:
Beautifully expressive in its subtlety, I loved the focused cherry fruit with the oak wrapping. Rose petal and flower elements, black and white pepper from the nose . . . long, sweet, and polite is the finish.
Serving Suggestions:
This wine has excellent versatility, pastas, chicken and pork dishes, mild cheeses.
2018 Petite Sirah, Labyrinth, Arroyo Grande Vineyard
Growing Region San Luis Obispo, Ca.
Varietal Composition 100% Petite Sirah
Fermentation Barrel Fermented
Alcohol Content 14.2%
Suggested Retail $38.00
WineSellar Club Price $34.19
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery: Passion for classic, world-class wines drives Labyrinth's winemaking goal to craft Passion for classic, world-class wines drives Labyrinth's winemaking goal to craft amazing wines every vintage. Our wines are balanced, elegant and drink well by themselves and as part of a meal. We craft wines that make your palate sing with a combination of complex flavors, body and that finish wonderfully. The Labyrinth is steeped in mythological significance. The ancient Greeks hid their most prized possessions and deepest secrets in Labyrinths. During the Bronze Age, the Labyrinth became a powerful icon that symbolizes a pathway of mystery, secrecy, and enlightenment.
Our Labyrinth wines are a collection of elegant, balanced wines that are crafted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world.
Appearance:
I like the overall looks and feel of the packaging. It is straightforward, and I also dig the messages behind their thoughts. The wine is a very dark red and purple color and is nearly black/opaque at the center. Be warned, some sediment was on my cork and at the bottom of the bottle, nothing to be alarmed at. You may want to decant it for better airing and keeping the sediment out of your glass.
Nose:
In the beginning, the aromatics were stunted, reserved, especially considering the dynamic feel and flavors on the palate. That all took care of itself after about 25 minutes. Deep cherry liqueur, black raspberry, Marionberry, blackberry fruits are exciting me.
Texture:
Medium full in body and weight. An energetic, vigorous feel in the mouth. Good power and palate entry, asserting dark fruits with vibrant acids, which will need time to soften. The finish holds buoyancy, boding for the long-term aging prospects of this wine.
Flavors:
Black raspberry and black cherry fruits get the three “f’s”: fabulous, focused and forward. Solid Kirsch liqueur, cherry syrup, dark grape juice, lead pencil and graphite.
Serving Suggestions:
This wine will be a stunner in ten years, Drink now with BBQ/smoke meats.
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Midnight Cellars, “Nebula”
Growing Region Willow Creek District, Paso Robles, Ca.
Varietal Composition 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fermentation 20% New French Oak for 30 Months
Alcohol Content 15.1%
Suggested Retail $55.00
WineSellar Club Price $49.49
Broad Strokes: 90 Points WE
Midnight Cellars is home to the Hartenberger Family, and their small production of award-winning wines. The 28-acre estate is situated in the newly established Willow Creek District, known for its strong maritime influence, mountainous landscape, and calcareous soils. The climate, topography and soil composition create an environment for growing quality, low yield, sustainable farmed grapes. As a family-owned winery for about 20 years, Midnight Cellars prides itself in providing fine wines at enjoyable prices.
The Paso Robles Willow Creek District sits to the West of Paso Robles and Templeton. The topography is high elevation mountainous bedrock slopes across a more erodible member of the Monterey Formation.
Appearance:
I like the graphic with the brushstroke of the sky with the old man in the moon style. Like the Moon image on foil. Screwcap, Yay! Back label info, YAY! The wine is a deep red hue, with nearly an opaque center.
Nose:
Assertive, deep fruits of black cherry, raspberry and blackberry aromas are lifted through the sweet, creamy vanilla oak essence. Lovely elements of spice, cigar/tobacco, with cherry balsamic and fresh herbs. High octane, leather whiffs emerging later.
Texture:
Big entry on the palate with a solid, large, commanding presence. The powerful, concentrated fruit is laced with firm tannins and lively, still youthful acids. The finish is tight and balanced, leaving a large impression.
Flavors:
Wide open cherry/raspberry preserves smack rich on the palate. Solid wood-oak-vanilla nuances, with spices, leather and gobs and gobs more of dark berry. Cherry balsamic wrapped in mocha, tobacco, smoke, white pepper and fresh herbs.
Serving Suggestions:
The winery and another publication give this wine a mature date of 2034 or thereabouts. Probably true, however, it is drinking great today as well. Rich BBQ meats are calling for it.
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Opal Moon
Growing Region Rutherford, Napa Valley, Ca.
Varietal Composition 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fermentation Barrel Fermented
Alcohol Content 14.3%
Suggested Retail $95.00
WineSellar Club Price $85.49
Broad Strokes:
This is a rarity, a wine that is not on the market but made by John Bambury, of The Bambury Wine Collection as well as Bonneau Winery. You may recall we recently featured the 2015 Bonneau Cabernet Sauvignon in our Gary Parker Collection, which was very well received.
From the Winery: Bonneau winery is operated by the third generation of Bonneau’s with family history dating back to the early 1920’s in the Sonoma-Carneros appellation.
The Bonneau’s originally came to America from the vineyard lands of Bordeaux, France and began farming a 70-acre parcel of land just south of the town of Sonoma. After growing and providing Chardonnay grapes to several well-known wineries in both Sonoma and Napa, the family launched its own label in 2002 and our Bonneau Chardonnay was born.
Appearance:
Nice, big, heavy bottle with a deep punt and silver foil cap. I feel the label graphics are understated, monochromatic, static, and the moon looks more like a thumbprint than a planet. The wine is very dark, and black at the middle.
Nose:
Saddle leather envelopes the black and red fruits, featuring black cherry, ripe black plums, cigar/tobacco, vanilla and See’s dark chocolate. I also got notes of basil, thyme, a bit of mint/menthol as well.
Texture:
The wine enters the palate smoothly, with juicy viscosity, almost like a dairy cream. The wine expands in the palate and gets pulled in a bit by the well edged tannins and acids.
Flavors:
Expressive middle fruits are quite ripe and dominate the palate. Albeit slight, some cranberry acid firms the deep red/black fruits of black cherry and ripe plum. From the nose, get the cigar/tobacco, vanilla and dark chocolate. Toasted elements of roasted nuts, grilled bread and oak.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a well-made California Cabernet from the noteworthy, highly reputable AVA that is Rutherford, Napa Valley. Stock six bottles away!
NV Champagne Delamotte
Growing Region: Grand Cru Vineyards from Cramant, Le Mesnil - Oger, through Avize and Oger in Champagne, France
Varietal Composition (Cepage): 100% Chardonnay
Vinification (From the winery): Methode Champenoise, vinified in stainless steel
Dosage: 7 g/l
Alcohol Content: 12%
Suggested Retail: $90
WineSellar Club Price: $
From the Winery:
Beginning in 1760 and now a sibling to Champagne Salon, Champagne Delamotte is also a Chardonnay based house.
92 pts James Suckling, 92 pts Burghound
Appearance:
Light straw hue
Nose:
White flowers, jasmine, fresh Bartlett pear, candied lemon
Texture:
Tiny, precise bubbles
Flavors:
Brioche, pears, chamomile tea, honeycrisp apples, & fresh thyme
Serving Suggestions:
Pair with sliced radishes on buttered brioche with a flourish of sea salt
NV Marcel Cabelier, Brut, Cremant de Jura
Growing Region: Jura, France
Varietal Composition (Cepage) : 100% Chardonnay
Vinification (From the winery): Over 60 months on the lees
Dosage: 3 g/l
Alcohol Content: 12 %
Suggested Retail: $23
WineSellar Club Price: $
From the Winery:
Marcel Cabelier is a small winery in the Jura specializing in the classic method sparkling wine of the area. The Jura is located in the eastern part of France, between Burgundy and neighboring Switzerland.
Appearance:
Golden yellow
Nose:
Aromas of green apple, honey, brioche
Texture:
Soft, plush bubbles
Flavors:
Honeyed apple, toasted brioche, lemon curd, baking spices and a hint of smoke
Serving Suggestions:
Pair with lemon meringue pie!
Yellow & Red Watermelon Gazpacho
Shared this with good friends and it was such a lovely summer dish. Gluten Free. Vegan.
This goes great with an edgy Sauvignon Blanc, such as the Touraine.
Serves Four (32 Ounces)
Red Watermelon:
- 2 cups red watermelon, no seeds
- 1 large sized tomato (Heirloom is best) no seeds
- 1/3 Persian Cucumber, peeled
- 1/4 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1/4 red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Yellow Watermelon:
- 2 cups yellow watermelon, no seeds
- 1/3 Persian Cucumber, peeled
- 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 sweet white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons plain or Greek yogurt, or Crème Fraiche
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion
- Two basil leaves chopped/ and four basil tops for garnish
Method:
-
Place Red Watermelon ingredients in blender and thoroughly blend. Set aside and refrigerate.
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Place Yellow Watermelon ingredients in (cleaned) blender and thoroughly blend. Set aside and refrigerate.
For Serving:
-
Pour Red & Yellow watermelon liquids into separate gravy servers or other pouring vessels for easy dispensing into the soup bowl.
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To pour, slightly tilt up right side of bowl and pour red watermelon liquid on the left side, which is lower.
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Then as you return the bowl to the flat surface, add the yellow watermelon liquid on the right side.
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Garnish with yogurt, chopped red onion, chopped basil, and basil stems.
Option:
If you can find a yellow heirloom tomato, add one to Yellow Watermelon Ingredients.