I’m starting a new weekly feature on the blog this week.  Over the course of a week, my wife and I drink a bunch o’wine – almost always with food. Since I’ve always been fascinated by wine at the table with food, I thought it would be fun to recap not only the wines we’ve been drinking, but also how they pair (or don’t pair) with the foods at our table.  I’ll still pick and Wine of the Week; plus a Food and Wine Pairing of the Week.

2007 Stage Left Cellars Petite Sirah – Retail $36
Opaque violet color with baked black and red fruits, black raspberry, red currant, black pepper, and baking spice aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, and very fresh with black raspberry, fig, blackberry, red currant, spice flavors and a wonderful complementary minerality. Long finish.  Petite Sirah my not be top of mind when it comes to a wine to pair with food (well other than steak), but this one could change your mind.  Outstanding; 92-95 pts

N.V. Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose – Retail $20
Pretty pink color with an orange hue, and a fine bead. Show aromas of strawberry cream, raspberry, and ginger. On the palate, it’s dry with a soft mousse and tart raspberry, strawberry, ginger and blood orange aromas. Very food friendly. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir including at least 15% reserve lots. Good value! – Very good; 86-88 pts

2009 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel – Retail $55
Dark ruby color with complex dark fruits, spice, licorice, bramble, wet stone and pepper aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and dry and round with a lush texture, dusty tannins and black cherry, plum, red currant flavors with a persistent minerality. Long finish. Blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 28% Syrah, 27% Grenache, 5% Counoise Wonderful food wine. Perfect with lamb shank! Outstanding; 92-95 pts

2012 Erik Banti Carato Toscana IGT – Retail $8
Ruby color with bright cherry, tobacco, a bit of red currant, vanilla and spice aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, and fresh with surprisingly supple texture, and a lingering finish. Delicious blend of 75% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and 10% Ciliegiolo. Aged for 10 months in French barriques.  A steal for $8!  This one goes in my “Everyday” wine rotation!  It’s hard to go wrong with an Italian wine at the table, and this one is no exception. Very good; 86-88 pts

N.V. Ariston Aspasie Champagne Brut – Carte Blanche – Retail $28
Pale yellow color with a fine bead and pretty white flower, yellow apple, toast,and subtle citrus aromas. On the palate it’s light-medium bodied, with a delicate mousse. It’s elegant and dry with yellow apple, peach, citrus, mineral and a bit of vanilla flavors. Lingering finish. Blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier 12.5% alcohol. Wonderful value in Champagne under $30. Will buy more! Very Good to Outstanding; 89-91 pts

N.V. Fleury Pere & Fils Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut – Retail $40
Pale yellow color with a fine bead, and bread dough, hazelnut, cherry aromas. On the palate it’s shows a delicate creamy mousse, racy acidity and wonderful balance with cherry, strawberry, red apple, and vanilla flavors and a lingering mineral driven finish. 100% Pinot Noir sparkling wine from the Aube in the southernmost part of the Champagne region  Very Good to Outstanding; 89-91 pts

2010 Big Basin Vineyards Homestead – Retail $36
Dark ruby color with exuberant violet, roast meat, dark fruit, tar and a hint of menthol aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, and well-balanced with plum, cherry, black raspberry, and baking spice flavors. Long finish. Blend of 37% Grenache, 36% Syrah, and 27% Mourvedre  Very Good to Outstanding; 89-91 pts

2004 Alvear Montilla-Moriles Pedro Ximénez de Añada (375ml)- Retail $20
Brownish red color with molasses, toffee, dark chocolate and subtle spice aromas. On the palate it’s full-bodied, viscous, and persistent with very good acidity that keeps it from being cloying and provides balance. It shows sweet flavors of molasses, honey-dipped figs, caramel, and cinnamon flavors. Long finish  Very Good to Outstanding; 89-91 pts

2013 Panizzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano – Retail $16
Light yellow-green with lime, and tangerine, and wet stone aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, and fresh with an ample texture, and lime, tangerine, and a bit of spice flavors with a surprising and pleasing touch of tannins. Long mineral driven finish. 13% alcohol.This was fantastic with  Very Good to Outstanding; 89-91 pts

 Wine of the Week

We entertained friends last weekend, which accounts for a couple of bottles of Champagne, and the 2004 Alvear PX Sherry.  I’m a big fan of the Blanc de Noir style of sparkling wines, and you don’t find many Champagne in that style. The Fleury Blanc de Noirs was a great pairing with our entree of 40 Cloves and a Chicken.  For dessert  we served the Alvear PX Sherry over ice-cream.  (a popular way to serve the very sweet and viscous PX).  I was happy to finally get around to drinking it. It’d been laying down for nearly 7 years!  The Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel was awesome after it opened after 90 or so minutes, and it’s wine that will continue to favorably evolve for many more years. But my Wine of the Week was the  Panizzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  It was my first time trying Vernaccia!  And what a fantastic introduction.  I don’t recall having a white wine with tannins in it before, but apparently some fine tannins is typical of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a rare tannic white grape variety. And the wine paired perfectly with Cacciucco, a Tuscan Seafood Stew I prepared for an upcoming #ItalianFWT post. Together the two were my Food and Wine Pairing of the Week.

Martin Redmond is a Financial Executive by day, and a certified wine geek with latent foodie tendencies the rest of the time. In addition to the wine lifestyle and food he enjoys family, fitness and traveling. He likes to get thoughts of wine off his mind by sharing experiences on his ENOFYLZ Wine blog, which features wine reviews, wine country travel, and wine and food pairings.

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