Banfi Centine, 2006

Banfi Centine, 2006

This red wine from Tuscany is a "Super Tuscan" blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I was anxious to try this new vintage and see what kind of wine Banfi delivers for about $12. Castello Banfi is located in Montalcino, one of the best wine regions of Tuscany. The color is a dark red and almost opaque. Once we gave this wine a sniffy sniff, we knew we were into something a little different. Many Tuscan "Sangiovese blends" at this price point offer drinkable wines with good acidity and fresh fruit flavors and little else. The aroma was that of cellar floor, mushrooms and blackberries. In the mouth this is a medium to full bodied wine with velvety tannins and subtle acidity. The flavor is that of strawberries, blackberries and mushroom with a background of old oak. The wine is quite elegant and has a long satisfying finish. Overall a very good Tuscan red at this price point for anyone who enjoys a fruit driven wine with earthy and musty overtones. PS. Centine is pronounced "CHEN - TIN - AY", in Italian.

Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, 2003

Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, 2003

This is a beautiful Langhe wine produced by one of Piedmont's stars. The variety is 100% Nebbiolo from vineyards, most less than 15 years old, in Castiglione, La Morra and Novello that are planted 4.500-5.000 plants by hectare. This is like drinking a nice Barolo at a sale price. The color was a deep red with purple edges. On the nose were the aromas of sweet strawberries, coco and rose petals. This is a full bodied wine with a rich mouth feel and plenty of smooth, but gripping tannins. There is good acidity that compliments the cherry, strawberry and chocolate flavors. The finish was long and elegant. Seek out Vietti for good choices from the heart of Piedmont. We bought this at Pete's Wine Shop, in Bellevue, for about $20. This was in our cellar since the beginning of 2007. Excellent.

Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera

Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera, 2006

We love many wines from Piedmont, Italy and Barbera is definitely a great "food" wine. When we traveled in Piedmont, back in 2003, we stopped at Fontanafredda on a warm autumn day. Back in December we had a bottle of the 2005 Barbera and found it "nice" but nothing special. The new release Briccotondo Barbera, 2006, is a delicious wine that far surpasses the previous vintage. The color is a vibrant ruby/purple with nice clarity. On the nose is the scent of black cherries, grape juice and plums. This is a medium bodied wine with lovely flavors of black cherries, plums, chocolate and nutmeg. This wine has ample acidity and well rounded tannins to add to the overall complexity. The finish is long and seductive. This wine was so delicious; we managed to finish of the whole bottle throughout the evening. This wine would pair well with any hearty meal or savory pizza. This wine made the Wine Spectator "Top 100" list for 2007. This wine sells for about $15. We purchased it from Wine.com.

Here are pictures of two pizzas I made this weekend. One is a pesto with chicken and mozzarella and the other is pizza with spicy sopressata, marinara and fontina. These pizzas were the culmination of a week-end of use of our Wood-burning oven. The menu included a roasted turkey, lemon chicken, fire roasted asparagus and zucchini and red peppers and slow baked cannellini beans with garlic and rosemary. We are set with left-overs for the week!

Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002

Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002

In our home we have a little ritual where one of us will select a wine from the cellar and present it to the other as a blind tasting. Two nights ago, Kate grabbed a brown paper wine bag and descended to the cellar to find a good "stumper" for me to guess. The ground rules are simple…. Analyze the wine on virtues of taste, aroma, mouth feel and color and try to name the grape variety, region and age range. If you are real bold you might even guess a particular winery and year. Kate had selected a bottle of Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon that we had cellared for the past few years. This wine turned out to be a real "stumper" and totally delicious. The color was dark ruby with crimson hues. The nose offered sweet caramel, strawberries and cherries. In the mouth this was a medium to full bodied wine with ample tannins to completely coat the front of your tongue and palate. The wine had sweet dark fruit and berry flavor with some herbal and spice characteristics. The firm tannins give this wine a delightful dryness that complimented the muscular structure. This is a wine that we bought for about $6, but it was performing better than many wines at three times the price. I could not "guess" this wine with my initial impressions being a $15-20 Grenache from Spain. Kate was glad she stumped me and is looking forward to "doing better than I did" on her next blind tasting. This Hogue wine proves that there are great values from Washington State. Bravo Hogue!

Columbia Crest Vineyard 10 Red Wine, 2005

Columbia Crest Vineyard 10 Red Wine, 2005

Columbia Crest is one of the largest wineries in Washington and one of the best. What makes them so good is that they produce a very large amount of wine at various price points delivering excellent quality across the board. Whether you are buying their "Two Vines" selections for $6-8 or the Grand Estate for $9-12 or a Reserve wine for $22-35 you will always get a well made wine with good varietal character and finesse. My biggest complaint is that some of their wines can taste "over oaked" and therefore not my favorite to match with food. Tonight we tried the new Two Vines Vinyard 10 Red Wine. This is a blend of predominantly Syrah, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. The color is a deep ruby red with purple tones. On the nose there is the smell of sweet strawberries, black cherries and some toasted coconut. This is a fruit forward New World wine with a medium body and a smooth mouthfeel. The flavors are mainly ripe plum, blackberry and a hint of spice and toasty oak. The tannins appear low and well submurged. This is a smooth sipper that should appeal to any New World junky who is looking for an inexpensive everyday wine. This wine is available in the Seattle area for about $7. Good.

Carlos Basso Dos Fincas, 2005

Carlos Basso Dos Fincas, 2005

This red wine from Mendoza, Argentina is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot. It has a dark purple color with opaque ruby highlights. On the nose there is the scent of cherries, plums and blackberry jam. This is a medium bodied wine with a taste profile similar to the nose with the addition of some oak and spice. The tannins are well submerged and the acidity is low to moderate. This is a very pleasant drinking cab/merlot from Argentina that is definitely worth the $10 price tag. We bought this wine at Pete's Wine store in Bellevue. Enjoy this wine with a juice cheese burger and some sweet potato fries!

Barahonda Carro, 2006

Barahonda Carro, 2006

This is another wine brought into the United States by Ole Imports. Ole has done a tremendous job at finding great value wines form the varied regions of Spain. This red from Bodegas Seniorio De Barahonda is a delicious blend from Yecla. The Carro is a blend of 50% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, 20% Tempranilla and 10% Merlot. Each grape adds its own character to this food worthy blend. The wine has a medium ruby color with a lovely nose of dark berries, cranberries and earth. This is a medium bodied wine with a velvety, smooth mouth feel with no harsh edges. The flavors are those of dark cherries, sweet berries with a hint of citrus rind. The tannins are relatively low and well integrated. This wine improved with 4 hours of decanting. This is a great value for anyone who want to drink a lovely Spanish blend for under 10 bones. We bought this wine at Top Foods, in Bellevue, for about $9. Very nice.

Colonia Las Liebres 2006

Altos Las Hormigas

Colonia Las Liebres Barnardo, 2006

Barnardo is an Italian grape originally from Piedmont. Bonarda was brought to Argentina by Piedmont immigrants in the first part of the 20th century. In most vineyards Bonarda used to be planted in a mix together with Barbera, many old vineyards are now 100% Bonarda. This wine has a deep, inky purple color. There is a rustic scent of black fruit with cranberries. In the mouth this is a medium bodied wine that is dence with black cherry and plum juiciness, ripe acidity, and warm tannins. This is a well made wine that is well worth the $7 price tag. We enjoyed this wine with some grilled tandori chicken and roasted green vegetables.

Allegrini La Grola, 2003

Allegrini La Grola, 2003

Last night we ate dinner at La Medusa restaurant. This great restaurant is located in the Columbia City district of Seattle and is a true gem in the Seattle restaurant scene. The kitchen is run by Chef Earl Hook and the front of the house by the charming Julie Andres. The menu is Sicilian inspired food, expertly prepared, and served in a relaxing casual atmosphere. We brought a bottle of Allegrini La Grola, we had cellared for the past 2 years, to enjoy with this inspired hearty fare. This northern Italian red had a deep ruby color with a bouquet of wild berries, juniper, licorice, tobacco and espresso. It is medium to full-bodied with dark cherry, jam and chocolate flavors. The tannins and acidity are both present, in ample quantities, to make this a delicious sipper, on it's own, and delicious with our hearty Sicilian food. The La Grola is made from 70% Corvina Veronese, 15% Rondinella, 10% Syrah and 5% Sangiovese. Allegrini makes some great wines and La Grola is definitely worth seeking out. This Veronese wine is available in the Seattle area for about $24..

Academy Award Pizza Party

Pizza Party

During the Academy Award Show I made four different Wood Fired Pizzas. We really enjoyed the pizza with Fontina, Potato, Shallots and Rosemary. The other favorite was a Prosciutto and Fontina topped with fresh Baby Arugula. I cook the pizzas at a temperature between 600 an 700 degrees for 1-2 minutes. I use apple wood for the fire.

Pizza Dough

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons yeast, hydrated in 1/4 cup warm water
• (2 teaspoons olive oil, optional)

Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add water and hydrated yeast (optional olive oil, also) and mix with wooden spoon pressing along inside of bowl. Mix until dough takes on a "shaggy" appearance. Turn dough out onto work surface and knead until smooth and elastic—about 7 or 8 minutes. Place in a large lightly oiled container. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm location about 2 1/2 – 3 hours. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, divide into 5-6 oz portions for individual pizzas and roll gently into balls. Place the balls into proofing boxes with lid (or a sheet pan lightly sprayed with oil and cover with plastic wrap). Allow dough ball to rest for about 20 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated at this point for up to 24 hours, then brought to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before use. The best crusts are made by stretching the dough by hand.

Gordon Brothers Merlot, 2005

Gordon Brothers Merlot, 2005

About a year ago we purchased two bottles of Gordon Brothers 2005 Merlot that we placed in our cellar. With the recent release of the 2006 vintage, we decided to open a 2005 and enjoy it with a casual Friday night dinner and video. This is a Washington State Columbia Valley Merlot that is a big wine showcasing our strength with the Merlot grape. The color was a deep purple garnet with good opaqueness. On the nose was black cherry, coffee grinds and a hint of vanilla. We first tasted the wine immediately after opening the bottle, and were surprised and initially overwhelmed by the presence of "The Oak Monster". The wine had a velvet texture, medium to full bodied, with rich flavors of dark berries, cream, vanilla and espresso. The tannins are low and well integrated. We decided to re-cork this oaky Merlot and save it until Sunday, when we were having an Academy Award Party. On Sunday, we removed the VacuVin seal and decanted the wine for 4 hours during the afternoon. That night the wine was much nicer. The "Oak Monster" had left the building leave behind a smooth, big wine with plenty of character, minus the oak!

Wine maker's notes…
WINEMAKING: After picking, the Estate Grown Merlot was gently crushed into open top stainless steel fermentation tanks. The skins and juice were allowed to “cold soak” for a number of days prior to the addition of cultured yeast. This process creates darker colors and enhances the ripeness of flavors. After fermentation was completed, the finished wine was drawn off and the skins were pressed. The entire vintage was aged in small French and American oak barrels. Gentle racking of the barrels allowed for the removal of solids without filtration. After aging, a small amount of Gordon Brothers Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec were blended into the 2005 Merlot to add complexity to the wine.
WINEMAKER COMMENTS: Another classic Washington Merlot with rich aromas of black cherry, spice and rose petals. A deep ruby color signifies this bold Merlot with rich mouth-feel and smooth tannins. This is a great wine to pair with your favorite grilled meats.

Wine Spectator Notes…
Spectator Wine Spectator - 91 “Ripe and generous, a silky, plush-textured mouthful of red plum, raspberry, cream and coffee flavors that arch enticingly from the first sip through the long, round finish. Drink now through 2013.” -HS