It's Wine Time!
By Sunshine Deveny, CSW & Jessica Dodd, CSW (George's Distributing)
Published in 406 Woman
As always, we have been busy here at the Bigfork Liquor Barn tasting and negotiating to bring you the best wine at amazing values. There are three recent discoveries that have really stood out as higher end wines at an amazing discounted price.
Let's start with the white, Klinker Brick Grenache Blanc. This sixth-generation family owned winery is completely operated by women. Klinker Brick Grenache Blanc comes from a vineyard called "Under the Sea" aptly named because it is 13 feet below sea level. This was also the first wine from the Lodi wine region in California to make it to the Wine Spectator's Top 100 List. Their Grenache Blanc is an extremely limited production with only 600 cases made. We bought all that was available here in our valley, so it is exciting to offer this wine exclusively!
This crisp, aromatic white offers notes of lemon, mango, honeysuckle and white peach. While exhibiting all these fresh fruit flavors it also offers a nice weight on your palate and has a long and smooth finish. There is a streak of minerality that runs right through this wine offering a nice balance to the fruit forwardness. The beauty of Grenache Blanc is in its versatility.
This wine would be lovely with any sort of grilled chicken or white fish dish. I would recommend Orange & Thyme Sous Vide Chicken Breasts, with an Arugula, Feta & Grilled Peach Salad, finished with a Poppy seed Vinaigrette and Candied Walnuts. The Sous Vide process is a great way to infuse a ton of flavor into your dish, as well as simplifying the dinner prep! This wine would play with the fruit components of the dish very nicely, while the rich minerality in the wine would be great with the arugula and thyme on the chicken.
The second wine we are bringing into the shop is Eberle Full Boar Red. The winery started this blend 25 years ago in Paso Robles, California. Their bottles feature their iconic boar label, Eberle (meaning "small boar"), representing their German descent. Through the years they have been perfecting the blend into what it has become today. This wine is a non-vintage (NV), meaning not all varietals come from the same years' harvest. They treat each varietal individually, when to harvest, age, and how much oak influence, in order to bring out the best expressions. They then get to decide what juice and quantities make the most delicious well-balanced wine. The blend is typically Cabernet Sauvignon based, but can have any amounts of Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, or Sangiovese.
This Red Blend is the perfect wine for a summer evening. It is full bodied, but not over the top. It has great structure, and a wonderful balance of dark fruit such as blackberry and plum. This wine is barrel aged which lends notes of baking spice and cola. The tannins in this wine support a nice dry feeling on your palate, while being well integrated at the same time.
This wine really could be called Full Boar BBQ red because it truly is the ultimate pairing for any sort of meat coming off the grill. I would recommend Huckleberry Glazed Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Bacon & Blue Cheese Potato Salad and Creamy Cole Slaw. This elevated take on a classic summer dish will wow your guests. Add fresh hucks and a splash of the Full Boar Red into the barbeque sauce of your choice and reduce. (Cooking with the wine you plan to enjoy with dinner is always a great way to incorporate flavors into your meal!) I also love the richness of the bacon and blue cheese in the salad with the tannins and spice in this wine.
Lastly, I would like to present to you the Rickshaw Wines. These wines continually over deliver for the price point. Rickshaw wines will take you on a journey through the celebrated wine regions on California. Rickshaw focuses on finding the best locations and sustainable vineyards throughout California to source their fruit. These vineyards as well as female winemaker Noel Schaff help create wines that are consistent and true to the character of the grape variety. Her wines are not over extracted therefore producing wines that are elegant and pure. As a bonus, the wine labels represent flavor profiles or food pairing for the wines.
Rickshaw 100% Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from parcels in Northern California. This is a vibrant crisp white wine with aromatics of passion fruit, grapefruit, and honeysuckle. On the palate the citrus notes mix with an herbaceous savory component which ends with a wonderful zippy finish. Because of the herbaceous notes this wine would pair well with dishes made with herbs, roasted vegetables, or pasta primavera. Crab cakes or fried chicken would also be a hit with the acidic zip to cleanse the palate. This wine would also pair well with a sunny day out on the deck!
Rickshaw 100% Chardonnay is sourced from marine influenced areas up and down the California coast, providing optimal growing conditions. What surprised me most about this Chardonnay is its incredible balance. Peach and pear aromas with some toasty notes open up to lemon, tropical fruit, and orange blossom finishing with the right amount of oak influence, richness and a streak of acidity. Leaving you wanting to go back for more. This wine would pair well with a wide range of foods. All seafoods especially sautéed with butter, garlic and a splash of white wine. Roasted chicken, pineapple glazed baked ham, or butternut squash soup with croutons and parmesan.
Rickshaw 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from cool climate vineyards with the majority coming from the Sonoma Coast. This is a medium bodied Pinot Noir with a nose of cherry, baking spice and cola. Juicy ripe fruit with herbaceous notes finish with a wonderful streak of acidity, making this wine a versatile food wine. Bring on the appetizers. A charcuterie board or a spinach dip would be a slam dunk. Don't forget pizza night.
Rickshaw 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petite Syrah, 5% Syrah is sourced from Sonoma County, Paso Robles, and the Central Coast. They have the freedom to blend varietals, vineyard sites, and oak aging to add the right amount of complexity. Black cherry, black currant, and baking spice lead to flavors of dark fruit, vanilla notes, earthy cedar, and soft integrated tannins. It's BBQ time. Try with a grilled Portobello mushroom topped with sautéed onions and peppers with melted provolone on a focaccia roll. Wild game and beef would be magnificent as well.
Tasting notes and pairings in italics presented by Jessica Dodd, CSW (George's Distributing)
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