Dirty South Wine

20 Sec. Video: Evening in Dry Creek Valley.

Just a few quick shots while I walked around the property on Sat. PM.  Though my eyes are peeled for mountain lions, coyotes, wild boar-  the smiling sheep freak me out...  ;)

I Got Too Loose: Toulouse Vineyards Anderson Valley

Just after Thanksgiving, Broderick, Jenna, Lady Dirty and I headed up to Mendocino County to check out Anderson Valley.  I've enjoyed a ton of Anderson Valley wines, but had yet to make the drive up.

Anderson Valley is a totally different world-  Quiet, quirky, and seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  We made a few stops-  Breggo, Toulouse, Navarro, and Roederer.  The place that hit us over the head in both wine quality and hospitality-- Toulouse Vineyards.  A rustic tasting room / winery filled with dogs, happy, smiling people (employees and tasters), and the feeling that they were genuinely happy to have you. 

Their 06 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is my style o' juice-  Floral, feminine, acidic, with a touch o' funk.  Their Gewurztraminer is off-dry and tasty shizz.  I'm a fan of this place.

Dirty Wines from a Falcon's Party....

With high hopes for the Dirty Birds making it deep into the post-season, I had a potluck party for what was going to be the big game and decided to open a bunch of bottles (hopefully in victory!)  Among these bottles were a few importer samples that were sent before the holidays.  Possessing what sometimes must appear to be a jaded palate, I wanted my guests to taste these blind and get their opinions.

2008 Tamari Torrontés Rerserva *
(Argentina, Mendoza)  Approx Retail $13.99.  Unsure of ATL availability. Imported by Terlato Wines International

Pale, yellow.   A burst of concentrated orange blossom, as if it were growing through the roof of a West Bengal sweet shop.  Flowers, Citrus, Spice, Rose.  Medium bodied, a little viscous, more flowers, and apricot on the palate.  A touch of residual sugar, but not sweet.  Good food friendly acidity, a medium length, almost apple-cider like finish.

An easy crowd-pleaser.  After revealing the approx. price, thumbs up almost all around.  This Torrontés paired really well with some charcuterie that I picked up from Star P. 

-Other notes.  Heavier bodied than other Torrontés I've had. Only negative comment in the room was that the floral nose was too concentrated. 

Verdict-
Room & Me:  Pretty Dirty (most would buy)

2007 Tamari Malbec Reserva *
Argentina, Mendoza)  Approx Retail $13.99.  Unsure of ATL availability. Imported by Terlato Wines International

A purple wine with a cherry colored rim.  An intense nose of blackberry, plum, and a little vanilla.  Something about most Malbec always smells "Furry" to me- like the smell has its own texture.  Full bodied, with a velvety palate, medium sticky tannins, fairly acidic, and a long semi-chalky finish.

Most of the room approved.  This is a big, young wine. It is tightly wound- and it became more appreciated after being opened for an hour or so.  This isn't quite my style, but Smylie, a lover of Malbec and new world juice, gave a nod of approval.  Again, at about $14, it is priced well.

Verdict-
Room: Fairly Dirty. 

*Imorter Samples

2007 Nigl Güner Veltliner Piri
(Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal)  Approx. $35 Thierry Theise Selection  Available locally at Wine Gallery and Market.

Pale yellow.  Crisp pear, ROCK (like sniffin' on ol' Stone Mountain during the laser show!), cream- An amazing nose.  Fruit and steel on the palate.  Great acids, a long citrus finish.

Paired great with Rowdy's prosciutto with homeade apple/mustard marmalade, spinach leaf, with a touch of lemon vinaigrette.... YO!

Verdict-
DURRTY (not cheap, but excellent G_G_G_Grooooner!)

We had a few other bottles, and I probably don't have time to write everything up-

But a few other suggestions (without full notes)

2004 Domaine de La Cadette Bougogne Blanc
(France, Burgundy) Chardonnay.  Approximately $10 (not sure if this was a closeout) at Ansley Wine Merchants! Kermit Lynch Import
One of the best bottles of $10 white wine I've EVER had. Good, Cheap Burgundy! If you are a fanatic riding the ABC bus (Anything But Chardonnay) and you don't like this one...  I'll sick the dogs on you!

N.V. J. Lassalle Brut Chigny-les-Roses 1er Cru Champagne
(France, Champagne, Montagne des Reims)  Under $40 at Ansley Wine Merchants. Kermit Lynch Import
It is hard to find really good Champagne for under $40.  There is a lot of stuff that is drinkable, but this is goood. ELEGANT BALANCE!

(Don't let the name fool you- this is not a rosé Champagne)

3 Great things-- Burgundy, Dynamic Dish, and Tasty China!

 

After waiting five hours to vote last Friday, I needed to unwind. I grabbed a half bottle of 20th Century Burgundy and had a wind down night at Dynamic Dish.

1999 Mommessin Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi 

(France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru)

This was an ultra-relaxing bottle- Nothing screaming, nothing sharp, just medium cherry-colored goodness.  Earthy, with some truffle and a puff of mixed berry yogurt (who doesn't need a puff of that?!).  Thin and silky on the the palate, with just enough acid that asks for food-  This isn't crazy complex, but for the ridiculously low $20 I paid (on closeout), it is made me as happy as I could be.  

I actually split this bottle over two nights at two of Atlanta's best BYO restaurants- Tasty China and Dynamic Dish.

Though not cut out for Tasty China's most fiery dishes, this wine worked great with their Black Pepper Beef, and some sort of Chicken and Mushroom dish.

Without time for full write ups-  Two of the other wines we opened at Tasty China (thanks Peter & Sil!) were both very good and worth seeking out (I don't know where either are available in ATL)

2004 Domaine Weinbach Gewürztraminer Altenbourg Cuvée Laurence

(France, Alsace, Kientzheim & Sigolsheim, Alsace AOC)

A SPECTACULAR off-dry Gewurz that screams for the heat of Tasty China.  This wine deserves its own post....  So much aroma, a nose like "a maze of twisty little passages".  Domaine Weinbach is a favorite.  

2005 Bodega Catena Zapata Chardonnay Alta

(Argentina, Mendoza)

I haven't had a lot of great Argentina white wines, many good little chuggers, but nothing that really said "yo!"  This was different-  Initially, tight on the nose with just a punch of fruit and oak.  We all said "eh?"-  After about 15min in the glass, this became a rich, buttery, glass of interesting fruit, rocks, and yeast.  A nice tweener of CA Chard and Burgundy.  I'd love to put this in a blind tasting.

On another note-  A few people have been asking about the birds at the Dirty South Wine Bird Sanctuary.  Here is a quick clip from some early AM activity on Sun.

Dirty South Wine- New Video: October FUNKS

Dirty South Wine October Funks!!!

Dirty South Wine: Mini Recap

This was a crazy week.  Lot's of activities, drama and celebration.

-Sunday night: Châteauneuf-du-Pape "freak-a-thon" 

(that I'm still needing to write up)

About to get our freak-on!

-Monday Night:  Amuse Cochon, where I was a judge to help determine Atlanta's Prince of Pork

Brady Lowe and the Taste Network put on another awesome event for a great cause.  

Kevin Rathbun's Pork version of Peking Duck won Best Overall

-Tuesday:  Started with being trapped in my buildings elevator and having to be rescued by the fire department before flying off to TPA, and then with finding a bargain stash of Savennières, drinking some David Arthur 1147, and closing the evening with some 1990 Ardbeg and a Partagas Limited Reserve 1997 II with my Dad and family friends.

-Wed / Thurs:  Pretty much an orgy of rage. 

example 1.  Orgy of Rage

-Friday Night: Sweet motherfunkin' Dynamic Dish and good Riesling

Though Friday in Atlanta was quite warm, the evening was beautiful and Lady Dirty and I headed down to Dynamic Dave's for an early meal.  With the courtyard table now open, we sat out back, and had our own private little dining room.

Dave's Squash, Ginger and toasted Nori soup would "make a bull dog break a chain!"  This stuff was perfect.  

Along with the soup, I had an amazing bowl of lentils (in a riesling reduction) with Yukon Golds, and a poached egg-- Lady Dirty went with the Tempeh Special w/ Brussel Sprouts, Squash and roasted potato.  This was early fall comfort food.  

To wash it down, I brought along a 2005 Reichsrat Von Buhl Riesling.  Man...

2005 Reichsrat Von Buhl Riesling Kabinett Armand

(Germany, Pfalz) Riesling. Approx $21 at Ansley Kroger

Straw yellow and a little cloudy.  A nose of light gas, basil, slate, and apple juice.  Almost sparkling on the palate- the acidity on this sucker made my mouth water,  more pineapple and minerals on the palate, and then just a nice high-pitched finish (the dogs at the Animal Hospital across the street cursed my name w/ every sip).

This was lightly sweet, and though not mind-meltlingly complex- it was just delicious.

-Saturday AM:  Lady Dirty and I went on a Bird Walk in Piedmont Park with the Audubon Society.  We saw tons of Warblers, Woodpeckers, Chikadees, a Hawk-  and then an out of place Mandarin Duck that must have escaped from somewhere.

Example 1.  That's one Crazy-Ass duck!

Video: A Summer Dirty

New Video: A Summer Dirty
A Summer Dirty. A new video from Dirty South WIne.

Dirty Birds love Dirty South Wine!

A fun and historic day for ol' Dirty South Wine!

Dirty South Wine HQ (aka mi casa) is the 1st (and only) high rise condo in ATL to be certified as an Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary! For Real! (Maybe even the first wine blog?)

The Atlanta Audubon Society came by, inspected our vast outdoor property (consisting of two 3x9 balconies) and gave us the Wildlife Sanctuary seal of approval!

So now as a Dirty South Wine reader you can feel confident that each time you read up on Dirty South Wine, you are contributing to the health and safety of our avian friends throughout A-Town.

(Little did the Audubon folks know that we fill our bird baths with Viognier, and our hummingbird feeders w/ Beerenauslese.)

Lady Dirty proudly displays our official sign, and I do my best to capture the spirit of victory!

I feel a "Key to the City" coming on!!!!

DirtySouthWine Video: Summer 2008 (SHAKE IT!!!)

Preview to the Week in Review-

Rarely am I home in Atlanta for more than a couple of days. Last week was a rare treat that became somewhat of an excercise in madness. Notes and posts are on their way, but for now a few shots.