Dirty South Wine

Wine Videos That Rock- Jon-David Headrick

(Domaine Du Viking Video by Jon-David Headrick)

First, I am a fan of Jon-David Headrick's Selections-  He consistently brings in unique, pure juice at reasonable prices. 

After checking out his new YouTube Channel, I'm an even bigger fan.

His videos remind me of early 80's PBS travel videos- In a good way.  They are warm, tell a story, and are just plain honest.  No fancy editing, no script, just people being themselves and talking about their lives-- Wine just happens to be a part of it. (Food another major part)

Keep it simple, keep it short, and keep on keeping on!

Keep On Keeping On - Ruby John...

Flashlight Fried Chicken, Biodynamic Gamay, and Freaky Grilled Quail

(Grilled Quail, and 2007 Clos Roche Blanche Gamay)


(Szechuan "Nashville Hot Chicken" and 2001 Dirler Riesling)
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The Birds were fried outside by flashlight so as not to fill the kitchen with that dirty south, fry-stank. 

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Grilled quails served up first (in daylight) and were paired with the Gamay.

2007 Clos Roche Blanche Gamay
(France, Loire Valley, Touraine)  $15-$20.  Louis Dressner Import
Clean, mean, and delivers, cranberry, raspberry, pepper, and earth.  This wine needs to open up (60+min), but when it does, textbook delicious.  Someone please distribute this in GA!

Though a light bodied wine, this was actually too big for the quail, and we swapped it out for some white Burgundy.  This stuff is the pure goodness...

2006 Henri Perrusset Macon Villages
(France, Burgundy, Maconnais, Macon-Villages) Chardonnay, $15-$20, Kermit Lynch Import
Straight up citrus and tree fruit-  full bodied, like a dose of unsweet lemon candy, and a slightly bitter finish. 

The finish was a bit off kilter at first, but once opened (45min) this rounded out really nice.  It killed it with the Quail- Just enough acid, and fruit, not overpowered by the grilled parts, and good quaffin' while eatin' on a hot porch.

With the spicy, fried birds we needed some residual sugar and acid to work with the heat--

2001 Dirler-Cade Riesling Kessler
(France, Alsace, Guebwiller, Alsace Grand Cru AOC)  Riesling.  Approx $40, Robert Chadderdon Selections.)
Nose of mango, rock, and diesel.  Full bodied, rockin' acids, and a long finish.  I like this stuff a lot.   A lot. A lot.

This rocks with the chicken, straight up.

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A great night with killer food and wine, in the dirty south!

(Huge thanks to Chez Rowdy for doing the cooking, and taking the sick pics!)

Working Out With Dirty South Wine! Oysters and My Sexy Can Not Be Denied!

MY INSANELY SUPER- WORKOUT VIDEO is Having EMBED Issues. 
Check it out directly at 12Seconds.TV

Dirty South Wine Workout Video on 12seconds.tv

I've spent the past few weeks, rigorously training for the "US SE Regional Bantam Weight Child-Deadlift Competition" (14th St between Juniper and Piedmont Chapter).  The training to ferociously lift up minimal amounts of gangly children has increased my desire to eat and drink simply (just in massive quantities).

When I think of simple pairings-- It is wine and oysters. 

Like wine, Malpeques, Beausoleils, Kumamoto's, and virtually any type of non-stankified oyster can show bright flavors, minerality, depth, richness, and subtle hints of citrus. And like any wine (or any type of alcoholic beverage) they increase the desire to get your horny on spend time getting to know people.

Hog Island SF- Muscadet, Oysters, and Grilled Cheese (GC for power!!!)

Straight off the plane in SFO, I dropped my bags at the hotel and headed to Hog Island for a swift kick of mixed bivalve bliss.  Paired with a glass of Muscadet-- crisp, lean, steely-- These freaks of the not-so-deep just popped! No need for lemon, mignonette, or anything-  Brine met citrus, fat met scalpel, head met The Residents.  (The Residents may be a stretch, but after a 1/2 pot of coffee and virtually no sleep, it is way more fun to write about this than this.)

Whether you are crushing shells with a bottle of Champagne or Muscadet, or slurpin' sliders with Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc- Just get out there and get your friendly on! 

For more info on Oysters and Wine-  Check out a recent post from The Cellarist

ENO ATL-  Oysters and Loire Sparkling Rose


Followed by Chef Eli's Diet Pork Belly and Lobster Noodles (for power!!!)

Muscadet Gonna Rawk You! And Vintage Humour for Vintage Drinkers

2007 Domaine de la Fruitière Sur Lie Cuvée Petit M 
(France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et Maine) Melon de Bourgogne variety.  $10.99Ansley Wine Merchants, or find online via Snooth.  Jon David Headrick Selections

Lemongrass yellow-  A solid and wide nose of cantaloupe, rock (to be known for evermore as rawk!), and grassy grizzly, (oohhhh my grassy grizzly!!!!!)  Medium bodied, solid acidity and bone dry.  A medium, declawed, albino, sabertooth-tiger styled finish....

I have bought this wine for the past three vintages, and it is a staple in my Spring and Summer stacks.  It is good, value-priced, picnic (because we are culture of picnics) / grillin' out, open anytime you want type of wine.  I've also seen the price creep from about $8 to $11+.  It is still a good deal, but has gone from "steal" to "worth the price"

(Instead of looking for and trying to remember / pronounce the Domaine de la Fruitière Sur Lie Cuvée Petit M--  You can ask your merchant for the "Petit M" Muscadet)

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I received a media-copy of Malcolm Kushner's "Vintage Humor for Wine Lovers" book.  With about three hours to kill yesterday, away from internets, I read through the book.  It is heavy on "nyuck, nyuck" and clever wit, and humorous quotes regarding wine and intoxication.

This was a good read that helped pass the time. It would make a nice gift book for the vintage wine lover.

But while reading through the quotes, I thought one thing-  has anyone under 70 said anything funny about wine in the last 10 years?  (This not a knock on the book, but a knock on the younger generation being funny with wine.... )

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and Fo- Yo- Retro-Flo Enjo(y)ment...

Szechuan, Southern and Totally Fried: Dagueneau, Darting and the Return To Forever

 

All hooped up on cold meds for about a week, I regained equilibrium just long enough to head to Chez Rowdy for a taste of his Szechuan Southern Fried Chicken.  Regardless of what he may say, it is the most ridiculously good, (and crazy ferkin' hot) chicken I've had.  My thoughts-  the Szechuan peppercorns would clear out my cold, and some Auslese would cool the heat....  Though I don't like to taste while congested,  I often find that you have a short window of clarity where the meds kick in, clear you out, and you have temporary super-human senses of smell--- enter the Super Sniffer!

For wines we had a great lineup-  but these two stuck out to me.

2001 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang Pouilly-Fumé
2004 Kurt Darting Schreube Auslese

Sadly, Didier Daguenau died last year in a plane wreck.  Considered by many to be the producer in Pouilly-Fumé , perhaps all of the Loire, and to some, the producer of France's greatest terroir driven white wines.  Didier pushed terroir to the limits.  Until this weekend, I had never had one of his wines.   What was I thinking????

2001 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang
(France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé ) Sauvignon Blanc variety.  Current vintages approx. $80+

Beautiful yellow- if you could make tropical (grapefruits, lemon, peach) fruits out of stone, it would smell like this.  It is layers of rock, peppered with zest.  Complex and wide on the palate, but not heavy, balanced acids, and a huge pure stone and earth finish...

12% alcohol.  A revelation wine.  This was really enjoyed apart from the chicken.  The heat would easily kill it.  (Thanks JOHN!!!!)

2004 Kurt Darting Ungsteiner Honigsäckel Scheurebe Auslese
(Germany, Pfalz) Scheurebe variety.  Approx $30.

Deep yellow.  Hugely aromatic of tropical fruits, citrus, honey, and minerals.  Full bodied, tons of residual sugar, citrus on the palate, great acidity, and a huge citrus acidic finish.

Probably far too sweet for the dry wine drinker, this paired soooo well with the fiery chicken.  High quality juice at a reasonable price.   I'll buy again.

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In honor of Didier and a wine that will haunt me...  Return To Forever

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(My s-s-s-sloppy 12 second dinner recap....)

Southern Fried Szechuan Chicken and Wine on 12seconds.tv

B3: Beaujolais, Bacon, Bourgueil

The other night, I got together with Rowdy for a late night drink and think.

I broke my rule of "never bring one" (bottle), and like a total jackass, I brought a flawed Beaujolais Blanc with no back-up.  Instead we rummaged through Rowdy's stacks and picked these two.  An 07 Beaujolais (not Villages, not Cru, just straight up Boo-Juice) and a young 06 Bourgueil.

I drink a fair amount of Beaujolais, but always stick to crippy Cru-Boos in fear that the straight up B's are going to deliver nothing but thin candy, acid, and bitter tang...

Seeing this in the stacks, I saw it was a Kermit Lynch import and was curious to try it.

2007 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais
(France, Burgundy, Beaujolias) Gamay variety. Bought in TN. $11-$14 online at Snooth
Light cherry colored, thin, but then a seriously majestic nose of rose, spice, and strawberry.  Light+ bodied, and a little cranberry, solid acids, low tannin, and a medium- acidic finish.

The nose is the show-stopper here.  Seriously beautiful without being a hodge-podge of laffy-taffy and circus peanuts.  The palate and finish is fairly simple, but this wine delivers serious pleasure for the price.  I would buy a bunch for everyday drinkers and almost like a good rosé, this would pair well with almost anything.

2006 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil Les Quartiers
(France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil) Cabernet Franc variety.  About $30.
Medium red, and a full nose of big pepper (green and black), big rock, not fully ripe berry, and herbs.  A super-tight, wide palate, that fills the mouth with good acidity and medium+ tannins.  Long tannic finish.

This will be a beautiful wine- I'd just give it another year or so before approaching my next one.  (or try a mega-decant).

Paired with these wines-- BACON Sandwiches!!  Crazy good stuff-  Bacon, kale, spinach, apple, sage, and a little Gruyere....  Man.  Perfect late night snack.

Blind Tasting: Character Shines and Spoofy Juice Gets The Hook

The East Lake Tasting Table recently got together for its  third round of blind tasting. 

Though a serious mix of professionals from the wine and restaurant industry, ol' Dirty sneaks in with a press pass.

The goal is simple-  Sharpen your skills.  Some are doing it for study, for work, and others just for the challenge.

Whether you are an occasional consumer or a serious collector, blind tasting exercises are a great way to develop your skills, knowledge, and most importantly to learn to appreciate what lies behind the label. 

In this round, we had eight Wines-  4 whites, 4 reds, all bagged and numbered.

As we worked through wines, what stood out to a lot of tasters-  the Spoof Juice.  The lab made, concentrated, heavily extracted, crazy oaked, high alcohol wines that were built purely for murder!  The wines came across as offensive to the senses-- power, but no redeeming character...  They stopped everyone in their tracks and elicited statements of WTF is that?!?!?!?!


Whites:

1.  2007 Burgans Albariño 
(Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas) Albariño variety
I thought it was CA Chard.  It seemed rich, heavy (someone mentioned residual sugar).  I should have gone back to this one, because it settled down, and showed some nice tree fruits.

2.  2007 Domaine Menard-Gaborit Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine sur lie Cuveé Prestige
(France Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine) Melon de Bourgogne variety
Crazy perfume-  floral, medium- bodied, crisp acidity.  Much more expressive than a typical Muscadet.  I happily nailed this one-  It helps that I brought it.

3.  2002 Domaine Guy Amiot et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Baudines
(France, Burgundy,  Côte d Beaune Chassagne-Montrachet 1er CruPouilly-Fuissé) Chardonnay variety
Character.  Just a touch of smoke, distant lemon, and rock.  I pegged it as White Burg, but Puligny-Montrachet instead of the Chassagne...
4.  2006 Catherine et Pascal Rollet Pouilly-Fuissé Dom. de la Chapelle
(France, Burgundy Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé) Chardonnay variety
Ripe, far more tropical on the nose than most other PF's I've had before.  Lean PF structure-  I brought it and that helped a lot to nail it.

Reds:

1.  2002 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah
(South Africa, Coasta Region, Paarl, Franschhoek Valley) Syrah variety
1st glimpse-  Med. red w/ orange rim.  Looks like old Châteauneuf du Pape.    Nose of Syrah (meaty, dark berry) vs Grenache-  Thoughts of Côte Rôtie for a moment, but too heavy on the palate for the color.  I guessed 1999 Central Coast Syrah.  (I'll take the grape!)

2.  2003 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Hilltop Vineyard
(USA, CA, Central Coast, Paso Robles)  Cabernet Sauvignon variety
Weird, stewy, almost animal (but not bretty)-  rich and heavy on the palate--  I guessed some freaker Mourvedre or spoofy Priorat. Shocker to see this as Cab Sav--- no clue how this can be...

3.  2003 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Cannubi
(Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo) Nebbiolo variety
Semi-floral, cherry nose that make me write Italy on my pad.  First thoughts are Nebbiolo or Dolcetto d'alba-- but then the palate.... MONSTER Tannins... ridiculously huge- Defying all laws of the universe... My thoughts of ITA go ou the door, and I just scribbled "weird-a**, Spanish sh**!

4. 1999 Château Léoville Poyferré
(France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien) Bordeaux Blend
Menthol, blackcurrant, a little pencil lead- but still some pure fruit.  Napa Cab hits my page in 2 seconds.  Color looks like around 1999....  Close.  This was a very pretty wine.  The fruit on it made me think older CA, but easily Wine of the Night! (Thanks Michael!!!!)

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Again, a fun excercise in humility, doubt, and intuition.

Huge thanks to Matt Olson from the finalanalysis blog and Cayce for hosting us, and feeding us once again!

And a final note from Matt---

Dirty South Wine in 12 Seconds: Freak Flags Start to Fly

Jury Duty Joy, Saumur Blanc, Popeye's and Puppies

Nothing says "party" like jury duty...  It is the thrill of the wait, the shuffle from waiting area to secondary waiting areas, and the joyous spirit of the room that has the vibe the charm of a windowless 1974 Greyhound station...  What takes it to the next level-  the day after effects of a night gone horribly right.  Opening 5 wines and a late night run to both Zesto and Popeye's...  My morning had doubts, but my night had Glory.

I'll get more into the wines later this week (including a disappointing, tired old Mourvedre)-  but one wine has perhaps come in as the new Sheriff of the Spicy Fried Chicken Town....

2006 Chateau du Hureau Saumur Blanc
(France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur)  Chenin Blanc variety. Available in ATL at Sherlock's (about $20), Throughout the US  find it on Snooth.

Yellow, like you took a mega-dose of Vitamin C.  On the the nose- Big melon (but not ostentatious), dried honey, dried herbs, and stones...  A touch of residual sugar, but less than most Riesling or many Vouvray, medium acidity, and a mineral and honey finish.  Rich and balanced.  Not overly complex, but still delightful. 

We worked through 2 other whites with this and the chicken (A dry Gewurztraminer, and an off-dry Riesling)--  This Saumur Blanc just out-delivered the goods- just enough sweet to work with the light heat, but then a stoney richness and depth that blended in like sauce for these tasty birds. 

Thanks to Jimmy from Eat It, Atlanta for participating and putting up with my rants on the pairing.

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Three days without a post felt like a lifetime.  Rest assured that good things are coming and that we've been hard at work behind the scenes with some major improvements and all that "whole 'nother level" jazz.

I was also a little distracted this weekend.  Dirty South Wine has a new mascot...  Though not officially "mine", Lady Dirty's brother moved back to Atlanta and has his two dachshund pups with him... 

WEINER DOG 2009!

ALSO-

If you love shots of food, people, and beverages- check out Savory Exposure .  This is Smylie's (Broderick's) new food photo blog.  It is amazing.  And huge congrats to B on getting one of his shots from Riding Dirty in the Wall Street Journal!!!!!!  (Wood Fire Grill ATLANTA)

Master Po, Kung Fu, and Blind Tasting

Caine: (Master) You can not see.
Master Po:  You think I can not see?
Caine:  Of all things, to live in darkness must be worst.
Master Po:  Fear is the only darkness.

Blind tasting-- It injects FEAR into the hearts of many tasters.  Those that overcome their fear, must overcome DOUBT, and only those that truly overcome doubt can then face their skills (in el Thunderdome!)

On Tuesday night, the 2009 East Lake Tasting Table got together for their second session of blind tasting.  Formed and hosted by by the team of Matt Olson (from finalanalysis wine blog) and Cayce Callaway, the group is made up of a collection of many of Atlanta's top wine professionals.  (How I snuck in, I haven't a clue...)

(The Wines Unveiled)

The blind tasting is academic in approach-  some participants are practicing for wine exams, others to hone their skills, and everyone wanting to use their wits to try and best determine what is in each bag.

11 bottles were lined up and bagged--  5 White, 6 Red, and the group worked through all the bottles at their own pace.  About an hour later, the bags were unveiled.  There were some cries of victory, some disappointing groans, but everyone having a feeling that doing this is worthwhile activity for any wine professional or wine lover.

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The wines with some of my notes. 
(Disclaimer: My notes do not reflect the opinions or consensus of any other participants)

WHITES

1.  1992 Domaine Aux Moines Savennières
(France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières Roche aux Moines)  Chenin Blanc variety.
A huge, salty, shell-like nose that could only be Savennières.  The metallic yellow / orange says age.  I put in my vote as a 1997.  Killer-Killer Juice!  (Huge props to Vajra for bringing this!)

2.  2007 Araldica Piemontesi Gavi La Luciana
(Italy, Piedmont, Gavi) Cortese variety.
I picked up a ton of floral notes w/ some melon.  A little nutty, and my best guess was young Viognier.

3.  2004 Domaine Alain Patriarche Bourgogne Blanc La Monatine
(France, Burgundy, Côte d'Or, Meursault, La Monatine)  Chardonnay variety.
Burnt, scorched wood / match stick.  Screams 2004 White Burgundy.

4.  2006 Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne-Aligoté
(France, Burgundy) Aligoté variety.
Grassy nose, medium bodied, open & closed on the palate.  Aligoté.  I had the unfair advantage on this- I brought this one and was semi-familiar with it. (though someone also brought it to the previous meeting)

5.  2007  M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Petite Ruche
(France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)  Marsanne Variety.
Floral, rock, and peach.  Unfair advantage 2-  I brought this one too and pegged it.  For what it is worth, I LOVE this wine....

REDS

1.  2002 Château Léoville Poyferré
(France, Bordeaux, Medoc, St, Julien)  Red Bordeaux Blend.
Dried cherry, leather, , oak, and then some oak.  Juicy, mouthwatering acids, big tannins.  I thought a 2002 Sangiovese.

2.  2003 Salentein Reserve Malbec
(Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco)  Malbec Variety
I was convinced this was a new world, Paso robles Syrah from 05.  Deep purple, intense fruit, heavy on the palate....wrong. 

3.  2002 Château Angélus
(France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru) Red Bordeaux Blend
Cherry, Currants, graphite-  screams Bordeaux blend.  On the palate, more fruit than I expected from BDX, I threw my vote in for 2002 Napa Cab / Merlot blend.  Right grapes, right vintage, wrong place (Should have kept 1st guess).

4.  2007 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos
(Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja) Grenache Variety.
New world, 2006, central coast Pinot Noir- 100% certain! Cherry explosion, spice, tightly knit, extracted, Zin like Alc.  I even started listing vineyards...  Nope.  I even had this 2 weeks ago.

5.  2006 Foley Estates Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa
(USA, CA, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills)  Pinot Noir Variety.
2006 OR Pinot 75% sure.  Backup guess- Russian River Pinot Noir.  Medium Cherry, some earthy tones, low tannins... (In hindsight, this changed a lot, and became way fruitier, and CA as the night went on). Right vintage, right grape.

6. 2003 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Mayacamas Range
(USA, CA, Napa Valley)  Zinfandel Variety.
An initial nose of cold, canned vegetable soup, dried, candied orange rinds, and birthday cake.  97 Amarone or 2001(ish) Ripassa.  I was certain it was Italian and was made with raisinated fruit.  This was another wine that continually changed over the night.  The Veg. soup blowing off, and pure fruit starting to shine through.  This one was a trip.

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In the end, I find Blind Tasting is like golf.  It is always you against yourself (or against that know-it-all Master Po!)

This was an awesome event with a great crew of some of the Atlanta's most passionate wine professionals.  Huge thanks to Cayce and Matt for hosting the event!  Also-  Check out Matt's wine blog-- finalanalysis.  It is a cool view from inside the industry.