Dirty South Wine

"Where Have I Known You Before?" : Ampelos Cellars

About two weeks ago, I had the chance to taste through some of Ampelos Cellars wines with owner Peter Work and Andres Loaiza of Aria Restaurant.

Based in the Sta. Rita Hills, in northern Santa Barbara county.  Ampelos is smack dab in the midst of the Pinot Noir country made famous by, yes, do I need to mention it, "Sideways"...  But, hey, you now know where I'm talking about.

Note: Ampelos farms organically and is now awaiting certification. 

We tasted through a couple of bottles- Viognier, Rose, their estate Pinot Noir, and a "Syrache"-- Syrah, Grenache blend.  To me, the Viognier was a standout.

2008 Ampelos Cellars Viognier
(US, CA, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County)  Approx $25, 175 Cases made
No oak, no malolactic fermentation- Full bodied, lots of stone fruit, good acidity, and solid, solid, juice.  I usually don't get that jazzed up about US Viognier, but I really liked this one.  Bold, upfront, but not over the top or cloying. 

2006 Ampelos Cellars Pinot Noir Lambda
(US, CA, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills)  Approx $35.
Though an 06, smelling this, I was hit by an incredible richness-  Like most people's 07 level of concentration.  I had to double check the vintage...  The second whiff was an incredible familiarity-  Sea Smoke.  It had been awhile since I've had any Sea Smoke wines, but it triggered the Return to Forever / "Where Have I Known You Before?" thoughts.  Ampelos has a lot in common with Sea Smoke-- clones, barrels, yeast, and Peter's son Don, is now Sea Smoke's winemaker, and Kris Curran, Sea Smoke's past winemaker, is now helping with winemaking at Ampelos... (previously Don was head winemaker at Ampelos, and assistant winemaker at Sea Smoke)-- Got all that?

Tasty, big, complex, rich, Pinot Noir- extremely well made, crazy depth, and texture.  Bigger than my personal preference, but I shared the leftovers with Jimmy from Eat It, Atlanta and he really really liked it.  Wine Spectator dug it as well-- giving it a solid 92.

My thoughts-  The Viognier is great, and if you are a fan of Sea Smoke's style of Pinot, you will totally dig the Ampelos Lambda Pinot Noir (at a fraction of the price of Sea Smoke). 

Tablas Creek Dinner and Tasting: 3/25 ENO Atlanta

On 3/25, Jason Haas, from Tablas Creek, will be teaming up with ENO for what looks to be a killer dinner.

Tablas Creek wines are made from organically produced, Rhone varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, etc) from the heart of Paso Robles.  A partnership between the Perrins of Chateau Beaucastel and the Haas family from Vineyard Brands, they take a best of both world's approach to Rhone Ranger production in the Central Coast.  I have bought and enjoyed Tablas Creek's wines for years.

ENO-  When was the last time you ate at ENO?  Chef Eli Kirshtein is one of my FAVORITE Atlanta chefs.  He and his team are seriously kicking ass and have produced some of the best food I've had in Atlanta.  If you haven't been since Chef Eli came on board, GO!  Plus, they won Best Wine List in our Riding Dirty Challenge.
(Photo Courtesy of Broderick Smylie)

There are two events:

Tablas Creek Tasting:  6:30PM,  $20
Taste through all five of Tablas Creeks current releases in ENO's wine cellar. 

Tablas Creek Six Course Wine Dinner: 8:00PM ,$95
Six Courses, Six Wines.  Looks Great.

For reservations for the Tasting or the Dinner-  Call ENO at 404-228-8817

Syrah and the Leprechaun? More 12seconds of Wine

Syrah.  Yeah- it is gonna' git ya!
(original version here on 12seconds.tv)

ONE. Midtown Kitchen- Riding Dirty w/ a Rhone Ranger & Veggies! #dty

ONE. midtown kitchen

559 Dutch Valley Rd

Atlanta GA 30324

404-892-4111

(photos courtesy of Broderick Smylie)

Riding Dirty Wine Pairing Challenge Entry

Wine:

2007 Barrel 27 Wine Company High On The Hog White Wine (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne blend).

Food:

3 From the Garden (Swiss Chard Gratinee, Glazed Turnips w/ Golden Raisins, Parsnip Flan w/ Black Truffle Butter)

At ONE. midtown kitchen we were welcomed by GM, John McDaniels, Chef Tom Harvey, and Host- Bob Bost.  This was a fun team, and it was evident that not only did they put time into their entry, but that they enjoyed putting it together and presenting something that might be a little on edge.

The dish, "3 from the Garden", is a trio of seasonal vegetable dishes.  A dish like this is an even bigger challenge because they have to find one wine that pairs with each of the three elements on the plate.

The key to this pairing-  bitter meets fruit.  Greens, root vegetables, and a touch of sweet from the flan and raisins.  The "High on the Hog" wine-  full bodied, enormous, stone fruits, pineapple, a hint of residual sugar, acidic, and at 15+ % alcohol, it was a warming, winter white.

On a whole, this wine worked with all of the dishes (even the Swiss Chard, which can be tough to pair)-  but the one that knocked it out of the park- the Parsnip Flan! With this wine, it was almost sublime.  Creamy, sweet, earthy, funky, musky- met by a swig of stoney peach and apricot.

Ahh yeah- Good times right here!

I hadn't been to ONE. midtown kitchen for awhile.  I forgot how cool their wine program is.  They have about 75 wines by the glass, and all of these wines are available by the 1/2 glass, the glass, or BOTTOMLESS!!!!!  Though bottomless can mean all you want to drink of that wine, their bottomless program is better when you want to try a bunch of different wines, and create your own flights with your meal.  On top of the quantity, they really have some cool selections, and are priced to be consumed.

Lastly, they have a section on the wine list where they list the last bottles of a particular wine-  Pricing on these is usually crazy good-  When we were there, their last bottle of NV Krug was listed for about $150 (about the same as retail).  Calling all playahs!

Thanks to John, Tom and Bob!  This was a very fun stop along the Riding Dirty tour!

Who Stole the Soul? Châteauneuf-du-Pape (and Soul Plane)

This past weekend, I convinced my self that a quiet night at home watching Soul Plane would be a great idea. In hindsight, funneling 2 Buck Chuck / Charles Shaw Shiraz while lighting my underpants on fire would have been a superior activity.  I have nothing else to say about it. 

And somehow this brings me to last weekend's Châteauneuf-du-Pape (CDP) Freak-A-Thon...

I like CDP-  Often it's gamey, herbal, and known to have a bit-o'-funk- It pairs well with lamb, pork, and all the dishes I don't crave in hot months.  And though 13 varieties can make up CDP- In the Southern Rhone, Grenache rules the roost.

Toulouse did another great job of hosting our group.  Serving a table of 9 BYO folks, providing stems, service, and spacing out food isn't an easy task and they always exceed expectations.  Plus- their food is affordable and I dig their art and space.

Twelve wines were assembled-  Nine CDP's from 1994-2004 and then three other wines (non CDP, but from similar varieties) thrown in the mix.  All wines were served blind and presented in three flights of four wines.  

I won't bore everyone with full notes of the twelve wines, but just some highlights and impressions

Flight I:

1994 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

Light Crimson with an orange rim.  Holiday aromas of roasted turkey skin, cranberry sauce, earthy & herbal.  Gentle tannins, pleasant acidity, and a long, delicate finish.    A subtle wine.  Voted wine of the night (WOTN) by the crew. 

1998 Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas

Deep purple (looks really young).  Ripe juicy berry and a strong smell of mashed potato.  Tight, long finish.  This is little weird, a little rustic. (Non CDP)

1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

Medium cherry color- initial aromas of diapers, petting zoo, and “old curry kitchen".  Alive and chewy on the palate.  And even though it has curry and diapers, I see "pretty" scribbled next to my notes...  Don't ask...  But brett aside, the palate on this was superb.  

1994 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

An aroma of primer, nail polish remover, and a huge bummer...  Flawed bottle.  

Flight II:

1996 Clos du Mont Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Deep and herbal-  Really Fresh.  Some cherry and leather, and just general balance.  Wine of the Flight (WOTF)

2001 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée La Cote Ronde

Concentrated, thick nose of cherry and raspberry.  Tight, dark, and still showing potential.  Tasting more New-World vs Old.  Needs more time.

2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard

WTF?  Chalky, crappy nose, burning alcohol, really CA / Knotts berry farm on the palate-  POS (piece of sh*# is scribble on my notes)  Perhaps this was flawed, but I brought it and it was a major dissapointment.  ugh...

2004 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve

Dark, peppery, and some minerals.  Deep, dark, concentrated fruit-really young.    But again- really ripe.  Needs to be re-tasted in 5 or so years.

Flight III:

2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Dense, and wound up like an 8 year old on energy drinks. Showing traits of CDP, but just too much going on right now.  Needs a lot of time.

2004 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

I can't type my notes on this one.  The best thing I wrote was "shi*@ty".  Another head scratcher.  Overly insane ripeness and could be from anywhere.

2005 Copain Les Copains James Berry Vineyard

Residual Sugar and mixed berry preserves.  Has to be CA.  Needs a long long time.  (Not as ripe and sugary as the 2004 I had a few weeks back)

2005 L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte

My notes only say- "Not CDP.  Needs time." (Voted Wine of the Flight by the group)

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A lot of wine, but nothing that really haunted me.  The 1994 Rayas was beautiful and delightful, but I probably won't wake up in the middle of the night calling its name.

What struck me was how un-CDP a lot of these young wines were.  Hot, ripe, fruity, concentrated.  As if someone stripped out their best characteristics and replaced them with what “people like” –- Sweet cherry and vanilla.  Many of these were super-star wines, rated insanely high by Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, and Stephen Tanzer. Sure, some need more cellar time, but I couldn’t see how they could get there. (Maybe I’m just missing something…) Not alone, many of us left the table scratching our heads with where some of these wines were going. 

Focused blind tastings like this are just such a great way to objectively taste and experience wine. There is no label bias, score, price or any of that to influence opinion-- Though not the best showing, this was still a great evening and educational.  

I'll take a couple of disappointing wines with great people over a magnum of Cristal and Soul Plane any day.  In fact, I'll take a couple of horrid wines, with disappointing people, and my u-trows on fire, over anything to do with Soul Plane...

Public Enemy:  Who Stole the Soul?

Dirty Birds w/ 12 Great Bottles

The past few weeks have been a little hectic.  I still need to finish typing up notes from "The Lunch Supreme" and have a whole slew of other bottles to write up too.

I wanted to get this one done before the rest-  A great friend, home cook, and dining enthusiast, opened his home to a number of juice-freaks and rocked out with a ridiculous multi-course meal.  Way above and beyond, this was one of the most fun meals I've had all year.  The pizza, hen, chickens, salad, and fried pizza dough doughnuts were killer.  The wines, were pretty good too.

2005 Bastianich Tocai Friulano Plus 

(Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

Nectarines, herbs, full bodied, viscous, slightly bitter on the finish.  

Very good, but for $50+, it needs a little more get up and go.  I kept smelling the wine and thinking it was too cold (and holding something back), but then I'd taste it, and it was at a perfect temp.  If this were $30, it would be a great bottle.  

2004 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc 

(USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

I've had this Rhone Ranger several times over the past year, and I like it.  It smells like white wash, slapping that shizz on a fence, and then getting kicked in the head and landing in flower bed (next to a couple of old apricots).  I like this stuff.  Medium bodied, medium finish, good juice.   This one is about $35, but their lower end Cotes Du Tabla Blanc is a great deal for under $20.

2001 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Te Koko 

(New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough)

Almost orange, feral, good dose of tiger-piss (not as much as the Scholium, but close).  Some burnt grapefruit too.  Medium bodied, decent acidity, medium finish.  Perhaps it would have shown better a few years back- but anything that is described as feral, wins some respect from me. (Fear the Te KOKO!)

2005 Chasseur Chardonnay Lorenzo 

(USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Chasseur is becoming one of my favorite producers of CA Chardonnay.  This has a touch of butterscotch, a wafer thin dose of "electric-oak" (whatever that means), it is full bodied, with great acidity, but a little too heavy on the oak on the finish.  I think this could round out in a few years- It has the fruit, the acidity to age.

1998 Domaine de la Côte de l'Ange Châteauneuf-du-Pape 

(France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape)

Good aromas of dried herbs, smoked chicken, medium bodied, dark cherry, killer velvety bod, and a nice slightly chewy finish. Nice Chateauneuf.

1998 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie 

(France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie)

I smelled this and thought- blood of small game birds squeezed into my glass.  It smelled like the official beverage of Satanic offerings- and I loved it!  Along with journey into hell- it packed in some cherry and smokey flavors.  Medium bodied, silky, and a really nice dose of acid.  This wine was rocking.  Perfect, tiny, tannins

1999 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard 

(USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley)

I misplaced the notes on this juice.  I liked it, and remember some tight earthy flavors, still solid fruit, but I wanted to have more time for this to really open up.  I haven't been drinking a lot of young OR Pinot Noir that I like, but some of this 90's stuff turns me on.

2004 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The North Slope 

(USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Another one without notes-  Young, big fruit- but starting to loosen up.  A touch of dirty on it, but has the power that begs for more air or more time.  I'd love to try this in a few years.

2007 Dry Stack Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Rosemary's Block Dry Stack Vineyard 

(USA, California, North Coast, Bennett Valley)

One of my favorite white wines of the year-   Another sick, freak of nature Sauvignon Blanc- this is as fruity and intoxicating as the Te Koko was feral.  (original write up here)

1997 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 

(France, Alsace, Thann, Alsace Grand Cru AOC)

Endless gas. Wait that doesn't sound good.  Layers of cascading petrol-  lemon custard, and the Washington Monument.  Great Riesling.  Thick, rich, off-dry, acidic, and gone.

1999 Rene Leclerc Gevery-Ghambertin Combe aux Moines

(France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru)

I wrote magic on a piece of paper, and wasn't sure if I meant the wine, or that after all of the previous bottles, that I had seemingly obtained super-powers.  Light cherry colored, mushrooms, fresh raspberries, great earthy funk, delicate on the palate, balanced acids, resolved tannins, this is what I long for in Burgundy, and have yet to find in CA.  

1958 d'Oliviera Bual Madeira

(Portugal, Madeira)

Wow- This was special.  Thank you DC!

(photo to prove the presence of DA, "the mysterious one!")

Finishing the 1st 1/2 en Fuego!

Rarely am I home in Atlanta for more than a couple of days in a row. Last week was a rare treat that became somewhat of an excercise in madness. Three of the five weeknights were out with Rowdy (who I'm beginning to feel is Atlanta's Neal Cassidy of food). This man devours food with zeal and fervor. When most of us our completely done in and immobilized from one dinner, he often leaps up energetically and darts off to yet another gourmet feast (in the same night). These meals only make him stronger. It is mind-boggling just thinking of it. Along with meals with Rowdy, I was able to spend time with the wine Jedi's, and Tami H, the legendary photogs el Broderick, and TCPhoto, Chadd B, and Cathy who live's to nibble.

In a quick snapshot, the week started at Holeman & Finch with a killer 2005 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape (courtesy of St Louis "Couch" and his bro' "Gabriel's Dad"- who is in need of a new pseudonym). Though tightly wound and in need of big air time, this 05 Clos des Papes was a major treat. Revealing little at first, this became an almost perverted Grenache that seemed crafted by a Paso Robles winemaker using sun-kissed Southern Rhone fruit. This Wine Spectator Wine of the Year paired phenomenally and appropriately with the H&F Burger that is quickly becoming an ATL legend.

The next night was Tasty China (that was documented in an earleir post)- A ridiculous amount of bottles, countless dishes, and great company. (and Zingo home)

Tasty China was followed by Wed night's $1 Tapas and cheap Mojitos at Fuego, with a free event for my building at Spice Market (which contrary to many reports, I found their apps really good.)

Thursday was Tami's birthday rosé wine celebration- An awesome night of many bottle of pink. From South Africa, France, Italy, and the ol' US of A- we sipped, guzzled and snacked into rose colored glee. I like good rosé. It is refreshing, extremely quaffable, unpretentious and pretty food friendly. These were not your Sutter Home White Zinfandel rosé, but rather well crafted dry wines perfect for summer benders.

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The week's finale- was a full scale Dynamic Dish blowout in honor of our friend Cheryl's journey to the ATL. I'll praise Dynamic Dave until I'm blue in the face- but this is inventive, fresh, delicious- revolutionary food. Dave and crew made our group of 9 feel like we were guests in their home. Great thanks to them again!
(For great shots of the meal- check out Rowdy's post.

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Providing notes on all the bottles of the week would be both too laborious, and bordering on smut. So I'll highlight some of my favorites.

From the now dubbed "Yes way Rosé 2008" (or the Tami H, birthday week rosé tasting)

2007 Château Guiot Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé
(France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Costières-de-Nîmes) less than $10 at Green's on Ponce.
An insane bargain. Beautiful fruit (strawberry, cherry), excellent minerals, medium bodied, dry, balanced acids and a medium length, refreshing finish. If money were no object, I'd want this to shoot out of my shower. I've bought a half case since- "My precious, my precious!"

2007 Palmina Botasea Rosato di Palmina
(USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County)
From the Cal-Ital(ian) folks at Palmina. A great boutique rosé. I remember I really liked it. (Earned a Broderick seal of approval!)

2006 Bastianich Colli Orientali del Friuli Refosco
(Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Colli Orientali del Friuli)
Recommended heavily by Chadd B. A brilliant Refosco rosé that was less intense on the fruit and more focussed on minerality and structure. This was nice.
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At Dynamic Dish, we assembled a comical amount of bottles.

N.V. Stéphane Coquillette Champagne Cuvée des Cles -
(France, Champagne, Chouilly, Champagne)
Terrific Champagne that I wish was available locally. Biscuits, toasty, great palate.

2007 Dry Stack Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Rosemary's Block Dry Stack Vineyard -
(USA, California, North Coast, Bennett Valley)
Inching into the ranks of favorite wines of the year. This was my second round with this wine last week and it was still magnificent. This one was opened for a few days prior, and I think I liked the freshness of the just opened bottle better. I ordered several bottles. DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY!!!!

2005 Chasseur Chardonnay Green Acres Hill Sangiacomo -
(USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)
Killer CA Chard that was in perfect balance- Smoky vanilla meets lemon meringue pie served on a granite plate. Magnifique et DIRTY!

1992 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
(France, Alsace, Ribeauvillé, Alsace AOC)
I had the 2003 a few weeks back and found it closed. The 92 was like filling a lawnmower gas tank with parafin wax and sticking your snoz in it- In a really good way. Oily, waxy, rich, acidic- dense w/ a long finish. At 16 years old, this is still singing loud and clear.

2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Viognier -
USA, California, Sonoma County
No notes taken. But I liked it.

2005 Littorai Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard -
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast Approx. $60 at Murphy's.
I've previously raved about Littorai's Chards, and this was no different. Another wine in such great balance. This is great Burgundy just made with Sonoma fruit. 


2006 Herb Lamb Sauvignon Blanc EII Napa Valley White Wine -
USA, California, Napa Valley
Unfair to put this in the Dry Stack together. Much creamier than the Dry Stack- I remember little about this except overhearing a story that the wineries dog like's to pee on the vines.

2006 Sine Qua Non Autrement Dit -
USA, California
Huge rose.
Clocking in at almost 16% alcohol (and in actuality, probably over 16%) this was a fun wine to try, but difficult to drink. As it warmed up, the alcohol became even more pronounced, this singed not only my nose hairs, but took my eyelashes with it.

2004 Wolf Mountain Vineyards Plénitude -
USA, Georgia, Lumpkin County
Served blind.
This Chardonnay and Viognier blend got some approving nods. Simple, but tasty. Once unveiled, everyone had nothing but praise for the people and work being done up at Wolf Mountain vineyards. I enjoyed pouring this at a table graced by some of the best wines made in the US.

A few others that didn't register many notes:
2005 Arcadian Syrah Hommage a Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

Young- In need of air. Probably will be stunning

2005 Kosta Browne Syrah Amber Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Heat on the nose, Needs to settle down. I'd like to revisit it in a couple of years.

2006 Kutch Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasty, intense CA Pinot. Could use time.

2002 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca's Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

I think I missed this one. : (

2006 Costa De Oro Pinot Noir Estate Gold Coast Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Shockingly good. I know nothing about this, except that it is their "Dijon Clone" bottling that is made in miniscule quantities. DIRTY!

2000 Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher Welschriesling TBA #8 Zwischen den Seen - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

Magic dessert wine from the late Alois Kracher.

A total whirlwind week of great people sharing in wine and food joy. It is great being home!

Southern Hospitality- Now Get Out!

Lady Dirty and I made the trek up to Dahlonega GA to check out Frogtown Cellars and to make a repeat trip to Wolf Mountain Vineyards.

I'd heard relatively good things about Frogtown and that a few of their wines were decent-

Frogtown sits on an great piece of land. There are stunning views of the mountains and the vines from the main building.

We went up to the tasting bar, and were offered 3 different tastings- White, Premium Red, and fruity stuff... I was mostly interested in what they were doing with Rhone white varietals (Roussanne, Marsanne, & Viognier)- so I went for the white. $12 to taste their 8 dry whites (about a 1oz pour of each). Not a bad deal, but there were a few wines I wanted to skip and a few reds that I wanted to try-- but, there is no mix and match. (No biggie)

The service at the tasting bar was horrid. The servers behind the bar were not friendly, answered few questions, and were rude to group after group of folks that approached the bar. I'm sure they deal with a lot of folks who know little about wine and may ask what seem to be silly questions- but isn't educating people part of a running a tasting room (or having your winery open to visitors)? At one point they told a couple asking questions to go somewhere else. We didn't eat there, but several tables approached the bar and were vocal about the lack of food service as well...

Back to the Wine- We tasted through the whites. Out of 8, 2 were drinkable (the Viognier was actually pretty good and I bought 1) but the rest were tough to swallow. My note on their Chardonnay simply reads "Stank-oak" and my note on their Marsanne read "pee & iced tea".

I LOVE white Rhone wines- I knew I wasn't going to find another Chave Hermitage Blanc or a La Doriane, but man... some of this stuff was tough. (In defense, I've heard their reds are higher quality than their whites)

The people behind the bar seemed offended when I politely asked for a dump bucket. Quality aside, I just didn't need to swallow a full sample to taste each wine.

My first thought was that we caught them on an off day, but I have since talked with a half dozen other people that had similar experiences. It is too bad, they have an amazing piece of land. I'd almost go back to sit on their porch

I don't like to knock folks that are doing the best they can with what they got, but man, a little hospitality goes a long way.

Conversely, our experience over at Wolf Mountain was extremely pleasant, friendly, and laid back.

Sine Qua Non & Floataway Cafe

With family in town, we decided to head over to Floataway Cafe and bring along a special bottle or two.

I've been both hoarding and collecting a few Sine Qua Non bottles for awhile, and thought popping one open with my dad would be a worthwhile experience.

2004 Sine Qua Non "The Rejuvenators"
(USA, CA) Viognier, Roussanne, and Chardonnay Blend. Auction Purchase
Notes:
Almost solid yellow in color. Initial aromas of rocks, minerals, nuts, and waxy honeycomb. With time, more grapefruit and lime aromas. Heavy and viscous on the palate- almost the concentration of an off-vintage Sauternes. An enormous, mineral and citrus driven finish.
Conclusion:
This is ridiculous juice. Heavy, wonderful, truly dense stuff. It completely rocked with my Snapper dish. I felt fortunate to be able to share this, and lucky to even have it.
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The food at Floataway was incredible. I've always found their service odd, and this was no exception- like being seated next to an awkward blind date.