Jane Garvey's Weekly Wines

People--usually males--who consider themselves wine knowledgeable tend to wax poetic over big bold wines. The bigger the better for some of my friends, who won't touch a rosé or a delicate light red wine.

The trouble is many of those big, tannic, alcoholic wines don't pair easily with food. The range of dishes they'll go with is limited, while lighter-bodied red wines can take on everything from fish to vegetarian dishes, and from steak to stews.

This past weekend at WineSouth, I met an attractive young woman representing the Rhône, and she was pouring a red Rhône from a vintage that had not yielded particularly big wines.

"It's a little light," she said somewhat apologetically. "Oh, but," I responded, "it may go much better with food than a big wine will."

She looked up at me with big eyes round with surprise, and said: "Oh yes, but Americans always want big wines." (Well, hold on, not all of us; many women and some men I know complain that they can't drink red wine, because, as one woman friend said, "They're too thick." Needless to say, I've fixed her problem, introducing her to Beaujolais and Valpolicella, among many other things, making her a red wine drinker, but not a gulper of BIG red wines.)

Big wines can be enjoyable and tasty, but there's a limit. At a recent tasting, I savored a really tannic monster--at least I guess that's what I did with it--and thought I'd swallowed a tree. My tasting companion, another woman, thought the wine was wonderful. So there you have it. To my mind, it was going to take more years than I may have left on this planet for the tannins to resolve and become integrated with the wine. And, frankly, that may never happen in this case.

Certainly, I'm content to wait for a big Hermitage to develop its silky evolved character. In fact, it's the case that young ones are hardly fit to drink. But most of us have a "dinner tonight" problem. We don't have cellaring capacity for one thing; and we want to enjoy something right now. Is it possible to enjoy a big wine in its youth?

Definitely, but it must be one that's balanced. While acidity will drop out of a wine over time, alcohol that's out of balance --and this isn't a function of a number--and rough tannin aren't going to change measureably. So find wines that are balanced, where alcohol and tannin are well integrated into the wine, and where oak is a graceful note, not a dominant feature.

Cool room temperature, about 60-65 degrees, is best for serving big boy reds, and probably most should be decanted, especially the very young ones, at least a one hour before being served. Choose glasses that have big bowls as the puny ones will inhibit your enjoyment of the aromas and flavors. Most of these wines can withstand proper cellaring for another five years at least.

Jane Garvey

Bodegas Castaño Monastrell 2004
Yecla, Spain

Score: 90 Points

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry red wine; deeply colored inky purple red. Aromas skip from floral to dark fruits to white pepper; with flavors, bolstered by very firm tannin, firmly in the plum/blackberry/touch of blueberry world. Silky texture. Fruit stays well ahead of other components. Finish is long and focused on fresh dark fruits, with tannins in hot pursuit. Grape: Monastrell, aka Mataro (Australia); Mourvédre (France). Great value. Yecla is a warm zone lying between Madrid and Alicante on the Mediterranean. Some of these old vines sit above 700 meters, or at more than 2,000 feet, above sea level. Not filtered, so decant, as there's much sediment. Leave bottle upright for several hours before serving. to allow sediment to settle, then decant. Serve moderately cool, about 65 degrees, in large-bowled glasses.

Food Pairings: Assertive flavors: Patak's smoked liverwurst (lovely) and other smoked meats; pвtйs and terrines; Spanish chorizo; grilled meats; sautéed mushrooms; game; stews; roast duck; prime rib; legume-based dishes, barbecued pulled chicken or pork; aged firm cheeses, such as Spanish sheep's milk Romeo covered in dried rosemary, and dark chocolate (superb!)

Price: $9
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits

Final Cut Shiraz Ballandown Vineyard 2004

Final Cut Shiraz Ballandown Vineyard 2004
Langhorne Creek, Australia

Score: 95 Points

Tasting Notes: Big, full-bodied dry red wine; inky, opaque purple red. Exuberant aromas of dark fruits, black raspberry especially, with some brown aromatic spice (brown spices and white pepper); delicious dark fruit flavors, black raspberry again leading the parade. Easy fruit tannins, flat out silky. Long finish with hefty black pepper notes. .Rich, voluptuous texture. Grapes: Syrah (a/k/a Shiraz). Langhorne Creek is just north of Adelaide, and is cooled by lakes and rivers. Ballandown Vineyard vines include some more than 50 years old. Really pretty work. Great value

Food Pairings: Legumes, especially lentils cooked with ham; creamy pasta dishes, including pasta salads,with hefty garlic; peppered dishes, such as peppered liver pвtй or French pepper steak, smoked beef ribs or Southern barbecue; hangar steak plain with sea salt or with a cheese drizzle; roast duck, squab, Cornish hen brushed with a dark fruit jam glaze; grilled ham steak; braised short ribs of beef stuffed with garlic slivers, mashed spuds, King Island (Australia) blue or Cheddar cheeses; dark chocolate (swoon!)

Price: $17
Wholesaler: Unique World Wines

Hook & Ladder "The Tillerman" Red 2003
Russian River Valley, CA

Score: 92 Points

Tasting Notes: Big, full-bodied dry red wine; medium deep, barely translucent purple red. Aromatic, with suggestions of dark and red fruits, raspberries, plums and cassis. Flavors are beautifully integrated, and focus on dark fruits. Juicy, with fine fruit tannins, balanced fruit/acidity/tannin, with a long fruit-focused finish. Delicious work. From Cecil DeLoach, a former fire fighter, thus the name Hook & Ladder. Estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Cabernet Franc (27%) and Sangiovese (16%). French and American oak; varieties fermented separately; aged one year, then assemblage. Vineyards are in Russian River Valley, just south of Healdsburg. Very fine value.

Food Pairings: Smoked liverwurst, smoked meats in general, barbecue (Southern, that is), braised short ribs studded with fresh garlic and served with mashed spuds; braised beef brisket with tomato, rosemary, and garlic; roast duck (especially good); firm aged cheeses (cave-aged Gruyиre; Parrano, aged Gouda); hangar steak with blue- or brie-cheese drizzle; dark chocolate

Price: $20
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits

Garretson Peach State Cuvée Red 2003
California

Score: 91 Points

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry red wine; medium deep translucent purple red. Out of the bottle comes a big meaty character that soon gentles down and leave the aromas of dark fruit--plum especially--to come through. Aromas lifted by Viognier, which also lightens the blend, a classic maneuver. Flavors provide ripe red and dark fruits, with soft tannins. Finishess a little with alcohol a mite high (14%), but not out of control. Delicious, juicy, tasty. Grapes: Syrah (65%, Grenache (16%) Mourvédre (12%); Viognier (7%). Syrah from three west-side Paso Robles vineyards, while the other three varieties are from single sites. Each red variety/vineyard was destemmed (not crushed), and fermented whole-berry separately. No new oak. Owner/winemaker is Dunwoody, GA, native Matt Garretson, who likes to say he makes "no crybaby" wines. In screw cap.

Food Pairings: Pasta dishes with hefty garlic; smoked beef ribs, seared garlic-studded beef short ribs braised in red wine; "bleu" hangar steak with brie or bleu cheese drizzle; pot roast; steak; grilled pork sausages with basill and Parmesan cheese; roast chicken, duck; quail or Cornish hen; grilled ham steak; caramelized vegetables on pasta; Indonesian rice salad with peanuts, lime juice and coconut milk; lamb steak; red beans and rice; aged firm cheeses

Price: $22
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing

Forgeron Cellars Vinfinity 2001
Columbia Valley, WA

Score: 96 Points

Tasting Notes: Elegant, full-bodied dry red wine; deep but translucent purple red. A whiff of truffle graces the initial aromas, but then it recedes, leaving red and black fruits dominating over hints of vanilla and chocolate. Red and dark fruits blend in the flavors, which offer good acidity and moderate (13.8%) alcohol. Silky, elegant, fruit-focused tannins. Perfect elegance, grace and power. Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (50%); Merlot (25%); Syrah (19%); Zinfandel (6%). Mostly new French oak, with some used and some (6%) new American oak. A female French hand guides this project: Formerly with Gordon Brothers, Winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla knows her way around Washington State winemaking. 2001 was the launch vintage. Brava!!! "Forgeron" means "blacksmith" in French.

Food Pairings: Just about anything full-bodied: Pвtйs and terrines; pasta dishes with hefty garlic; lasagna; grilled "bleu" hangar steak with brie or bleu cheese drizzle; lamb steak; roast duck or grilled duck breast; roast chicken; braised beef brisket; Cuban-style roast pork loin; beef Stroganoff; grilled or sautéed mushrooms; roast dark-meat turkey; game; aged firm cheeses, such as cave aged Gruyère or Emmentaler. Ok with dark chocolate.

Price: $45
Wholesaler: Wine Maverick

No Label

Morgenster Esttate 2001
Cape of Good Hope, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Score: 92 Points

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry red wine; deep opaque rose-edged purple. Heady romas of bacon fat, sweet smokiness, with flavors of dark berries, cassis, brown spices, black pepper and a suggestion of dried herb. Flavors deliver what the aromas promise. Slight suggestion of dried dark fruits in the finish. Alcohol, fine tannins, acidity all well integrated; balanced; very tightly knit. 100% estate-grown fruit. Grapes: Merlot (45%); Cabernet Franc (27%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), so a classic Bordeaux blend. A joint project of Giulio Bertrand and Pierre Lurton, of the famous Bordeaux Lurton family.

Food Pairings: Creamy liver pâté; grilled meats; garlic-studded short ribs of beef or oxtails (classic in South Africa) braised in red wine; braised beef brisket; smoked meats; roast duck, vhivkrn or squab (keep it pink); prime rib; grilled veal chop or lamb steak; firm, aged cheeses. Would love to try with some bobootie, South Africa's famous dish, or kudu, a rich beef-like game meat. . So try it with a bison steak.

Price: $45
Wholesaler: Big Boat Wine Co.