Wine and Cheese

6 delicious types of cheese

This past weekend a couple of friends and I decided to give the wine and cheese pairing a try.  It was a fun night although sampling 3 wines with 6 types of cheese resulted in 18 tastings and a rowdy night.

Thorn Clarke James Goddard Shiraz 2011 Barossa

At $7.95, this wine was a steal.  It was delicious and slightly tart and the nose was lightly fruity with plums and a subtle chocolate and oaky smell as well.  The palate had a very delicate flavor and was very well balance.  Tannins were definitely present but not overwhelming.  Overall it was delightfully fruity with the plum and chocolate flavors standing out.

Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

The second wine we tried was my first boxed wine.  It was $30 for the box but considering it had 4 bottles worth, it definitely was a good value.  The nose had very strong berries and seemed a little hot.  Tasting it was very smooth.  Cherries and various herbs stood out and it all balanced very well together.  It was definitely surprisingly good for being a boxed wine and for the price.

Chateau des Perligues White Bordeaux 2011

The third wine was a White Bordeaux for $14.95.  A blend of 70% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Muscadelle, it really smelled and tasted primarily like a Sauvignon Blanc to me.  The nose was grassy and cat pee but a little sweet.  The taste was a bit sour and very lemony.  There were floral notes followed by a grassy finish.

Brie:

-With the Shiraz, the brie made the wine taste creamier and the oak flavors stood out much more strongly, particularly vanilla.
-With the Cabernet, the flavor became much softer.  The berry flavors were emphasized.
-With the white Bordeaux, the wine tasted sweeter and almost like a sparkling wine.  However, the finish became a bit sour.

Gouda:

-The fruitiness of the Shiraz became dulled and the smoky oak influence became much stronger.
-The Gouda balanced out the stronger flavors in the Cabernet and softened the tannins.  Overall, the wine tasted sweeter.
-The cat pee flavor stood out much more in the Bordeaux.  It really became very bitter and unpleasant.

Goat Cheese:

-The tangy flavor of the goat cheese was overwhelming but the fruit flavors in the Shiraz did stand out a little more.
-The goat cheese emphasized the tannins in the Cabernet and really made my mouth pucker.  Again it overwhelmed the wine.
-The Bordeaux tasted much smoother and creamier, and the floral notes became stronger.

Romano:

-The Shiraz tasted much more bitter with the cheese.  The subtle fruit and vanilla flavors were barely able to come through.
-The Romano was overpowering with the Cabernet as well and made it taste almost like water.  Any specific flavor was indistinguishable.
-The Bordeaux was much more floral with the Romano.  The cheese was so strong that it washed out any other flavor.

Jarlsberg:

-The Shirax was very fruity with the swiss and even tasted hotter.
-The Cabernet also tasted much fruitier and lighter.  This was a fantastic pairing.
-Fruity flavors came out a little more in the Bordeaux.  It is a solid pairing although not as well as with the red wines.

Muenster:

-The muenster was such a mild cheese that it did not really affect the flavor of the wine except to make it a little creamier.
-With the Cabernet, the wine was much more floral and simply delicious.  Creamy and light.
-The Bordeaux became tangy and floral.  It was very smooth and simply delightful to have together.

Me with the boxed Cabernet Sauvignon

My friend Kara with the Shiraz

Ultimately, this was an excellent activity to further develop my palate and appreciation for the effect certain foods have one wine.  I learned that smoother and softer flavored cheese complemented the bold red wines better, and the bitter strong cheeses emphasized the floral notes in the white Bordeaux.

Dinner - Cooking with the Family Round 2

First Course

2011 Coelho Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley served with Bruschetta with basil, tomato, and fresh mozzarella

Wine description:

2011 Coelho Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Oregon $21.99

Willamette Valley, OR - This delicious Pinot offers alluring aromas of spice, cherries, and toasty cedar.  It's velvety texture is enhanced by flavors of cherry, cranberry, chocolate.  Vibrant and supple, this beauty offers a lovely smooth finish.

This wine had a lot of cherry and strawberry on the nose and was light ruby in color, typical of most Pinot Noir.  It was very light and sweet with a strong cherry flavor.  It was definitely very fruit-forward and had a nice smooth and soft finish.  It was a very balanced and enjoyable wine.  This was by far the best Pinot Noir I've ever tried.

When paired with the bruschetta, it really emphasized the basil flavor and they complimented each other very well.  The mozzarella made the wine creamy and even smoother.

Second Course

2009 Chateau Landat Haut-Medoc Bordeaux paired with thyme roast chicken with a mixed greens salad

Wine description:

2009 Chateau Landat Haut-Medoc $24.99

91 Points - Wine Enthusiast

Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France - "There is a fine mineral texture to this structured, frim wine from the northern Haut-Medoc.  It also has ripe fruit and a richly tannic character, with flavors of black plum juice and berry.  Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, this will age over several years."

The wine had strong earthy tones.  Definitely Old World in style.  The nose was of dirt, rubber, and a barnyard.  It was very soft and elegant when tasting.  The terroir stood out with the mineral essence.  Spiced and juicy, it had delicious soft tannins that left a great mouth feel.

Individually, the wine and chicken were superb.  However, together there was dischord.  The chicken was juicy and butter but clashed with the fruitiness and tannins in the wine.  I had read the most Bordeaux wines should pair well with any bird but that was not the case here.

Third Course

2013 Il Duca Moscato D'Asti served with apple crisp and french vanilla ice cream

Wine description:

2013 Il Duca Moscato D'Asti - $14.99

Sweet, Apricot, Peach, Medium-bodied

Asti, Piedmont, Italy - A soft, easy-drinking white with notes of fresh peach and apricot intermingled with clover honey.  Lower in alcohol, this is the perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit or as a delicious companion or alternative to dessert.

A very sweet and fruity nose, it was difficult to distinguish the specific fruit influences due to the overwhelming sweetness.  The initial taste was of a sugary syrupy mess with a very light carbonation.  Definitely suited for a dessert wine, it was still too sweet for my taste.

With the apple crisp, the wine surprisingly tasted less sweet.  The carbonation made everything seem much lighter and the flavor of the cinnamon in the apple crisp was really emphasized.

Winery Visit - Chateau Morrisette

I went to visit a winery for the first time this past weekend on Saturday, the 12th of April 2014.  Located along the Blue Ridge Parkway, even the drive to the winery is beautiful.  It really sets the mood for an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon sitting on the hillside and sipping a glass of wine.  The Chateau Morrisette features a 4-star restaurant adjacent to the winery for people that want to keep the party going late into the night.








Walking up to the winery the views are breathtaking, but I found the exterior facade of the building slightlyt tacky.  It seemed like an obvious attempt to recreate a classic French chateau appearance with cheap materials and was poorly executed.  The interior was much more pleasant but still seemed to be trying to hard to me.  It did have a warm atmosphere with soft lighting and exposed heavy rafters, and the various bottles of wines were artfully set out in the center of the room. Tours of the facility are offered throughout the day and are even included in the very reasonably priced 10 wine tasting events held at regular intervals.  Unfortunately, my friends and I arrived a few minutes after the last tour of the day had started.

This was the first disappointment of the trip, which rapidly went downhill.  When trying to purchase tickets for the wine tasting, my friends ID was closely scrutinized because of its unique features being from New York.  A manager was eventually involved and denied my friend service, claiming that the ID was likely a fake and that it could easily be duplicated at home in 45 minutes.  We were all very upset, but did not want a 2-hour round trip to be wasted when an assignment was involved, so the rest of our party continued with the tasting.  The staff was rude and condescending when speaking to our group compared to other people in attendance.  I was also disappointed in the serving size of each sample, but we did try the 10 following wines.

• 2011 Chardonnay:  This chardonnay was very dry and one of the best I've ever had.  The aroma was grassy with green apple and caramel.  It tasted toasty with strong butterscotch flavor and it was very smooth and creamy.
• 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon:  A delicious cab, I could immediately smell raspberry, blackberry, spice, and mint.  Tasting it, the blackberry jumped out with balanced tannins and then finished with blueberry and black currant.
• 2011 Merlot: This was a mediocre merlot that was very smoky on the nose and very light in color.  It was very tart with cherry and cranberry making the strongest impression.
• 2011 Petit Verdot:  I'd never had a petit verdot before and this one was ok in my opinion.  It did leave me interested in trying more.  It was spicy and oaky with notes of cherries and rasins in the aroma.  It had very velvety tannins and went smooth with flavors of raspberry and blackberry.
• Angel Chardonnay: This chardonnay was not nearly as enjoyable as the first one.  It was very pineappley and fruit forward but was smooth.  It was too sweet and fruity in my opinion for a chardonnay and made me think of an oaky pinot grigio.
• Our Dog Blue:  One of their signature wines, it was all fruit and very sweet with flavors of melon and apricots.
• Cherry Wine: Cherry, cherry, and more cherry.  This was too sweet for me and as advertised, tasted like cherry syrup.
• Red Muscadine: The first note I made after tasting this wine was "NEVER AGAIN".  Needless to say, I didn't enjoy anything about this wine.  The nose was very funky to me and seemed sour and tart and reminded me of spoiled fruit.  The flavor was like stale cotton candy.
• Blackberry Wine:  A sour and floral fruit wine, I did like this one.  It was slightly sweet and very enjoyable.
• Heritage:  This was a fortified wine and really reminded me of a port, although the server mentioned that they were not allowed to associate it what-so-ever with the name port.  It reminded me of coffee, plums, and chocolate.

I did enjoy a few of the wines, but refused to purchase any bottles due to my negative experience.  It began as an exciting and lovely day, but ended with my friends and I feeling bitter and upset.  I hope that it was only a case of a long day for the staff and that others have not had to go through the unpleasant day that my friends and I had.

Wine Tasting - Garnacha de Fuego

Garnacha de Fuego 2012

Price: $20

Varietal: 100% Aragon Grenache

Vintage: 2012

Region: Aragon, Spain

Type: Red

Alcohol: 14.5%

Winemaker Notes:

The best vineyards of Aragon are situated high on the hillsides, 3000 feet above sea level, where, despite the poor gravelly soil, the old gnarled vines produce the finest grapes possible in this arid, desolate region.  Only the ripest clusters are chosen, thus producing a wine of considerable depth and finesse.  The wine exudes intense aromas of sweet cherries and dark plums with an exotic spicy finish reminiscent of white pepper.

My Review:

The nose was soft notes of light cherry, pepper, stone and minerals, and was sour.  After tasting, the finish was reminiscent of hot peppers and left my mouth hot and spicy.  It was fairly hollow with no real mid-pallet.  Initially, the first taste was of plums, cherry, and vanilla.  This was a very hot wine where the high alcohol content was noticeable and definitely detracted from the wine.

Wine Tasting - Leese-Fitch Pinot Noir

Leese-Fitch Pinot Noir 2012

Price: $12

Varietal: 80% Pinot Noir, 10% Barbera, 8% Grenache, 2% Moscato

Vintage: 2012

Region: Sonoma, California

Type: Red

Alcohol: 13.5%

Winemaker Notes:

Dark garnet in color, the 2012 Pinot Noir smells of ripe fruit from the orchard, sweet plum, raspberry cobbler, bing cherry, with vanilla whipped cream and just a hint of apricot.  The flavors start ripe with cherry preserves, summer plum, fresh strawberry pie, brioche, and finishes with hints of earthy notes, portabella mushroom, clove spice, and dried cranberry.

My Notes:

I was expecting the wine to be much darker but it was a very nice shade of burgundy with plenty of color.  The nose was sweet and very fruity and I could smell notes of raspberry, blackberry, and cherry.  The flavor was also much sweeter than I was expecting and overwhelmingly of fruit.  There was a hint of earthiness, possibly mushrooms, but primarily berry flavors came through.

Wine Tasting - Lyeth Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir was much better than I expected.  I bought it along with the Josephine Dubois Pinot Noir to compare the differences between "Old World" and "New World" and I fully expected to enjoy the French wine more.  This wine had a higher original price and I was able to get it on sale so maybe I enjoyed it more because I felt like I got a great deal, or maybe the wine itself really was better.  The nose had scents of wood, tree bark, moss, and grassy fields.  It had a sweet start but a hot finish.  The strongest tastes to me were of walnut with a slightly acidic mid-pallet that reminded me of nail polish remover and finished with a strong buttery flavor.  A very enjoyable wine and one I hope to see at this price point again.

Wine Tasting - Josephine Dubois Pinot Noir 2010

This French Pinot Noir had an earthy nose with definite notes of mushroom.  The taste was sweet although a bit watered down.  It started with a taste of strawberries, followed by lemon, and finished with an oaky/woody flavor.  I was really looking forward to trying a good French Pinot Noir and this one was only mediocre in my opinion, but that's probably what I get for trying to get "Burgundy on a budget".