The past weekend kept Angie and I on the run.  On Saturday, we finally got our office back after the water leak and repairs.  We had to purchase a new printer because our old dog Belle destroyed the power supply ( a new printer was only a few dollars more than a replacement ) and we start moving "stuff" back into the room.  At 4PM we were on the road to Austin for dinner and the Craig Ferguson show at the Paramount Theater.  If anyone is a fan of Craig, let it be known that Ang and I are part of his robot, skeleton army (it's a Twitter thing).

After a discussion with the folks at Wine 101 the previous evening and a search of Open Table on my phone, we decided to dine at the Driskill Grill located in the Driskill Hotel (6th Street and Brazos).  The Driskill Grill received Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellance 2009," so we were pretty pumped up to visit.  We were not disappointed.

Our waiter, Jonathan, was very knowledgeable to the menu, wine list and Driskill in general.  He gave us a good first impression of the restaurant.  On his recommendation we chose the Chef's Five Course Tasting Menu.  Since the courses included a wide sampling of different textures, flavors and sauces, I picked a German Reisling.  (Ok, I like Reisling, especially with food). 

The wine list had a nice selection of German Reislings.  I like the German ones because the acidity levels seem to be higher than the California-Washington varieties. I narrowed my choices to Kabinetts because, to me, the Spatlese, Auslese offerings are a little too sweet (or fruity if you ever talk to a German vintner).  The Von Othegraven 2007 Kabinett was within my "wine-at-a-restaurant" price level.  The Von Othegraven estate is located along the Saar tributary of the Mosel River.  The soil is primarily slate with some iron oxide. I picked up pear and green apples on the nose. It had a long finish and worked with all items on the tasting menu including desert.

The food was outstanding.  Our tasting menu consisted of

    Hawaiian Ahi Poke, wasabi tobiko, macadamia nuts, orange, soy and cucumber;
    Sous Vide Organic Egg, frisee salad, blue cheese, bacon, green apple, and dijon vinaigrette;
    Cast Iron Seared Tasmanian Salmon with Lemon-saffron risotto, trumpets, and sweet pea coulis;
    Herb Crusted Lamb Chop with cannellini beans, ratatouille and maideira sauce;
    Chocolate Carmel Crunch Bar with malted milkshake and candied hazelnuts.

I didn't leave a crumb of anything on my plate.  While these were tastes vice full portions, we both were fairly full by the time desert arrived.  I've never been a raw seafood fan, but the Ahi Poke may have convinced me to rethink the concept.  Sous Vide style egg on a salad was an interesting take and also surprised me as it melded with the other flavors and textures.  The Salmon and Lamb Chop ranked up there with the best I've tasted.  Yes, Driskill Grill is not to be missed.

Oh, by the way, Craig's show was great.  Angie continued to laugh all the way home to Helotes.....

You may or may not have seen the "snow" last Tuesday in the San Antonio area.  As I left work, they were these thick half snow half ice things floating in the air, but by the time I hit Highway 151 it was mainly drizzle.  The roads were wet but not Northern tier treacherous that they could have been.  It was, however, cold and damp.  As Angie was driving home, she called and said it was grilled cheese and soup weather.

I was looking over this month's wine club selection and had already decided to open the 2008 Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir.  Actually, by the time she called it was open, breathing and I had a taste. 

Queen of Hearts is one of the brand names used by Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards.  L&L has three vineyards located in different areas of Santa Barbara Country: Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, and Los Alamos Valley.  Hence, the grape origin listed on the bottle is simply Santa Barbara County.   All three valleys, according to the L&L web page,  run from the coastal mountains to the Pacific and result in warm days and cool nights. 

The tasting notes list aromas of blackberry, black cherry and cola.  I got the dark cherry immediately, but the wine had to sit a spell for the cola to come out.  Flavors were definitely Pinot cherry and strawberry.  The initial few seconds of the taste gave an impression of sweetness as it evolved into nice red fruit flavors on the mid palate.  It has a good finish with berry and a light tannin and acid edge.  The winery calls the Queen of Hearts their fun and affordable line.  I agree with that assessment.

Ang brought home soup in a jar:  La Madeleine Tomato/Basil;  The grilled cheese was brie (no wrapped processed slices here) on an onion roll.  The wine worked on both counts for me. 

Queen of Hearts 2008 Pinot is good food wine but would be an ideal choice for sitting at the wine bar, hanging out with friends.  It's a ready to drink wine that doesn't need much air to bring out the Pinot flavors.  Oh, by the way, the photo was not retouched.  That's an old fashioned recipe of lightly blackened grilled cheese.  Ok!  The pan was a little too hot, and we didn't have anymore buns...

Remember how you couldn't wait to turn 21; then, suddenly around 35, you forget the year you were born.  Well, I hit one of those milestone birthdays on Friday: the one just past 59.  I'm now officially o-l-d or at least that's what everyone is telling me.  I did find a 60-year old staring back at me in the mirror this morning; it's time to get rid of the mirror.

But on the brighter side, I had a great surprise birthday party at WIne 101.  Angie set the hook deep in my cheek and reeled me in like a bluegill.  It started with our mythical supper reservations getting canceled, and then "Let's run by Wine 101, have a glass of wine and decide where to go."   As we walked in, I spotted our friend Michele, then some current and former co-workers, and finally my boss.  The brain slowly put everything together; I had been had.   It meant a lot to see good friends (new and old) to share the last birthday that I will admit to.

One of the reasons for my fuzziness....ok, the main reason for my fuzziness was wine.  I had opened a couple bottles for a pre-going-out celebration at home.  We didn't finish both, but the majority consumed passed through my glass.  Both were Tempranillos: a Texan and a Spaniard.  I first grabbed my last 2004 Inwood Estates Vineyard Tempranillo - Cabernet.  More than just a desire for a great wine on my birthday, I wanted to see how it held up.  I've had some higher end Texas wines in the past that were (like me) over the hill at about 4-6 years past vintage.  The Inwood was still in great shape.  I tipped the glass to study the edge and found it still clear and watery (a sign of a younger wine).  This one can probably hang in there a few more years. The tannins were soft but still evident coupled with good red and black fruit flavors. 

The Spanish wine was a Ysios 2002 Rioja Reserva; I first tasted this one at Wine 101. My Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book says that in 2002, Rioja produced a "small harvest of doubtful quality," but "the best are still delicious."  The Ysios Reserva, in my opinion, is one of the latter, very rich and tasty.  I did discover, however,  that it should be drunk fairly soon after opening.  Even with a vacuum re-corking, the remainder tasted a little over the edge a couple days later. It's what you would call a drink now type. 

At the party, I stuck with a Montepulciano which worked well for mingling and talking.  If only I'd eaten a little more and drank more water.  Oh well, I remember some words of the great philosopher, Dean Martin. "I feel sorry for the people that don't drink, knowing when they get up in the morning, that's the best they're going to feel all day!"

Now, I'd like to thank all those who my birthday a fun time, despite the six-oh.  To Debbie and Phillip, you guys made it all possible.  Michele, you are a dear friend and helped keep our guests' well wine-d.  To those who traveled a long way, Jim (my baby brother), Michele, Charlie (my younger brother from another mother), Pauline, Debbie and Kevin, you made me feel very special.  To all the great local folks who turned out Friday night, I couldn't have for a better group to share my day with. Finally, a big thanks and smooch to my wife, partner and best friend, Angie.  I owe ya...

It's amazing how a great meal and wine can take the edge off a "one-of-those-kind" of weeks.  So, with that in mind, our party of four (Angie and I, our good friend Michele, and nephew Matt) got in the car Saturday evening bound for Bin 555. Bin 555 is a Tapas style restaurant known for it's small plates.  You can sample a variety of tasty delights by sharing the dishes with the rest of your party. 

I decided add a little wrinkle to the meal and suggested we also experiment with wine and food pairing.  I would order a bottle of white and a bottle of red, "perhaps a bottle of rose instead".....oops, I've got to quit channeling Billy Joel. Anyway, we would try a sip of each wine with each dish, and then decide what worked best.  It's good to go out with fellow wine-ers; no one objected. Since Matt is a chef for the Dady family of restaurants, instead of ordering off the menu, he asked the Bin 555 chef to send out a good sampling of everything until we yelled "Stop!" Needless to say, we ate until we were on the verge of a food coma.  I'm not a sweetbread fan, but other than that, everything was delicious.

I got to pick the wines because I'm the oldest. I chose a 2008 Adega Condes de Albarei, a Spanish Albarino and a 2006 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet.  This Albarino was citrusy, and, to my surprise, a little spritzy.  The Cab had nice black cherry and bit of chocolate flavors.  On a wine chart, these two would be more or less the opposite ends of the spectrum.  It would have been nice to add a couple more, different styles and body, but the budget limited us to two, and we did have to drive back home.

Our dishes and wine picks are as follows:

Sweetbread Taquitos Served Crispy with Serrano Pepper Crema and Fresh Cilantro  (Albarino)

Creamy Jumbo Lump Crab Dip  with Lavash Crackers  (Albarino)

Steak Tartare 'Philly Cheesesteak' Style with Red Peppers, Yellow Peppers and White Cheddar  (Cab)

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Spiedino with Oak Roasted Mushrooms and Sweet Onion Puree  (Albarino or Cab)

New York Strip 'Au Poirve' -Cast Iron Seared with 'Peppercorns'  (Cab)

Chef's Daily Pizza with Sausage (more like a fried summer sausage) and mushrooms  (Cab)

'Crispy Skin' Striped Bass with Orange-Carrot Puree, Melted Leeks and Saffron Espuma  (Albarino or Cab)

Grilled Salmon with Mojo Glaze with Ragout of Chorizo and Baby Spinach  (Cab or Albarino)

Braise Pork Belly with Lentils, Hazelnuts, and Maple Jus  (Cab)

Cabrales Blue Cheese - Spain  (Albarino)

Brie - France  (Cab)

Our picks may not have been the ideal for each dish, but they were not too shabby.  As you can see, in some cases both the red and white worked for us.  Sometimes you have to step out of the "Red with red meat, White with chicken and fish" box.  One must also consider the sauce, cooking method and sides for the dish. Anyway, the pairing made for an interesting evening and the vow to "do that again." 

I ordered Coq Au Vin the last two visits to Brasserie Pavil (1604 and Huebner).  I'm more a yard bird than cow sorta guy, so, I'm pretty sure that chicken cooked in wine brings out the French in me.  While it's only like one-eighth of my Heinz 57 makeup,  my minimal French roots contribute to my love of wine and food.  And, if you believe that, I'm willing to sell my ownership in the Golden Gate Bridge and the Helotes Mulch Pile.

Last night's meal at home was a double score:  great food and equally great wine with a French flair.  Angie caught Rachel Ray making Coq Au Vin a couple Saturday's ago and got inspired to try it for her own personal taster, me.  Her only flaw was entrusting me with the shopping list.  I picked out the biggest chicken leg and thighs instead of the smaller ones.  That meant the single bottle of red wine the recipe called for turned into about two bottles.  I went to the wine fridge and picked a California Pinot to go along with the French one I bought for the meal.  But in the excitement of the new season of 24, I polished off half the second bottle.  We were out of Pinot, so, I substituted a cheap Italian.  Our French dinner was now cooked in multi-cultural wine.  Since my cooking skills are reserved for breakfast meals only, I was asked to go pick another bottle of wine to have with dinner and stay away from the kitchen. 

Returning to my "French food demands French wine" weirdness, I dug out my last bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Clos de L'Oratoire des Papes 2005. It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault.  According to the Wine Bible, Chateauneuf-du-Pape translates to new castle of the Pope.  In the fourteenth century, the Pope lived in Avignon, France not Rome.  The town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Avignon are located in the Southern Rhone Valley.

I bought two bottles of the L'Oratoire des Papes a couple years ago, drank one, and left the other in the wine fridge.  The extra time in the bottle really worked.  The aroma was somewhat tight even after breathing a over an hour.  I caught grilled meat and a little dark fruit on the nose.  As it evolved in the glass it really started to grab my attention.  There were flavors of black berries, a little dark cherry, a hint of violet and pepper with some chocolate on the back end.    

The Coq Au Vin was perfection.  The chicken was so tender and the sauce....well, I wanted to roll in it but figured it would be a real pain to clean up.  The flavors were more subtle than right in your face, so, I wondered if the wine might overpower it.  It didn't.  This was a meal you would invite friends over for and then gloat because your wife was such a great cook.

This past Sunday, I embarked on the rare (for me) business trip and all the fun of waiting around at airports.  Destination one was DFW Terminal A.  I knew that breakfast would wear off long before I arrived at the hotel in Waltham later that evening, and my airline (American) was going to charge for food not of my choosing.  After passing a number of fast food and sit-down type places, I found La Bodega at gate A15.  La Bodega is a winery tasting room in an airport.  Like a moth to a flame, I found what I was looking for.

The Texas Winery Guide says that La Bodega "is the only winery in an airport bonded to produce wine on-site." Well, there are two locations in DFW.  I don't know if the one in Terminal D is much larger, but there isn't enough space to make wine here.

The wine list was interesting; one group is titled sexy reds.  Texas, California, Italy and more wine producing areas were represented.  A featured wine, a meritage blend from Napa sounded great, but a nasty, chunky cold accompanied me from Helotes and the nose was somewhat out of joint.  Anyway, when visiting a winery you want to taste the local stuff.  I  picked the La Bodega Private Reserve Cabernet with a snack tray.   I hope this doesn't sound like a slam against the La Bodega Cab; even the best wine in the world wouldn't have done much for me.  I did, however, catch the sharp bite on the finish, characteristic of many Texas Cabs.

The real highlight of the 30-minute visit was conversation.  Ok, the olive tapenade wasn't bad either.  Anyway, the wine consultant behind the bar knew her wine, and we talked about Texas wines in general, where the best grapes are sourced from, and some of the more interesting people in the Texas wine business.  She also mentioned that the annual wine festival in Grapevine (near DFW) is not to be missed. A couple Australians dropped in and joined the conversation.  They were returning from a trip to Argentina and raved about the restaurants and wine there.

Before I knew it, the time to board the plane had arrived.  Had I any inkling that I would be deplaning a few minutes after getting to my seat because the airplane had a boo-boo, I would have stayed a lot longer.  Anyway, if you have some time between flights in DFW, visit La Bodega.  It's so much better than a cheese burger and fries.     

As they say on TV commercials touting some new gas saving automobile, "Your mileage may vary!"  That certainly applies to the following list.  Below are my wines of 2009.  They may not have Wine Spectator's 90+ ratings, but for me there was something memorable about each one.  I tasted a fair amount of different wines in 2009 with the trip to Napa, many visits to Wine 101, and any local tasting Angie and I could make.   These are the ones that immediately came to mind without having to strain the declining brain cells.  They are in no particular order and you won't find any scores.

2007 Bodegas Arzuaga La Planta:  Affectionately known as "bacon fat" around Wine 101, this 100% Tempranillo from Spain has a pronounced bacon fat aroma when first opening. The fruit evolves as it breathes for a while.  Awesome after 3 days.

2006 Martin Codax Albarino:  A dry medium bodied Spanish white with peach and pear flavors. A great foodie wine.

2005 Inwood Estates Tempranillo Cabernet:  Dan Gatlin sources the fruit from the Texas High Plains and it shows. My favorite Texas Wine.

2007 Becker Reserve Cabernet Canada Vineyard:  A single vineyard cab also using fruit from the High Plains.  Great dark cherry flavors.  My second favorite Texas red.

2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley:  A nice California Pinot, good flavors, balanced fruit and acid.

2006 Captain's Reserve Zinfandel Rubicon Estates:  Our go-to wine from the Rubicon Wine Club.  We drank more bottles of this wine than any other.

2006 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon:  We tasted it at the winery and then found it on the wine list at Cyprus Grill in Boerne.  It went head-to-head with Krug's most expensive wine.

2005 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon:  Couldn't afford a bottle, but the taste at the winery had the longest finish of any wine I remember.  

2006 ZD Wines Cabernet Sauvignon:  Had a glass at Vino Volo (San Antonio Airport) while waiting for a flight to Phoenix and a visit with the youngest granddaughter.  Good dark fruit and finish,  a real treat after going through security checks.

2005 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon:  It made the Wicked Witch of the West smile (see Hallowine),  Another big, tasty cab.

OK! The list is a little Cab-centric.  I plan to take better notes in 2010 and, maybe, expand the varietal musings.  However, it's hard to beat a good Cab...

Keep wine-ing in 2010!