To wash down the harvest chili I had prepared (with cornbread, two ways), there were a few interesting wines; a delightful Elyse, 2011 Nero Misto (California); a J Gregory, 2011 Celebration Cabernet Sauvignon (Coombsville AVA); and, lastly, a Lucas Vineyards, 2012 Syrah (Finger Lakes AVA).
The Elyse wine was lovely, very soft and round, made from "a unique selection of wonderful lesser known black grapes" (so says the back label).
The J Gregory was a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a relatively new producer, but the grapes were sourced from a very good friend's vineyard, here in Coombsville. The wine was a little green, but it 's still very young and will perhaps age quite elegantly.
The Lucas Vineyards Syrah came with a former co-worker who had worked three harvests at this winery in Cayuga Lake, New York. A fairly inoffensive wine, I was however struck with how little pigmentation there was in this wine compared to a Syrah grown in Napa. This Syrah looked more like a Pinot noir. The white pepper component in this wine did work well with the chili though.
An interesting mix of wines.
5 comments:
Re, Elyse: I used to sell their wines when I worked for a distributor in the '90s. Love their products.
Re, Lucas: that's the kind of pigmentation get in a cool growing region. The color doesn't necessarily mean low tannin, nor does it necessarily mean less spiciness. It does mean not a lot of extraction time.
In my view, Syrah is one of those varieties that doesn't belong here, but nobody in the region cares what I think...
Thomas: My guess is that more people there care what you think than you think :-)
VG: White pepper in general doesn't work well with your chili?
"soft and round" is a delightful description!
Dennis:
You aren't good at guessing ;)
Fact is, to the younger set, I am a has been. That's ok; to every younger set, the older ones are has beens. It's of course incumbent on the younguns to learn something along the way to their own oblivion.
cake and chilli?
Tomasso: I think Elyse do a great job with their wines.
I hear the Lucas 'Tugboat Red' is their big seller.
NHW: NO, the white pepper vibe worked quite well.
Thud: Yes, it was very nice corncake :)
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