Apologies for the dearth of reviews of late, but I have basically limited my intake to the same Chilean wines I’ve been reviewing over the past year already. I figured you didn’t want to experience deja vu all over again. This has been my contribution to bolster the Chilean economy after the magnitude 8.8 Maule Earthquake in February that so devastated the central region of Chile. Figuring that I could single-handedly contribute to Chile’s recovery by drowning myself in Carmenère, and a few select Chilean Cabs, Merlots, and Malbecs, I have made a serious effort over the past few months to assist Chile. I think I’ve made a dent, so I’m ready to sample some other wines now.

When I met the woman who eventually became Mrs. Barbarian, she was a recent escapee from Alaska. The Last Frontier is an odd place. Filled with big burly men who outnumber both fish and women by a factor of at least ten. As a result of this, the fish are frightened and the women over confident. This might explain a lot. Mrs. Barbarian does like to eat salmon and brought a small one home for dinner tonight. She asked me to make some Aioli, as I am the house Sous Chef when she steps up to make fish. You see, I don’t cook fish. Being a barbarian I prefer my fish so fresh that it has yet to see any heat, much less a flame. Sushi and sashimi? Fine with me. But I would never actually cook a fish. I would sooner have my salmon reposed upon a bed of vinegared rice. Mrs. Barbarian gets her face all contorted at the mere mention of sushi, so I have to find my raw seafood outside the confines of our marriage.

I had garlic roasting in the oven, along with some bread, and aioli prepared and chilling in the fridge before she arrived home. Unfortunately I had no wine that really went with salmon, but I did have a treasure resting in my cellar that could at least stand up to the wave of garlic this fillet of salmon would ride onto our table…
K Vintners’ 2002 Syrah.

I have a long standing habit of buying pairs of bottles, and if I taste some promise in the first I cellar the second. Saving it for a day at some point in the future when it will come in handy and prove me a savvy swiller of the grape. This bottle was purchased back in 2004 or 2005 and laid down in my “cellar” (I’ve mentioned before that while sounding snooty, this is merely some unfinished basement at the northern end of our home, but which thankfully stays very cool all year round) after I consumed its twin. The original purchase price was $24.99.

The label identifies our wine thusly:
K Syrah
Milbrandt
Wahluke Slope
Columbia Valley
2002

K Vintners
Walla Walla, Washington

Unlike so many reds that assault you when the bottle is uncorked this Syrah had mellowed. Exchanging structure for force it now displayed a subtle earthy nose much like a French wine. In the glass it remains impenetrably dark, and the bottle itself was stained with the years of close contact with the dark and vital fruit. Surprisingly no sediment appeared in our glasses. Our mouths however were bathed in wonderful, yet subtle fruit flavors. The wine had mellowed considerably over its time in the bottle and had become quite mature and sophisticated. Still energetic enough to withstand the waves of garlic on our plates, but in no way overpowering.

I love salmon, but in a way wish we had some steak to go with this wine. Oh well. Still good as it was.

As a cellar treasure it is unlikely that you can find this wine to buy today, certainly not at the price I paid. However this does serve as a lesson for low-lifes like me – that is that cellar time is good for some wines. Try putting some down and leaving them be for a few years yourself. Even cheap reds like I usually drink can benefit from a few years of rest. It is a low risk proposition, give it a try!

A nice little birthday dinner for the Mrs. Barbarian of the household and once again we visited her favorite haunt. She loves to explore the menu, trying new things. Me? I order the same thing every time: New York Strip, medium-rare. The chef here has that steak down pat, so why tempt fate? I limit my explorations to the wine list. The owner of this little small-town bistro always has great stuff on the list and to be honest, like the chef’s steak the wine list has never let me down. On this trip I noted another wine from that Walla Walla place up in Washington, specifically Basel Cellars. We’d really enjoyed their Claret which was a cheap thrill indeed. This other selection was called “Merriment“. What better choice for a celebration? While it was well over 2X the price of the Claret we’d tried before, it still wasn’t outrageously priced as so many reds can be.

Merriment is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. It is also awesome. Mrs. Barbarian loved it. I loved it. Wonderful stuff.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Thank you Mr. Dickens for Comparison Only is what we’re here to perform.

My parents were visiting recently, ironically stopping by before departing on a wine tour of the west coast, including Napa & Sonoma, Oregon and Washington. I often say “I aspire to my father’s lifestyle” and I mean it. He is enjoying the rewards due to him from a lifetime of labor by pursuing that which provides him great pleasure. One of these pleasures is the fruit of the vine. All of the finest wines I have ever tasted have been either at my father’s table, or at a table hosted by my father. It is through him that I have come to this passion for the vintners craft.

We made a reservation at our favorite local bistro for a dinner. While we both perused the wine list I spotted a Carmenère, from of all places, Walla Walla, Washington. My father introduced me to Carmenère about a decade ago and told me its story. I know that he visited Chile a few years ago and toured the varietals’ adopted homeland, so I suggested we try it. Pulling paternal rank knowing that he’d be footing the bill when the check arrived, he demurred, saying it was a bit too expensive (at around $42. You see I come by many traits honestly!) Not wanting to let the opportunity pass, I said “I’ll buy it.” He agreed and I ordered up a bottle. The proprietor let me know that it was an excellent choice and that it was one of his last bottles.

How Carmenère came to be planted in Walla Walla, WA is a story I’d love to hear some day, until then I’ll have to let the wine speak for itself. This Beresan Carmenère is a wonderful example of the varietal, which any Chilean winery would be proud to produce. It drinks as I’d expect a good Carmenère to drink; deep, rich, complex, and flavorful. While not as massively dense as some I’ve tried, it certainly isn’t what you would call light. Between the four of us the bottle went pretty fast and my father ordered a bottle of the other Carmenère found on the wine list; a Chilean called Root:1 (at around $32 at the restaurant, likely much less at retail.) I’ve had a Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon before, but never their Carmenère until now.

It has all the same characteristics of the Beresan Carmenère, but with a slightly lighter flavor with quite a bit more fruit. Perhaps the fact that it is only 75% Carmenère, with the rest being Cabernet sauvignon and Syrah is what gives it the fruit-boost and lighter profile. Honestly they were both excellent, with the Beresan being my favorite of the two.

As Dickens said it is indeed the best and worst of times. A time when a modestly wealthy gentleman much watch his expenses due to the foolishness of the great titans of Finance who brought upon us this winter of despair. But it is also our Spring of hope, with everything before us, such that amazing fruits of far off continents are available to us for a few dollars here and there. Savor the fruits where you find them.

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

Links:
Beresan Wines.
Root:1 Wines.

Horrible photograph of a very nice wine.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately… I came down with the flu a while ago and it utterly destroyed my senses of smell and taste for weeks. I’ve been recovering and along the way I’ve enjoyed a few good wines. This is a fine example, Basel Cellars 2006 Claret. Mrs. Barbarian, her sister, and I enjoyed this at our local favorite restaurant last weekend. “Claret” is a British term for “Bordeaux blend” and this indeed is a blend of mostly Bordeaux varietals, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the a bit of the Rhone thrown in, in the form of Syrah. Basel Cellars is from that wonderful corner of Washington state that the natives call “Walla Walla”… funny name, great wines.

This bottle retails for right around $20 bucks. You really can’t go wrong at that price. Excellent value, and good enough to be a bit better than an everyday wine.

Through an unusual set of circumstances completely unrelated to anything I do here online I found myself in Walla Walla, Washington recently. This is far from my home and a place I had never been before. What an amazing place. I imagine this is what Napa was like in the 60s and 70s… an agricultural place but being transformed by the wine industry. Unlike Napa however it is literally in the middle of nowhere. This valley was the center of trade and culture in the early 1800s, being a vital stop on the Oregon Trail, but today it is near nothing in particular.

I know somebody who grew up here and asked him via an email where I should eat, and he provided for me the name of a small neighborhood bistro… the sort of place that only locals would know. The menu was appealing and the wine list, as you would imagine, excellent and stuffed with mostly local favorites.

I’ve had a few of the valley’s rock star wines over the years, but this time I figured I’d drift off that beaten path and try something completely off the wall… I asked our waitress to suggest something in that vein and this is what she brought: Dusted Valley 2006 Malbec. I’ve never seen too many Malbec’s that didn’t come from South America for one thing. For another… this wine was wonderful. Reasonably priced, full-bodied, and quite tasty. Both me and my traveling companion really enjoyed it. It is a shame that I was merely passing through (and actually had not even planned on being here, as literally an accident brought me to Walla Walla!) I plan to come back and prowl the valley’s tasting rooms at some point.

Dusted Valley