I have just returned back from a month in Asia, eating at restaurants and not having access to my own cellar.  Well, my first meal at home was a huge success.  Moxie threw together some Korean Short Ribs, mashed Cauliflower, Carrots and a Kale salad.  I needed a rustic, powerful wine to go with the multi-dimensional ribs which had been slow cooking all day.  I decided on the Christopher Creek from the Russian River Valley as I remembered it to be rather full bodied and high in alcohol, something I figured might help cut the fattiness of the meat.  I was spot on.  What I did not realize was that the wine has evolved since I last drank it 18 moths ago.  Smoother, more mellow and not visibly showing off it’s 14.3% alcohol any more.  The baby fat is gone off this brooding monster.  Dark purple and ready to go with black currant, black berries with a touch of cassis.  Very smooth with fine grained tannins and a good cutting acidity.  This wine keeps getting better and I reckon will further evolve, perhaps drinking well until 2018 at the least.  The pairing was awesome and my love of Petite Sirah has been cemented yet again.  I believe it used to retail for $33.  I am going with 91 points and 4 stars.  Salut….

Well, it’s Sunday night and we did things backwards this weekend.  Sunday Roast happened on Saturday and Ribeye steaks on Sunday.  I added the ‘make your own salad’ to our menu as I have some picky peeps.

SO- I picked a Petite Sirah to go with the steaks. When choosing wine for a fatty cut, I look for tannic wines or really fruity ones with plenty of acidity. Petite Sirah, of which I am a closet fan, gives both. This particular bottle showed off some of the prettiest purple hues in the glass, a beautiful sight. On the nose, tremendous waves of blueberry fruit and a somewhat exciting alcohol component. I was ready to pair the wine with our dinner. Crescendoes of blueberry and blackberry came rushing over my palate with an extremely fine grained set of tannins. I was looking forward to some slightly more edgy tannins to cut the fat, but instead I was treated to a healthy dose of acidity. The combination was magical. Instead of the mouth-puckering tannins sorting the beef out, I was treated to a more austere approach with the acidity making up for the backbone. Secondary flavors of stone and bell peppers added to the treat. Petite Sirah is an amazing varietal, not everyones cuppah. It is bracing, tannic, acidic and needs to made well. It offers black and blue fruit, big tannins and an a bright acidity. It does not resemble Syrah at the least. Give it a try, you may love it….. For $30, this is a great effort for a nice steak dinner and worthy of 91 points and 4 star in my book. Salut….