2004 Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone Riserva

**2004 Rivera Castel del Monte Il Falcone Riserva (Italy, Puglia, Castel del Monte)** The nose had black currant and eucalyptus, dirt and cherry, and some spicy vanilla at the end. The palate was soft with a lot of berry and dirt. It also had some menthol, and finished with a good hit of spice. (90 pts.)

2006 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah

**2006 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah (USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley)** The nose had pickle juice, coffee, cherry, and red currant. The palate was smooth, and had spice, pickle juice, cherry, currant, and an espresso finish. (93 pts.)

2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne

**2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru)** The nose had a lot of peach, plus some citrus, floral notes, stone, and a little petrol. The palate was very creamy and floral. It had stone, gasoline, peach, and a pleasant citrus finish. (91 pts.)

2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro Toscana IGT

**2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro Toscana IGT (Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT)** The nose had tar, smoke, black currant, cherry, and a little licorice at the end. The palate had herbs, tar, blackberry, black currant, and some licorice on the finish. (93 pts.)

2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard

**2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard (USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills)** The nose had blackberry, nutmeg, coffee, black currant, and some rose petals at the end. The palate was very smooth, and had blackberry, black currant, spice, floral notes, and a cedar finish. (91 pts.)

2006 Château Malmaison Baronne Nadine de Rothschild

**2006 Château Malmaison Baronne Nadine de Rothschild (France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc)** The nose had red raspberry and currants, along with a little mocha. The palate was soft, with lots of red berries, a little chocolate, and a good blackberry finish. (90 pts.)

2006 Monte Antico Toscana IGT

**2006 Monte Antico Toscana IGT (Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT)** The nose had bright cherries, plum jam, and some dried flowers at the end. The palate was very gamey, but also had cherry, spice, floral notes, and a slightly oaky finish. (89 pts.)

1999 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut

**1999 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut (USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley)** The nose had honey, orange, bread, and a bit of vanilla spice at the end. The palate was rich and creamy, and had pear, citrus, apple, honey, and vanilla. It finished with some good spice. (94 pts.)

2008 Weingut Steininger Young

**2008 Weingut Steininger Young (Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal)** The nose had tropical fruit and apricot, along with spice and some floral notes. The palate was a little creamy, with stone, tropical fruit, apricot, and spice. It had a good floral finish. (87 pts.)

Chicken with Mushrooms and Marsala

Tonight I made Chicken with Mushrooms and Marsala.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 whole free-range chicken (3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
- 2 cups mushrooms cut in half
- 2 shallots, diced
- 1 1/2 cups sweet marsala wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped


METHOD:

Wash the chicken under cold running water then pat dry. Cut into 8 pieces (2 leg-thighs, 2 wings, breast quartered). Season the chicken pieces well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Take a large roasting dish and set over medium heat. Add a 3-count of olive oil to the pan and brown chicken for about 10 minutes on both sides – ensuring to get good color all over. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate tented with foil. To the pan, add garlic, thyme, diced shallots and cut mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms are brown and onions are slightly caramelized. Add marsala wine to deglaze the pan then add chicken stock, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Take the chicken and nestle it back in the pan making sure each piece has good contact with the bottom of the pan. Dot the top of each chicken piece with butter and cook over low-medium heat for 30 minutes, basting the chicken with the pan juices periodically. When done, season with salt and pepper and finish with a shower of chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Notes:

I used Sherry instead of Marsala wine. Any sweet, fortified wine should work in this recipe.

2005 Rutherford Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon

**2005 Rutherford Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Napa Valley)** The nose had a lot of black currant and chocolate. There was also some cherry and spice. The palate was full of dark fruit and spice, and had a very pleasant mocha finish. (90 pts.)

2006 DuMOL Syrah Russian River Valley

**2006 DuMOL Syrah Russian River Valley (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)** The nose had tar and leather, herbs and black currant. The palate was soft, and had black currant, cherry, and leather. It finished with tar and spice. (92 pts.)

2006 Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

**2006 Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin)** The nose had red berries and earth. The palate was very ripe. I had raspberry, cherry, and forest floor. (90 pts.)

2007 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja

**2007 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja (Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja)** The nose had nice combination of flowers and blackberry. It ended with oak and spice. The palate was rich and thick. It had black raspberry and cassis, spice, and a floral finish. (92 pts.)

2007 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills

**2007 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills)** The nose was loaded with forest floor and flowers. It also had cherry and raspberry, and some plum at the end. The palate was extremely smooth, and had earth, spice, flowers, plum, and a great cherry finish. (93 pts.)

2006 Tuck's Ridge Pinot Noir Buckle Vineyard

**2006 Tuck's Ridge Pinot Noir Buckle Vineyard (Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula)** The nose had black plum and black cherry fruit mixed with sassafras, black tea, and spice. The palate was very soft, and had a bunch of tea flavors. There was also dark, black fruit and spice. It finished with some stone flavors. (92 pts.)

2006 Carrick Pinot Noir Unravelled

**2006 Carrick Pinot Noir Unravelled (New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago)** The nose had lots of bright red berries, some spice, and a little mushroom. The palate had forest floor flavors, cherry and raspberry, and a very spicy finish. This wine had a very Old World style to it. (91 pts.)

2006 Domaine Lalande (Dominique Cornin) Mâcon-Chaintré

**2006 Domaine Lalande (Dominique Cornin) Mâcon-Chaintré (France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Chaintré)** The nose had lots of tropical fruit and spice. There was also some chalkiness underneath. The palate was very earthy and spicy. It had good citrus fruit and acidity. It finished with some stone flavors. (88 pts.)

2006 Elkhorn Peak Chardonnay Vineyard Select

**2006 Elkhorn Peak Chardonnay Vineyard Select (USA, California, Napa Valley)** The typical over-oaked chardonnay nose. Apple, butter, spice, and a small amount of floral notes. The palate continued with the same theme. Buttered popcorn, apple, spice, and a pear finish. Not my style. (83 pts.)

2006 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair

**2006 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)** There was a bunch of tar, roasted meat, and smoke on the nose. There was also black currant, black cherry, pepper, and a slight hint of oak. The palate was rich and thick, and had a boat load of tar and black fruit. Underneath that was pepper, meat juice, and smoke. It was fairly tannic, but not unpleasantly so. (92 pts.)

Filet of Beef, Sauce Porto with Roasted Shallots

Tonight I made Filet of Beef, Sauce Porto with Roasted Shallots. If you have Anthony Bourdain’s “Les Halles” Cookbook: Classic Bistro Cooking, the recipe is on pages 136 – 137 (Hardcover).

INGREDIENTS:

- 12 shallots, peeled whole
- 1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 4 8-ounce beef filets
- salt and freshly cracked peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 3 ounces port
- 1 cup strong dark veal stock, (again, a tiny spoon of demi-glace would really boost this sauce)


METHOD:

PREP
Preheat the oven to 325ºF/170ºC. Place the peeled whole shallots in the small ovenproof sauté pan, throw in 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter, cover with foil, and put in the oven. Cook low and slow, gently turning the shallots every once in a while, until they are brown and soft and slightly limp, but still recognizable and intact - about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and keep warm.

COOK
Jack the oven up to 375ºF/190ºC. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the large sauté pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon/14 g of the butter, let it foam, and allow it to subside. Sear the meat on all sides, using the tongs to turn the filets. Make sure the sides are seared, too. Transfer the meat to the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast for about 7 minutes for rare, 10 minutes for medium rare.

Discard the fat from the large sauté pan and add 1 tablespoon/14 g of the butter. Heat over medium flame and, when hot, add the sliced shallot. Cook for 4 minutes, sprinkle in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the port and deglaze, scraping with the wooden spoon. Reduce the wine by half, then add the stock (and your demi-glace, I hope), bring to a boil, and reduce by half again, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning and strain through the fine strainer into a small saucepan. Bring the sauce back to a boil, remove from the heat, and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter.

SERVE
Remove the filets from the oven, rest them a few moments, and arrange on the platter. Artfully nestle 3 of the cooked whole shallots next to each filet and spoon over the sauce.

2005 Kaesler Shiraz The Bogan

**2005 Kaesler Shiraz The Bogan (Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley)** The nose had cassis, wet leaves, blackberry, toast, and cherries. The palate was juicy and rich, and had blackberry, toast, earth, and a cherry finish. (92 pts.)

2008 Two Hands Shiraz Angels Share

**2008 Two Hands Shiraz Angels Share (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale)** The nose had plum, chocolate, dirt, and licorice. The palate was very soft, and had black currant, plum, mocha, and a good coffee finish. (91 pts.)

2008 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer

**2008 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer (Australia, South Australia, McLaren Vale / Padthaway)** The nose had cherry, spice, and blackberry. The palate was thick and rich, and had blackberry, tar, cherry, spice, and a pomegranate finish. (91 pts.)

2005 The Colonial Estate Shiraz Explorateur

**2005 The Colonial Estate Shiraz Explorateur (Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley)** The nose was toasty, with tar, blackberry, and blueberry. The palate was thick and rich, and had tar, blackberry, blueberry, and a smoky finish. (90 pts.)

2005 Maxwell Four Roads

**2005 Maxwell Four Roads** (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale)** The nose had pencil lead, smoke, cherry, blueberry, and licorice. The palate was ripe and juicy, and had black cherry, licorice, smoke, blueberry, ans a good tar finish. (91 pts.)

2006 The Australian Premium Wine Collection Grenache Tir Na N'og

**2006 The Australian Premium Wine Collection Grenache Tir Na N'og (Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale)** The nose was very perfumed. It also had spice, cherry, and a little oak. The palate was juicy, and had black cherry, cedar, spice, and a pleasant floral finish. (90 pts.)

2008 Pacifico Sur Pinot Noir Reserve

**2008 Pacifico Sur Pinot Noir Reserve (Chile, Central Valley, Curico Valley)** The nose had cherry and forest floor, raspberry, vanilla, and a little spice at the end. The palate was a bit tannic and green, but had sour cherry, mushroom, spice, and an oaky finish. (84 pts.)

2007 Schmitt Söhne Piesporter Michelsberg

**2007 Schmitt Söhne Piesporter Michelsberg (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer)** The nose didn't really have a lot going on. It had a little citrus and stone, but not much else. The palate was a little sweet and had stone and tropical fruit. It finished with pear and a little cream. (80 pts.)

2007 Bloom Riesling

**2007 Bloom Riesling (Germany, Rheinhessen)** There was apple, citrus, spice, and vanilla on the the nose. The palate was slightly sweet, and had apple, pear, citrus, stone, and a little spice on the finish. (84 pts.)

Southern Indian Lamb Curry

I made Southern Indian Lamb Curry for dinner tonight.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cloves
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cumin seed
- 11/2 tablespoon fennel seed
- 1 1/2 tablespoon coriander seed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 3 lbs. boned shoulder lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 fresh red chili
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 large fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 cup plain unsweetened natural yogurt
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, cut into strips


METHOD:

Begin by setting a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Grind the cloves, fennel, cumin, coriander, and turmeric in a spice grinder. Add oil to the hot pot and pour in the spices. Throw in cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, curry leaves, and chilli. Toast for 2-3 minutes until golden and aromatic - be careful, the leaves will splatter a little. While they are toasting, add onion, garlic and ginger to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Season cubed lamb with salt and pepper then add to the pot of oil and spices. Brown all over, about 5-7 minutes.Add onion puree and sweat a little to remove some of the moisture - about 8 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon as you go. Now add fresh tomatoes and cover slightly with lid. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until the lamb is tender. Remove the lid and skim fat off the surface. Fold in the yogurt and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and scallions.

NOTES:

I made a few changes to the recipe because I couldn't find everything. I couldn't find fresh bay leaves and fresh curry leaves. Instead I used dried bay leaves and a tablespoon of green curry paste. I also cut the spices down to 1 1/2 teaspoons of each instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons. It seemed like too much spice. I also couldn't find a fresh red chili so I used a dried one.

2003 Dow Porto Vintage

**2003 Dow Porto Vintage (Portugal, Douro, Porto)** The nose had figs, chocolate, oak, cherry, and dried flowers. The palate had figs, prunes, chocolate, blackberry, cherry, spice, and a molasses finish. (95 pts.)

2004 Costers del Siurana Priorat Clos de L'Obac

**2004 Costers del Siurana Priorat Clos de L'Obac (Spain, Catalunya, Priorat)** The nose had a lot of spice, cherry pie, black currant, and some minerals at the end. The palate had spice box, black currant, cherry, and a stony finish. (91 pts.)

2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos Toro Viña San Román

**2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos Toro Viña San Román (Spain, Castilla y León, Toro)** The nose had a bunch of blackberry, along with toast, spice, violets, and cherry. The palate was rich and thick, with blackberry, spice, stone, violets, and a toasted oak finish. (92 pts.)

2002 Cellers Fuentes Priorat Finca El Puig

**2002 Cellers Fuentes Priorat Finca El Puig (Spain, Catalunya, Priorat)** The nose had soy sauce, raspberry, and floral notes. The palate was very smooth, and had soy sauce, black currant, and a citrus finish. (90 pts.)

2007 Bodegas Olivares Monastrell Altos de la Hoya Finca Hoya De Santa Ana

**2007 Bodegas Olivares Monastrell Altos de la Hoya Finca Hoya De Santa Ana (Spain, Murcia, Jumilla)** The nose had raspberry and mocha, rose petals, and curry spice. The palate had blackberry, cherry, chocolate, and a rose petal finish. (91 pts.)

2007 Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos Toro Prima

**2007 Bodegas y Viñedos Maurodos Toro Prima (Spain, Castilla y León, Toro)** The nose was very intense. It had smoke, tobacco, blackberry, pencil shavings, cherry, and a little vanilla at the end. The palate was soft, and had blackberry, tobacco, smoke, graphite, and a cherry finish. (91 pts.)

2007 Bodegas Dos Victorias Verdejo Rueda José Pariente

**2007 Bodegas Dos Victorias Verdejo Rueda José Pariente (Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda)** The nose had orange and lemon, stone, and some floral notes. The palate was very crisp with lots of acidity. There was lemon-lime, stone, orange, and a floral finish. (90 pts.)

2006 Andrew Murray Viognier

**2006 Andrew Murray Viognier (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley)** There was a lot of tropical fruit and lychee on the nose. There was also stone and floral notes, and some vanilla towards the end. The palate was rich and creamy, and had tropical fruit, dried flowers, and vanilla. The finish had a lot of minerality. (86 pts.)

2007 Roar Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard

**2007 Roar Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands)** The nose had cherry pie and cinnamon, a little mushroom, and some wood at the end. The palate was smooth and rich, with nice acidity. It had cherry and spice, a little earth, and a good vanilla finish. (92 pts.)

2007 Roar Syrah Rosella's Vineyard

**2007 Roar Syrah Rosella's Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands)** The nose had a bunch of tar and dirt. It also had blueberry pie, black cherry, pepper, and vanilla. The palate thick and juicy, and had tar and pepper, dirt, cherry pie, blueberry, and a pleasant oaky finish. (92 pts.)

Chicken Cacciatore

I made Chicken Cacciatore for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

- Olive oil, as needed
- 1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces
- Kosher salt
- 2 large onions, sliced
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 lb. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the food mill or pureed
- 1 bundle thyme
- 3 bay leaves


METHOD:

Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and brown in the hot oil, working in batches, if needed. Once all the chicken is brown, remove to a plate and discard most of the excess fat.

If needed to coat the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and crushed red pepper, season with salt, and sweat over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook until they are soft. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes; taste for seasoning. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Check the level of the sauce periodically during the cooking process and replenish it with water as needed; the level of liquid should be about even with the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a pretty serving platter. Taste the sauce for seasoning, adjust if needed. Skim the surface of the sauce if excessively greasy. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Tastes like chicken!

2005 Byron Pinot Blanc

**2005 Byron Pinot Blanc (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley)** The nose was a little tight. I did get a little pear and tropical fruit, plus some floral notes toward the end. The palate was crisp and clean, with good acidity. It had loads of tropical fruit, some pear and spice, and a nice floral finish. (86 pts.)