The Reference Council

A Drink A Day

2007 Chateau Sainte-Marie

It was a chilly night just before Thanksgiving and I needed a good, affordable red to go with a meal that my ladyfriend Heather was making that night.  I will almost always head to the French section of the wine store to see what they have, and that day I came across this amazing  2007 Chateau Sainte-Marie <http://chateau-sainte-marie.com/>  and the fact it was priced at $12 and a Grand Vin De Bordeaux, I knew I have found my winner.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the 2009 Bordeaux’s but do not over look the great 2007’s that are out and about and there are some great ones at great prices. It is a superb blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It has a full and intense red berry nose and hade exploding tastes of black cherries, white pepper, and some undertones of cabbage and leather.  It lingers and changes at it works it way from the front of your mouth to the back and keeps its form the whole time. You should be able to find this as they made about 180,000 bottles of this vintage. If you see it, buy it. Enjoy it, and send me a photo of you enjoying it!

-by Brian Aufdenberg

2009 Chateau Le Roc

Some times life gets in the way of getting a good wine and dinner written down and ready for this column, and this is the perfect example of this. It was a late summer and for the first time we were going to have a cook out on the back patio and enjoy our dinner there as well. When we went looking for a great wine for that night we struck pay dirt when we came across this gold medal winning wine.  I was excited to get this home and let it open up.

The 2009 Chateau Le Roc, another Grand Vin De Bordeaux from this fall I enjoyed, is a rich deep purple in color and has a fresh and playful nose of currants, a mix of red berries, and fennel. It is comprised of about 90% Merlot which keeps it balanced and full, and about 10% Cabernet Sauvignon to give it more body. Just like a majority of the 2009 hitting the market, this is one seriously delicious wine. It was firm and full with a long finish but never musty or dry. It went well with our grilled chicken and asparagus, but would also be just as stable with any beef, lamb, or even curry dish you put it up with. Buy this on sight!

- by Brian Aufdenberg

Sarmenac Of Corbieras

We are almost done with all the drinks from the journey in France. It kind of saddens me as it was such a great summer. I suppose it just means its time to get on to all the other great places and drinks in this world…

This was actually a bottle we started lunch off with one grey afternoon. It is the tasty and full on flavors of the mighty Sarmenac blend made of up of Grenache and Syrah from the Corbieres region in the south of France. It was noticeable right away with rich fruit flavor and aromatics of wood. Soft tannins with fresh fruit, cherry and black currant and a hint of vanilla to both the nose and taste. A good strong, rich way to get any lunch started and a not so typically enjoyed blend. Try this if you see it on a menu and you may find this lesser known blend is right up your alley!

-by Brian Aufdenberg

Maurice Schueller Gewürztraminer

At one point in life I only drank white wine. Then I hit my mid-twenties and found out how good a good red could really be and they were a staple for a long time to come after that.  I can say in the last five years I have rediscovered and can afford some damn fine whites and even list a few as my favorites. So I knew when this bad boy got cracked open it was be a winner.

True to form, this Gewürztraminer was aromatic and very tasty.  It was well rounded and strong and was rather fruity with just a hint to the spice in its tones.  I normally like this at the start of a meal, but it fit right in between bottle five or six that day.  To enjoy such a great wine from Alsace with a vineyard and cellar dating back to 1609 is a real treat.

-by Brian Aufdenberg

Island Rum

So there we were just getting into hour six of the 12 hour food and drink fest in Cinqueux, France when out of no where my buddy Regis sneaks over to my seat at the table and says “Oh, so you like rum eh? Look what I got in Mexico. Some Mexican home made rum.” Now I have been around long enough to know that phrase should have set off as many alarms as curiosities, but at this point I was all in, no hesitations. None. Those all left somewhere in between hour three and four with as many bottles of wine becoming ” CADAVRE!!!!!!”  After some closer inspection I find out the rum to be from the Caribbean, but from a very small batch crafter of rum. It was as hot to drink as you may be able to guess and not as tasty. For some reason I heard “Hmm….Not sure I got to get all the tastes from that shot” come out of my mouth. With out a missed breath Regis refilled the cordial glass, and handed it back to me all in one motion and without one word being spoke. I took the second one a bit slower. Enough to get the sweetness that was hidden in there and a slightly less brun when enjoyed in two sips. The moral of the story? Drink GOOD French wine before agreeing to sample multiple belts of boot leg homemade rum.