C14 = Win!
We had a great time down at C14 this past week. The humidity aside this was a near perfect trip. There was plenty of socializing, relaxing and general partying down with some of the most awesome people I know. Some of my goals this trip were to catch up with old friends, run from air conditioned room to air conditioned room and enjoy some new wines. Mission accomplished! Although many of the people I wanted to hang with were in fact hosting the party and not readily available to sit back and share a few moments. Oh well, looks like I'll need to head back to Tampa soon then...Oh darn :-)
During the course of the weekend we consumed many glasses of wine. (oh, big surprise there) One could regularly find K and I down by the hotel bar with a glass in hand. Some were good, some were very good and one was a bit... "Hi, can you pour this down the drain for me" kinda wine. Here, I will review only the 3 that we had full bottles of.
I did some homework before I went down and found a few very promising wine spots. During our limited stay we managed to get to two of them. The first one was a highly rated place called the Wine Exchange. When one puts the word "Wine" in the name of the place you are going to expect a major wine list. This place didn't disappoint at all. As we approached the restaurant several large wine cases and racks could be seen through the windows. Was this heaven? Could be.. Inside there was a small area along side the bar that housed a few tables. Bottles lined almost every inch of wall real estate. I never wanted to leave but we did have a full night a head of us. We chose 2 wines. Our first bottle was:
Marchesi Mazzeli Badiola Tuscana - 2005
Varietal: 75% Sangiovese 25% Merlot
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Alcohol: 13.5%
Availability: Uncommon: Available at 2 online shops about $15
This was an interesting wine. The nose was of dark berries and minerals but not much else. On the pallet this was good. It was a straight forward black cherry and mineral with a touch of merlot buttery-ness. Earthy in a way. What struck me as a tad odd was the fact that the 25% merlot came out in the front of the wine and did not appear at all on the finish. Every time I've encountered a Something/Merlot blend the merlot part always seems to come out at the end where you can sense the buttery-ness. Not this one, this finish was quite abrupt. Unfortunately, this wine kinda disappeared once you swallowed leaving maybe a small bit of minerals and earth but nothing notable.
Over all this was a good wine. It went well with the bread w/ oil and balsamic appetizer and was a good match for K's salad with grilled salmon. I think anything more flavorful would overpower it. It was my first "SuperTuscan" and I have to say I like it even if I'm still a bit confused by it.
My choice of both meal and wine were a bit more daring. I wanted something kinda spicy, nothing too hot per se but something that would wake up my taste buds. I think I hit this one on the nose. I ordered the Chili Rubbed Flank Steak with poblano pepper sauce. I figured I needed a spicy wine to accompany such flavors. With this I ordered the:
Mas De La Dame, Rogue - 2003 Grenache
Varietal: 90% Grenache 10% Syrah
Country: France
Region: Les Baux-de-Provence
Alcohol: 14%
Availability: Available: I found it among several online shops. 2003 is a bit hard to find but still doable.
This was a damn spicy wine and it was just what I wanted for the day. On the nose it gave dark fruit and some spice. On the pallet this wine shines. Nice light tannins with black currents, plum and tons of spices. Enormous black pepper throughout finishing nicely with it and some earthy notes. The finish wasn't extremely long as the label boasted but was quite nice anyway. This was a perfect match for my Chili Rubbed Flank Steak. The spices complemented each other and made this a very enjoyable meal. I would recommend this and would drink it again. Perfect for red meat with a bit of heat or pepper or a bit of hard cheese.
Tomorrow, I'll review our 3rd bottle of the weekend. A lovely Spanish red we had at dinner on Sunday night.
During the course of the weekend we consumed many glasses of wine. (oh, big surprise there) One could regularly find K and I down by the hotel bar with a glass in hand. Some were good, some were very good and one was a bit... "Hi, can you pour this down the drain for me" kinda wine. Here, I will review only the 3 that we had full bottles of.
I did some homework before I went down and found a few very promising wine spots. During our limited stay we managed to get to two of them. The first one was a highly rated place called the Wine Exchange. When one puts the word "Wine" in the name of the place you are going to expect a major wine list. This place didn't disappoint at all. As we approached the restaurant several large wine cases and racks could be seen through the windows. Was this heaven? Could be.. Inside there was a small area along side the bar that housed a few tables. Bottles lined almost every inch of wall real estate. I never wanted to leave but we did have a full night a head of us. We chose 2 wines. Our first bottle was:
Marchesi Mazzeli Badiola Tuscana - 2005
Varietal: 75% Sangiovese 25% Merlot
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Alcohol: 13.5%
Availability: Uncommon: Available at 2 online shops about $15
This was an interesting wine. The nose was of dark berries and minerals but not much else. On the pallet this was good. It was a straight forward black cherry and mineral with a touch of merlot buttery-ness. Earthy in a way. What struck me as a tad odd was the fact that the 25% merlot came out in the front of the wine and did not appear at all on the finish. Every time I've encountered a Something/Merlot blend the merlot part always seems to come out at the end where you can sense the buttery-ness. Not this one, this finish was quite abrupt. Unfortunately, this wine kinda disappeared once you swallowed leaving maybe a small bit of minerals and earth but nothing notable.
Over all this was a good wine. It went well with the bread w/ oil and balsamic appetizer and was a good match for K's salad with grilled salmon. I think anything more flavorful would overpower it. It was my first "SuperTuscan" and I have to say I like it even if I'm still a bit confused by it.
My choice of both meal and wine were a bit more daring. I wanted something kinda spicy, nothing too hot per se but something that would wake up my taste buds. I think I hit this one on the nose. I ordered the Chili Rubbed Flank Steak with poblano pepper sauce. I figured I needed a spicy wine to accompany such flavors. With this I ordered the:
Mas De La Dame, Rogue - 2003 Grenache
Varietal: 90% Grenache 10% Syrah
Country: France
Region: Les Baux-de-Provence
Alcohol: 14%
Availability: Available: I found it among several online shops. 2003 is a bit hard to find but still doable.
This was a damn spicy wine and it was just what I wanted for the day. On the nose it gave dark fruit and some spice. On the pallet this wine shines. Nice light tannins with black currents, plum and tons of spices. Enormous black pepper throughout finishing nicely with it and some earthy notes. The finish wasn't extremely long as the label boasted but was quite nice anyway. This was a perfect match for my Chili Rubbed Flank Steak. The spices complemented each other and made this a very enjoyable meal. I would recommend this and would drink it again. Perfect for red meat with a bit of heat or pepper or a bit of hard cheese.
Tomorrow, I'll review our 3rd bottle of the weekend. A lovely Spanish red we had at dinner on Sunday night.