The meats, sauces, fats and, of course, wines that make summer a culinary and caloric tsunami provided us the theme of Grand Crew Quatro. Brisket, Ribs, Bulgarian Sausage et al.. you name it we grilled it. The wines were white, pink, red, refined, sludgy, New World, Old World – showing the infinite variety of wines that can rock your BBQ fare this summer. I have always thought it to be peculiar that smoked ribs, for example, pair well with a ridiculous Cali Zin as well as a Rosé from the Rhone. One wine is light and refreshing and the other resembles fruity motor oil. Jim and I were discussing this as I held the beautiful Alsatian magnum he brought when he made the first excellent suggestion of the evening, “enough talking, more pouring!” Well said, my man… well said.
After some Bellini to kick the evening off, we jumped into Jim’s mag of 06 Domaine Weinbach – Riesling Schlossberg Cuvee St. Catherine. (Some Grand Cru for the Grand Crew, ya dig?) I put my nose in the glass expecting that signature petrol, but instead was hit with intense and beautiful vegetal aromas and earth. Waxy and oily fruit filled the palate and the minerality was beautiful along the well-integrated RS. Merci, Monsieur Jim!
juice down the drain. “Make a Rosé” her importer said and make a Rosé she did. It’s a fun, easy drinking, fruit-forward wine that’s completely dry… perfect for summertime sipping.
We kept the pink team cheering with Vikki’s very cool 07 Stift Göttweig's Rosé of Pinot Noir from Kremstal region of Austria. The label said “messwein” which apparently means the rules of the local church must be followed when making the wine. Reinheitsgebot they call it. I had Reinheitsgebot as a child but the doctor gave me corrective insoles for my shoes and it cleared up over time… back to the wine. Awesome. Imagine dried strawberries served on a piece of cool slate. Nice long finish, very clean.
Sometimes wine labels give you very few clues as to how a wine will taste. The 03 Tobin James Fat Boy Zinfandel from Paso Robles is not one of those wines. At 16+% Alcohol, the Fat Boy was as advertised. Big, juicy, thick, fruit forward, oaked and yes, FAT. Absolutely perfect with the smoked brisket. Yeah, smoked brisket. Smoked brisket that almost cost Jenn and I our garage.
I was supposed to get up at 4 AM to begin what was to be a 14 hour smoke of the 10lb brisket in my char broil water smoker. When Jenn stirred me at 8am asking, “do you need to flip the brisket or anything?” I jumped up and freaked. Flip the brisket? I needed to START the brisket. I had slept through my 4 am alarm and was now four hours behind schedule. My revised brilliant plan was to run the fire just a little bit hotter… keep that charcoal burning. I knew I wouldn’t end up with a perfect brisket, but I knew I’d at least have a brisket to serve the hungry and thirsty Grand Crewians. Fast forward to 4pm. The internal temp of the brisket is 160… which means it is technically cooked. The target temp is 180; that’s when the fat melts and the moist, juicy goodness rewards your patience. The temp was stalled at 160 so I cranked that fire up just a little bit more. Now I won’t bore you with lengthy explanations of how the water smoker works, but here is the basic concept. On the bottom of the unit is a pan which holds burning charcoal and wood chunks. Above that is a large water pan. Above the water pan are two grates for the meat. All of this is contained in a R2D2 shaped cylinder.
So here’s an essay question for you… what happens when the water pan boils down dry, the fire gets hotter and the water pan fills with fat drippings from the above brisket? Huh? FIRE! Yeah, my shit burned. I come outside and the smoke is billowing into the sky, the flames are creeping out of every hinge and opening on the smoker and a neighbor from across the alley is yelling asking if I am ok. Now just like every reasonable person, I have priorities. I see 6 foot flames in contact with my wood garage and the paint peeling off my smoker and my first thought is SAVE THE BRISKET. I grab a cookie sheet and hot pads, open the smoker and the flames shoot up into the sky like the 4th of July. I reach in, grab the brisket and toss it on a pan. Then, and only then, do I address the fact that our back yard is burning down. After closing the smoker I doused it with the hose for ten minutes and it cooled down. The temp guage shattered from the heat and as you can see from the pic, the smoker now looks “well seasoned.”
To salvage the meal I scraped off the charred outer layer of the brisket and finished cooking it in the oven at 220. It was delicious and I got a great story out of the deal.
Brad brought us some loot from a recent trip to Tejas. Cabernet, grown in Texas? Oh, you better believe it, Bobby (Dallas reference, disregard.) The 05 La Bodega Private Reserve tasted like cab, but on the green side which is shocking considering you’d think the Texas sun would get those grapes nice and ripe. A very cool offering... thanks Brad!
After some Bellini to kick the evening off, we jumped into Jim’s mag of 06 Domaine Weinbach – Riesling Schlossberg Cuvee St. Catherine. (Some Grand Cru for the Grand Crew, ya dig?) I put my nose in the glass expecting that signature petrol, but instead was hit with intense and beautiful vegetal aromas and earth. Waxy and oily fruit filled the palate and the minerality was beautiful along the well-integrated RS. Merci, Monsieur Jim!
Michael, after my own heart, provided me with a nice depletion as he brought an 07 Crios Rosé of Malbec he bought at Whole Foods on Cicero. Susana Balbo’s everyday label, named for her Children, is an excellent value line from Argentina. The Rosé was an accident of sorts. Susana was observed bleeding off her Malbec juice for her namesake label wine and running that pink
juice down the drain. “Make a Rosé” her importer said and make a Rosé she did. It’s a fun, easy drinking, fruit-forward wine that’s completely dry… perfect for summertime sipping.We kept the pink team cheering with Vikki’s very cool 07 Stift Göttweig's Rosé of Pinot Noir from Kremstal region of Austria. The label said “messwein” which apparently means the rules of the local church must be followed when making the wine. Reinheitsgebot they call it. I had Reinheitsgebot as a child but the doctor gave me corrective insoles for my shoes and it cleared up over time… back to the wine. Awesome. Imagine dried strawberries served on a piece of cool slate. Nice long finish, very clean.
Sometimes wine labels give you very few clues as to how a wine will taste. The 03 Tobin James Fat Boy Zinfandel from Paso Robles is not one of those wines. At 16+% Alcohol, the Fat Boy was as advertised. Big, juicy, thick, fruit forward, oaked and yes, FAT. Absolutely perfect with the smoked brisket. Yeah, smoked brisket. Smoked brisket that almost cost Jenn and I our garage.
I was supposed to get up at 4 AM to begin what was to be a 14 hour smoke of the 10lb brisket in my char broil water smoker. When Jenn stirred me at 8am asking, “do you need to flip the brisket or anything?” I jumped up and freaked. Flip the brisket? I needed to START the brisket. I had slept through my 4 am alarm and was now four hours behind schedule. My revised brilliant plan was to run the fire just a little bit hotter… keep that charcoal burning. I knew I wouldn’t end up with a perfect brisket, but I knew I’d at least have a brisket to serve the hungry and thirsty Grand Crewians. Fast forward to 4pm. The internal temp of the brisket is 160… which means it is technically cooked. The target temp is 180; that’s when the fat melts and the moist, juicy goodness rewards your patience. The temp was stalled at 160 so I cranked that fire up just a little bit more. Now I won’t bore you with lengthy explanations of how the water smoker works, but here is the basic concept. On the bottom of the unit is a pan which holds burning charcoal and wood chunks. Above that is a large water pan. Above the water pan are two grates for the meat. All of this is contained in a R2D2 shaped cylinder.
So here’s an essay question for you… what happens when the water pan boils down dry, the fire gets hotter and the water pan fills with fat drippings from the above brisket? Huh? FIRE! Yeah, my shit burned. I come outside and the smoke is billowing into the sky, the flames are creeping out of every hinge and opening on the smoker and a neighbor from across the alley is yelling asking if I am ok. Now just like every reasonable person, I have priorities. I see 6 foot flames in contact with my wood garage and the paint peeling off my smoker and my first thought is SAVE THE BRISKET. I grab a cookie sheet and hot pads, open the smoker and the flames shoot up into the sky like the 4th of July. I reach in, grab the brisket and toss it on a pan. Then, and only then, do I address the fact that our back yard is burning down. After closing the smoker I doused it with the hose for ten minutes and it cooled down. The temp guage shattered from the heat and as you can see from the pic, the smoker now looks “well seasoned.”
To salvage the meal I scraped off the charred outer layer of the brisket and finished cooking it in the oven at 220. It was delicious and I got a great story out of the deal.
Brad brought us some loot from a recent trip to Tejas. Cabernet, grown in Texas? Oh, you better believe it, Bobby (Dallas reference, disregard.) The 05 La Bodega Private Reserve tasted like cab, but on the green side which is shocking considering you’d think the Texas sun would get those grapes nice and ripe. A very cool offering... thanks Brad!
And let's not forget Dan and Jill's excellent contribution, an 03 Tablas Creek Mourvedre. Tablas Creek: the perfect selection for Francophiles. Tablas Creek has a relationship with Beaucastel, among the numero uno producers in CDP and Tablas brought rootstock from the Rhone, put up with years in quarantine with the DOA, and planted that rootstock in the Paso region of California. And dare I say, Tablas Creek wines are the most "authentic" central coast Rhone wines I have ever tasted. The 03 Mourvedre was no exception. Merci Jill and Dan!
Peter and Jane brought not only beautifully smoked ribs, but a fantastic Cab from the Langhorne Region of South Australia (Near Adelaide), the 02 Killibinbin (Is that an Australian word or what?). Wine Advocate (RP, I assume) 90 points. This was chewy, big, lots of fruit and seemed to have years ahead of it in aging potential. Great with the ribs!
Peter and Jane brought not only beautifully smoked ribs, but a fantastic Cab from the Langhorne Region of South Australia (Near Adelaide), the 02 Killibinbin (Is that an Australian word or what?). Wine Advocate (RP, I assume) 90 points. This was chewy, big, lots of fruit and seemed to have years ahead of it in aging potential. Great with the ribs!
Krassi and Victor, continuing to bring some next level action to the Grand Crew, went over the top with homemade Bulgarian sausages. DELISH! Vino-wise the sausage was paired with a killer, over-the-top Shiraz, the 04 Kilikanoon (again!) “Oracle.” Lots of fruit on the nose with some coffee and smoke action. On the palate this was classice Shiraz. Fruit, pepper, oak. Very rich… very intense.
So… the Grand Cue tough us all something. TOO MUCH FOOD. Jim had the great idea of assigning “positions” in the meal for the next gathering so we didn’t have 7 main courses, 13 deserts etc.. not that there’s anything wrong with that. The next stop is Casa Bloom for an Asian feast and the appropriately delicious wines.
We finished the evening with a fantastic desert wine from Palimina of Santa Barbara... check the video for more details and double entendre. Love the Palmina!
So… the Grand Cue tough us all something. TOO MUCH FOOD. Jim had the great idea of assigning “positions” in the meal for the next gathering so we didn’t have 7 main courses, 13 deserts etc.. not that there’s anything wrong with that. The next stop is Casa Bloom for an Asian feast and the appropriately delicious wines.
