Santa Maria BBQ Night

Autumn is here. Fire up the chiminea and enjoy an evening with friends in the nicely chilled air. Santa Maria style BBQ was the theme with a wood grilled Tri-tip, salsa, baked beans, mac-n-cheese, salad, bread and few interloping extras. Core of the meal was a departure for me with a trio of CA pinots.

• NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cuvée de Réserve

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Crisp and lively. Nice citrus zest notes. Clean finish with touch of cream. Well-balanced. Excellent aperitif w/ grilled sweetbreads.

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• 2002 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Oliver's Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  Very thick weight to this wine. Slight smoke to the nose, lemon curd and grapefruit. Slight sweetness and weight on the palate. Slighty salty butter. Proturding oak sharpness in the back. Still has a balance and is endearing. Opened this on a whim, but its weight worked outstandingly well to match well with Cream of Garlic Soup a là Bayona. After food, the alcohol began to dominate despite keeping the wine cool and the bottle was not finished.

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• 2003 Sean Thackrey Pinot Noir Andromeda Devil's Gulch Ranch

  USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Marin County

  Last minute addition to the party, mostly in tribute to Thackrey's loss of his wines in a fire. Slightly spicy nose with some damp earth. Alcohol intrudes quickly, giving an almost cologne air. Light on the body with some nice fruit notes and hints of clove. Short finish with a disappointingly small palate impression. A flat wine. The decanter and the whole of the evening did not bring anything special into this wine. Not unenjoyable, but not worth the ~60$ winery price (pre-fire) and way off the 80$ OH retail. C'est dommage. Fine with Santa Maria BBQ and fixin's.

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• 2003 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Ashley's Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  In the company of two bigger Pinots, this showed very well. Nice acidic body, good earthy/hummus notes that rolled out of the glass. Light, but solid on the palate and a good lingering presence with a berry/demi-glace effect. Over time, nice complexity as the weight grew and other elements made appearances. Held well all evening. Perhaps not in best company with Santa Maria BBQ and sides, but really shined with the cheese course.

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• 2003 Orogeny Pinot Noir Green Valley of Russian River Valley

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Green Valley of Russian River Valley

  Cinderella at the ball. Lurking beneath this relative bargain wine was some beautiful fruit and a very solid body. Nicely balanced with a fresh berry tart effect. Shorter on the finish, but clean and appealling. A really good wine and great with food, especially the Santa Maria BBQ and sides. NB : We had this wine @ the Columbus Food and Wine Affair and it was one of the only memorable wines. Good to see it showed equally well at home.

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• NV Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 10 Year Old Tawny

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Pulled this out for a port chaser at the end of the night. More agressive and upfront than I expect a tawny - in a good way. Nice grapey insides with nutty background. Very soft and not fully realized though. Enjoyable and a fair match for Northern Spy Apple Tarte Tatin w/ Jeni's Maker's Mark Pecan ice cream. Certainly will revisit the bottle over the upcoming weeks.

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I certainly won't say that I loathed any of the Pinots - and none were in the Pinot as Syrah mode - but I won't be departing Burgundy anytime soon. That said, wines like the Orogeny are a perfect match for this style of food and very enjoyable for all levels of wine drinkers.