Domaine de Monpertuis Vin de Pays du Gard Vignoble de la Ramiere Counoise 2009 ~ Chicken Parmesan

So, I'm sure I've blogged my Chicken Parmesan before. I won't bore you with the recipe.  I mean, it's chicken parmesan.  Went through my (at this point) pretty scarce wine rack and came up with...

Domaine de Monpertuis Vin de Pays du Gard Vignoble de la Ramiere Counoise 2009

 

One of my Wine of the Month wines from Amanti Vino (wine shop on Church Street in Montclair ~ fabulous).  So, the wine, that's what you're here for, right?? 

 

As soon as we opened it, Matt commented on just how good is smelled.  This is a french wine (in case you couldn't figure that one out) from the Rhone Valley.  At $12.99 this is affordable AND delicious.  The grape ~ Counoise, I know, I never heard of it either.  It's another one of these grapes more known for blending and not used on it's own (think Cab Franc, which, BTW, I love on it's own). 

 

So, let's get down to details.  On the nose, earthy, yet deeply fruity, but dark red fruits.  It's alcohol content is 13%, so you really don't get any overwhelming "alcohol smell", which is nice.  It's body is medium to heavy, I think leaning to medium.  After a little swirl in the glass, on the nose, I get more cherry or strawberry notes.  I find the tannins very soft and it's a very easy drinking wine.  Sometimes those tannins give you that overly-steeped tea feeling in the mouth and you don't get that here at all.  A very fruit forward taste also makes it a nice wine on it's own.

 

So, the pairing with the Chix Parm.  Maybe not the best.  Definitely not the worst.  I wish I would have brought this to one of my favorite restaurants - Passione, in Montclair.  And, at this price, I can definitely be pursuaded to buy more for just that purpose!! 

 

In Vino Veritas ~

Viva Bene - Life Is Good =)

Last night was one of those awesome nights of Good Friends, Good Wine, Good Times!

We ordered various pizzas, and paired them with Viva Bene Sangiovese.  We had a Caprese salad, and I ate a fresh tomato, mozzarella, basil & garlic pizza (the #2 specialty pizza at Cavallo's in Nutley).  We had also ordered the grilled chicken, roasted peppers with fresh mozzarella pizza (#13).  Delicious dinner.

Paired with a delicious wine.  This red is somewhat acidic with almost a slight citrus note to it initially.  Over time, you get a nice whiff of cherries on the nose.  What I enjoyed in this wine is the ripe strawberry notes.  Very light tannins.  Nice, well-balanced and very enjoyable with dinner. 

While not the best, most delicious wine ever, the company certainly elevated it!  Not bad at all though, I'd definitely drink it again.  Life is Good - Viva Bene!

In Vino Veritas!

Easy, Breezy Monday Night

I'm Back.  It's been too long.  Hoping to make a better habit of my blogging.  So, let's get to it...

Dinner was a typical busy, working-mom dinner Monday night...  In order to save some $$$ in this house, we usually buy a pork tenderloin, whole, but the grocery store will cut it up for me.  So, it's a great cut, and I don't have to cut it perfecty myself.  If Shoprite does it too thick for me, I just pound it out a little and it's good to go.  So, all I did was brush with oil and rub with a Chipotle rub (from The Pampered Chef).  Sides were simply rice & corn on the cob (sprinkled a little of the rub onto the corn for fun).  Again, nothing fancy, easy-breezy. 

I paired with this the Bar Harbor Cellars Pinot Grigio.  Visit http://www.barharborcellars.com/.  We were on vacation in Bar Harbor last month, and our campground was within walking distance to the winery.  A little about the winery - I wouldn't rush out to visit.  There's no tour, really they don't grow much of their own grapes, which sometimes I think is a good thing.  While many East Coast wines can be delicious, many sadly are not.  They are starting to grow hybrid grapes, so I'm sure soon there will be some interesting wines to try.  The wines here are currently made from grapes grown in Europe as well as California.  All in all, I was not wholly impressed by this winery.  It killed about 1/2 hour of our vacation, so it didn't waste too much of our time. 

Before I get into this specific wine, I will mention that a visit to the Atlantic Brewing Company would be worth it.  There is a tour (not a big one at all, but a little talk and then a tasting of about 6 beers).  I did hear if you go in the morning, there are more beers to taste.  It's next to a restaurant called Mainely Meat, so if  you're in Bar Harbor, a combo trip with Mainely Meat and ABC is something you should do.

Back to the wine.  The Pinot Grigio is definitely not the best I ever had.  The grapes for this wine were grown in the Veneto region of Italy.  No oak, the wine was fermented in Stainless Steel.  Mostly, I taste and smell peaches, which I do enjoy in a good Pinot Grigio.  It's got some acidity.  You get the minerality in it. All of these are typical qualities you'll find in this varietal.  It might be slightly sweet for my taste, but everyone's different.  I wouldn't turn it down if it were handed to me, but I'd buy something else first. 

Hoping to keep up with more blogging on our food & wine. 

In Vino Veritas!