2005 Barrel Monkeys Shiraz

Tonight's Wine:

RED HEADS STUDIO BARREL MONKEYS 2005 SHIRAZ

____________________________

J: Lots of scents flying around in the glass. All berry fruits. We carried this wine last year and the year before--but not this vintage. We haven't had it in since we sold out of the previous vintage.

K: Toast and jam! Actual toast scents. But you can't go wrong with a wine that states clearly on the label, and I quote, "WHY THE BARREL MONKEY IS A SEXUAL MISFIT." Barrel Monkey being, of course, a lakey who works in a winery.

J: Ohhhh, I think we know a few of those who are both. This wine is definately earthy, woody, mossy...

K: My nose could be completely off at the moment--allergies--but I get a slight, fresh crisp scent here. Like when you break a stalk of celery in half.

J: This wine is completely opaque. There's a larger meniscus on this than most other wines.

K: It does. A big raspberry-colored ring around the surface of the wine.

FIRST SIP

J: Okay, my first sip gave me spicy fruit. But the subsequent swallow showed no spice at all. Maybe it's because I haven't had wine in a week.

K: Some online reviews of this wine talked about dryness. I don't find there to be ANY dryness whatsoever. There's a kiss of tannin at the finish, but it's almost indescernable. I think there's a ridiculous amount of black fruit--black plum, blackberry, black cherry--and a tiny bit of black licorice. But more like the RJ's organic black licorice we have, which is more molasses-like.

J: Like real black licorice, not Twizzlers.

K: It's a very simple wine, don't you think?

J: Yeah. Complex, no. Delicious, yes.

K: What's the term Matt loves to abuse? Fruit bomb?

J: Exactly.

K: It's just so good. Now that i've had more of it, the tannin is building at the finish. It still doesn't overwhelm. Actually, it makes the finish longer.

J: This would be a good wine for someone making the jump from white wines to red. Everyone is terrified of "dry" wines--the belief that if something isn't sweet, it's dry.

K: Oh yeah! This would be a great transition wine! I don't want to use the word approchable, because it's overused.

J: This shiraz is $18.50, has a 16.0 ABV-

K: Jeez. Might as well be port.

J: Anyway, it's not as huge as some huge fruit wines--zinfandel and cab drinkers would be amiable to this.

K: And it would be good with anything grilled. Or salami. The pepperoni and panetini we were eating brings a little spice to the wine.

J: But definately not that Jarlsberg! No swiss cheese with this. Kills the flavor.

K: We are the masters of finding food that DOESN'T go with our wine.

________________________________________________

That's this week's submission! Drop in and see us sometime soon. Or just come by Beerfest on Saturday, May 16th--our biggest event of the year. Live music, food, 75+ beers, and mass amounts of merriment.

FINALLY.

WELCOME BACK TO THE K&J SESSIONS! We're really terrible at keeping up with this, aren't we? Some reorganizing of the international wine room and catagorizing the loose bottles of beer on the far wall were an ongoing projects for us, and we'd run out of time to really sit down and drink and analyze a bottle of wine. Now that we have a free moment, let's discuss...

TONIGHT'S WINE, MARCH 09, 2009 : Terre Rouge California Syrah, 2004

K : It was my pick tonight.

J : I'm excited because we haven't had a Syrah in a long time. We seem to forget about Syrah sometimes.

K : I chose this one because it's a 2004, and I figured some time would probably smooth it out--it's 14.5 ABV, so I thought it would be pretty intense.

J : I opened this about 45 minutes ago...it's had some time to breathe. It has a pinkish-brown hue to it.

K : I just had some blackberries yesterday, and this wine is exactly what they smell like.

J : Agreed. And some spice. I can't really pin down the spice, but it's there.

(FIRST SIP)

J : Major woody cinnamon stick on the palate.

K : It's that kind of dryness that makes your tastebuds kind of tingle and stand up.

J : Like your tastebuds are doing the wave.

K : Yup. After the cinnamon, it goes to apple. Not really the fleshy part of the apple--more like apple skin. What's kind of apple is a little softer, not so overly crunchy. Pink Lady?

J : Gala? Does that sound right?

K : Yeah, Gala. Gala apple skin on the finish.

J : Then it goes back to cinnamon--a softer cinnamon--after the apple. It has a long finish.

K : I'm not going to have any problems finishing off this bottle.

J : Actually, Matt should try this. He would like it.

K : There isn't going to be any left!

J : Nope.

K : Sometimes I hate the things they print on the back of the bottle: " In the tradition of our other syrahs, this wine has great flavor intensity and mouthfeel. It is made with current enjoyment in mind, rather than longevity. Enjoy it at home or your favorite restaurant."

J : That means nothing.

K : It's as though you haven't had your own wine at all. It's so non-specific.

J : How about that one wine, Bitch?

K : What??

J : Crap, sorry. The Bitch Grenache from Austraila.

K : Ohhhhhh.

J : All it says on the back label is "bitch" over and over.

K : Novelty wine is kind of cheesy, but that one is pretty good. How's the dark chocolate with our Syrah?

J : Considering this dark chocolate isn't so dark (55% cacao), i'm not a fan. It dries out the wine.

K : You know, it actually makes the wine taste waxy.

J : So no chocolate with this one. What food would go with it--how about poultry?

K : If it was more gamey poultry, like pheasant.

J : Something in a red sauce. Chicken parmesan. That would be good.

K : That sounds so good right now.

________________________________________

There you have it--the K&J Seal of Approval! A good syrah under $20. Stop down to Benz and see us soon.

Welcome to the K & J Sessions!

All right, Benz fans--we have started a blog, or an exchange of sorts--by two dedicated Benz employees. On a regular basis, we will be posting conversations about about the wine we collectively try to give you an unbiased and easy to comprehend review (in a past research of a particular wine--which will remain nameless to protect its innocence--an internet review commented that it had scents of "Himalayan mating musk". what the hell is that? and better yet, would you want to drink such a thing?). We will also be sure to mark the wines with a "K & J Seal of Approval" in the store, so you can visit us at Benz and pick up a bottle for yourself.

__________________________________________________________________________
January 5th
THIS WEEK'S BOTTLE: VULCI 2004 NAPA VALLEY CABERNET/SANGIOVESE

K: Phoenix Vineyards claims this is the "one of the best wines we've ever made".

J: It's so easy to say wine is ruby red--but it's darker than that.

K: Almost blood-red, which sounds unappetizing for a wine. Like saying "this wine has a rich, o-negative hue".

J: Gross. This wine has lots of rivulets. It really coats the inside of the glass.

K: When I opened the bottle, there was a lot of sediment on the cork and inside the neck. It's been sitting open for about ten minutes--maybe it needs more air. It's 15.2% alcohol! I just read that wines over 14% abv are usually off by 1% because the labels are printed before final bottling.

J: So this could be higher than 15.2%?

K: Apparently. Some people don't like big, alcoholic wine. It's an ongoing debate between wine purists and high-profile wine reviewers.


J: It doesn't smell hot, though. I do smell blackberries.

K: And spicy cinnamon.

J: You can definately smell the oakiness. I'm excited to try this! But you go first.

K: I get good acidity on the tip of my tongue--it's dry, but not overwhelming. Black pepper, a bit of overripe plum...a long finsh that kind of turns into raisin flavors.

J: I agree on the finish. It makes my mouth water. This is an intense wine.

K: Meaty! I suddenly want a steak.

J: Good luck with that.

K: Would you recommend this wine?

J: Yes. To people who like Italian wines and huge Zinfandels A good one for less than $20.

K: I love anything with Sangiovese as a blending grape. I would also recommend a little more time for it to breathe, around 20 minutes. It may help burn off a little more alcohol. I definately like it. It would be good with really rustic, chunky pasta sauce.

J: Absolutely. Pizza, too. Or ribs.

K: And...maybe I should have paid more attention and decanted the wine, because I could almost chew my last drink.

J: Classy.

_________________________________________________________________


If this Vulci domestic blend sounds good to you, be sure to stop into Benz and pick up a bottle for yourself. We can also find you the right pasta sauce in the store to eat with this wine or for your own homemade pizza. And if you've gotten that involved, we have a myriad of cheeses to pair with your dinner or for a simple cheese plate. We will hook you up. Come back and drink with us again sometime!