Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Because charcoal grilling imparts such strong smoky flavors to foods, it cries out for a red wine with enough depth and dimension to stand up for itself. This translates into a full-throttle bouquet, lots of ripe fruit and a finishing dollop of vanilla from aging in new oak barrels.
The wine should also be American. Though I'm hardly a chauvinist when it comes to great wine, America n wines are better suited to the barbecue precisely because they epitomize the New World style of winemaking, where bigger and bolder are usually better.
Along with Red Flyer (my Wine of the Week), the following are my picks for a festive Fourth of July.
Liberty School 2004 Syrah "Central Coast" ($15; California; distributed by Winebow): With a perfect name for the Independence Day holiday, the Liberty School syrah delivers plush, stylish syrah fruit reminiscent of a pricey French Hermitage, a favorite wine of Thomas Jefferson while he was U.S. minister to France.
Trentadue 2003 Old Patch Red ($13; California; DOPS): Loaded with savory red fruit flavors, this traditional California field blend of zinfandel (52.5 percent), carignan (14.4 percent), sangiovese (20.3 percent) and petite sirah (12.8 percent) is a knockout.
Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles ($14; California; Constantine): This chewy Rhone-style blend of grenache, counoise, syrah and mourvedre serves up delectable blackberry and cassis fruit accented by flavors of American oak.
Eos 2002 Petite Sirah ($17; California; NDC): This imposing petite sirah from Paso Robles offers a complex bouquet of mocha and vanilla fruit, followed on the palate by fat, juicy flavors of blueberry and cassis, and a finish of round tannins.
Ravenswood 2003 "Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel" ($14; California; NDC): Juicy cherry and plum flavors give this classic interpretation of American zinfandel a soft, lush impression on the palate.
Pedroncelli 2001 Petite Sirah "Dry Creek Valley" ($14; California; DOPS): A full bouquet of violets, black pepper and plum gives way to a bright shot of smoky blackberry and black cherry fruit on the palate, and smooth tannins on the finish.
BEST BUYS UNDER $10
Smoking Loon 2004 Syrah ($10; California; NDC): Excellent concentration for the price range, jammy strawberry fruit is highlighted by oak notes.
Pepperwood Grove 2004 Syrah ($7; California; NDC): Clear, pure fruit, with nice weight on the palate. Serve lightly chilled.
Hogue Cellars 2003 Syrah "Columbia Valley" ($9 to $10; Washington; Bacchus): Relatively full-bodied with firm tannins, this will stand up quite well to charcoal-grilled steak.
Francis Coppola Presents Syrah 2004 ($10; California; NDC): This robust red offers layers of vanilla-accented blackberry fruit and a hearty finish.
Desolation Flats 2004 "Rustler's Red Wine" ($10; California; Bacchus): The Italian refosco grape adds a distinctive plummy note to this fresh blend of zinfandel and petite syrah.
Ben Giliberti, The Post's wine critic since 1987, can be reached atfood@washpost.com.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Red Flyer 2003 "California Red Table Wine" ($9; California; DOPS)
Food Match Born in the USA for the BBQ grill. Serve lightly chilled with steak, ribs or chicken in barbecue sauce.
In the Glass Vibrant purple color, with deep ruby highlights at the rim. A full bouquet of vanilla, spice and black cherry is followed on the palate by oodles of lush strawberry/cranberry-like fruit, finishing with a crescendo of ripe tannins.
Grapes Syrah (75 percent), durif (16 percent), mourvedre (4 percent), carignan (4 percent), grenache (1 percent). Although this is a classic French Rhone grape blend, the 12 months of aging in French and American oak barrels is a California touch.
Geography From Monterey County, on California's central coast, where the wind and fog interact with the sun to slow the grapes' ripening, leading to a growing season that is up to two months longer than in warmer regions such as Napa Valley.
On the Label Inspired by the posters for sci-fi flicks such as "War of the Worlds." Also a subtle nod to Bonny Doon Vineyard's pioneering Le Cigare Volant Rhone-style blend, which depicts an extraterrestrial cigare volant ("flying cigar") on its label.
Where to Buy It Distributed to retail shops in the Washington area by DOPS Wholesale. For more information, visit http://www.redflyerwine.com/ .
TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT
If you give Red Flyer 2003 a try, send your comments to food@washpost.com. We may excerpt them in an upcoming issue.
--BEN GILIBERTI
View all comments that have been posted about this article.