The selections for April lend themselves to a little anthropomorphism, or
attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects. My original plan was to craft
a fictional piece using both wines as characters in a story of mystery and intrigue.
Alas, deadlines and other facets of my life got in the way so that will have to wait.
Nevertheless the wines are positively delicious and offer you an opportunity to taste
the offerings of two of California’s most colorful winemakers.
My first pick comes from a winery that definitely swims against the current, the
Row Eleven Wine Company and their beguiling
April, 2015
The Magician, Lot 14 ($17). To fully understand this bottling we have to
scratch the surface of Row Eleven and understand the personalities behind the
wines. The company was founded by winemaker Richard de los Reyes and money
man Ken Conner. Richard’s vision for Row Eleven is the same as most winemakers,
quality with an eye to value. What separates them from many groups is the way they
accomplish their goal by producing wines that are often blends and frequently nonvintage. Some consumers may see the wines as lower quality but they counter with the
argument that vintage dated wines are really a modern day phenomenon and that the
great wine regions of France used to always blend grapes and vintages. While it may be
different there is no questioning the superb results.
Row Eleven produces a number of wines from several parts of California. Their
bread-and-butter are the eponymously labeled Pinot Noirs, sourced from single vineyard sites in Santa
Barbara and Sonoma Counties. Then there are the Stratton-Lumis wines produced from Napa grapes. Both of
these labels sell for very reasonable prices within their category but do break the $20 a bottle threshold. The
origin of the magician is a debate among the owners and their national sales manager, Craig Boggs, where they
challenged de los Reyes to create a thought provoking wine for less than $15. He not only responded to the
challenge of making the wine but he even drew the label. (My guess is he hit the budget by saving on graphic
design.) While we may not be able to quite hit the $15 price here on the east coast, the wines still offers a lot of
bang for the buck.
One of the secrets to this unique character of this wine lies in Richard’s experience, with almost 40 vintages
under his belt. Most of his career has been spent in the Central Coast, working with the cooler climate varieties.
There are some grapes that appear in this wine that you will never find anywhere else, which are either an
elaborate ruse or experimental crossings and hybrids from vineyards used for research. Like the exotic spices of a
cuisine with which you are unfamiliar, they cause your senses to perk up and your mind to wander. Perhaps that
is part of this wines magic.
So what exactly are the grapes? Cabernet Dorsa, Maxime Rouge, Drunkenfelder, Petite Sirah, Shiraz & Petite
Verdot. Cabernet Dorsa? Drunkenfelder? Maxime Rouge? I have some good reference material for grape
varieties and I cannot find a thing about these. Nevertheless the wine is delicious and extremely versatile with a
wide range of foods.
The nose of this wine is absolutely explosive, showing notes of black raspberry jam, dried black currants,
cassia buds and cocoa nibs. In the mouth this wine is deep, thick and dark, with copious amounts of fruit running
right over the thin frame of tannins into the long finish. What do you serve this with? Try pulled pork, carnitas,
grilled London broil, meat lover's pizza … just make sure it has a lot of flavor. Drink over the next two years.
The second pick this month comes from a winemaker who is the greatest character in an industry full of them,
Randall Grahm. My earliest memory of Randall is from a Wine Spectator cover picture, from a time when it was
printed like a newspaper, with him dressed as the Lone Ranger with half bottles in the holsters as guns. The
theme of that issue was the new Rhone craze that was sweeping the young California wine industry, with Randall
as the original Rhone Ranger. In the article Randall declared the superiority of the Rhone varieties, Grenache and
Syrah, for the California climate, committing heresy in a state dominated at the time by Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot. For my entire twenty-four year career I have never known him to make a wine based on, or even
containing Cabernet Sauvignon, until now. So you see why it has to be a feature. Ladies and gentlemen, may I
present the 2013 Bonny Doon A Proper Claret ($25).
I am lucky to have met Randall several times and each is a vivid memory. The first time we met spent a good
bit of time discussing why Cabernet dominates the California industry. He described how, while at UC Davis in
the 1970’s, he was the only one in his winemaking class who drank French wines and actually enjoyed the stuff.
Most winemakers training at that time saw it as a job producing an agricultural product, but not something they
enjoyed. At our second meeting he was promoting a collection of French wines he was importing, from the
Southwest region of France based on the grape Tannat. He also went into great detail describing the use of micro-
oxygenation (he prefers the French term micro-biolage) as a way to soften tannins. Finally, just a few years ago, I
sat on a panel with him discussing the importance of biodynamic farming as it relates to the winemaker, retailer
and restauranteur. Yeah, it was a snooze-fest. Thankfully Randall diverted the conversation to his explanation of
studying the crystallization of wine. This is, and I am not making this up, a process where the winemaker can
“read” what the wine “tells” them through the pattern of dried wine residue studied under the microscope. Keep
in mind this is a man who makes a wine poking fun at the producers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape for passing a law
banning alien space craft from landing in their vineyards. I think it is because he is worried about missing his ride
home!
It turns out this is not the first wine that Grahm as made that contains Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1985 he
produced one that was equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. In his own words,
“against all expectation, (it) was actually pretty damn good.” 27 years later he has attempted a second version in
2012. Liking the results he followed it up with the newly released 2013, produced from 46% Cabernet Sauvignon,
17% Merlot, 15% Tannat, 13% Petit Verdot, 8% Syrah and 1% Petite Sirah. Being a “proper Claret,” which is
another name for Bordeaux, it weighs in just over 13% alcohol, so expect more elegance than power.
I would recommend decanting this wine for a half hour to let the bouquet blossom and the palate round out. I
found this wine a bit restrained when I first started drinking it but it gained dimension quickly. It starts with
haunting notes of dried leaves, Luxardo maraschino cherry, wet cement, fresh boysenberry, tamarind and a bit of
chocolate mint. The palate is bright and not heavy, with fine, dusty tannins and fresh acidity into the finish. It is a
well crafted and aptly named wine, displaying a finesse that is rare in California but with enough New World fruit
to fit our needs. Randall’s recommendation is to serve with mutton and Yorkshire pudding but it also works
nicely with steak au poivre or lamb stew.
Steak au Poivre
This recipe is perfect with both wines, although I think it best with the Proper Claret or a wine that is more
subtle than a straightforward Cabernet Sauvignon. While this sports a fancy French name and the ingredient list
is a little long, it is really a simple pan sauce with the rich elements of brandy and cream. The secret is to buy
steaks that are not too big. Decadent? You bet, but this is one you will make again.
Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon
champagne vinegar
Table salt
Steaks
4 strip steaks (8 to 10 ounces each), 3/4 to 1
inch thick and no larger than 3 inches at
widest points, trimmed of exterior gristle
Table salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch heavy-bottomed
skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add
shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened,
about 2 minutes. Add beef and chicken broths, increase
heat to high, and boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup,
about 8 minutes. Set reduced broth mixture aside. Rinse
and wipe out skillet.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt; rub
one side of each steak with 1 teaspoon crushed
peppercorns, and, using fingers, press peppercorns into
steaks to make them adhere.
3. Place now-empty skillet over medium heat until hot,
about 4 minutes. Lay steaks unpeppered-side down in
hot skillet, increase heat to medium-high, firmly press
down on steaks with bottom of cake pan and cook steaks
without moving them until well-browned, about 6
minutes. Using tongs, flip steaks, firmly press down on
steaks with bottom of cake pan, and cook on peppered
side, about 3 minutes longer for rare, about 4 minutes
longer for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes longer for
medium. Transfer steaks to large plate and tent loosely
with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour reduced broth, cream, and 1/4 cup brandy into now-empty skillet; increase heat to high and bring to
boil, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Simmer until deep golden brown and thick
enough to heavily coat back of metal tablespoon or soup spoon, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 3
tablespoons butter, remaining 1 tablespoon brandy, lemon juice or vinegar, and any accumulated meat juices.
Adjust seasonings with salt.
5. Set steaks on individual dinner plates, spoon portion of sauce over steaks, and serve immediately.