Garnet Sales Staff Afghan Kebab House Wine Tasting

On a blustery Saturday night in February, the Garnet sales team headed over to the Afghan Kebab House on Second Avenue and Seventy-First to take advantage of this friendly restaurant’s corkage-free BYOB policy and delicious cuisine, sampling some of our favorite wines. The food was great and so was the company. But the wines took center stage as we paired mainly old world styled wines with the hearty, spicy Afghan meal.

Ferrari Blanc de Blanc NV

This Italian Blanc de Blanc (100% chardonnay) has nice weight with 12.5% alcohol. It’s  dry and slightly earthy with flavors of ripe yellow apples. Good texture and mousse. Excellent as an aperitif, this delicate sparkler is elegant, feminine, and balanced. ($22.49)

Peter Schandl Pinot Blanc 2011 Halbtrocken

A light to medium-bodied off-dry charmer, this Austrian pinot blanc has hazelnuts on the nose, with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness on the palate. There is a hint of beefy bouillion on the nose, as well. Perfect with the spicey appetizers, it’s a beautiful soft-textured wine with rich but subtle fruit on the palate and a very long finish. ($23.99)

Crasto 2012 Superior Douro

A beautiful purple robe is followed by violets, slate, and earth on the nose. Soft and full-bodied but with good structure. Dark fruit flavors include plums and red currants which are supported by sweet tannins. This mildly spicy wine has an expansive finish and it was great with the lamb shank. ($26.99)

L’Heumeur Vagabonds Domaine Le Clos du Serres 2011

An inky purple color suggests that this will be a full-bodied wine. Red currants along with fresh meat, cumin, and floral aromas make up the complex nose. Black currants on the round, silky textured palate. The tannins are mostly resolved but the remaining soft tannins hold everything together and cut through the fat of the lamb shank. Ready to drink, rich, and satisfying. ($27.99)

Domaine de la Morderee Lirac Dame Rousse 2012

Pepper, garrigue, and thyme on the nose. Tons of thyme along with red and black currants on the palate. Beautifully balanced and complex. Full-bodied with very good acidity.  Lavender develops on the nose with more air time. Drinking very well right now. ($23.99)

Bedrock Old Vine California Zinfandel 2013

Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson is the son of Zinfandel legend Joel Peterson, the founder of Ravenswood. A pretty wine, the 2013 Bedrock Old Vine Zin has lots of oak and berries plus a saline note on the nose. Full-bodied with tons of berry fruit and oak on the palate. Fine tannins appear on the finish and dovetail nicely with the velvety, soft texture. A little out of place in this tasting that featured mainly European and more old-world styled wines, the Bedrock Zin was nonetheless elegant and complete and the favorite of one of the tasters. ($29.99)

Tokaji Royal 2008 5 Puttonyos Tokai

The designation ‘puttonyos’ refers to the traditional baskets that are used to measure the botrytis-infected grapes that are added to the blend to increase sweetness. Six puttonyos is the maximum, although that level is rare. The wine has a beautiful golden amber color. There is apricot on the nose along with an orange peel note that carries through to the palate. Less sweet than expected, the wine has excellent acidity that keeps the wine refreshing. The nose and palate develop more nuance as they open up in the glass. Lighter than a Sauternes at 11.5% alcohol.  An endless, resonant finish lasts until the next sip. ($52.99)

-Christian Botta

A Super Red Burgundy From Marsannay

I recently tried a terrific red Burgundy that is a wine that you won’t want to miss out on. The Domaine Bart 2012 Marsannay “Champs Solomon” is a single vineyard wine that according to Pierre Bart may be upgraded to premier cru in the not too distant future. As it is, the site is one of the top vineyards in Marsannay and Bart is a top producer there, which combined with the small but high quality vintage of 2012 makes for a very nice bottle indeed.

The deep ruby red wine has a nose of flowers, berries and the telltale signs of the 25% new oak that this cuvee receives. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied with excellent grip (the combination of tannins and acidity that provide structure). There are plenty of subtle berry flavors along with a nice earthy note.

I drank the wine with some medium rare hanger steaks and after the food was finished, the smokey, earthy notes and tannic structure came to the forefront, suggesting that this wine will work nicely for mid-term aging. Burghound, aka Allen Meadows, one of the top if not the top Burgundy critics, calls this wine an “outstanding top value,” although he suggests holding the wine until 2019.

However, it will certainly be all gone from stores by then! And you don’t have to wait four years to uncork this beauty. See for yourself – a taste of a top Burgundian terroir is yours for the astonishing price of… $26.99!

-Christian Botta