The Desert WIne Guy - Maryland Crab Cakes With Old Bay Tartar Sauce

Maryland Crab Cakes With Old Bay Tartar Sauce

 

Pair with a white Languedoc-Roussillon blend, such as Hecht & Bannier Languedoc White 2013

Total time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Approximate food cost: $35

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, drained and shell remnants removed
• 2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning, such as Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons regular or light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice and lemon wedges for serving
• Cooking oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Tartar sauce (optional)
• Arugula (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, melted butter, lemon juice and crab boil seasoning. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine crabmeat, parsley, panko and a pinch of freshly ground pepper. Fold, rather than mix, the ingredients to keep large lumps of crabmeat intact.
3. Carefully fold wet ingredients into crabmeat mixture. Once combined, shape into four large patties.
4. Heat a large frying pan to medium heat, then add oil. Place patties into pan and cook 6 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
5. If desired, combine 1/3 cup tartar sauce with 1 teaspoon Old Bay in a small bowl. Serve alongside arugula and lemon wedges. Serves 4.


*** DISCLAIMER*** - This recipe was originally taken from Wine Spectator Magazine http://www.winespectator.com/wineratings and is not my own. 


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The Desert WIne Guy - 2012 Courtney Benham Merlot

   Today it is my pleasure to review the 2012 Courtney Benham (https://www.martinraywinery.com/) Merlot. A very simple, definitely not "in your face" but never the less awesome Merlot that I know you will enjoy. Lets look a little further into this wine now.
   Courtney Benham is part of Martin Rey Winery and appears to be one of their lesser priced labels judging by descriptions on their website such "leaving room for both attention and experimentation" or  "these adventuresome blends" but you would not know that nor care for that matter when you tasted their 2012 Merlot. When I first went to learn something about the winery I couldn't find anything about it. I know it exists I have the bottle in my hand I thought to myself. There was a very simple Website for it which, by the way I understand from Mrs. Zolli is going to upgraded in the near future. I finally was able to find an e-mail for the already  mentioned  Tiffany Zolli who is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Martin Ray Winery and inquired what she could tell me about the wine. A couple of days later I got a warm e-mail reply back from her telling me everything I wanted to know about the wine.  From what I am understanding the two head winemakers, Bill Batchelor and Lindsey Haughton created the label of Courtney Benham as a sort of "let's see what we can do" project. I could be wrong but that is the way it appears to me. The 2012 Merlot is made up of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. and is aged in American Oak for 12 months. The grapes for the 2012 Merlot came from various Vineyards all of which are located in the Napa Valley. So who is Courtney Benham? Mr. Benham is actually the owner of Martin Ray Winery and it is very nice to meet Mr. Benham in the form of his product as you will soon see.

Martin Ray Winery

   On the pour and in the glass the wine is a medium Burgundy in color, simple in appearance. It is very appealing to the eye and seems to sparkle in my Crystal glass which I have reserved for wine tasting only. The wine hits your pallet very smoothly and with dark notes such as modest but definitely not overdone American Oak and deep dark Cherry. There are ever so slight Tannins and a deep plum that all combine to work very nicely. The wine opens up after about an hour to add a little sugar but again, like everything else in this wine there is nothing overdone or one flavor that steps or overpowers another. There is also no taste of Pepper or anything that takes away from the fact that this appears to be a very simple but very thoroughly enjoyable and a delightful, very nice wine. That is it, sounds simple doesn't it? That's because it is.

Garlic-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb

   I can see a nice Lamb with red potatoes and Carrots or you choice of vegetables being served with this wine. Since the wine does not have any pepper the addition of some Black Pepper on that Lamb would set this wine off perfectly. I have included a nice Lamb Dinner recipe that I had with this wine and let me tell you it was to die for.
   Here is the simple finish to this article. When a reviewer or writer says something appears "simple" you might think that means that the product being reviewed is not worthy of attention and while that might be the case in most instances that is not in this one. My recommendation is for you to go out right now and spend the $18 a bottle and buy two bottles of the 2012 Courtney Benham Merlot. Drink one bottle tonight and put the other away for a nice rainy evening when the kids are at a relatives house and you and the wife  are home alone. You will not regret it.

1. 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
2. 1/4 cup rosemary leaves
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 2 racks of lamb, frenched (2 pounds each)
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a mini food processor, combine the garlic, rosemary and olive oil and process until the garlic is finely chopped. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper and rub the garlic-rosemary oil all over them. Set the racks fat side up on a large rimmed baking sheet and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°. Roast the lamb in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the racks and roast for 10 minutes longer for medium-rare meat. Transfer the racks to a carving board, stand them upright and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Carve the racks in between the rib bones and transfer to plates. Serve right away.

Serve With Mushroom risotto. 

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The Desert Wine Guy - 2012 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabarnet Sauvignon

                         What are your thoughts on the state of Washington when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon? Would you believe that the state of Washington produces not only makes great Riesling such as Chateau Ste Michelle (https://www.ste-michelle.com/) but some great Cabernet Sauvignon as well, such as the Columbia Crest (https://www.columbiacrest.com/) Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Estates . While Napa and California in general are still one of the most renowned regions for wine  that there is in the world, a new state is coming up quickly on the horizon. Washington state is now coming on strong in the world of Cabernet Sauvignon. As a side note, California actually produces 89% of American wine by volume whereas Washington state produces currently 4%.

                                               
The Washington State winery in particular, as well as the one we will be talking about in this review is Columbia Crest. While it turns out that Columbia Crest has been making award winning Cabernet for a few years now, to me it was never really an area that I took too seriously for that particular varietal. I now see that I will have to start looking a little deeper in the future. The Columbia Crest label by the way happens to be owned by Chateau Ste Michelle the maker of the above referenced Riesling and are both part of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates collective. It seems that Columbia Crest has been making big news lately with their other 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, the H3 Horse Heaven Hills. With a rating of 92 points by Wine Spectator magazine http://www.winespectator.com/newsandfeatures) and with the common availability at your local supermarket as well. Oh did I also mention that the Columbia Crest H3 retails for $11? I didn't think I did. As I have already told you this wine seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongue and is supposed to be wonderful. I myself have not tasted it yet although I do have two bottles on hand. As you can imagine I am looking forward to doing just that shortly after this which will of course follow shortly. There is however another 2012 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon that is going seemingly unnoticed and almost sort of under the radar simply because it is currently being overshadowed at the moment by the H3 and that wine is the the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Estates which also retails for $11. I am actually reviewing this wine prior to the H3 because I wanted to review a wine from the same producer as the H3 that wasn't making any noise. Do you think it's possible that I can expose a "hidden gem" to you guys? Well folks, the Grand Estates is not the wine you are hearing so much about and so here we are to hopefully start a fuss and discussion about it.  Today I will share with you just how great this wine truly is and expose to you that "hidden gem".
   From the beginning of my review the wine gave me a hint of what it had in store for me. To begin with, the Bouquet of the Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Estates is that of a full bodied, fruit forward and yet at the same time complex wine. The wine is complex in as far as the fact that there were so many different notes that hit the nose at once. I remember when I very first did a pour of the wine and I was walking back to my chair. I was still able to smell it's bouquet and this was at a distance of about waist high. The Bouquet simply would not stop. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to get back to my chair and actually bring the glass to my nose to really appreciate it. When I did make it to the chair I brought the glass to my nose with the anticipation of a full bouquet of fruit and Oak.
                               I was NOT to be disappointed. There was this amazing sense of Plum that immediately jumps out at you. A ripe, rich plum that reminds you of walking past a fruit market on the side of a road while traveling to Northern California in route to Napa or even an organic supermarket where all the fruit available was picked because it is ripe and not just to simply get it to market. As I have already said, there was some Oak that was also present in the bouquet, a warm toasted Oak. You can almost imagine being there as they cut the wood to make the barrel with your nose smelling the fresh oak being cut, or imagine sitting out by the Barbeque with your friends and smelling a nice steak sizzling on the barbeque with wood chips. Well anyway, Joined into the many different aromas of the bouquet was  nice bouquet of Current to add to the amazing sense of depth of the wine. There were also the minor notes of Cherry and Cocoa which are present and while certainly not dominating they very much did have their impact on the bouquet. I love it when you can smell something in a wine that puts a picture in your mind of that particular fruit or almost develops a taste in your mouth that conjures up the sense of that particular fruit. I believe that this sense actually adds a mental effect that highlights the bouquet as well as the taste. This is a very complex bouquet and you can just sense what you, the drinker have in store for you when this wonderful wine finally gets to your palette.  Once again this wine needs to be given the chance to breath before enjoying it, I recommend around two (2) hours. Once this wine had about two (2) hours to open up it became a full bodied, but not what I would consider "heavy" Cabernet Sauvignon, it was more on the deeper side that lighter side but still certainly not overdone. Prior to letting it breath it was a very jammy tasting wine and not approachable at all. Once given the opportunity to open the wine exposed some light, clean and well refined Tannins and that wonderful Plum which was now in moderate and tasty amounts. The wine jumped from a wine that I would have rated at an 86 point wine to one that I would put at a cellar worthy 91 points. The Green Pepper present in the mouth along with the Currant combined for an immediate one two flavor note knockout. There were mineral notes and a deep Black cherry as well. The wine was consistent and the notes never dropped off throughout the bottle. There was no aftertaste, good or bad and the wine was consistently very good throughout. This wine drinks incredibly smoothly and went down just begging for you to take another sip immediately. I had actually invited a friend over to help with this particular tasting (like I needed it) and we both agreed when the bottle was finished we were ready for and needed another. From the first sip to the last it was pure Heaven.

   UPDATE!!! -  Since I wrote this article I have had the opportunity to do a serious tasting of the 2012 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon H3 and while I do want you to come back and read that review I will go as far as to tell you that it was not a great wine at all. The 2012 Columbia Crest Grand Estates BLOWS the H3 away. I don't want to ruin my review on the H3 for you but I can tell you that I don't know what Wine Spectator Magazine was thinking when they reviewed the wine. The wine was full of Blackberry and over the top at that. Check back in a week or so for my full review.
END OF UPDATE!!!    

The Desert Wine Guy - A Review Of Target Stores "Wine Cube"

  Box Wine, Wine Cube, Jug Wine, Cask Wine. There are probably more names placed on wine in a paper or plastic container than you can shake a stick at. To begin this article we will start with a short history of the Cask Wine (as box wine was originally named) industry.  The inventor of wine in a paper container is an Australian named Thomas Angove. The idea was issued a patent on April 20, 1965. The wine was sealed in a polyethylene bladder and than placed in corrugated boxes. The idea was then taken by Charles Malpas who patented a plastic, air tight tap welded to a metallised bladder. Than in 2003 Central Coast AVA based Black Box Wines started to place what they considered to be premium wines in a box which was supposed to change the stereotype that box wines were the same junk wine as "Jug Wines". This also worked out well with the environmental crowd who saw less glass and more recyclable paper as a benefit to the environment. Now that we have shared a little bit about the origin of the box wine industry let's move on to what I think about the actual wine placed in these boxes, in particular the "Wine Cube"
  Today I am going to review one of those wines in a paper box known as "Wine Cube". The wine I am going to review was bought for me at Target stores and is what they have branded "Wine Cube" with the varietal of Cabernet Sauvignon. Here is how I came to try the "Wine Cube". My Wife and Daughter came home from shopping at Target one day and had "a surprise" for me. The "surprise" was the Target stores "Wine Cube". Well after putting on a fake smile and telling them how I appreciated their thoughtfulness I considered exactly what if anything I had done wrong to make them mad. They said they thought it would be fun for me to review the wine inside and let my readers know what I thought about it. I wasn't exactly pleased considering the wine was in a paper carton like Coconut water (see the photo) but agreed to give it a try and do a review. Well folks, here is that review.

Desert Wine Girl Jr. with Coconut Water and Cube Wine

  Looking at the "Wine Cube" which sells for $2.49 I noticed that there is no Vintage (the year the grapes were harvested) listed. There is no winery listed prominently on the cube or even the name of the Vineyard. If you want to see the winery the wine came from which in this case is Trinchero (http://www.trincheronapavalley.com/) you have to go to the back of the "Wine Cube" and look at the bottom of the container. Basically you are told what varietal the wine is and the state the wine is from, that is it.
  Let's proceed to the pouring and tasting part of this wine. I was immediately impressed at the color of the wine, there was actually some real depth to the wine. A nice deep Burgundy color wine was now sitting in my glass. There was no light or pale Red color that I half expected to see. As far as I could tell the wine appeared as if it had come from a bottle. On the nose the wine was Oakey and mixed with a deep Blackberry.  There was a sense of ever so slight bitterness on the finish but nothing to scare me away. There was a nice Black Cherry. Here was a big surprise, there were even surprisingly some Tannin's present that added a sense of seriousness to the wine. The wine also had a nice mouth feel to it that at times was a nicer mouth feel than some wines I have tasted that cost a lot more money and came in a glass bottle. The wine was balanced and smooth. There were hints of Oak that I tasted as well as smelled.   I opened the carton of wine and here is what I discovered. The "Wine Cube" opens by twisting a small, round , plastic cap. No there is no pull foil or puncture hole for a straw. When twisting the cap a seal is broken on the cap and will allow you to know whether the wine was opened or not prior to buying it. The second safety seal is just inside the mouth of the cube and is a a foil type material. The first thing I noticed when I opened the wine is that the foil which is supposed to keep the wine from becoming spoiled was ripped and torn away. I had initially thought that this was a bad thing and was debating as to whether I should throw the wine out or not. I thought better of that idea when I realize I remembered the the safety on the cap had been intact. I figured even if the wine was spoiled it probably wouldn't change the taste of the wine in this cube. It took a while but after reviewing the entire package I noticed that the plastic cap had little legs that actually rip the foil as it turns, a nice idea I thought. I poured a small amount into my good wine glass and this is what I discovered.

"Cube Wine" cover with legs

   Now for the bottom line here. I really enjoyed the wine. If you poured the wine into a glass for company without letting them see the container it came from I am sure the wine would be loved. It of course would be up to you to decide whether to keep it a secret exactly where it came from. I would like to write here that the wine was terrible and that I did not enjoy it but that would not be true. I thought the wine was pretty good. The big question I think here is WILL I buy the Cube? I can honestly tell you and this may or may not come as a shock that I will NOT buy the wine in a cube or a box or anything other than a glass bottle. The only exception I see is if I am somewhere that glass is not allowed. While I do write this article based on the average persons wine world which is why I even tasted this wine in the first place, I still want SOME type of tradition or etiquette for my wine. As I have stated before in other articles, I still prefer Corks to Screw Caps and I will go on record stating now that I prefer glass to paper. My overall feeling about this wine is that it was probably wine that was either left over or made in excess that wasn't bottled by Trinchero in the typical manner for whatever reason. Target probably approached the winery with the idea to bottle some of their left over wine into the "Wine Cube". Trinchero in turn probably looked at this as a great way to earn money for a wine that was going to go to waste. Let's be clear here. None of this means that the wine is bad wine, it could be great wine that might sell for a lot of money if put into a glass bottle and had a fancy label slapped on it. I do think that this was a smart decision on the part of Trinchero. The weird thing here and I believe the problem that I see is that they actually put their name on the package. To me I think that is a bad idea since the idea of wine in a box (or bottle) usually carries a bad connotation and the belief  that the wine is simply junk and not drinkable. I would think that would bring down customers opinion about the Winery and cause "real" wine drinkers to stay away from the Winery which would (or could) start to become associated with cheap wine. Most wine brokers (Costco) who by the way sold $3.7 billion (yes a B) in alcohol last year will buy good wine from Vineyards and charge half of what the winery would normally charge but keep the Winery or Vineyard secret so that that bad connotation is not made. This works out for the consumer pretty well as the Winery. By the way I have heard that their own wine label which is Kirkland is awesome and made from top notch winery's look for a review on their own branded wine in the future. In finishing up here I thought the wine was worth the money and was good for areas where glass might not be allowed but at the same time you want some decent wine.
  On The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale I give this wine 87 points. 

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The Desert Wine Guy - Will Las Vegas Soon Be The New Napa Valley

Dennis Eckmeyer, left, and Daniel Hopper work at pruning grape vines at the University of Nevada vineyard. There is a group pushing to make it legal to make wine and sell it in Washoe and Clark Counties.  (Photo: Marilyn Newton/RGJ )

  Welcome back to The Desert Wine Guys wine blog everyone. Today I am going to write an article on the future of Winery's & Vineyards in the Las Vegas area. I feel it is necessary to first dispel some myths when it comes to growing grapes. Before I move into the body of this article I want to remind everyone of one thing and that thing is that the grape is only a means for the vine to reproduce, that is all. It just so happens we as man as found other uses for the grape but when it comes down to it it is only a means for reproduction of the species. Now let's go ahead and learn about growing wine grapes in Las Vegas.
  There are three myths that I would like to dispel when it comes to growing wine grapes in Las Vegas. While I never set out to dispel these three myths it did come as a shock to me when I discovered that they were just that, myths and had no basis in reality. As a matter of fact as I went on with my garden of Tomatoes, Peppers and Watermelon (that's right) in general before growing wine grapes I quickly became amazed that Las Vegas doesn't have a large agriculture industry. With this being said let's go ahead and move to the main part of the article. 
  The first myth I would like to discuss is the one that says that grapes require a lot of water to grow correctly.
  We have all eaten grapes and tasted all the juice and sugar in them. Would it surprise you to know that grapevines do not require or even like a lot of water? I know that prior to learning and developing two small Vineyards I also believed the water myth so don't feel bad. The first thing to know about the water myth concerning grapes is that rain is NOT good for the grapes themselves. Rain can actually ruin grapes by seeping into the grape and diluting the sugar as well as the acid level. Rain during flowering time can actually knock the flowers off thereby meaning no buds and therefore no grapes. If you notice any time you visit Vineyards there are no sprinklers? If you continue to pay attention you will see a drip system with individual drip spouts that are offset from the base of each individual vine by about six (6) inches. Even though there is a drip system, too much water from any means is not a good thing when it comes to grapes. If a vine gets too much water there will be an overgrowth of vegetation (leaves) which will mean small clusters due to the plants energy being used not only for the grapes but the vegetation as well. One other issue with too much water is the fact that the water hitting the soil will eventually spread out across the top of the soil and the roots will follow and therefore stay just underneath the soil level. If the temperature in Las Vegas is 110 degrees than it stands to reason that the top of the soil is pretty hot, that is not where we want the roots to be. The vines will do better if the water goes deep and the roots follow it there. Having just touched on the second myth of grape growing let's go right on ahead and discuss that second myth.  
  The second myth I would like to discuss in relation to Las Vegas is heat. Isn't it way to hot in Las Vegas for any type of fruit or Vegetable to grow?
  I have heard it said to me many times "what about the heat, isn't it too hot in the Desert"? What does heat do to wine grapes? The answer to this depends upon the varietal of grape grown. There are grapes that actually prefer cold or cool weather climates such as the Pinot Noir or Riesling varietals and grapes that prefer the hot or warm weather climates such as the Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc varietals. Remember that in hot weather climates the only thing protecting the grapes from the heat is the leaves of the vine.  This is one reason why roper pruning is very important.  There are various other reasons for pruning such as prevention of disease but for this article we will simply stick to the fact that proper pruning works to protect the grapes themselves. If you prune the leaves too much than the grapes are exposed to the direct Sunlight and will dry up and die quickly. On the other hand if you don't prune enough the grapes don't get enough sun and that is not good either. Heat however does result in an early harvest of wine grapes There are many areas of this country that grow (successfully) wine grapes and have identical weather to Las Vegas with one area being Arizona. The grapes that prefer one type of weather over the other will sometimes grow outside their preferred areas but the wine they make will not GENERALLY be as good as if they are growing in their preferred area.  

Pinot Noir grapes

  The third and final myth I would like to discuss is the soil the grapes are grown in. I am sure we have all heard of "Rutherford Dust".
  "Rutherford Dust" is supposed to come from only the AVA of Rutherford California and refers to the combination of the terroir (soil) or as Mike Smith form the McGah Family Cellars says gives the wine a powdery "fine dusty tannin". There is even "The Rutherford Dust Society" (http://rutherforddust.org/) which is a winery association dedicated to promoting Napa’s Rutherford appellation (a subset of the larger Napa Valley AVA).  Is "Rutherford Dust" marketing hype or is it real? That's up to you to decide for yourself. I am not going to tell you that soil is not important to growing grapes because it is......to an extent. There are however different characteristics in soils that help or hinder the growing of grapes. There are generally 4 different types of soil. These types are Sandy, Clay based, Silty and Loam. The soil I have come across here in my Vineyards in Las Vegas are a combination of Sandy and Clay soils. My personal experience digging the soil to plant my vines is that there is an initial top level of  medium size Boulders followed by Sandy soil that is loose and ready for roots to grow easily. To see exactly what the makeup of my soil is  here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INrR9qsyNrM) is my YouTube video showing the different layers of soil I had to dig thru in order to plant my vines. As I have said, once thru the first two feet of soil the remainder was sandy and very workable. The thing about the soil in Las Vegas is that when it gets wet it becomes a sort of Clay and therefore holds water very well and yet is not tough enough to discourage the vines from growing. Since the Roots of our Grape Vines are supposed to be trained to grow deep into the ground rather than spread across the soil this is good for them. While I have never had my soil tested I can only tell you what I have personally experienced and what I have personally experienced is successfully growing wine grapes.

Riesling Grapes

  Let's now take a look at the current state of wine grape industry in Las Vegas. It is very early in the development stage of wine industry here in Las Vegas but headway is being made to create a one. In May of  2015 Assembly Bill 4 was passed and signed by the Governor allowing Winery's in county's that have populations of more than 100,000 people in it. Prior to this the law being passed the law said that county's with a population of more that 100,000 people such as Clark County (Las Vegas) could not have a Winery. While there were some Wineries in Nevada already in the areas of Reno which is 8 hours out of the Las Vegas area and Pahrump which is 2 hours out of the Las Vegas area there were never any in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas area has now become fertile ground for Napa Valley style Winery's. The bill had a protectionist parts to it such as the fact that 25% of the grapes for the winery's in Nevada had to come from Nevada after the first 1,000 cases of wine each year  the existing winery's in Reno and Pahrump will not have to meet those requirements for 10 years. While some see this as a negative I believe it can only help Las Vegas and the state of Nevada as a whole.      
  It appears that things are looking up for the very real possibility of a wine industry here in the Golden State. At this time however there is nothing more to report on that future wine industry here in Las Vegas at this time. As far as I know there are no Napa winery's or any other state Winery's that have shown any interest in expanding to Nevada or Las Vegas. From what I understand the only Winery's that helped the bill pass were those in this state. 
  So in closing there you have it folks, a little overview of the up and coming state of wine grapes in the Las Vegas area. With Assembly Bill 4 the door has been opened for the wine industry in Las Vegas to excel past that of Arizona which itself does $30 million a year. I will go further based on information that I have from some wine industry insiders in Arizona.  With the water problems in California that ARE affecting the wine industry there I predict that Arizona will see an increase in their revenue and Las Vegas will start a new boom and that boom will be a reputable wine industry probably backed by the Casino industry.  Keep in mind that this will not happen over night since grape vines take a minimum of 3 years to prepare to even support grapes. I say give Las Vegas a minimum of 5-6 years and the Napa Valley will be shaking in it's boots.

                                                                                                                   The Desert Wine Guy

　
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The Desert Wine Guy - The FireRock Steakhouse - Las Vegas

                                                          







  Today I am going to take a break from my usual wine related reviews and do something I don't normaly do. Today I am going to do a review of the Fire Rock Steakhouse. While this restaurant does have a very fine wine selection and cellar that won't be the focus of this article although I will, of course review that as well.
  So let's go ahead and begin this little review. This restaurant deserves to be talked about for much more that it's wine list.

 

  If you live in or are visiting Las Vegas there are lots of places to go for Steak, Chops and Seafood so you might ask what is the big deal here? Well the big deal here is that the food at this restaurant isn't reheated or siting around for hours under a heat lamp waiting for you to order it or to be brought to the Buffett (and yes there are so called "nice restaurants in Casinos that share the same kitchen between them and the Buffett). These particular restaurants will charge you $12 for a Buffett and $25 for the very same Prime Rib served in the restaurant right next door to it. The big deal here is that the food and service was outstanding. From what my wife and I saw as well as tasted, this food is cooked fresh and as you order it. The food here is not cooked half way and then thrown under a warmer until some poor soul orders it and then finished up quickly and brought to you in five minutes. Going back to the Casino end here for a second. There is also the fact that while some of you might not mind walking thru a Casino and seeing all the sad, angry & drunk gamblers, my wife and I choose not to see that. While some of you might like to walk thru a Casino and see the "Adult Entertainment" that Vegas is known for that is not our style. We also choose not to go to the "Tourist District" where my Wife and children are subjected to half naked Women being advertised on the back of Taxi Cabs or on flashing Neon Billboards. We choose not to drive by the advertisements for topless clubs or foot massage joints (yeah O.K) with half naked Women on the advertisements, Call us Prudes if you want that's fine, but we still believe in good old fashioned parenting. One more thing about the Casinos is that while some of you might not care if you stink like Cigarettes when you leave, my family and I do. I think one Shower a night is enough. Now all those problems are solved with the introduction of the FireRock Steakhouse to Las Vegas. One other item that had my Wife and I excited to try this new Restaurant is the fact that in our area of Las Vegas there is only 1 Casino and no Steak or Seafood Restaurants near us aside from in a Casino so even if we made an exception to go to a Casino for some half decent Steak we would have to drive a nice distance. Being close to my house or not however doesn't matter if the food is not good. Was the food good or will my Family and I continue to drive around town for good Steaks & Seafood? Let's see. 
      
  As mentioned earlier the restaurant I am reviewing here is the FireRock Steakhouse. This is a big restaurant, with 7,934 square space, two bars, a private 14 seat private wine room as well as a 980 square foot outside covered Patio with 13 tables. The place also has gambling machines at the bars as well. FireRock claims that they pride themselves in only serving U.S.D.A Certified Aged Beef which is aged for a minimum of 28 days, hand cut and cooked over Almond & Oak on a wood fired grill. The owner, John Johnson also owns another FireRock location in Casper Wyoming as well as some Outback Steak Houses I am told. The restaurant is listed as casual ( I wore nice shorts and fit in nicely) and from the dress of the customers present that is accurate. That is not to say that the restaurant is not suitable for a serious business or even a romantic dinner because it most certainly is. The restaurant is also kid friendly and has a kids menu although I did not request one since it was only my Wife and I. 

  O.K, let's get down to the food now. My Wife and I got there at 5:30 and waited 20 minutes to be seated which is not too bad. Our Waitress, Amy approached us almost immediately and introduced herself and took our order. My wife ordered the Oysters on The Half Shell ($2.85 Rockefeller & $2.50 on the Half shell) which she said was cold, fresh, delicious and was served on a bed of Ice along with a side of a spicy Salsa type sauce in a small cup as well as a slice of Lemon. What my Wife found strange was that there was no traditional Cocktail Sauce to go along with it although I discovered on our second trip to the restaurant that it is available. I ordered the Crab Cake ($9.95) which was served in a "creamy reduction sauce with a Parmesan crust and topped with cracked Black Pepper". The Crab Cake was superb and was a pretty decent size as well. For those interested, the Reduction Sauce did not overpower the taste of the Crab. 

 

                                       
   For our Entrees my Wife ordered the Cajun Spiced Ribeye, Cowboy Cut ($25.95), VERY rare. I ordered the Rack of Lamb ($29.95). For drinks my Wife had Water and I ordered the Carnivorous Cabernet Sauvignon. I ended up sending back the wine however because it tasted like Nyquil. I should add that I do believe that the problem here is the wine and not the restaurants fault since I do not believe that the wine was spoiled, I simply didn't care for it. Amy apologized and took it back with a smile. What I thought was really cool was the fact that the restaurant offers the option of a 6 or 9 ounce pour. I of course took the 9 ounce pour however this time I took Amy's suggestion and ordered her suggested wine ( don't ask, I forgot). The FireRock has a very cool way of presenting wine. (see link to the video of how it operates below). The wine and drink menu is actually on a Tablet (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy) which is touch screen and operated with your finger and allows you to pick and choose Reds, Whites, Blends as well as by varietals. This completed our ordering. While waiting for our food Amy continued to check in with us and keep us up to date on our order as well as to chat with us. We waited about 20 - 25 minutes for our Entre which I consider average for quality cooked to order food.

When our food arrived my Wife's steak was served first and I must say it was a pretty decent size. While the name of her Entrée started with the word Cajun, the Steak was not spicy at all but at the same time did have many different Cajun spices and was super flavorful. While watching her cut the Steak I could tell that the Steak was quality meat and I saw as well that the Steak was cooked as she ordered it. Upon her first bite her reaction on her face was all I needed to know how the food tasted. My Wife actually used the word "perfection" which she does not normally use since she is a very hard sell. She commented that the seasoning was perfect as well. Since my Wife does not like spicy food at all I would have to say that she was extremely pleased with her Dinner. My thoughts on the Steak were identical and I am not an easy sell either. I thought the Steak was loaded with powerful spices and NOT Salty nor spicy. The spices on the Steak did jump out at you in a wonderful way yet did not cover up the fact that you were eating a high quality grade of Steak. The Steak was cooked consistently and evenly throughout, there was very little if any fat visible nor were there any areas which were inedible. On the side was a large Baked Potato which was not your average run of the mill Baked Potato. This was a pretty decent sized Potato. The Potato was delivered exactly as she had ordered as well.

  Now on to my Rack of Lamb. When my meal arrived it appeared to be cooked to perfection as well. The Lamb was served with a Wild Cherry Demi-Glaze. The ribs split apart with just the right amount of effort, signaling to me that the Lamb was not under cooked nor over cooked. The color of the Lamb was not Black which would possibly signify being over cooked but instead was a medium to slightly dark Brown, I couldn't wait to try it. The Rack of Lamb was also loaded with meat and again not purchased from your average run of the mill supplier, there was thought and inspection put into the purchase on the Restaurants end. When I tasted the Lamb it too was cooked to "perfection". The texture of the Lamb was perfect, not falling off the bone but not stuck to it either. a normal bite was all that was needed to take a piece off the bone and you were in Heaven. The Lamb was cooked consistently throughout and there was no fat or areas which were inedible. The Lamb was also full of meat. I enjoyed every bite. The Wild Cherry Demi-Glaze only contributed to the flavor of the incredible taste of the Lamb and was most definitely complimented by it.
  Now after all of this you would think that the Dinner would be over and after a few minutes to relax and start to digest this wonderful food that my Wife and I would be ready to go home If that is what you thought then you would be wrong, it was Dessert time.
  For dessert my Wife and I shared the Caramel Cheese Cake. While the piece is not that big at all it will be just enough after eating the portions served for your Dinner. The Cheese Cake was absolutely AWESOME. I cannot say enough great things about it.
  Lets talk about the service. As I already said, our server was Amy who was soooo very personable and easy going. She had a wonderful sense of humor which also seemed very natural. While I am not the most sensitive with my jokes I could tell she seemed ready and willing to meet me there and in a real way while not being offensive or offended. She performed her job admirably and was constantly there when drinks were needed while at the same time not being overbearing. It was a pleasure to have her wait on us.
  In closing I will say that our bill ended up being $100 which I admit is not what an average casual dinner tab would normally be. Keep in mind that we both ordered two of the most expensive dishes on the Menu. Looking back on it I cannot say that I will make the FireRock Steakhouse a nightly routine but for a special occasion, business dinner or treat for you and that special person I can't think of a better place to go. 
  As a quick follow up, my Wife and I went back a couple of days later. Amy was off and we had a young lady named Kim. Kim was right on par with Amy and was just as fantastic. Both ladies are an asset to the company. As for the food, I ordered the Rack of Lamb again which was just as fantastic. My wife ordered the Fried Shrimp ($19.50) which consisted of 5 large Shrimp with Dinner Fries. My wife this time used the word "excellent" to describe her Dinner. 


The restaurant is located at Located at 5990 Centennial Center Blvd 702-309-6015

                                                       
                                                                                                                   The Desert Wine Guy

　
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The Desert WIne Guy - 2012 Don Simon Tempranillo

                                                        
   Today I want to  discuss not only a particular wine but a specific varietal of wine as well. Today I will discuss the Don Simon Tempranillo as well as the Tempranillo grape itself. Lets start this article off with first learning a little about the varietal known as Tempranillo.
   The Tempranillo grape which is thought to have originated in Northern Spain (although some say southern France) is a varietal that has been around since at least the 13th century. The Tempranillo is thought to be a hybrid of Cabernet franc and Pinot Noir. The Tempranillo, which means "Little early One" due it's habit of ripening early in the Summer season is a medium to large, thick skinned black grape. The Tempranillo varietal has been used often as a blending grape and blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot as well as Garnacha and other grapes due to it's low acidity. The grape is also the main ingredient in the red wine known as Rioja. Tempranillo is very rarely bottled as a single varietal although I have found a few bottles at a place named Total Wine & Spirits here in Las Vegas that are single varietal. Tempranillo has in the past also been used in "Jug Wine". The varietal is slowly coming into it's own here in the United States however and for this I am happy since it has fast become my favorite varietal next to Cabernet Sauvignon. Tempranillo also loves a nice hot climate which I take note of living in the Desert of Las Vegas should I ever decide to change varietals that I am growing. Now that I have given you a little background on the Tempranillo known as the Tempranillo I am going to move into the review of the 2012 Don Simon Tempranillo.
   The other day I was at Whole Foods Supermarket here in Vegas and while wondering around ( I do that a lot) I noticed a large display of a Tempranillo for $3.99. Being as I said that I absolutely love Tempranillo I couldn't resist. I was really excited to get the wine home and open it up and taste what a $4 Tempranillo tastes like. I had my hopes set high. Would my hopes be to high I wondered? Well after I did my shopping I did just that, I headed home to open the wine and sit back and relax and see what a $4 Tempranillo actually tastes like
   On the pour of this wine I see a wine that is light to medium Cranberry in color. In the glass the wine sits a nice Cranberry in color as well.The bouquet of our Tempranillo is of Black berry and Cranberry.

Tempranillo Grape

    I originally didn't notice but here is another one of those screw cap wines that is wrapped to look like a corked wine so after unscrewing the cap with anticipation I took a sip of the wine. With disappointment I tasted it. The wine immediately came across as flat, watery. There were hints of Blackberry and the wine finished off with Cranberry and slight pepper taste.There was no body or presence to this wine. Disjointed structure with medium Tannins. The wine was very mild more along the lines of an inexpensive, mellow Merlot that a Tempranillo. The wine also finished slightly watery. I proceeded to sip on the wine and after about 2 hours I have to admit that was once a bad wine seemed to amazingly, suddenly open up to be not as bad. The wine actually was turning out to be half decent, especially for $4. Yes the wine did start off VERY rough but the wine did develop and ended up being a decent Tempranillo. I have never experienced a wine change so much, I never knew it was possible. From a wine that seemed to have little of the characteristics of a decent wine let alone a Tempranillo to a wine that had quite a bit the characteristics of a Tempranillo. from a wine that I would originally put a barely an 83 on The Desert Wine Guy point scale to a wine that I would now place at an 87 (big difference). The wine ended up being Spicy, Peppery and full of Blackberry, Tannins and some Cassis. There was eventually some medium amounts of complexity as well. The wine did also finally develop the classic traits of a Tempranillo.
   In closing I can't emphasize enough that you must give this wine at least 2.5 hours to breath. Use a good Decanter and find something else to do for a few hours but in the end I would definitely recommend coming back and you will find a wine that you CAN enjoy. If you don't give the wine that amount of time you will be saying "what is this Desert Wine Guy thinking?" Is this the best Tempranillo out there, no it is not but for $4 you really can't go wrong.

                               


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The Desert WIne Guy - 2014 Gaucho Audino Malbec - A Truly Terrible Wine

                               
   Today I have one of the distinct displeasure's of very briefly talking about a wine that barely manages to stay on The Desert Wine Guys Point Scale. Here now is that quick review of one of the worst wines I have ever had the displeasure of drinking. The wine that I am talking about and that holds the distinction is the 2014 Gaucho Andino Malbec and it truly worked hard to be where it is which is at the bottom. As I have already said I am going to keep this short and sweet because the wine is not worth any more of my time than the few minutes it took to write this short review.
   The Gaucho Malbec is a very light, see thru Red in color wine. It almost looked as if someone poured a couple of glasses of water into the bottle before it was Corked. On the nose is a barely detectable Bing Cherry that acts as if it was there at one time but decided to leave to be in a real wine. There was a crazy smokey flavor that was very out of place here in the wine and that tasted almost bitter. There was some lite (again almost undetectable) Black Cherry and small hints of Cassis. There was also Black Berry and Plum but all notes of each were hardly able to be picked out. The wine was as watery as its appearance in the glass which was awful in appearance. With so many different flavors you might be fooled into thinking that the wine was pretty good. The problem as I said was that all the different flavors were barely at a level that you could even taste them.
   To sum this up, do not waste your your time or your money no matter how inexpensive ($5) the wine is. I was only able to take a few sips before I had to spill the whole bottle out down the drain.
   On The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale I give it 50 points which means not drinkable.


                                                                                                                    The Desert Wine Guy



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The Desert Wine Guy - MSH Cellars - An Exceptional 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

        
   http://www.wineofthemonthclub.com/) and pay the $7.99 instead. This wine is so good that after I got my normal shipment of 6 different wines from my wine club which included the 2013 MSH Sauvignon Blanc and after tasting the MSH I had to order 9 more bottles of it. The wine was so good that I ended up giving one bottle away on my wine ONLY Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy) page to a friend who won a giveaway who lives in California.  Four of the others were enjoyed by me and one is promised to that same friend and loyal follower in Southern California, thanks Greg. Two bottles have also proudly made their way into my chilled wine cellar. By the way my friend couldn't say enough great things about this wine. Today after drinking the last bottle I ordered 5 more from The Wine of The Month Club. Yeah, folks, that's right $11 (7.99 for members) which is the price for those of you who do not wish to join, it's still a heck of a deal. This is one of those wines that you would buy and a couple of months later get around to drinking and when you looked around for more of it at your favorite store you won't be available to find it any longer. Well, Mr. Desert Wine Guy just how do you know this? That is a very good question, dear reader. I know this because I myself have had this happen to me with a lot of wines that were not made in large quantities such as our review wine. I have since corrected that problem by very quickly trying to drink a while I buy within a fairly short amount of time and then, if I liked it, buying at least two more bottles once I have tasted the first bottle. You can research the wine yourself by going to Google and trying to find it anywhere else besides The Wine of The Month Club. What you will find out that nearly everyone loves it and they USE to carry the wine for sale but everyone is out. I will not let this happen with this wine. I am telling you, folks, do yourself a favor and order a few bottles of this wine and put at least three away. You will thank me later. By the way, getting off the subject of the wine for a second.  I want to assure everyone that neither I nor anyone I know or have any dealings with has any financial or other relationships with The Wine of the Month Club, I just happen to be really impressed with the wine they send and their pricing. Now having said that and before we move on to the main body review, back to my promise of a rating. I most confidently put this wine at 93 points on The Desert Wine Guy Point Scale. For those of you who are interested, here is also a link (https://vimeo.com/113648621) to the review that The Wine Club of The Month has done as well on this wine.

                                         
   Let's move on now and learn a lot more about this wine. The wine we are discussing and that I have purposely not named until now in order to keep you in suspense is the 2013 MSH Cellars Sauvignon Blanc. Like a lot of other Vineyards or Winery's do, this particular Cellar (the MSH Cellars) does not really exist.  MSH Cellars is actually the secondary label for the Gamble Family Vineyards (http://www.gamblefamilyvineyards.com/) in Yountville California.  I will begin by telling you that these grapes are grown in the Yountville area sub-region of the Napa Valley. The MSH Cellars Sauvignon Blanc consists of a mix of 85% Sauvignon Blanc with a small 15% mix of the Semillon varietals. While you can most certainly tell that his wine spent quite a bit of time in Stainless Steel tanks there is also that ever so slight hint of Oak as well that manages to creep thru. The story behind the grapes in our Sauvignon Blanc is pretty interesting and one that actually works out in our favor. Originally this label started because Gamble Vineyards had some leftover Sauvignon Blanc grapes from a contract and they decided to go ahead and bottle the wine instead of dropping the fruit. It is my understanding as well that these grapes are the same Sauvignon Blanc grapes and make the same great wine that a more prominent Winery would charge three times as much for. How do I know that these grapes are good enough to charge three times as much for? Well, I have some inside information and I (of course) I tasted the wine. Actually, as I have previously said, I tasted quite a few bottles of it, not all at once of course but it seemed that I kept going into my collection and saying to myself as I reached for the bottle "MSH...yep it's that good".  O.k so I think I have educated you enough on this wine as far as background goes so now it is time to tell you what I think about this wine
   Alright wine fans, with this review I am going to do something that I don't do too often and even then only on occasions when I find a wine that truly exceeds all of my expectations and excels in its particular varietal. What am I going to do you ask? Today I am about to jump over the other reviews that I have pending because I want to get this review out to you guys while the wine is still available. Today I am going to write about a Sauvignon Blanc that I simply fell in love with. This Sauvignon Blanc that I am going to review here is simply outstanding and I do not use that word loosely. I don't normally come across so strong about a wine but in this case, I will make an exception. Today in this review I am going to go into great detail about this wine because I feel it is most definitely worthy of my time in order for you to get a mental treat/picture of what I hope you will soon experience in your very own wine glass at home. In this case, I am going to layout the final point rating BEFORE you even read the review because I want all my fans who like the Sauvignon Blanc varietal to go out and purchase this $11 wine or do as I did months ago and join The Wine of The Month club (
   To describe the pour of the wine I noticed an almost clear wine with a very slight hint of Gold as it sat in my glass. The wine was clear other than the slight Golden hue.
   On the Nose, there was a strong bouquet of Peach and Pear and also a hint of Kiwi. There was a sense of peppery spice as well that was pleasing to the nose.
   In the mouth, the wine simply impressed to no end. The first thing that I noticed was that the wine was very Grapefruit forward and dominate. Following closely on the heels of the Grapefruit was Lemon and shortly after that was an incredible Peach and lastly an ever so slight hint of that Kiwi that I mentioned.
   
   You might think that for an $11 dollar wine you would consider yourself lucky and be happy at how far the wine has already taken you concerning its bouquet and mouthfeel, I know that I would be. To the credit of the Gamble Family Vineyards wine team however, this wine was not done at all. I noticed the quick development of a very nice Green Apple that lingered for a short time in my mouth and to top it off was a sort of Black Pepper that hit the spot when blended with all the other flavors. Despite all the talk of Green Apple, Kiwi and Peach we are for the most part dealing with a dry and slightly noticeably acidic white wine here. There is some sweetness here however and it appears to be "cut" so to speak by the grapefruit and Lemon and not allowed to come close to being an overly fruity wine. I will add however that the Peach, Green Apple, and kiwi were allowed to come forward just enough to let you know that they are there and they aren't going away. It is also apparent that the  "cut" of tropical fruits had it's desired effect on the some of the acidity and the dryness of the Grapefruit and Lemon as well to help make this a complex Sauvignon Blanc. All the different notes each work together rather than separately to aid in the development of the wine but also as I have said, in the complexity of this wine in your mouth. This is a simply wonderful and well-balanced wine we have here but, we are not done so don't go anywhere. To make the case for the crispness of the wine there were earthy, and grassy notes that actually add to the superbness of this wine. To top this wine off there was a slight Alcohol taste that in this particular case went extremely well with the rest of this wine and was not the normal put off that it can be. Our review wine ends up overall on the dry side with the Grapefruit and Lemon maintaining it's dominance along with the acidity I mentioned earlier, over the more tropical fruits. This wine screamed Spring or Summertime pool party in every sip I took. I also want to point out so that the fact is not overlooked that this wine sat most of its winery life in Stainless Steel is clearly not concealed by the wine and is I believe one of this wines assets and strong reason behind why this wine was able to subdue the sweetness of the tropical fruits to the effectiveness it did.
   Well, there you have it, folks. I know that this review might be a little long in the tooth so to speak but I couldn't help it, I not only had to but felt compelled to get all this out to you. I wanted you to know how impressed I was with this wine. Many of you who follow this blog on a regular basis know that I am a big lover of a nice Oakey Red and I still am but this White has made me stand up and take notice of the Sauvignon Blanc Varietal a little more now as well as remind me to keep my eyes open for other wines from MSH Cellars in the future. This Sauvignon Blanc has no problems standing on its own against much more expensive wines of the same varietal. I think that this wine will also be able to please both the lovers of a slightly sweeter White wine and yet also please a lover of a dryer White wine. Here in closing is a wine with a strong backbone and not afraid to show off that it is one of the new tough guys on the wine block and yet that it can also be one of the new sensitive guys as well. The bottom line is this wine is a first-class, top-notch Sauvignon Blanc.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy


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The Desert Wine Guy - 2010 Picket Fence Cabernet Sauvignon

Picket Fence 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

   With Spring finally under way you may ask yourself why I am still mostly drinking Red wines. Well the short answer is actually two part. The first part is that I tend to like Red wines a lot and the second part of my answer is that I don't go for the usual Spring & Summer mean Whites and Fall & Winter mean Reds, I simply drink what sounds good at that time. There are times like the other day when I was out in the Vineyard all day and a Red wine did not sound good to me so I went with a Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe it was because I was in the Sauvignon Blanc (Mirror Image) Vineyard, I don't know. What ever the reason was I stuck with a Red this time and recently had the opportunity to do a tasting on the 2010 Picket Fence Cabernet Sauvignon and that is the wine I am also about to write this  review on.
   Picket Fence is owned by the bronco Wine Company and marketed by 585 Wine Partners (http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=48597) which ends up also being a division of Bronco Wines. Picket Fence produces between 5,000 & 10,000 cases of wine a year with the majority being Chardonnay. Picket Fence does not own any vineyards, they make their wine from sourced grapes.
   So Desert Wine Guy, exactly what do you think of the 2010 Picket Fence Sauvignon Blanc? Good question guys, here is my thoughts on this wine. Let's jump to how this wine tastes in the mouth to start this off. After sipping a small amount of this wine and holding it for a few seconds in my mouth I tasted Black Current, Blackberry, a strong sense / taste of French Oak and Cassis (the Cassis seemed to slip in out out of being detectable). The wine also had a nice leathery feel to it as well. So far so good,. The wine seems like a fairly decent wine and one that I am going to enjoy. This wine started off being a wine on the lighter to slightly medium depth side of wine. The wine also tends to be Blackberry / Cherry dominate. If the wine would have stopped here it would have ended with a sort of decent rating of  85 points at the maximum. The wine however did not stop here or continue to open up unfortunately for it. Something in the wine did change though and that something is what I want to talk about. What changed? Something very disappointing & strange happened to this wine. This wine actually went downhill FAST after being opened for an hour or so. I've never experienced anything like it before and I hope I never do again. . All the notes except for the Blackberry seemed to slip away as the wine opened up. The Cassis, gone. The French Oak, gone. How or why this happened is beyond me but happen it did. the wine became sort of harsh in it's taste. What started off as a sort of decent wine ended up a disaster of a wine. The wine couldn't maintain what it had which truly wasn't much in the first place but was at least drinkable. There were also no tannins at all and I see no hope in the wine developing in the future if cellard  into anything even semi drinkable.
   So what is the final verdict on this wine? The final verdict is that for $18 dollars I could find many wines that not only are less expensive but a heck of a lot better as well. What is the final rating I give this wine? That is another good question and here is my answer. I rate this wine at 80 points. When you take into account the price and how the wine simply fell apart shortly after opening it I think I am being generous here in that rating. Bronco Wines does put out very good wines but this one unfortunately is not one of them.


                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy



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