The Languedoc region in Southern France is covered by Jeb Dunnock robertparker.com for the Wine Advocate. Recently I tried 2 wines that he has raved about and I agree with opinions on these wines. Both wines are great bargains and are not that high in alcohol.
2014 Jeff Carrel Coteaux du Languedoc Les darons $10 Granache
Nice bouquet, medium bodied, good fruit balanced with acid, not grapey but no wood used, complex and stays interesting as you drink it, great value, will,drink again, drank with grilled,loin lamb chops.
2014 Penya Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Grenache Blend, Grenache $8
Good stuff, pure fruit, no wood, nice bouquet, good structure, medium bodied, not high in alcohol, lots of flavor, some complexity, hard to find a wine this straightforward but interesting to drink, drank with ribs and wings, will drink again, great value, right on JD.
Other wine news
It probably makes sense to keep an eye on Languedoc wines since they so good and reasonable. BTW 2014 seems to have been a pretty good year in many parts of France. I would generally avoid 2013 French wines.
Domaine Drouhin (DDO) has come out with another brand of wine from the Willamette Valley called Drouhin Oregon Roserock. http://store.domainedrouhin.com/Roserock They make a 2014 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. Both are $35 from the winery. I have not tried them yet and I am not sure where they are distributed. The 2015 Domaine Drouhin Rose is also now available. I usually like this wine, have not tried it yet.
I love DDO wines but the shipping from Oregon can be up to $10 a bottle, which really inhibits my purchases.
Lettie Teague recently wrote an article on a restaurant in Brooklyn, Freek's Mill, http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-brooklyn-toasting-beaujolais-and-chenin-blanc-1461700837?tesla=y&cb=logged0.7471766197326268that specializes in wines of Beaujolais and the Loire Valley in France. The wine sounds good; she did not write about the food. I hope to try the place in the near future.
Garden Time
Unfortunately the Knicks and the Rangers are toast but my garden is beginning to take shape. We have planted kale, herbs, spinach, onions and will planting potatoes and eggplant this weekend. It has been a cool spring and this weekend is actually quite cold.
This is a tough time of year for fresh veggies in the Northeast. Asparagus and ???. I have been experimenting with many different grains to accompany food. Rice (red, black, arborio, sushi, basmati), quinoa (red and white), millet, buckwheat, sprouted mixed lentils and farro (a type of wheat) to name some favorites. Costco has some of these at ridiculously cheap prices and they many times have blends of grains that are quite good. The only problem is that if you find something that you like, you may never find it again at Costco.
Recent Food
A recent meal that I cooked for friends. Bake oysters and salad were the first course. All fish from the NJ waters. Swordfish, scallops, saffron rice with clams and chorizo and grilled asparagus.
Chocolate cake from a recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook. A favorite source for recipes.
Chocolate covered fruit.
Assembled dessert with citrus sorbet.
Doughnuts from Montclair Bread http://www.montclairbread.com/home, lemon meringue, bananas foster, jelly and an almond croissant.
Hawaii beckons again.
Enjoy.
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