Preston Guadagni Jug Wine: Fill 'er Up!

I had the pleasure of visiting the fine folks at Preston Vineyards this past Sunday during my whirlwind tour of Dry Creek Valley for some wine newbies.  Preston is a winery after my own heart: it's all organic, sustainable, they are serious foodies, and they have goats!

After the usual tasting in the front room (we had the Grenache Blanc, the Rose', Barbera, L. Preston, and Petite Syrah) we were instructed to take our glasses into the barrel room. I love barrel rooms! 

What awaited us in the barrel room was an elderly man, a jug, and a barrel.  He says "jug wine?" and we all say "yes please!". And from his jug he pours a blend of mostly Zinfandel with Cinsault, Carignane, and Mourvedre. Yum. A bit of of history on the jug wine, courtesy of Lou Preston:

"My old neighbor Jim Guadagni was a second-generation Italian farmer in Dry Creek Valley. His family moved to the area around 1900 and Jim grew up here during the inter-war and Prohibition periods. Unschooled, untraveled, and functionally illiterate, Jim was nevertheless wise in the ways of people (opinionated), informed in the habits of his neighbors (nosy), and savvy in the wonders of grape growing and winemaking (if you didn't do it his way, you weren't doing it right). His unofficial reputation as "Mayor of Dry Creek" wasn't for nothing."

Hence, it is in the spirit of Jim Guadagni that Preston has made this wine. After a quick taste and a quick education on the history of Guadagni, we said we'd take a jug.  The gentleman grabbed a jug, filled it straight from the barrel, hand-stamped a label, and put the label on the jug. $32 later (refills for $31) and we were out the door.

I'm sipping on this right now after a dinner of a stew that contained the Guadagni, pork shoulder, cranberry beans, chipotle peppers, and the odds and ends of my vegetable drawer. It added an earthy backbone to the stew, and as I sipped on it, the wine managed to stand up to the chipotles.  This is not philosophical wine, but the kind of wine you can drink every night for an entire year and not tire: fruit forward, with a nose of stone fruits and nutmeg, and just enough earthiness to keep it interesting.  I'm hooked.

The verdict: Throwing a party? A definite 'drink me'. The folks at Preston are a hoot, and this wine is perfect for a gathering of food and friends (as a side note, we were there with friends who were married by the brother of Jim Guadagni, and they are planning to serve the jug wine at their reception).

Thirsty Thursday: Meridian Club Cuvee 2005

The evening started with me thinking I'd be drinking one of my budget bottles from BevMo but, as I've noticed with some of my other BevMo purchases, the wine had been spoiled. Not to worry, as I've got a couple bottles of Meridian Vineyards' Limited Release 2005 Club Cuvee I've been itching to break out.

The last time I had this wine, it was probably the 10th or so tasting of the day, enjoyed with a cheese plate with friends at Cellar360. My palate was probably getting pretty fried by then, but I could tell this was going to be a great, sexy food wine for this foodie girl. 

The stats: This is a blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Malbec, and 14% Merlot. Paso Robles. You can still buy the bottle for $30 from Meridian here, and of course from my friends at Cellar360.

I started sipping on this one while Nick made dinner. There are definitely some hard tannins in here (it's a young one) but I was excited by the smoky, syrupy, dark-fruity aromas.  This was only intensified by a dinner of flatbread with mushrooms and black truffles; the Cuvee became even more earthy and nutty.  Maybe it was just wishful thinking but I was definitely sensing (dare I say it?) some bacon tones.

I write this as I enjoy the second half of the bottle, munching on pomegranate and blackberries. Aside from its earthy character, this wine exhibits some bright fruit and acids when paired with the right things. All in all this is a fun, sexy, easy wine that will let you think about it if you want to.

Verdict: This is definitely a wine to enhance food, and a wide range of foods at that. Mushrooms, nuts, fruits... it all works. Complex fruits and acid make this a fun one to drink on its own, but there are enough tannins that it can sit in the cellar for a while. A definite drink me.