Summer BBQ: Jekel and Bonterra Style

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Summer BBQ: Jekel and Bonterra Style

 

 

It was in the midst of Summer BBQ season and the weather in Texas was hitting the 100’s when I received my blogger’s sample of Bonterra and Jekel Vineyards wines.  I knew that Bonterra was organic and biodynamically farmed as I had tried some of the wines prior.  I knew nothing about Jekel Vineyards from Monterey, who was a key pioneer in creating the AVA for that area.  I also received the Extreme Grilling Guide from Bonterra Chef Lia Huber that looked fantastic, but we were already heading to a friend’s house for dinner so I was hoping the wines would work well with what they were grilling.  The theme was Cajun and the wines were a great match.

We tried the following wines:

·      Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc – crisp with notes of grapefruit, citrus, melon and grass. It had a nice acidity and worked really well with some of the appetizers including a fantastic crab dip.

·      Bonterra Viognier 2012 – this was my favorite of the wines I tried from Bonterra.  It had a bit of sweetness from the Muscat, but was fruity and balanced with apricot, peaches, vanilla and almost a spiciness at the end.  It rocked some spicy deviled eggs.

·      Jekel Vineyards Riesling 2011 – this was such a wonderful find for me and ended up being the absolute favorite of the group.  It was funny – everyone underestimated this wine and even though it was labeled as a dry Riesling, the entire group had doubts.  Then we tasted it.  It was dry with notes of white peaches, apricot, citrus and ended up being the first bottle to disappear.

·      Jekel Vineyards Pinot Noir 2011 – with notes of black cherry, herbs, spice and earth, I was told this was a perfect wine to match the pork that was prepared.  But as many of you know, I’m allergic to pork and can’t vouch for the taste combination.

We also tried two drinkable chardonnays from each producer, but the group favorites were the ones listed above.  For a group of wines under $17, these were easy drinking, good summer sippers.

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