WineLovers Discussion Group

I don't have a lot of experience with this varietal. Does it need big, beefy food...and a lot of years in the cellar?

Big, beefy food absolutely, Diane. PS is a funny wine regarding cellar time. It will often seem to remain unchanged for 10, even 20 years before it starts to evolve. Few people have that much patience, and I certainly don't, so I tend to drink it youngish but with roast beef/rare steak meals to mellow its tannins.

I've found that it goes brilliantly with cassoulet....assuming that one has the time, ingredients and patience to make an authentic version!

Venison, any which way.

I find that PS is one of the few varietals that works with blue cheeses, especially softer ones like St. Augur.

I personally think it matches well with simple corned beef.

Wild boar.

Raw.

I know some wild bores but I wouldn't want to eat them.

It sounds like the types of foods I would ordinarily pair with a full bodied syrah.

ernie in Berkeley wrote:I find that PS is one of the few varietals that works with blue cheeses, especially softer ones like St. Augur.

Ernie, welcome to the group!

Thanks. I used to post on the original board but somehow lost my way in the Netscape days.

Diane (Long Island) wrote:I don't have a lot of experience with this varietal. Does it need big, beefy food...and a lot of years in the cellar?

Alas, it depends a lot on the style it's made in. Bogle's PS could be used as a BBQ or pizza wine, a lot like some Zins. OTOH, the "traditional" big, brooding style of PS is a wine made for big, brawny foods (wild boar, like Bill says, or a very savory stew). They probably wouldn't be bad with cassoulet, either, but I can't say that I've done the experiment.

Mark Lipton

I agree with Mark. The Bogle (or a wine like it) is jammy enough to have with things like pizza or BBQ. The Ridge 1999 York Creek I opened recently was fairly dark and smoky with traces of almost an anise flavor.
I had a recent vintage of Foppiano (2003 I think?) and that had the bright purple color like the Bogle but was REALLY tannic.

Most of the "bigger" Petite's like that are going to be pretty tannic---"toothdusting" some would say. So, something hearty and beefy would be a good match.

I've got some Turley PS that I'm a bit afraid of - not sure if they will EVER be ready.

Drank a Freemark York Creek at the age of 30 - was just about ready to drink (you can tell before you open as being able to see the sun through the bottle is a good sign).