From the Bar: Tasting Southern Belle wine

Like a self-respecting Kentuckian, I am an unapologetic bourbon drinker.  In my heart and mind, however, bourbon will always take a backseat to wine.  Fortunately, sometimes you get to enjoy both :)

My chef's schedule is a strange one as he actually has three days off a week (meaning he is 100% married to the restaurant those other four days).  During these days we have gotten to explore Nashville, and one discovery is that booze is REALLY expensive in this town.  The locals attribute this to unfortunate distribution laws-- a real supply/demand issue.  So, when we had a compulsory trip to Kentucky last week we took the opportunity to "stock up".  Not only did we bring back a wealth of brown spirits, but we recovered an old friend-- The Southern Belle.

Southern Belle is a fantastic Shiraz (originally Australian when bottled in '08, but the latest vintage, '11, is Spanish) that is aged in the famed Pappy van Winkle bourbon barrels.  I first encountered this wine when I worked at the fabulous Holly Hill Inn in Midway, Kentucky.  The wine list was legendary and the restaurant is steadily awarded Wine Spectator awards-- too bad there aren't bourbon awards, because the bourbon compilation was also mind-blowing.  Southern Belle came our way from R Wine Imports and was basically made to be sold in Kentucky restaurants.  Fortunately, the Pappy/Shiraz pairing does not stop short of being a gimmick, it is genuinely one of the tastiest wines that I have ever tasted.

So, when we discovered it we bought some...and then we went back and bought more.  Unfortunately, we didn't cellar the '08 bottles, but the '11 bottles were just as complex and collectible as their predecessor.  Right out of the bottle, Southern Belle hits you with a complex nose and a fruit-driven flavor of blackberry, cherry, vanilla...and, of course, bourbon-- predominantly the flavors of honey, oak and smoke.  These delicate bourbon flavors compound naturally with the well-rounded Shiraz and are a natural pairing for saucy meats, blue cheese, or decadent chocolate desserts.  If you can find it, I advise that you buy a case.  While this wine is 100% drinkable now, I cannot imagine (and I am sure the wine maker himself is also curious) how this will age...but with the  bourbon influence I am sure this bottle will be a winner for another 10 years at least.