Meat And Potatoes With Marietta Cellars Christo Lot #1

Sometimes, when people you know keep recommending things and you continuously ignore such things, a bit of guilt emerges.

So you try one of them. This is that.

Food: Trader Joe's tri-tip sirloin steak with Kansas City barbecue marinade, bacon-onion potato hash and arugula salad

The tri-tip is $10, pre-marinated, and ready to go. That's a plus. Another plus is that there's nothing in the marinade that we don't eat. So, while we can't say this is going to be a regular thing, we can say that, in a quick pinch, and wanting beef...maybe. It's quite decent. Throw it next to grilled potato salad and a slice of watermelon in the butt-sweat hotness of summer...bet it's not too shabby.

Fingerling potato hash and arugula salad to round things out. Quick, tasty, done.

Wine: NV Marietta Cellars Christo Lot #1 Sonoma-Mendocino Counties Rhône Blend ($16 - Binny's)

Syrah, grenache, petite sirah and viognier. People who cry about California not having bargains aren't looking too hard. Here's another one from Marietta Cellars. The Old Vine Red at around $10 might be the best $10 (on sale) red I've had in a year or two. This one tastes $6 better (also on sale at the time) and so full of what's good about California wine and what's good about the direction it's heading. Ripe with savory accents, with a "vooooooop" -like viognier lift at the end. Fresh dirt and spice on the finish as well. Even something like a hint of lavender floating around. Changed with each bite-sip. Delicious wine, we're loving the non-vintage reds trend lately, has the same name as my internet name, and it's under $20. Plus, I'm a slut for grenache and I don't care who knows it.

Pairing: Summertime red in spades

I have a personal issue with bigger reds in the summer. I want light and I want to put a chill on it. Here's one that I don't want to chill and I don't want to be lighter. The viognier gives me what I want - a lift. Starts big, goes savory, ends with a perk. Yes, please. I'll take a dozen to go.


Quick Note: Lamb spezzatino with 2012 Catherine et Pierre Breton "Trinch" Bourgueil ($20-ish - Vin Chicago). The star was the wine, one of the Bretons' bargain cabernet francs. Swirling cherry deliciousness with great length, tobacco and twigs, and pretty pauses. Everything we want from cab franc at a great price. We've had this one other time. I don't know why we're not drinking this by the bucket.