When you think of Suisun Valley - good red wines doesn't easily come to mind A few years ago, Bert and I went tasting here on our way to stay at Clear Lake in Lake County. Eager for more fodder for my wine blog, I stopped at Sly Dog and did some tasting - and bought this great 2007 Meritage as one of my "finds" for the trip.
Yesterday in the midst of this Covid crisis I was searching for a bottle I didn't remember well to drink during our VMWare/Carbon Black virtual happy hour. Looking at my notes for this bottle, I found I didn't remember any of them and my notoriously bad handwriting (yep, my parents always said I should be a doctor) didn't give many clues past the big STAR I put on it and the all caps GREAT I wrote on the napkin.
Wowser! What a great wine and smooth blend! Wonderful clarity and a beautiful sparkling garnet color give a hint as to the intense experience your taste buds will have upon experiencing it. One BIG Red!
It is a big red, with a complex spicy nose with enticing jammy fruit - once you sip it, you get the huge cherry flavors with the nice Bordeaux finish and long finish characteristic of a much more expensive wine.
I think I will forgive them the cheap and tacky label!
I taste big spice on the finish - a hint of cloves, a bit of sassafras, and lots of verbena, with nicely softening tannins. It will age well, but has aged well to date also (considering it is 2020).
This wine was selling for $16/bottle in its heyday, I opened it after having cellared it for some time, if you can find it - it will be a fabulous find.
Music Pairings - Anything by Muddy Waters , Wally Schnalle's Idiot Fish (Bay Area fusion band), or maybe Three Dog Night (it does have DOG in the title) .
Food Pairings - We are having it tonight with Omaha Steaks "Mojo Pork" crockpot meal. Will be great with any Cajun food or complex spicy dish, as well as with BBQ ribs with a sauce with just a hint of spice and sweetness. Can hardly wait to find more, sad that we only bought one bottle. Next time!
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