The Wine Hacker.com

Chateau Davell Moves to Beautiful "New Digs"

Last weekend we stopped at Chateau Davell's brand new tasting room on our way to a jam sess in the Bay Area to pick up a friend's wine club shipment.  WOW!!  The view is spectacular, the grounds peaceful and inviting, and the wines are as good as ever.  

I am posting my first ever VLOG or video blog on our visit - which is here:  

Watch Video

 

Two of our favorites were the 2015 Charlotte's Cuvee and the 2015 Verlyn.  The winemaker, Erik, names his wines after members of his family and includes beautiful portraits of them on every bottle.   Charlotte is his daughter, and she was happily doing cartwheels on the front lawn while we sipped her namesake wine.   Verlyn is Erik's grandfather.

We are definitely blend people, and both these wines are blends.  The Charlotte is an Estate wine and a blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  Our friend John Worley served it at our jam sess where it was definitely a hit.   It has an inky deep reddish garnet color with a blonde coffee noise, big fruity middle tones, and a cardamom and clove finish.  It is both delicate and rich at the same time, and the blend has created just the right amount of lightness and complexity. 

The Verlyn is a stronger, heavier wine, with 45% Mourvedre and 25% Grenache.   It has solid, structured tannins and would cellar well.  I tasted cedar, toasted oak, rich black cherry and pomegranate flavors.   This wine would stand up well to any grilled meat or BBQ, and has plenty of spunk and character.

The longest finish wine is the 2015 Green Man cabernet - a great wine to drink on Summer Solstice.  I got eucalyptus, wood, and leather on the finish, with a ripe garden nose and early palate and blackberries with sun dried tomatoes on the mid palate.  Chewy tannins give this wine the structure one expects from a fine Cabernet. 

If you are up this way, a visit to Chateau Davell will be worth your while for sure!

 

 

Looking for a Yummy Cab Franc? Findleton Winery's 2014 Release Totally Rocks!

                                                                              
A truly good Cab Franc is very tough to find.  Not many wineries offer it, and many are harsh or just plain blah.    But when you get a truly good one, it is worth the wait.

Tom Findleton has created such a gem and I was thrilled to be able to taste it back in February. Since then, we have enjoyed several wonderful bottles of this "nectar of the Gods" 

Cab Franc is primarily grown as a blending wine, which is why you rarely see it sold pure.  From Wikipedia,:

 

 

 

    

Cabernet Franc
Grape (Vitis)
Cabernet Franc in Viala & Vermorel
Color of berry skin	Blue-black
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	Bouchet, Bouchy, Breton (more)
Origin	Bordeaux, France
Notable regions	Bordeaux, Loire
Notable wines	Château Cheval Blanc

Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal in Canada and the United States, it is sometimes made into ice wine in those regions.

Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon,^[1] making a bright pale red wine^[2] that contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on the growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, bell pepper, cassis, and violets.

Records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century, although it was planted in Loire long before that time. DNA analysis indicates that Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carménère.^[3]

 

 

This lovely and fully drinkable wine is acidic in character, with the beautiful softness of a Cab Franc as well as a bold character usually seen more in its close relative; Cabernet Sauvignon.   I tasted rich forward fruit, a hint of black pepper, soft vanilla and hot cocoa flavors enriched with some tart strawberry and rhubarb middle tones and a soothing rich dark berry finish that was both lingering and satisfying.   I also got just a hint of the type of bell pepper you would find in a Chicago Portillo Italian sub sandwich (thinking of those, as I am making a clone of them tonight for dinner).   The color is also dark and rich, with outstanding clarity (no need to decant as no sediment in this wine). 

There are enough tannins to provide some character with a mild chewy feel, as well as to ensure it will cellar well.    

We enjoyed this wine with a a pasts smothered with rich Marinara sauce and meatballs.   I would expect it to go equally well with salmon dishes, fajitas, grilled chicken based dinner salads, and  Italian antipasto plates.   And yes, Portillo type Chicago-style Italian sub sandwiches which are NOT low calorie, but a true foodie experience that is not to be missed.   

Drink up folks!  

 

Fenton Herriot Vineyards - the Best Kept Secret of El Dorado County!

Far off the beaten path, Fenton Herriott is one of the smaller wineries in the El Dorado area.  I only learned of them through taking a flyer and ordering one of their lovely wines off the menu at the Smith Flat House (arguably the best restaurant between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe).

One sunny Sunday, we went on a pilgrimage to find this wine mecca, and were not disappointed in our tasting experience. 

An overall observation - most El Dorado wineries specialize in wonderful reds and have a few token whites.   Fenton Herriot has a full selection of great whites, roses and reds, plus yummy dessert wines.  I have about five pages of tasting notes, so will attempt to condense them down to what I found to be the very best of the best (although every wine I tasted here was excellent).

On the "white and light" side, we loved the 2015 Gewurtztraminer for its purity, perfumey floral nose and rich creamy, peach, mango and citrus flavor with the hint of spice for which Gewurtz is famous.  A tiny hint of earth in the finish gives it character and complexity.   And a most interesting blend - the Jane Way Lot 4 , tones down the sweetness of the Gewurtztraminer by adding Chardonnay.  This wine had a beautiful light straw color, a floral and spicy nose, and nice acidity with some white pepper and nectarine flavors in the finish. 

I usually hate Rose', but the 2016 Rose' captured my fancy with a nice salmon color, only 1% residual sugar (so not sickeningly sweet like a lot of pink wines), and cranberry/strawberry flavors with a hint of nutmeg.  At $18 a bottle, this is truly a bargain!

On the red side (always my favorite), we LOVED the 2014 Sangiovese and scored a few bottles of it for our Italian meals.   Only 100 cases were made and at $23/bottle, we suggest getting them while they are available.  This Italian wine has a rich cedar and licorice nose, with forward flavors of spice, oak (was cellared in 25% refurbished oak), black cherry, dark chocolate and mixed berries.  A long, satisfying finish rounds out the experience of tasting this fine wine. 

Velvety and rich, the 2014 Syrah is a medium-bodied and delightful wine with a dark, garnet color and rich flavors of coffee, dark cherries, plum, elderberries, and just a hint of vanilla and eggnog.  This wine is rich and warm, and would be an excellent accompaniment for just about any type of meal (yeah - I don't think I would serve it with hot dogs, so as a qualifier, let's say any ELEGANT meal). 

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon was the star of the red wine show, with a beautiful forest and olive nose, early flavors of Honeydew melon erupting into rich fruit-forward flavors of blackberry, cassis, oaky vanilla, and blueberry jam with just a hint of cardamom.  At $30/bottle, we felt it out performed many of the $100/bottle Cabs we have had, and were happy to score a bottle of this wonderful stuff. 

Our tasting included three outstanding dessert wines as well; the standout here was the 2015 CC Ruby Syrah of which only 63 cases were produced.   I tasted silky, rich chocolate cherry flavors with a hint of cocoa bark and mint.  It is very different from most dessert wines, and is totally free from the "raisiny" flavor that many inferior dessert wines have.  It is a deep garnet color, and would be great with vanilla ice cream or as a nightcap (preferably while in a hot tub). 

A 100% GREAT tasting at Gold Hill Vineyard and Brewery - Placerville, CA

It is exceptionally rare to visit a winery and have EVERY wine you taste be outstanding, but that is exactly what happened the week before Christmas at Gold Hill Vineyard .   I had hoped to choose my absolute fav of 2017 and write about it, but that became impossible after visiting Gold Hill (and Fenton Heriott, which I will talk about in a later post).  

Gold Hill is a definite must see if you go wine tasting in the California wine county!  The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and many brides-to-be choose this scenic locale for their weddings.  They are dog friendly (on a leash, of course), with a nice deck overlooking the grounds for enjoying a nice glass of wine or beer while Fido sun bathes.  This month the deck is under construction, but should be operational again once it is warm enough to sit outside.   

Several incredible wines stand out in my mind and taste buds from this experience.  The top of the line white choice was the 2015 Reserve Chardonnay, which was aged 12-18 months in oak and had a nice, light straw color.  It managed to be both sweet and crisp, with Jonathan apple flavors, jasmine, honeysuckle, and just a "tad" of ginger.   I recommend it highly with a nice Thai meal or white pasta. 

The "stars" of this tasting show were the reds which rival anything I have had in Napa or Sonoma.  If I wrote about all of them, this post would go on forever so I will feature just a few.  I am a huge fan of blends, and Gold Hill has two that are just world class.  The 2014 Meriticious Red is a Bordeaux blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Merlot that won a double gold at the 2017 Amador County fair.  WOW WOW WOW - this is an incredible wine and we are so lucky to have scored some of it before it sells out.  It has a rich, jammy black raspberry flavor with a rich, long finish full of plum, rhubarb, and rich cherry flavors.  The deep garnet color is exceptional, and the nose full of red berry notes that hint of the wonderful wine to come. 

The Rhone blend, called simply the NV5311, is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Mourvedre and is equally yummy.  I tasted rich pomegranate, persimmon, grape jelly and structured tannins with a snappy black pepper finish.  This wine is rich and dark in color with great clarity.   We gifted this one to some friends for Christmas who told us they loved it as much as we did.  

And one more wine in the same class as the blends as far as quality and drinkability is the 2012 Cab Franc.  The nose on this wine was highly fragrant with plum and current notes and just the barest hint of white pepper.  It is big for a Cab Franc, with lots of forward fruit and rich jammy flavors.  A "zing" at the end was not unpleasant, but rather gave it a unique signature that we really liked.  

All in all, we are very pleased to live in El Dorado County as the wines are simply getting better all the time.  Gold Hill is aptly named, as these great wines are a TRUE treasure.  

(Photo from www.goldhillvineyard.com)

The VERY Best Meal of 2017 - Via Romano's Six Course Italian Feast with Chef Giovanni

Looking back on the year, Bert and I had a ton of great meals between our subscription to Blue Apron, my incredible cookbook collection, and our El Dorado and Lake Tahoe restaurants.  Hands down, the winner of the best meal of the year was the Winemaker's Dinner at our local Italian winery; Via Romano.  And believe me, this was a tough call to make!

A new Apple Hill/Camino winery - Via Romano will be celebrating its one year anniversary on January 6th with an Open House featuring small bites and desserts. They are fast becoming a local hot spot with incredible Italian style wines, a beautiful patio, regular fun events, and a friendly atmosphere that exudes warmth from the moment you set foot in the tasting room.

This event, held on October 13th (two weeks before our annual Halloween party which explains the tardiness of this post), was held on a long well-appointed table in the center of the tasting room.  Chef Giovanni, a local chef who hosts culinary excursions to Italy and has a restaurant located in the picturesque Italian Alps was the star of the show ( sharing the stage with the wines and Papa Romano himself, of course).  Each of the six courses was paired with one of the hand-drafted, award winning wines created by Jon and Leanne, our winemakers. 

The first course was a Farinata, a "light as air" chickpea crepe with onion and sage, paired with the 2015 Calaveras County Vermentino.  The Vermentino is a rare Italian varietal hailing from Northern Sardinia in the province of Olbia Tempio.  It features a nice floral nose, a "not-too-sweet" flavor and a hint of citrus with some mineral flavor with an overtone of nectarine, pine nuts, and nutmeg.  It was a wonderful first course wine, and really unusual and fun.  The crepe, cooked in Jon's new outdoor pizza oven, served to whet our appetite for more luscious foods, which Chef Giovanni explained to us course-by-course.

The next course was "Peperoni Ripieni con Tonno e Bagnet Verde" or red peppers stuffed with tuna and finished with a Piemontese parsley sauce.   The pairing here was the 2016 Shenandoah Valley 'Lileana' Rose di Sangiovese.   I usually don't like Roses, but this one was divine - with a soft velvety texture, light yet complex finish, and floral flavor with a hint of spice.  The peppers were incredible and just as soft and delicate as the wine.

At this point, one of the other stars of the show - Papa Romano (the namesake for the "to-die-for" Super Tuscan red) raised his glass and proposed a toast by banging on the side of his glass.  "A toast - TO ME!"    My crazy husband followed this up with a cry of "Dilly Dilly" (adopted from the NFL Budweiser commercial ).    We were enjoying a dinner with a big, wild and crazy Italian family, even though most of us just met each other that night - and it couldn't be better! 

A course of handmade pasta filled with meat and greens was next, served with a wine that I was sad to hear was sold out - the 2014 Dolcetto.  This was a BIG red with a "sweeter than your typical California red" flavor; full-bodied and rich with ripe cherry, strawberry and plum adding to its sweet goodness. 

Next came a rolled beef course filled with proscuitto, cheese and herbs that had been slow-roasted in Barbera and a handmade tomato sauce.  The sauce was incredible, like nothing I had ever tasted before with an explosion of herbal flavor and tomato goodness that had my taste buds dancing.  The 2014 Fairplay Barbera perfectly complemented this dish - with bright acidity so characteristic of a great Italian wine.  It was full of ripe berry flavors with a hint of cinnamon and licorice - definitely one of my favorite Barberas ever.  The judges at the California State Fair thought so too - they awarded it a Silver Medal. 

Chef Giovanni further titillated our senses by serving cheeses he had brought into the US from the Italian alps - YUM! They were served with what was hands down the best wine we had that night - the 2013 Sierra Foothills "Papa Romano Red" Super Tuscan.  We loved this wine so much that we brought a bottle with us on our recent trip to Costa Rica where the sommerlier from Secrets Papagayo said that he would have sworn it came from Italy if we hadn't told him it was a California wine.  Big, brash, and unapologetic just like Papa Romano himself (Bert was seated by him all night, they had a great time), this wine is a blend of a blend of 38% California, Shenandoah Valley Sangiovese, 38% El Dorado County Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Calaveras County Cabernet Franc, and 12% Fair Play Merlot.   I taste rich black cherry, bright blackberry jam, pomegranate, rich spice, a hint of earth and TONS of forward fruit with a long, satisfying finish.  We loved it with the cheeses, and had it again with a wonderful pork loin in Costa Rica. 

The last course was a pot of chocolate creme with almond -hazelnut cookies paired with an aromatic Nocino and a luscious Moscato di Neroli - ALL of which were to die for and the perfect finale to one incredible evening.  Dilly Dilly!

 

 

Illuminaire Winery and the "Off-the-Hook" 2014 Quartz Hill Pinotage

My dear husband Bert is a beer drinker and usually only drinks red wine to humor me. Imagine my surprise when I handed him my glass at Illuminaire Winery filled with the Pinotage only to hear him exclaim, "Off the hook!  Can we get some of this?"  What the---?  Happily, I obliged him and this wonderful wine now sits in our cellar (which is just a small room off our garage), waiting to be paired with a fantastic meal worthy of its amazing spirit. 

Winemaker Aaron Hill, never to be seen without his signature baseball hat, has a right to be proud of his Sierra Foothills winery.  This year at the California State Fair, his bold jammy reds won three gold medals; one for the 2014 Petit Verdot (another of my favs), the 2014 Zinfandel (bought one of these too), and the 2014 Alicante Bouschet. 

The Pinotage was our fav wine at this tasting as it was literally bursting with big jammy cranberry, blackberry and raspberry fruit with a hint of allspice, and enough tannins to add complexity.  It had a wonderful fruity nose, a smooth finish, and a beautiful deep cherry flavor with exceptional clarity.  It was different, and not your "run-of-the-mill" red.  What was different was the mix of fruit flavors and spice - giving it a unique and very welcome taste sensation. 

This is because this varietal is not usually found in California.  From Wikipedia:

Pinotage /ˈpɪnətɑːʒ/ PIN-ə-tahzh^[1] is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was bred there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut (Cinsaut was known as "Hermitage" in South Africa during that time, hence the portmanteau name of Pinotage). It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavors, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit, but has been criticized for sometimes smelling of acetone. Pinotage is often blended, and also made into fortified wine and even red sparkling wine.^[2] The grape is a viticultural cross of two varieties of Vitis vinifera, not a hybrid.

No acetone nose here, thankfully!  I also thought it was quite different from this description as it had no real smokey or bramble flavors, although I could taste some earth.  What was predominant in this top notch wine was big, bold, juicy fruit flavor.  I also got a very small hint of the peppery flavor one would get in a Pinot. 

I think this wine is a bargain at $25/bottle!

As to pairings, I am working on some ideas - and here they are:

Food Pairings:  This is not a shy and retiring red - it is BIG BIG BIG!  It needs something big and juicy to accompany it, and right now I am thinking something like Beef Tamales smothered with a spicy red sauce, lasagna (Bert's favorite food), or a big bowl of Cioppino served with a bib and lots of those little hand wipes that smell like Windex.  

Music Pairings:  I see drinking this wine while listening to Isaac Hayes, Trombone Shorty, BB King, or Bonnie Raitt.  Big, bluesy, strong music goes with the BIG RED this is! 

Activity Pairings:  The key word here is BIG - I vote for drinking this wine while boating or having a summer picnic with friends.  I also see it as a great accompaniment to a rowdy, raucious pool party - even though it has a very smooth finish it is a strong wine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DiVittorio 2013 Barbera - A Bargain at $20!

One of the reasons I moved up to El Dorado County was the cornucopia of incredible wineries with reasonable prices for reds that melt in your mouth.  This special Italian varietal from DiVittorio is no exception; we enjoyed it with a steak several months back and we still remember how special it was!

The DiVittorio winery was founded by Dr. Al DiVittorio and his wife Sally (an RN) - both of Marshall Medical Center here in Placerville.   Dr. DiVittorio is a well known surgeon who probably saved my neighbor's life a year ago, but that is another story.  The winery is unique and features wonderful reds and ports - and hails from a family recipe the DiVittorio's brought with them when they immigrated to America from Italy in 1904.  This winery is a friendly, sunny spot in Camino, CA where all are welcome and tasting is free.  Cheese and crackers are available to complement your experience, and a small jewelry case with finds made by local craftsmen graces the front entrance. 

A Silver medal winner in the 2016 El Dorado County Fair,  this wine is big, rich and bold, like a Barbera should be.  It is also smooth at the same time, and doesn't have the brash after taste found in many lesser Barberas.  The color is deep and rich, and it has a very pleasing earth and leather nose with a hint of fresh flowers.  I enjoyed the velvety texture of this wine as well as it's mineral content and rich, chewy tannins (which tell me that it would have aged well, too bad, I drank it).   Like most of DiVittorio's reds, this wine is a bit on the sweet side.  This is because DiVittorio is also known for some of the most incredible ports you will ever drink, and the reds here also take on some of the port character.   I would definitely recommend stopping by DiVittorio if you are ever in the Placerville/Camino area.  It is well worth the visit - and they also have a special running where you can get a case of their 2005 (that's right, 2005) Cabernet and Syrah for $110.  That is cheaper than grocery store swill folks. 

Food Pairing Suggestion:  We enjoyed this wine with a nice steak, but it would also pair well with any grilled meats or Italian dinners.  I would love to try it with Spaghetti and Meatballs myself.   Although I shouldn't be eating Spaghetti and Meatballs (but yet again, that is another story). 

Music Pairing:  My husband and I have an Alexa (Amazon Echo) in our dining room and we love to play our unlimited music while eating great food and drinking great wine.  We listened to (what else?), Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack while enjoying our Barbera and steak.  It was simply a magical combination, and could only get better if we were actually in Italy. 

Activity Pairing:  This is a sit down dinner wine in elegant surroundings, preferably with Italian decor.  I would pay corkage and bring it to an upscale Italian restaurant.  It would be a "date" wine that would wow, and set the stage for better activities to come if you get my drift.   

Be sure and get this great wine before it is all gone!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Dinner and the Crystal Basin 2009 Renegade Red

Easter is a bright and lovely holiday - and deserved a bright yet soft and lovely wine to share with friends.   After not writing ANY blogs for many months, I am returning to my beloved wine blog - and the 2009 Crystal Basin Renegade Red is a wine deserving of being my first blog post for the resurrection of The Wine Hacker.  

It's no secret that I love a good red blend - the Renegade Red is crafted of 18% each 2009 Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Sangiovese, with the majority being the 2009 Zinfandel.  This wine is soft with delicious strawberry and plummy flavors, but packs a Malbec and Zinfandel punch - with toasty oak coming from barrel aging in French and American oak for 18 months.  When tasting, I tasted a cedar finish with a soft vanilla overtone complimenting the beautiful raspberry/strawberry zinfandel front palate flavors. 

Crystal Basin calls this it's "Tuesday night, non-pretentious, Pizza-and-Pasta wine", but I found it lovely enough to take to a gathering of my friends for Easter, all of whom found it perfect for the occasion.   It stood up nicely to the Easter ham as well as the cheesy broccoli casserole and green beans without losing brightness or character.  It also has great clarity and a wonderful claret red color, making it more elegant that just a "pasta" wine. 

Blends tend to get a bad rap as some lesser labels have used them to use up "leftovers", creating blends that widely vary in quality and taste.  Crystal Basin is a small, El Dorado county wine producer with a solid reputation for quality.  The Renegade Red is not a vat of leftovers - it is a masterfully blended and well crafted cornucopia of El Dorado wine essence, with only the best grapes included.  I found this a "friends and family" wine, and it tasted magnificent!  

As my friends and family know, about three weeks ago I had a very significant life event - a heart attack.  Red wine in moderation is GREAT for your cardiac health, but moderation means no more than two full glasses for a woman with one being preferred.  If you sip a great wine, it is not difficult to drink in moderation.  Its the bad wines you want to drink quickly so you get them over with!!!  This one I enjoyed with generous sips of water in between. 

Also thanks to my significant life event, I made a firm decision to spend more time doing what I love - which is writing!

Food Pairings:   Like most wines that are predominantly Zinfandel, this wine IS a great pasta and pizza wine - yet it also complimented ham quite nicely.  It has more softness than most Zins and a beautiful oak taste as well - I think it would go well with BBQ'ed ribs, lasagna (yeah, that is pasta too), pork tenderloin, or a rack of lamb.   

Music Pairings:  This is a warm and friendly wine - the kind of wine that inspires friends to gather around the piano and play 60's music while singing (maybe even a bit off key).  I see it as a Beatles White Album kind of wine, or even a BB King and Diane Schuur album mash up kind of wine.  Its soft yet warm and complex flavors echo the blues scale - as well as 60's rock and roll.  I hear great bass too, when I sip. 

Activity Pairings: A great family and friends holiday gathering wine, this would also be a good jam session wine or rock and roll concert replay wine. 

 

 

 

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A Heavenly "Naked" Blend - the Jac Cole 2014 Mosaico, Napa Valley

LOVE LOVE LOVE this wine!  

Recently, I joined the 75K member strong band of Naked Angels - a club that sponsors new and upcoming winemakers called NakedWines.com. It's been an incredible journey of discovering new and unknown wines and wine makers through Naked - and you gotta love the name!  Naked Angels received discounted wines through the club, and get targeted selections by rating the wines they receive.  A Facebook-like interface lets you interact with other wine lovers as well as the wine makers in discussing the wines you are enjoying in real time. 

A random selection turned out to be a gem - the 2014 Jac Cole Mosaico.  Oddly enough, the Naked rating engine told me that I wouldn't like this one.   When I first opened it and smelled the fruity, intense nose, I knew the selection engine was off on this one.  

Rich chocolately flavors blend with forward mulberry and plum fruit in this light yet rich Bordeaux blend.  A hint of Malbec gives it a bit of a kick, and adds complexity to the middle note of the wine.  An earthy tone that is so characteristic of French wine is present in this Mosaico, which made it a great choice for a spicy dinner like Orange Spiced Chicken wings.

Others on the Naked site said that aeration improved the flavor even more, which makes sense as this is a young wine.  I plan to buy more and try this, along with another suggestion that this fabulous Mosaico was amazing alongside a yummy pork tenderloin. 

 

Music Pairing Suggestions:  This wine is fun yet regal and sophisticated, rich yet not too overpowering.  I suggest enjoying it alongside some Philip Glass, or vintage Moody Blues.   

Food Pairing Suggestions:  I enjoyed this wine with my Blue Apron shipment dinner of Spicy Orange Chicken Wings and Shitake -Sesame Rice.  The earthiness of the wine paired nicely with the rich Shitake mushroom taste, and the chocolately - licorice flavors helped to take some of the bite away from the chili sauce that graced my wings (Blue Apron tells you that you can add as much as you want - I dumped in the whole container).   Others from the Naked site recommended enjoying this wine with Mac and Cheese, or a grilled Pork Tenderloin.   

If you haven't tried Blue Apron - it is a service that ships you three recipes a week along with all the ingredients you need to make the recipe.  It is heaven for foodies - we haven't had a non enjoyable meal yet!

Activity Pairings:  This was a great wine to watch Star trek by!

 

Special Offer!!   The first person to comment on this blog (who isn't already a Naked Angel) gets a code worth $100 off on a case of Naked wines, which can include this special blend.    Be sure to send me your email address when commenting.   

 

Soft, Elegant 2012 Hess Allomi Cabernet Graces a Perfect NYE Meal

Paging through the backlog of my tasting notes, one worthy wine that was the keynote of a fantastic New Year's Eve meal was the 2012 Hess Allomi Cabernet.   

A gift from friends for Christmas (the Worleys), this amazing wine was our contribution to a decadent feast at Santa Clara's Birk's restaurant.  How did we manage to get a table at Birk's for NYE?  Easy.  The day after Thanksgiving, we logged into Opentable and searched for a restaurant where we could get an early reservation that wasn't too far from home.  At our age, we wanted to go home and watch the ball drop rather than party hard.  

True to the Hess name, this wine was aristocratic, full-bodied, and flavorful.  When it was first poured into our glasses, the holiday lights illuminated its jewel-like clarity until it looked like the star from the top of the tree.  The nose was full of forward cranberry and black cherry fruit, with a spicy, black coffee finish.  

We both enjoyed red meat as our main course - I had a luscious prime rib with horseradish sauce and hubby enjoyed a medium rare filet with a wild mushroom sauce.  And I forgot to mention the "palate cleansing" appetizer the staff brought us between our salads and the main course - a lobster truffle tart.  Our wine choice stood up well with all of these rich and complex foods - it was soft and gentle enough to complement the lobster tart, yet stout and rich enough to stand up to the red meat entrees.  

The fruity nose promised a rich delight, and it did not disappoint.  We enjoyed a deepening berry jam flavor as we first sipped from our glasses,  and a rich, velvety texture that is simply not found in lesser wines.  The black coffee nose gave way to a rich, earthy background tone - with a clean finish and no aftertaste.  A light oak flavor rounds out the burst of flavor from this big, bold red - and complements the hint of black pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg in the finish.  

This beautiful wine is available from Wine.com for $31.99.   

Food Pairings:  A great wine to pair with rich and elegant foods, like lobster, steak, horseradish sauce, and black truffles.  In short, a wonderful special occasion wine.  

Music Pairings: We enjoyed it to Auld Lang Syne

Activity Pairing: What a great romantic evening wine!  Would also be wonderful while watching a classic movie, like Casablanca or Driving Miss Daisy.