'07 Carneros Creek Reserve Pinot Noir

Friday evening tapas: '07 Carneros Creek Reserve Pinot Noir: Bing Cherry on the nose, slight hint of oak, mild tannins with a nice finish. Great by itself or with food.

Goat Brie, Tallegio & a Cabot Clothbound Cheddar with a fresh French Baguette alongside Spicy Peach Chutney and fresh Savannah Bee Company honey w/ comb.  The chutney and honey, respectively, paired very well with the three cheeses and the wine.  Cheers to all...

A great Thanksgiving holiday wine...

'05 ELU Meritage from St. Supery

The 2005 Élu's aromas of plum and black cherry permeate this inky, garnet hued Bordeaux blend. Vanilla and hints of tobacco are present on the long, full finish. This wine is seamless from the beginning to the last sip. This Meritage is a blend of four varietals. This wine has great balance, easy to drink and should go with everything on your Thanksgiving Day table, coffee table or card table.  Cheers to all...

http://www.stsupery.com/

'05 Calandray

This wine is less than $20 and doesn't necessarily need food, it's just a great drinking wine. To me, it's black currant/plum/fig on the nose. The mid-palate is dark fruit with a hint of spice and the finish lingers nicely. The second glass was more mellow than the first, just keeps getting better. Give it a try. Cheers to all...

Cornish Hen & Cabernet Franc

Tonight's dinner was Cornish Hen, Roasted New Potatoes and Sauteed Arugula paired with "Hard Row To Hoe's" Cabernet Franc.  This was my first Cornish Hen cooked in the oven.  We placed a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary inside the hen.  The outside was basted in white wine, EVOO and chicken broth.  The hen roasted in the oven @ 425 degrees for 25 minutes and then we lowered the oven temp to  350 for the remaining time.  We cooked the hen to an internal temp of 165 - 170 degrees.
The Cab Franc wine from Hard Row To Hoe paired very well with the Cornish Hen.  And, this was a recommendation from, Judy (vintner @ HRTH).  I don't usually drink a lot of Cab Franc but it was very nice with the hen.  I thought the wine had plum on the nose and after decanting, it was nicely balanced, mild tannins and a great finish.  I would definitely drink this wine again.  Cheers to all at Hard Row.

White Chicken Chili & Red Zins

A Zinful weekend...
Started out with friends over this past Friday night for the Yankees - Rangers game. We had a fire and HDTV on the deck as well as our Chicken Chili and Zinfandel. It was a great evening for a fire and my wine stays the right temp as well. It's the little things... Even though I'm a Red Sox fan, our Yankees' fans friends were quite disappointed with the outcome. There's heartbreak with every season. Nevertheless, it was a great evening to be outside enjoying the Fall weather. Cheers to all...

13th Anniversary: Venge's Sangiovese & Beef Fillet

Our 13th wedding anniversary today.  And, since Venge's wines have been a go-to for us since visiting in '06, I thought we should have a bottle tonight.  The meal:  beef fillets (pan seared and grilled), broccoli casserole and grilled French bread.  The wine:  '07 Atlas Peak Sangiovese from Venge Vineyards.  This is a big boy @ 15.5 alcohol @ ~$30.  After corking the bottle and pouring a small pour, the first sniff told me that it was definitely 15.5.  So, we decanted it for 45 minutes or so and it has become much more balanced now.  It's showing some nice fruit on the nose.  The tannins continued to soften over time and the mid-palate show a little earthiness and terroir, to me.  The Atlas Peak has a nice lingering finish and should pair very well with tonight's meal.  Cheers to all.

Brisket & Baby Backs