Cabernet and Chocolate: A Match Made in Heaven?
Just this past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend a luncheon and tasting at a winery. The dessert that was served was brownies, and a friend said all he wanted at the moment was some more Cabernet to go with his brownie. He said it was a great pairing. Let me say, maybe not.
Below are Karen MacNeil’s comments (she is the author of The Wine Bible) on the pairing of Cabernet and Chocolate:
Good Cabernet for $15??
Most people say that it is easy to buy a good bottle of cabernet for $50. The real challenge is finding the good bottle for much less. Well, given the challenge, I had to post this for your palate and pocket experience. This comes from Wine Spectator Advance; and, after reading about it, I had to share it with you.
Columbia Crest
Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills H3 2012
92 points | $15 | 162,000 cases made | Red
“Dark and spicy, billowing with plum, currant and white chocolate flavors, picking up pear and white tea notes as the finish lingers with refinement. The tannins are submerged. Drink now through 2018.” —H.S.
Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga, CA: Visit and Enjoy!
When one thinks of Napa Valley and wine tasting, one often pictures a bucolic setting, sipping, and relaxing. The experience at Larkmead Vineyards is a great example of just that. This winery is located in Calistoga, which is in the north end of the valley. The setting is beautiful, situated on the valley floor and surrounded by vineyards.
The facility itself is an artistic expression of architecture. This is a Howard Backen project, one of the many wineries and restaurants he has designed in the valley. Tastings are done on the porch or on the patio and lend themselves to really relaxing and enjoying the wine and the scenery. Speaking of the scenery, the drought-tolerant landscaping, which incorporates many native plants, is also beautiful.
Leonetti Cellar: A Washington State Great!
Last night, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant with new friends. One of the aspects of wine that I truly love is sharing it with others. I most certainly enjoy bringing new or special bottles to those who appreciate the experience. On this night, I brought a white and a red. The red was a 2005 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon from the Walla Walla region in the state of Washington. This is a wine that I received as a gift and let rest for a while to have the flavors evolve. It was a wonderful bottle. It presented rich, dark fruit with a dusty finish that went on and on. Silly as it seems, I timed it once, and the finish lingered for 45 seconds.
Ovid Wine: A Class Act
We spent this past week relaxing and enjoying the Napa Valley. It was time to explore and discover new wines and tasting experiences, and one of the stops was at Ovid Napa Valley. This is an absolutely beautiful property and a wonderful wine, which are well worth the time and money to experience. The setting is magnificent on top of Pritchard Hill, and you’ll pass by several other well known wineries on your way to Ovid. The expanse of the valley is in full view from the patio and is simply gorgeous. We were told that on a clear day, you can see all the way to downtown San Francisco. I frankly prefer to see vineyards over buildings, but this gives you a sense of the expanse of the view. (Check this out in the pictures below.) The structure itself is state of the art – set up to move the wine from crush to barrel via gravity flow. This is an innovative property that has been set up to honor the setting and the land.
If you get the sense I am going on about the setting – well, I am. It was exquisite, and the tasting itself was classy with great attention to detail. As we walked into the tasting room, our names were on the chalkboard welcoming us to our visit. We were given a tour of the property including the crush pad, the lab, and the barrel room. Our host was very gracious and knowledgeable.
Good Wine Buy – a Northern California Cabernet for $30.00!
Here’s a low-priced Cabernet from Sonoma — it’s the 2010 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet, and it’s priced at just $30. This AVA is only seven miles north of Calistoga; and, if you drive north from there, you might not realize that you’ve left Napa Valley. The tannic structure on this wine is such that, if you drink it now, it will be best with food or appetizers or decanted. The production is large enough that it should be available in many outlets, and it’s a value worth pursuing and a bottle worth aging. You could buy three bottles and drink one now, one a year from now, and one down the road. The 2009 vintage of this wine made Wine Spectators’ top 100 list. Will this one make it? I dare not say, but maybe.
Just a note about Wine Spectator’s top 100 list. There are specific criteria that the magazine uses to determine what is worthy of the list. Specifically, they consider, of course, wines that are well crafted; but they also consider wines that are well priced and have a certain level of production. Kudos to them, because it would be a shame to highlight only expensive, limited production wines.