As mentioned in a couple of previous posts, I have been a bit disappointed in the past by some of the wines that I have cellared. Maybe I waited too long, or there was a problem with my cellar, or the wine was past its prime when I bought it.
Sometimes, however, the wine is just perfect!
Thanks to Covid 19, we are dining in every night but we try to get something nice - either from the grocery store or a restaurant - a couple of times a week. And if we're going to have a nice meal, why not have a nice bottle of wine!
A week ago, we thought we'd try the charcuterie board from Friends of Dorothy Lounge.
If you know the lingo, I'm actually a friend of a friend of Dorothy - but who cares....
The charcuterie board was $30 and I picked up this big pizza box with the food inside. I didn't look inside until I got home and then I opened the box.
There were four types of meat, three different cheeses, various different condiments, enough crackers for everything, pickles, olives, nuts, dried fruit, and the most amazing pickled mushrooms. Fantastic!
What to have with such a wonderful treat?
For this charcuterie (which became dinner), we had a 2015 Black Swift Vineyards Hans Estate Cabernet Syrah ($62 Vivino - not available on their web site but their 2014 Long Road Syrah is there for $49). I think it had been in the cellar for a couple of years but I am not positive on that. The Hans Estate is south of Osoyoos so you know that this is from a nice, hot vineyard - but not too hot! Black Swift is owned by the Hatch but they are opening a new tasting room just for Black Swift next year.
After an hour decant, we sampled this wine. On the nose was black fruit including blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry. There was some smoke and some earthiness as well. On the palate were similar flavours along with leather and tobacco. It still had fairly strong acidity and the fruit was definitely there but with an overlay of ageing flavours. It was fairly balanced, was intense, complex and had a nice long finish. It would probably age for another 2 or 3 years. I would rate this wine as Very Good.
Back in 2017 we went to Road 13 to pick up a case of wine for my brother-in-law because we were in the neighbourhood. The kind folks there bumped us up to their premium tasting (complimentary) in the 'castle' which is a beautiful tasting venue. You can refresh your memory here, if you'd like.
Three years later, and I had brought home a nice, thick rib eye steak from Mission Meats - my first time trying this butcher. The steaks looked wonderful and were even better after some grilling.
To accompany a meaty steak, I chose this 2012 Road 13 Fifth Element ($47 Vivino - 2017 available on web site for $47). I remember when we did the tasting, the person behind the bar was telling us how Road 13 was moving away from Bordeaux style blends, like the 5th Element, and moving to Rhone style blends as there are a lot of Bordeaux blends in the Okanagan. After a quick peek at their web site, it appears that there are a number of Rhone style wines but that 5th Element is still part of the portfolio. Thanks goodness! This wine is a blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
I remember how good this tasted in 2017. After a good 90 minute decant, I found that age had even improved its taste. On the nose were several black fruits including blackberry, blueberry, and black currant and definite smells of leather, tobacco and vanilla. On the palate, these flavours were all present but integrated with amazing smoothness. There was also a vegetal and earthy flavour that was delicious. This wine still had fruit flavours, still had acidity, still had some tannins and was completely balanced. A super full bodied wine, it paired very well with the steak I had cooked. It also paired very well with the act of barbecuing the steak before we ate! This wine was balanced, intense, very complex and had a long finish. An exceptional wine.
Luckily I have another bottle in the cellar! I think I will drink it in the nest year.
Stay safe and drink at home - cheers!
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