Don and I recently attended the International Wine and Food Society social at Timothy Oulton Design Studio. We met some lovely couples and branched out from there to one of their homes last Saturday evening. It was a fun time for all meeting again and sharing our favorite wines from our personal collections. I wanted to share with you the wines we tasted that evening (some of which were not new to me, but who cares, right!).
The purpose of the night was to stay in touch and enjoy wines! We began with a wonderful champagne provided by the homeowners and served with fresh strawberries and blue cheese-stuffed figs wrapped in proscuitto.
Champagne Chanoine Freres' Grand Reserve Brut ($41) from Champagne, France. This is from a 1997 harvest and reserve wine and is a very generous and balanced champagne-a champagne of the heart!
One couple brought two different Cakebread Cellars wines to share. The one on the left is a 2008 Chardonnay Reserve signed bottle from Carneros Napa Valley ($59). This vintage is sold out. At the International Winemaker's Challenge in San Diego, January 2012, 21 judges from over 12 countries tasting more than 800 wines names this bottle of Chardonnay the "Best Chardonnay" for the entire competition.
The chardonnay on the right is the 2008 Cakebread Cellars from Napa Valley ($49). This is deliciously fresh and delectable now and for another 3-5 years. I loved drinking both of them in one evening and comparing the two.They were so different, yet lovely.
From the library of this home, we moved into the kitchen and enjoyed another couple's wine. Bill and Elizabeth, the homeowners served the rest of the wine with cheeses, crackers, and baked hors d'oeuvre.
The wines served in the kitchen were as follows:
We share a 2010 Forth Cabernet Sauvignon All Boys ($27) from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma. Don and I are great friends with Jann and Gerry Forth and will be visiting them this October at their winery. Toasty oak and subtle tannins make this a delightfully accessible Cabernet.
Another couple shared their 2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) from Napa Valley. This is a good, full red wine to be served with red meat! Drinks well now.
Last but not least at all (in fact, the most expensive bottle of the night) was a bottle of
2001 Special Selection Caymus Vineyards ($199). As you might have guessed, this is a cabernet sauvignon that has been awarded points by of 93 and up by all of the noted wine people such as Robert Parker, etc. This wine is said to keep for another 15 years! WOW! It was beyond outstanding!
We ended the night by traveling to a sophisticated but casual restaurant around the corner to eat and enjoy fellowship with new friends. The highlight of the travel there for me was that I got to ride in an Aston Martin-whoa-really amazing, fast ride so close to the ground. We were the first ones at Mercury! Mercury has an awesome chef that uses influences from French and Mediterranean cooking to create award winning American cuisine.
Fine cars and wine go together! (Thank you for the ride John!)
Here we enjoyed Talbott 2011 Pinto Noir "Sleepy Hollow Vineyards" ($42) from the Santa Lucia Highlands, 13 miles south of Monterrey, CA. This is a full-bodied wine and rich textured with flavors of Bing cherries and red plums. Very nice!
And last was a bottle of 2010 Terra Valentine Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain in Napa Valley ($45). The word for this wine is balance. Neither the juicy fruit or soft tannins dominate. It was delicious.
Well, needless to say, we had plenty of wonderful wines Saturday night! I can't wait to see what we have the next time we get together. It can only get better, right!
ta
Enjoy!
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