Thanksgiving is a time when we reflect about how grateful we are for our many blessings. This year is certainly no exception at the Brothers house. We had all four generations of our women at the table. My amazing, patient, supportive and super handsome husband. A good family friend joined us and as usual we had a wonderful, bountiful feast in our lovely home with a cozy fire. We are truly blessed.
Lindsey shared her expertise with the shaker by making us all a pumpkin pie-tini...pumpkin pie vodka, whipped vodka, half & half and a splash of soda..shaken not stirred Moneypenny....and yes it was as rich as it sounds, just one please or you won't be able to remember eating dinner!
We have enjoyed a variety of nice wines over this long holiday weekend, here are a couple of the highlights!
Honorable mention but sadly no photo of the bottle:
2010 Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon, JL Giguiere Lake Country, Zamora CA
Dark red, blackberry aroma; medium acidity with full tannins and a dusty-chocolate finish.
I have "yum" written on the tasting notes ie the honorable mention!
This Semillion tastes just like fall to me. Straw yellow with a slightly melon aroma but an apple-pear taste. Creamy with pleasingly crisp acidity. Nicely balanced but sturdy enough to hold up to lighter food such as the roast chicken it accompanied.
OK- Suezy, Theresa; get ready, this one is right up your ally......
This was a "big red" suggestion to us by the gal helping us navigate our first trip to Total Wine & More. She was dead-on with this one and it may even be worth a special trip to Southcenter to get a couple more bottles.
As you can probably tell by the name, this is a Spanish red. It's an estate reserve (reserve actually means something on "old world" wines unlike here in the US...) red blend.
70% Tempranillo, 10% Garnache, 10% Granciano and 10% Mazuelo. You may recall hearing me extol the virtues of a big Tempranillo on other wines, this did not disappoint. I read that the Tempranillo and Granche combo is classic Rioja zone blend but what about those other two??
Graciano is a low yield grape specifically used in Rioja Gran Reserva's to give the intense aroma and the ability to age well.
Mazuelo is what Carignan (karen-yawn) is referred to in Rioja region and what brings the tannins and
acidity to the blend.
I got a little nervous with this one as the cork was dry and broke when I pulled it. To capture any cork bits, I poured the wine through the strainer in my splayer and aerated it into the decanter.
I got all warm and fuzzy with the oaky aroma wafting up during the trip into the decanter. I was further buoyed by the brick red color traveling down the glass into a red brown pool...... then the pour into the glass, with oaky anticipation the swirl, the sip, the push of air to send notes to the epithelium...ok I'm down right wine giddy now as the tannins meet the oak, then a cedar-silky long finish, ahhhhhh a keeper.
OK what time does Total Wine open? I have to have a couple more bottles and at about $15 a bottle, not out of budget!
November 25, 2012 at 1:32 PM
YUM! This the season for sure, for sure! Thanks for the great recommendations Jill. Not only the sultry Spanish offering, but the Semillion as well.....both right up my alley, but not to disappoint, I've added the Matchbook Cab Sav to my "Christmas Stocking List" too.
Tis the season to be jolly!Suezy
November 25, 2012 at 1:33 PM
Suezy- thanks for your remarks, not sure why they wouldnt post so I have attached them...