Nomadic Wines

Food with wine...

We returned to Flo and Rigby's house for dinner. I think it is interesting how little time we spend matching wine and food, especially us wine geeks. We are happy to spend hours seeking out the best price for a wine but then we spend just a few minutes thinking about how to pair the wines. Seems silly... a good pairing can completely change a wine.

I didn't spend a lot of time on pairings for this dinner, but maybe I should have.

We served this as an aperitif - an easy sipper.

• 2005 Wente Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Livermore Valley - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley
  An interesting mix of grassiness and fruit. A little tart but overall, a good Cali Sauvignon Blanc. Reminded me more of an inexpensive white Bordeaux, as opposed to a NZ Sauvignon Blanc. (Note: I am a Wente summer intern, but I am trying to be unbiased.)

We should have popped the Moshin at this point, to match with the ceviche... but this Pinot was calling. It has enough acidity to be a food wine, but just not a good pair with the acidity from the line juice in ceviche.

• 2004 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Cuvée de Trois - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  This is the 3rd time I have tasted this wine, and I wasn't as impressed as the first two times. This bottle was a little more one-dimensional with nice ripe cherry fruit and a little earthiness, but it lacked the freshness and acidity of the other bottles. Still a good RRV Pinot, but not as memorable.

Then we moved to the next Sauv Blanc... probably would have been better before tasting the red.

• 2005 Moshin Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Larrick Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
  Second time I have tasted this - nice balance of roundness and fruit. I think my buddy bought a case and got a sweet deal - good everyday cocktail wine or tasty with fish.

I think we started drinking this one with the pasta and meatballs, which is a nice pairing. Dumb luck.

• 2004 Murrieta's Well Zarzuela - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley
  This was an interesting wine - I think it is about half Touriga and half Tempranillo. It is ripe with some nice layers underneath of dark chocolate and spice. It is ripe but doesn't come off as hot - probably not for everyone but I could see it intriguing people. (Note: I am a Wente summer intern, but I am trying to be unbiased.)

At this point, it was just time to open whatever was closest...

• 2003 Cadence Bel Canto - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
  Very Bordeaux-like, though the nose was not showing much. The Merlot must have been winning last night as I tasted plums and dark fruit. Definitely has the backbone to age longer.


• 2001 Pepi Sangiovese Pepin Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Not an especially complex wine, but not bad for a $10 bottle of wine. Mostly black fruit and a little bit of earthiness.

posted by nomadfromcincy @ 2:28 PM