Cross Post, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sanderlings

This is a being posted simultaneously on SMU.


This is my home office space. That is my monitor and my wine. The other day, I came across a flock of Sanderlings feeding at low tide with the sun going down. This creates dramatic colors and an opportunity to get some great shots. In these lighting conditions, shutter speeds become slow and the depth of field become shallow. This makes for difficult shooting conditions, especially when working with active, twitchy birds. Such is wildlife photography.

The 50 Sanderlings were feeding and being “relatively” quiet. I couldn’t pass this up especially because they were quite content to allow me to approach them and with patience, I was able to get a working distance from 10 to 50 feet. But hand holding 300mm lenses, kneeling in the mud and getting down low, the best policy is to over shoot.

Taking pictures can be a joy, and I shot 100 or so knowing that the majority were going to be blurry because of the activity of the subject and the low light. That means hours of culling through pictures, sending them to the “cutting room floor”. Then deciding on the best of the best that are worthy of posting becomes a laborious task. A nice glass of wine will help.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Michel-Schlumberger
Sonoma County
Blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Vintage: 2004
AVA: Dry Creek Valley
Alcohol: 14.4%

Color: Garnett
Intensity: Dark
Aromas: Cherry, plum, jam, raisin, violet, rose, mint, tar, allspice, anise
Flavors: Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, currant, mineral, anise, allspice, coffee, chocolate.
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Suede
Finish: Long

Summary: This is a very highly extracted wine, very dark and rich. The wine is what you would expect from Dry Creek Valley, it is fruit forward, well balanced, very intense in its flavors. The finish goes into a very pleasant spiciness with mineral and earth on the mid finish then back to cherry and blueberry. There is a slight mint quality that shouldn’t surprise. What does surprise me is a lack of a eucalyptus component that is very common in the region. This isn’t a flaw, just an observation.

I think the Cabernet Franc and the Merlot bring a great deal to the table. The fragrant qualities of this wine stay right to the end of the glass.

I would have this with big foods. Pizza, roast beef, grilled mutton dishes, barbeque, grilled Portobello mushrooms or you can do as I’m doing, enjoying it while posting. Summer is about over here in New England. It is starting to cool off. I’m ready for a big wine again. Yah, I’m enjoying this.


Post Script: Just a few photos for the SMU post.

A Good Blogger Tip: David Coffaro Escuro

We read a lot of wine blogs yet, oddly, we rarely purchase the wines that our fellow bloggers recommend. It's not that the reviews aren't intriguing, it's just that either a) I'll never remember the name b) I'd have to order it and get it shipped to relatives in a neighboring state or c) my wine cabinet is already full. Oh, and d) we want to experiment and post blog entries about new wines!

However, last time we were at the Vineyard, we spotted a bottle from David Coffaro which we recognized from a post by Dr. Debs on Coffaro Winery futures. We are not in a place where we are going to be buying wine on futures but, this bottle was there, and we were there so we said "let's try it!"

David Coffaro
Escuro California Red Table Wine
90% 2004 10% 2003
Lodi: 30% Alvarelhão & 12% Touriga Nacional
Dry Creek Valley: 40% Cab Sauvignon, 11% Petite Sirah & 7% Zinfandel
Production: 220 Cases
Alcohol: 13.9%
Price: $24.99

I don't know when I've ever taken a whiff of a red wine where the first aroma to hit me was bread before this wine. Bread, and then some vanilla, and some strawberry, and then chocolate, and then hay. On the palate we get some strawberry, then metal (first sip), and then a longish finish with cinnamon/allspice and chocolate.

I like the balance of this wine: It's lush but not overly fruity. It's dessert-like but not sweet, and it's warm but not hot.

The image that comes to mind drinking this wine is a strawberry, dusted in cinnamon and toasted over a fire on a metal skewer like a marshmallow, and then right as you're about to pop it in your mouth, it slides off the skewer into the ashes for a second. The other image that comes to mind is the Benzinger vineyard in Sonoma for some reason (just throwing that out there).

You don't need to eat food with this wine but, I had it with some chicken and it worked. Let's face it: When is the last time you made prime rib or duck at home to go with your wine? I don't want to have to drink white wine every Sunday just because I'm having chicken. Chicken goes with everything (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) I also had it with chocolate--that worked too.

By the way, if you are interested in the 2004 David Coffaro Estate Cuvee, check out A Passionate Foodie's review.

Really Good Wine - Really Great Price!

We opened up this mysterious bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma Creek we couldn't quite remember buying. It was just like Christmas! Great bottle of $15 wine that tastes like a $30 bottle.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma Creek

AVA: Dry Creek, Sonoma Co.
Alcohol: 14.5%

Color: Purple
Aromas: smoked meat, vanilla, jam, raspberry, chocolate
Flavors: tar, coffee, blackberry, allspice, rose

Summary: Gorgeous color and wonderful nose. Nice mouthfeel with silky tannins and interesting palate: I was first struck by somewhat bitter notes of coffee and tar which quickly faded to nice round chewy fruit and a subtley floral finish.

Pairings: While I noted down that this would be good with anything with Hoisin Sauce, the actual pairing turned out to be spinach ravioli in a light butternut squash and wine reduction, with chevre and baby greens tossed in balsamic vinegar on sourdough toast. I hope Taster A doesn't put me in a home: I keep repeating the phrase "this is really good wine!"