You had to be there......

 

When: A Saturday afternoon/evening in March

Where: my house

Who: Mom, Dad and my two favorite winos

What: Amazing wine paired with delicious food shared with friends

Why: Why not?

 

 

 

The line-up

Wine #1:

After the lineup picture was taken, "The Cow" - a Vidal Blanc from Bluemont, VA - was added to the lineup.


Aromas of butter, fresh cut spring grass, hay
100% stainless steel

The taste becomes mellow with Kerrygold Aged cheddar cheese made with Irish Whiskey and Skellig Sweet White cheddar cheese.

To everyone's surprise, even the Evil Red Genius loved this white wine. 

Quote: "She had a "cow" and liked it!"

WINE #2 

2012 Blindfold

The Prisoner Wine Company, Rutherford, CA

35% Chardonnay, 60% blend of Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, 5% blend of Riesling and Semillion

 

Aromas of mandarin and apricot

Roasted marshmallow, spiced apple tart, butter on the palette

 

Paired with Irish cheddar cheeses and spicy Mexican-style chicken bites

 

 

Quote:  "We don't have to agree.... for the wine to be good!"

 

 

 

WINE #3

2012 Broken Earth Merlot

Paso Robles, CA

 

Aromas of licorice, charcoal, sweet berry, cranberry, plum

A jammy, cinnamon taste on the palette

 

After being aerated:

Aromas of cinnamon, jam, grape, blackberry

While the aroma is stronger, the taste is lighter and more mellow

 

 

 

Paired with Irish Cheddar cheeses, sea salt chocolate and honey mustard italian sausage bites

 

 

Quote: "This is not your normal Merlot. It's a Pinot disguised as a Merlot..... or is it a Merlot disguised as a Pinot?"

and "It's pretty!"

 

 

While the host mentioned that we didn't have to finish the entire bottle before moving on to the next wine to taste, no one seemed to heed her warning.

So far, these three were the wines tasted and they were empty!

 

Quote: "It could be the company.. or being outside in the air."

 

 

WINE #4

2011 Educated Guess

Napa Valley, CA

 

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

 

Aromas of tobacco, smoke, wet forest and pepper tied together with a creamy French vanilla middle

 

When aerated, the taste is smoother - like cashmere

 

Excellent pairing with Irish cheddar cheeses and sausage bites

 

 

Quotes: "If Keith Urban was a vampire, this would be it"

and

"Can't go wrong with a Napa Cab"

 

 

WINE #5

2012 Norton

Winery at Bull Run, Centreville, VA

Aromas of mud, dirty, cow, manure, smelly tennis shoes, earth, barn

Tastes smooth with a bite at the end

 

After decanted for five hours, it still smelled muddy, the smoothness increased and the bite was gone.

 

Paired really well with cheddar cheeses; awful with green grapes





 

Quotes: "Straight out of the bottle this sucks!"

and

"A bad red is still better than a good white!"

and

"I'm her father. Maybe I don't want to hear this."

 

It's getting dark on the deck for this lineup shot.

 

 

WINE #6

2012 Abstract

Orin Swift, St. Helena, CA

 

From Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, a blend of Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah

 

Aromas of dark fruit and sage with roasted plum, black tea and bitter chocolate on the palette

Soft tannins, lingering finish

 

After decanting for 6 hours, this wine tastes like a completely different wine.

Smooth, wonderful and

phenomenal with sea salt chocolate

 

Quotes: "Try not to get too hammered"

and

"I'm just going to drink, I'm backing out on this one (as far as analyzing)"

and

"Thank you, Mr. Decanter!"

and

"Here comes the chocolate lady!"

 

The Norton and Abstract wines were paired with Lamb Youvetsi, a Greek lamb stew, but somehow, sadly,  no pictures of it were taken.......

The final line up - every bottle is empty - before heading indoors for dessert.

 

WINE #7

2011 Swagger (port-style wine)

Paradise Springs, Clifton, VA

 

Fortified with grape spirit brandy and aged in VA bourbon barrels for 17 months, this wine has a touch of sweetness with a long lingering finish

 

It should be noted that upon tasting this wine almost two years ago, this "event" was born!!

 All Hail Jammy Night!

 

Paired with chocolate mousse bomb cake

(Again, so sad that there's not a photo. At this point, I'm lucky I could stand.. oh wait, or could I?)

 

 

Quote: "We're nothing if not good!"

 

WINE #8

2012 Hope's Legacy Raspberry

Doukenie Winery, Purcellville, VA

 

Wait ....#8 didn't happen. It is safe in my wine rack for next time.

"If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him. The people who give you their food, give you their heart. "

-Cesar Chavez