Slider pairing

Christmas 08 was one of the best for me. Everyone was healthy and there were no significant stressors going on in anyone’s life. Both my sons were home for almost two weeks. When they would come home from college several years ago, they would be gone most of the time catching up with friends. I didn’t begrudge them this, it made sense. That was their world, and with their friends and them spread all over the county, this was their opportunity to catch up in person. This visit they stayed around the house for most of the time. It gave us a chance to really catch up and to cover a wide range of topics, stuff you don’t get to on phone calls. We played several games of Rook. This is a card game that is taken very seriously in our extended family, as are wiffle ball and touch football. Well, the boys beat the pants off us time and again, and as family tradition dictates, rubbed it thoroughly in our faces. We did manage to salvage a game or two which we claimed to be equal or superior to the drubbing they gave us in the rest of the games.

Down through history, it has to be one of the greatest feeling for a parent to look across the room (or cave) and see your sons lounging on the leather couches (or leather covered rocks) and feel comfortable that they are doing so well.

To the stated premise of this blog, I had planned on opening several special bottles of wine from my cellar while the boys were home, so they could experience some higher end wines. We didn’t get to any of them; they drank some Linney’s Red, some Belgian beer, a lot of Soda, a few gallons of coffee, and some tea.

Their choice of food was the primary reason we didn’t get to the upper end wines. For instance, the first night they were home, I walked into the family room to find the boys with a Crave Case of sliders (30 or so White Castle burgers). Not sure what to pair with that, I opened a 2005 Marco Bonfante Barbera d Asti Stella Rosa and a 2007 Saint Esprit Cotes du Rhone. I thought the barbera was the better match, my older son preferred the Cotes du Rhone.

2005 Marco Bonfante Barbera d'Asti Stella Rosa ($9.99)
From: Asti, Italy
Grapes: Barbera
On the nose: Dark fruit, black raspberries, cooked cherries, a floral note and a hint of cedar. My younger son pointed out that he tasted “red grapes”, and then sat there grinning at me.
Taste: Predominantly cherry juice, with a little bit of raspberry, and a hint of chocolate at the end. Light in the mid palate and a bit of bitter tannins on the end, but a nice simple Barbera that improved and became more complex as it opened.
This is a good wine for lighter fair including seafood. I especially like this with seared tuna or salmon.



2007 Saint Esprit Cotes du Rhone ($8.99) WA 90 pts
75% Syrah, 25% Grenache
Deep dark inky color.
On the nose – dark fruit, a bit of a smoked venison, and black pepper,
On the palate – black raspberries and cassis up front, cranberries and nice weight on the mid palate, with firm tannins on the back end.
Cotes du Rhone is my favorite wine with triple cream brie. This one is great, especially for the price.