Hooray, Hooray for Cabernet!

Apr 5 2010

First and foremost, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you couldn’t be at this amazing dinner and I’m sorry for the jealousy you might feel at the end of this article. Final apology is me being sorry for the lack of photos. My glass was empty and my plate was licked clean before I or anyone else could get a camera out, and although I still have the gorgeous menu it is tattered from all the people who I’ve shown.

When I got invited to the Hightower Winemakers Dinner at Picazo 7Seventeen by Craig Sutton, I jumped at the opportunity! Chef Frank always makes divine food, and since I hadn’t had Hightower wine before I of course wanted to try it.

We started the evening with light appetizers; almonds, olives, and mussels, among other things. To accompany the appetizers, we drank the Murray Cuvee, a wine dedicated to their late dog, Murray. It paired nicely, and I might have gone back for a second glass. After chatting a bit and meeting some tweeters, we sat and got ready for the meal I’d starved myself all day for.

Stories filled the table and soon we were wrapped around Kelly & Tim Hightower’s wine finger. They are such great people and with amazing wine, it’s hard to not love them. My favorite Kelly quote of the night was “I used to live in a convent, and yes, my dates picked me up from there.” If you weren’t listening to her stories before, that one line perked a few ears.

First course was a beautiful salad with seared duck. I’d never had duck before, but liked it, and was proud of myself for maybe possibly growing out of my picky eater phase. After the salad, we had a spicy gazpacho with bread made from Hightower grape yeast, which I didn’t know could be done. The next thing I enjoyed was a mushroom gnocchi and once again, loved every bite. I even had the mushrooms which is again me growing out of my picky eater phase.

Now here it is – the best wine and the best food! Hightower brought their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with Frank Magana’s fillet of beef tenderloin and it was absolutely magnificent. The cabernet had a beautiful color, big spicy nose and the taste … ahh, heavenly. One of the people at the table described the wine as “cured peppered meat” and for me that meant a very classy, in no way offensive, peppered beef jerky. Imagine that – in a glass of wine! It had slight tannin which I love and it left my mouth wanting more, something that I think every wine should have. The tenderloin was so tender; it didn’t even need a steak knife. I tried eating slowly and with small bites, but it came to an end and I had to eat dessert, chocolate crème’ brulee paired with Hightower Merlot.
It was a rough night full of gourmet food, delicious wine, fabulous conversation and new friends but I survived it. I want to give an enormous thank you to Frank Magana, Trina Cortez, all of Picazo7Seventeen’s staff, Kelly & Tim Hightower and Craig Sutton. As always, I look forward to another wine maker dinner.

Cheers!

Five Star Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (2006 – Red Wine)

Aug 7 2009

There’s nothing like discovering you don’t have a taste for cab the week before your review on a cabernet is due – right? So, instead of reviewing cab, I am going to spend the next 200 or so words telling you why PalateBomb is such an awesome site and you should advertise here so I can get paid. I’m kidding (well, not about the getting paid part).

After trying several cab “fails,” I went to the Kennewick Yoke’s and explained my dilemma to the totally awesome wine department associate (Chrystie B.). She showed me some different bottles at various prices, but in the end, I saw the sign and had to pick Five Star’s cab (Five Star is located in the Walla Walla Valley). The sign in front of the bottle reported it having notes of chocolate. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I was sold.

At the suggestion of Chrystie B., I picked up some chocolate to go along with my tasting as she said it might help train the palate to accept the more fuller bodied flavors of cab. And, you know, yeah chocolate! On the nose, the wine has a rich dark cherry smell (the sign did not lie!), but it’s not overwhelmingly harsh (as I’ve noted with the other cabs I did not like). It actually smells sweeter than most reds I’ve tasted. This definitely impressed me.

When it came to tasting I held my breath (not literally – it’s better to breath so you can take in all the subtleties while you are drinking. And… WOW. This was nothing like the cabs I had rejected in the past. Absent were the harsh tannins that caused me to cringe, and it was just a smooth, peppery, slightly fruity taste. It went down easy and lingered pleasantly on the back of my tongue. I was enjoying the wine so much, I didn’t initially note that I did not taste the chocolate that had initially led me to purchase it.

Paired with dark chocolate, this was a wonderful treat that I am, right now, pleasantly letting myself believe was zero calorie. Chocolate and cab do not have calories, right? Thought so. Time for another glass!

Canyon’s Edge Cabernet (2005 – Red Wine)

Aug 5 2009

The USA has a president, Canada has a prime minister, but in the world of wine, Cabernet is king.

Yes, if I had to appoint a “type” of wine as high council, it would be cab…hands down.  Why, you ask?  Robust, full bodied, and has the air of someone who knows that they’re just a little bit better than the others.

A little history:

The grapes we known widely as “Cabernet Sauvignon” are derived from two other varietals called Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.  This was discovered just recently in the late 1990s with the use of DNA typing.  Before this discovery it was rumored the grape had ancient origins, even dating back to Roman times being used to create an ancient Roman wine.

Cabs traditionally have a dark, dense, and highly tannic profile.  It’s easy to find cabs that give off flavors like black pepper, current, asparagus, and jam.  Cabernet has an affinity for oak. It ages extremely well in traditional oak barrels, however lots of winemakers use larger barrels, as to bring less wine in contact with the wood resulting in a less dramatic oak influence.

One of my favorite cabs in the last couple years, has been the Canyon’s Edge Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  This particular cab has taken home silver in three different competitions locally in 2008, and has been recommended by master sommelier Angelo Tavernero.  I poured myself a glass just the other day and I was delighted to see that it was still incredibly good.  Here’s what I experienced:

Blackberries, dark current, and a hint of nutmeg on the nose with plenty of oak.

Raspberries, and a full, dark chocolate on the tongue, and a nice spicy, chocolate finish that’s smooth, drinkable, but holds up GREAT with a nice thick steak.  With such a complex flavor profile, I would recommend opening this up early, and even decanting as to let all the flavors come out to breathe.  Grill up your favorite cut of beef, and go heavy on the spices if you want. Don’t worry, the king can take it…

The Canyon’s Edge Cabernet is a wonderful wine at any vintage, and it has yet to disappoint my palate.  It may be hard to find so call around ahead of time to your local stores and ask for it so you don’t waste a trip.  Why are you still here?! The king is waiting…