Today Katie brought home some tuna. I had already cooked some of that
multi-grain rice I rave about, and she made some spinach to go with it.
Tuna has to be grilled really rare, and I just about did it (alas, I
let it go about thirty seconds too long). But in any case, the choice
of wine was either the Gewurtz in the fridge, a Zin in the fridge, or a
trip to the basement. Of course I descended the staircase and pulled
out a Cab.

I'd done Cab Franc with tuna before, and this time decided on a 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon from Iron Horse. On opening, it had a wonderful
nose, and that nose continued throughout the entire meal, which is
unusual for the wines I drink (or the way I drink them!). It was very
soft, and a perfect balance to the tuna and the rice; it also went well
with the spinach. The tannins were soft and well balanced; the wine was
full bodied without being overwhelming, and since I'm not too good at
identifying flavors I won't waste your time with my attempt (that's why
Katie recreates the dishes we like, and not me!).

The Iron Horse Vineyards is at the far end of a long dirt road in
Sebastopol; we went with a cousin one day in May wine tasting and this
was one of our picks. The road got longer and longer, and eventually we
did find it, only to be faced with a ten dollar tasting fee (justified
by the wine steward pointing out how much wine you get to drink). Well,
I didn't go there to get drunk, and was only really interested in half
or less of their offerings, but there was no arguing. We'd've left then
and there, except that we'd come a long way. (I'd already written off a
few of our favorite wineries in the Sonoma valley for this sin). So, we
ponied up and ended up taking home a few bottles. This was one.

Looking at the bottle, it's 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc,
10% Merlot, and 1% Petit Vertot (which I've never heard of - what is it
used for??) Normally I'm a purist, but I'm gaining a new respect for
blends.

I'm pretty much the only one that drinks in our household, and when I
open a bottle I pour half into a split, and half of what's left into a
half split (I only have one of them), giving me four glasses per bottle.
I have one with my meal. Sometimes I have two. That's how I can tell
what wines I like. Interestingly, I'm not a Gewurtz fan, but I often
have two glasses of gewurtz when I have it. (We favor Navarro - others
are too sweet)

I had two of this wine. 96.0182 on the modified Parker scale, and
97.3291 for the pairing. No more ageing needed, this is ready now. Go
for it!

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
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