the post for friday night was too much to do at 11 pm. we went to one of our favorite local french restaurants. a special evening demands a special wine, so i went a bit over the limit i had set, but an occasional splurge is worth it. this wine did come from our cellar and was 15% under the current on line prices. the pennsylvania state store system has retained this lower price (please, no one tell them).
dinner was at spring mill cafe, www.springmill.com. escargot, salad, shrimp and scallop, and game hen tangier. there always is a spectacular array of flavors to match, but this does create a wine problem.
this special wine was a solution to the potential tastes and conflicts of the meal. it is traditional in its style, and is blend. its aoc allows a up to 13 different grape varieties to be used; most producers do not include all but this one usually does. grenache, syrah, mourvedre, and cinsault are the predominant grapes in this dense and dark ruby wine. it has intense aromas of fresh red fruit, tar, and garrigue. the taste is fruit forward, with strawberry and red cherry. it finishes with chocolate, tar, and herbs. the tannins are still firm, but as a blend the balance is perfect. retasting the "remains" of the bottle after 24 hours of exposure to oxygen brings out the ageworthiness of the wine, the fruit has mellowed a bit, the tannins remain, the tar, leather, and chocolate provide the finish.
the producer is one of the oldest in the region. they are not a small, limited volume wine maker. but, they have retained a traditional style. the year was 2005. we visited at at new years and learned of the village's wonderful vintage. what and where is this?
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