I had lots of great responses to the pickled shrimp recipe that I posted last week. And just so you know I ate it for several days and while it evolved, it remained delicious to the bitter end. So now let’s talk about the beverages that we enjoyed on New Year’s Eve.
Pickled Without Trying
To be clear there is very little forethought that goes into what we drink on NYE. Every one of us brings several wines that we want to share. We then line it up and decide the order that it should be consumed based on our expected palate fatigue and our desire to savor a wine versus just drink it. That was why we started with the Silver Oak. We wanted to savor it. We knew it would be the most complex, intense wine of the afternoon to evening and we all wanted to be “present” when we drank it.
And let’s be clear, this is a holiday, so no “in-depth” tasting notes. Think “Cliff notes” and we are all on the same page.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
We started early and with the cream of the crop. While this wine should have been served with our beef tenderloin, we were all too anxious and could not wait. Besides as I mentioned above, we wanted to taste, parse, linger with, and savor this wine. Another wine blogger commented when I posted this bottle on Instagram that I should have cellared it for a few more years. But hey, it was a gift and a very nice one that was given to my sister and she wanted to open it. So there you have it. The time was now, and it was beautiful.
Super ripe blackberries and Blackberry jam on the nose. Juicy, smokey, stewed black fruits on the palate. Maybe missing something special by not waiting but patience is a virtue with which I dearly struggle.
Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Meritage 2014
First, what is Meritage?
Meritage which rhymes with “heritage” (*not herit-taj*) is a term coined in California to describe a blended wine made with Bordeaux varieties. The five varietals include any combination of five grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc with no single varietal being more than 90% of the blend.
Tuesday Wine
Friends Bryan and Craig brought this bottle as it is their new favorite “Tuesday” wine (meaning inexpensive and very easy to drink). B& C are big fans of red blends. Their favorites come from Paraduxx, but if you are drinking Paraduxx, you also need a Tuesday wine to balance the budget. I have to assume they started drinking this while up in St. Paul and wanted to introduce it to their Charleston family.
While it was in sharp contrast to the Silver Oak, it hit all the bases for a fruit forward – “Tuesday” wine. On the nose and the palate was fresh cherry pie. This wine is by no means a fruit bomb, but it is abundant. I could see buying this wine for a party that had wine drinkers of all types and preferences. This would fill that niche quite nicely as your red cocktail wine. This blend is 47% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec.
Yep, this is a Costco brand Kirkland Signature wine, and at $10.99 a bottle, it is a great Tuesday wine.
Goldeneye Brut Rosé Anderson Valley 2014
Ok fine. I took zero notes, but damn this was fantastic. Bryan and Craig brought this one as well. Before the bottle was gone, we ordered a case. I can not wait to get my hands on this wine again. I want to savor and sip and linger with all that bubbly fruit.
More to come on this one, but if you can not wait to try it, here is the link to Goldeneye. And get a case, it will be gone in no time. It really is that good.
Thomas George Estates Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir Sparkling Wine 2013
These bottles were brought home form my trip to California last November. I wanted to drink right away but saved for NYE given that the price is $50.00 per bottle. But when you think that many average bottles of bubbles cost upwards of $40 bucks this is a bargain and glad that I brought these home.
The color is a light coral. The nose is bright and clean with hints of tart berries and sweet citrus and a slate, chalky earthiness. This wine tastes of dry straw and young early strawberries with a long mineral finish. The incredibly tiny bubbles are magnificent as they dance around your mouth. This wine would pair well with a cheesy pasta or buttery seafood as the acid with cut through the fat and enhance your experience.
This wine was part of the reserve tasting that I enjoyed with my friend Suzanne. Reserve tastings are their small batch estate wines. They made only 203 cases of this wine.
Thomas George Estates website is undergoing a revamping, so you need to call to order. The phone number is 707-431-8031and tell them SC2RW sent you!
That is all for now because we are normally in bed on NYE by 12:15 am, but this year we went to friends across the boardwalk and drank too much Veuve Clicquot we ended the evening pickled at 2:00 am. Mind you the party kept going, but I was done.
Cheers,
rick
Featured Image Photo by Jerry Kiesewetter on Unsplash
I’ll have to look for that Goldeneye. I *love* brut rose! Sounds like you guys had a great time, although I would have waited for the tenderloin to drink the Silver Oak. It would have been hard, but I would have.