Selecting the right wine to go with a meal is getting easier. The new challenge is in identifying high quality wines that also appeal to a broad range of tastes. Let's face it, the big fruit, spicy and somewhat metallic notes of a big Shiraz or the earthy minerality of a 30 year old Bordeaux are distinctive characteristics that can be off putting to some. Fortunately, there are a couple of readily available standards that can be counted on to deliver quality and style regardless of the vintage.
Two examples of these standards for me are
Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve (
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=529101) and
Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir 728 Fiddlestix Vineyard (https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=410294). The occasion was a welcome visit from and dinner with my cousin and her family who were on a college tour in the area.
We opened the 2005 Fiddlehead Pinot Noir with appetizers of aged gouda, artisan crackers, strawberries and fresh shrimp. The Fiddlehead is my preferred style of Pinot Noir. Brilliant garnet in color, with light red fruit, cherry, strawberry and raspberry on the nose. The fruit gives way to more earthy flavors of leather, mild spice and mocha. Soft and medium bodied but well balanced with just a touch of acid and a long lingering finish. We first discovered Fiddlehead in a "recreation" of the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting. Binny's was holding there annual Fall Extravaganza and Doug Jeffers, the wine buyer for Binny's selected a variety of French wines and their California counterparts in an exceptional seminar. California won again.
With dinner, we opened a couple of bottles of the 2004 BV Tapestry. To my surprise, the two were drinking differently and my 88 rating is based on the most favorable. At its best this is deep dark red in color. It was a bit musty or smoky upon opening. Smooth light tannins with cola and mocha as well as some blackberry and cherry on the palate. First bottle was allowed about an hour to breathe and was almost flat. Second bottle served with dinner was significantly better. Not sure what caused this as both were purchased at the same time and stored in the same conditions. Never the less, this nicely accompanied a dinner of grilled tenderloin, twice baked potatoes and haricot verts. Wonderful evening with Beth, Marilyn, Bill, Caroline, Gordon and Matt & Molly who had traveled out from the city to meet second cousins.
Just goes to show, it helps to know what your fall back wine is for alternative occasions or events.
The 2006 Fantesca Cabernet is a beautiful, deep garnet color. It's big, bold and fruit forward. On the palate, red fruits predominate with dark, sour, cherry and black raspberry most apparent. This is a complex, layered wine with additional notes of vanilla and oak. I opened this for an hour before serving and should have allowed an hour more. This is drinking very well right now but is structured to go another 10 years.
