I started the night with a nice aged red and ended the night with a red that could age. Simple dinners almost always scream for interesting wines, and go with the most interesting of stuff. Tonight I pulled the cork (a real cork) on a bottle of Cline Cellars 2004 Red Truck, a blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Mourvedre from California. When I lay this sucker down it was just a test to see what would happen to this juicy red fruited wine; and I would have to say my experiment paid off. The wine had become all smoky and spicy with black fruit, plum and anise notes on the sniffer. The palate also showed a bit of complexity, though the fruit took awhile to express itself, and even then it was faint. The flavours were mostly spice, pepper, pencil shavings and a peek-a-boo of red fruit; there were also still quite a bit of tannins here - but probably mostly from the wood. I thought it had aged to a very nice drinking level, but I wouldn't leave it much longer if you have any; looking at my cellar I have one left and that will be drunk soon. As for the dinner I mentioned: Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich with all the deli fixin's - bbq chips and cole slaw.
Quinta do Infantado Ruby Port ...
Later in the evening I decided a little dark chocolate was called for (85% Ecuadorian dark) and what goes better with that then a nice Port. I have been a fan of this Ruby since it entered the market in March of 2008, so much so I ended up buying 7 bottles of it (it sold out fairly quickly but it has never come back, too bad for you, not so bad for me - I still have quite a few bottles). This is a beauty of a Ruby Port with spiced-cherry, plum and chocolate notes of its own (but it paired with the 85% cacao). There is also quite a bite from the tannins and acidity, but considering you don't drink a bottle of Port in one sitting this will smooth over the next week and become luscious and silky through the mouth. Looking forward to experimenting with it over the coming weeks.
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