Happy Sunday! Yesterday was the day of my annual Christmas Party, and we had a great crowd which means there were not a lot of leftovers! I use this party as an opportunity to try some new dishes for the guests, and this year we had three new ones that were all well received. Today, after spending a good portion of the afternoon cleaning up, it's now time to open a bottle of wine and enjoy a good dinner. Since this is the last Sunday of the month, it's also Dinner in the Diner Sunday, the last one of this yearlong effort, but more on that later. For the wine, tonight I've opened a bottle of 2020 Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the original vineyard planted by Seven Hills founder Casey McClellan and his father back in the early 1980s. The other vintages I've enjoyed (including the 2017 and 2019) were well worth it, so let's see how the 2020 is faring!
The wine has the classic look of a big Cabernet, inky black at the center and bright ruby along the edges. The nose presents aromas of leather, blackberry, cherry and dark chocolate, inviting you to take a sip. That first sip is a wild ride of flavors as you experience and eruption of sweet cherry up front, that eases into some earthy notes of toasted oak and dusty limestone, before transitioning to some espresso and dark chocolate notes midpalate. The tannins are youthful, but well behaved, providing for the wonderfully smooth dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a classic example of the age worthy potential of Walla Walla Cabernets. This wine would pair well with a range of hearty dishes, from rack of lamb and braised short ribs, London broil to hearty pasta dishes. Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a main course derived from the dining cars of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, fried country ham with red gravy, along with some mashed sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. Cheers!
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