2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, I've been somewhat of a slacker for the past couple months, but I finally remembered to Cellar Saturday, that magical first Saturday of the month where I raid the cellar for something interesting to open.  Tonight I've decided to open a nice one, a bottle of 2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine has the deep coloration you'd expect from a nice Cabernet.  The nose is an interesting combination of black fruit and earthy notes, blackberry, plum and prune interlaced with tar, peat and tobacco.  The taste is a rush of bright cherry fruit that envelopes the palate while easily transitioning to some warm spice notes midpalate.  The finish has a note of sweet cherry, as the well structured tannins still provide the backbone for the long, smooth and velvety dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's a really nice Cabernet and I'm glad I let it develop for the past decade as it was well worth it.  This is also a classic, "big" California Cabernet, so it's practically begging to be paired with a nice steak and tonight is its lucky day!  I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled filet mignon along with butter braised Yukon gold potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

A wonderful evening on Mercer Island

I've lived in a lot of different places, so over time I've made many friends and still maintain contacts all over the country, from New York to Seattle.  That presents wonderful opportunities to meet up with folks that I don't see very often when I travel on business, and that was the case this past week when I was in Seattle.  I had the chance to enjoy dinner on Mercer Island with my friend Charlie and his wife Susie and their two daughters, Pacey (who's now 3) and Kenzie who just joined us in February of this year.

I met Charlie when I was in graduate school at Indiana University in Bloomington, and he was an undergrad studying criminal justice.  We were neighbors in an apartment complex just off campus and we've kept in touch over the years as he moved to Boston and I moved to the west coast, then I moved back to the midwest and he moved out to the west coast to get his MBA at USC.  So it was great to catch up and finally meet his family.  He treated me to his famous chicken with a butter caper and lemon sauce, chipotle grilled corn and sauteed asparagus, it was really quite delicious.

And of course there was wine!  Charlie's parents live in Napa and so he has great access to some wonderful California wines and he certainly didn't disappoint me on this visit!  We first enjoyed a starter of a Columbia Winery blend and then he pulled out the big guns, a 2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon that was drinking beautifully!  Quality Napa Cabernet can age gracefully as this one had, and it was a real treat to enjoy (even with chicken, as Charlie shares my sensibiliy that big red wines can pair with just about anything!).

Charlie gave me a tour of his beautiful home (including the pet rabbits home) and as we enjoyed some ice cream for dessert as it began to get dark around 10:00 pm (I forgot the 18 hours of daylight in the summer in Seattle) we opened a bottle of 2009 Astrale e Terra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from the Atlas Peak AVA in Napa Valley.   It's tough to admit, but this wine was the highlight of the night, a wonderfully fruit forward and exceptionally structured, classic Napa Cabernet.  A perfect wine to end a night of wine, food and fun!

2010 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, 'tis the season to have lots of fun and good food, and since I was good today and went to the gym, I figured I deserved a treat for dinner, so I've opened up a very nice bottle of wine, the 2010 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is an inky black color at the center, leading to some bright ruby along the edges with nice clarity.  The nose is just lovely, with notes of black licorice, tarragon, blueberry and some Asian spice.  The taste is quite refined, with a some subdued flavors of cassis, blueberry and notes of espresso up front which transition to some elegant flavors of pipe tobacco, dusty limestone and white pepper midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, with nicely structured and well integrated tannins supporting the long, lush, absolutely bone dry finish that just beckons another sip.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 9, with still more potential to improve with some cellaring over the next decade or so.  This is a perfect steak house sort of wine, with great flavor, nicely structured but not overpowering, the perfect complement to a nice rare steak, with lucky for me I happen to have this evening!  Tonight I'm pairing this wine with a rare grilled cowboy cut ribeye about 3" thick along with a baked potato and some grilled brussels sprouts.  So much meat and rich flavors to make this a bottle well worth the price (I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $60, about $10 less than the usual price).  But it's the holidays and I think I deserve a nice present to myself!  Cheers!