Mike and I recently took our horse and buggy down the road to Rhinebeck to try Terrapin, a stylish restaurant housed in an old church. We each ordered bloody red meat and a lavish gnocchi appetizer sautéed with juicy duck livers, shitake mushrooms and leeks in a creamy sage sauce. We were thrilled with our food selections, yet we couldn’t manage to choose a wine. The wine list demonstrated a veritable schmorgesbord of delectable reds and crispy whites, including many pricey offerings. We perused until we could peruse no more. Not wanting to break the bank but still craving the roundness and depth of a show-stopping red, I asked our server for his expert opinion.
He suggested one of his personal favorites, a 2004 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel. I couldn’t get enough of this wine and even took the empty bottle home as a souvenir. I love affordable wines that taste this sublime, this balanced, this lush! It perfectly paired with the gnocchi and the red meat and sold for just $50, which suggests a retail price of about $35. It is made from 75% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, and 7% Petite Sirah- marketing as a zin, but really a field-blend. Although still developing, it was pretty close to perfection. On the nose, it smelled of berries, chocolate and some oak. It tasted of opulent berries and cherries with a hint of spice, each property demonstrating depth and complexity.
No comments:
Post a Comment