Unseasonably Perfect August Nights

Context: "Hot August Nights" the Classic Car week just ended. Have been taking care of Car Enthusiasts all week, great group of people, unpretentiously friendly easy-going and ready to eat and drink. Ready to relax with my wife and 9 month old son, and enjoy the unseasonably temperate weather before it gets Nevada hot again next week.

Weather Forecast for Tonight: 76° at 8:00 pm (projected eating time)
Program For the Evening:
Broadbent Vinho Verde NV (bottled in 2009) on the patio.
Colli di Lapio Fiano Di Avellino 2006 with mixed greens tossed in thyme vinaigrette
Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cab 2002 with grilled t-bone and farmers market green beans sauteed w/ garlic.

Going outside to pick thyme and get the grill going as well as start the Vinho Verde. Will check back when the salad is done.



The Vinho Verde was expectedly frizzantè, with bright lime zest and an austere crisp finish that kept me refreshed while setting up the grill.

Next was the Fiano di Avellino served with a fresh green salad, heirloom tomatoes, thyme vinaigrette and topped with this pretty lemon
cucumber my wife found at the farmer's
market.












The Fiano and the salad matched perfectly with the honeyed lemon zest from the Fiano complementing the 20 yr old sherry vinegar in the dressing and the bright minerality of the fiano meshing nicely with the cucumbers.


On to the feature of the night...

T-bone and Napa Cab:

My wife decided that we needed to do a comparative tasting of valley floor and mountain fruit. so she broke out a Barnett Vineyards 2001 Spring Mountain Cab to put alongside the Grgich. The Grgich had a minty nose with graphite notes and a rich underlying cassis background. First sip gave blackberry and matching cassis with a bit of napa dust and sweet tobacco on a surprisingly long finish. The tannins and balance were perfect for the fatty smoky steak, allowing the flavor of the meat to show through and the follow up sip of wine blossomed with more fruit and black pepper spice.

The Barnett on the other hand was tightly packed with vanilla and blackberry and smokey earth on the nose. The palate showed rich but dense blackberry and cherry with intense tannins and an oaky long finish. This wine benefited greatly from the t-bone, with the steak mellowing some of the overly strong oak and tight tannins.

We had planned on saving the Barnett for the next night, but the neighbors popped over and so we found a suitable use for the remainder of both wines. The neighbors preffered the Barnett because of its power and weight, so everybody's palate was happy.

Including Hooper, who got the best part of the steak... to him at least.


Broadbent Vinho Verde- perfect hot weather patio wine, light, refreshing, and a great way to start off the night.

Colli di Lapio Fiano Di Avellino 2006- bright minerality and citrus a nice pairing with a fresh summer salad.

Grgich Hills Napa Valley Cab 2002- drinking perfectly right now. Great structure with beautiful balance of fruit and earth. Nicely integrated oak maintaining a firm and lengthy finish.
Nicely matched to the steak.

Barnett Vineyards Spring Mountain Cab 2001- needs a few more years or decant for several hours, but will fulfill the promise it shows now. Needed the steak in our opinion, but the neighbors preferred it as a drinker.

It was very interesting to see the marked difference between the valley Grgich and the Mountain Barnett. Putting aside vintage and winemaking styles for the moment, the valley fruit showed its strength in balancing fruit, herbal and earth characteristics, while the mountain fruit showed its strength in powerful tannin and darker more concentrated fruit.

Tomorrow we get to use the rest of the Fiano and the Vinho Verde to find more flavor.