Somehow I managed to delete the photograph of last week's wine tasting at Parker Wine Cellars, but I'm several days late with it anyway, so I thought I'd treat you to a shot of the three ducks (looking like they're at a prayer meeting) that were transformed into Peking Crispy Duck with the help of three 16-oz. Budweisers and Margaret's magic touch. We enjoyed the meal from a couple of Fridays ago so much that we decided to re-do it for Hallowe'en, to the delight of our families.
I do love the holidays! In our neighborhood Hallowe'en is a big deal because there are so many families with children, so I always buy a lot of candy. We put a CD of scary noises in a boombox and hide it in the bushes, and there's always one little kid during the evening who is really and truly scared. This year there was a slight glitch in the CD, though, and I went outside at one point and was greeted with Shirley Bassey belting out "Goldfinger" from behind the Italian cedar tree. Oh well, as Chris pointed out, SOME kids MIGHT be scared by that!
The evening progresses from tiny toddlers who carefully pick out one piece of candy, to 13/14-year-olds who shyly grab a handful when prompted. When the 6-foot dude dressed as a banana shows up around 9:30, I know the evening is over and just let him and the rest of the big kids take double handfuls of what's left.
However, I'm not going to neglect Jeff's wine tasting last Thursday, because it was really good. We sampled wines from Viu Manent, a Chilean winery. Here's Jeff's synopsis:
2010 SAUVIGNON BLANC~~ Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, this one is just a baby but showing off even in its infancy. Cold macerated for 24 hours, then settled, racked and then a cool fermentation in all stainless steel tanks keeps this fun little wine a dry and crisp keeper. Pale and clearish green in the glass, the nose seems to pick up lime and grapefruit teases of the nostrils. The palate is a considerable amount of guava, mango and bits of green apple that shows off the youth while the finish is close to balanced with the acidity standing out due to its short time in the bottle. Still a great wine with light foods or just as an apertif for mingling guest. (MY NOTE: The grapefruit taste was definitely there, and it was a very refreshing wine.)
2009 CARMENERE RESERVE~~ A keeper and a pleasant surprise in anyone's book. Made with 100% Carmenere that started with cold maceration with twice daily pump overs, this wine then saw stainless steel for natural malolactic fermentation and then on to the oak. Here the maturation process saw this wine reside in 96% French Oak and 4% American Oak for 10 months before being put in the bottle. Deep ruby red in color, the nose excites the brain with hints of black berry, plum and sweet herbs, while the palate shows a gathering of black cherry, mocha, leather and coffee. The finish is lengthy and bold showing a structured balance with a tiny bit of soft tannins thrown into the mix just for giggles. (MY NOTE: I bought a bottle of this -- it is EXCELLENT.)
2009 MALBEC RESERVE~~ Another 100% varietal that shows off some of Chile's finest work. Also the ten day maceration process with daily pump overs brings the juice to the forefront when it sees 96% French Oak and 4% American Oak for its final trip to the bottle. Dark purple in the glass, the nose shows us aromas of spice, red plums and fresh coffee that all hit the palate with a mouth full of polished opulence. Black berry, blueberries and milk chocolate converge to stay on the lengthy finish for what seems like minutes. Big and brooding, the structure shows muscle with medium tannins backed by enough acidity to put this wine on a dinner table and be proud of your choice. (MY NOTE: I was really torn -- this was delicious as well, and I dearly love a good malbec, but the Carmenere intrigued me and won out . . . this week.)
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