Wine & Cheese Pairing 1

What better way to start my 22nd birthday weekend than with a little wine and cheese pairing?

Pairing #1

Name: Castello di Gabbiano

Variety: Chianti Classico

Country:  Tuscany, Italy

Year: 2012

Price: $15

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: 90 Points from Kerin O’Keefe: Kerin O’Keefe “This vibrant selection offers floral and fruit fragrances of violet and red berry. The palate delivers juicy red cherry flavor, with white pepper and nutmeg accents alongside bracing tannins that should soften over the next year or two. Perfect to match with barbecues or pastas topped with dense sauces.”

My review: I love this Old World wine, truly fantastic! On the nose, hints of oak followed red cherry, black pepper, and some plum. The wine became increasingly aromatic the longer it set out. Upon washing the palate, oak becomes a more prominent feature with black pepper spices as it first hits the tongue. Earthy and dusty tannins.

Cheese Pairing: Cave-aged Le Gruyere AOP from Switzerland, aged over 300 days

Cheese Notes: Sharp, overpowering, nutty, dry, bold

Pairing Notes: The Chianti dulls out the sharpness and smoothes the boldness of the cheese, while the cheese dulls the acidity of the Chianti Classico. However, the pairing did not address or mellow the dustiness and grittiness of the cheese.

Pairing #2

Name: Night Harvest

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Country:  Madera, California

Year: NV

Price: $7

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: The wine made from grapes harvested at night. We harvest at night when the cool air chills the fruit, concentrates the flavors, and preserves the crisp acidity of our grapes - making for a deliciously balanced wine. Uncork. Pour. And discover the magic of Night Harvest. Dark and rich, the color echoes the full fruit aromas in this Cabernet Sauvignon. Black currant, black cherry, and sweet oak flavors mingle softly with supple tannins and a round finish.

My review: Not a bad wine, though not as complex or bold as a great Cabernet Sauvignon can reach. With a gritty sensation in the nostrils, heavy aromas of dark fruit and cherries are accompanied with nuances of dark chocolate. Smooth on the palate with light spice, round and clean finish.

Cheese Pairing: Artisanal Sartori Bellavitano Gold

Cheese Notes: light and creamy

Pairing Notes: The cheese makes the wine bouncier and brings out lighter fruit flavors like fresh sweet berries. Great pairing, as the cheese enhanced the wine and added complexity to the cheap Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pairing #3

Name: Panarroz

Variety: Jumilla

Country:  Jumilla, Spain

Year: 2006

Price: $9

Bottles Finished: 1

Wine review: 90 points from Robert Parker: "An amazing bargain from Spain, this blend of mourvèdre, grenache, and syrah bursts with plum, blackberry, and licorice-infused fruit. There is a bit of pepper as well, and the wine is silky, soft, and opulent. Serve it at a barbecue... Years ago I wrote in The Wine Advocate that Dan Kravitz was perhaps the top U.S. importer of wines priced under $10 a bottle. Even though the dollar bought a lot more then, Kravitz still has a knack for finding good wines at great prices." (in Business Week Magazine)".

My review: Yikes, a little past its prime! On the nose, moldy, sweat socks, wet paint, and old soggy logs in the woods. On the palate, sour, harsh on the tongue, spicy, and even salty and puckering. We tried to help the wine by allowing it to soften in a decanter, which did prove to help some. 

Cheese Pairing: French Belletoile Triple Cream Brie on Ritz crackers with Dalmatia fig spread

Cheese Notes: sweet, soft, delicious with the cracker and fig spread

Pairing Notes: The brie snack elongated the wine's flavor profile and brought a sweeter earthy feel, though since the wine has passed, the amount of benefits in flavor profile could not be maximized or realized to its full pairing potential.