My first choice from last night's wine list was the 2010 HAMILTON RUSSELL Pinot Noir Hemel-en-Aarde Valley but unfortunately it was sold out. After getting over my disappointment and with the waiter waiting for my second selection I decided on the 2010 Leviathan.
Leviathan is made by Andy Erickson and is considered a California Table wine consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. This wine has a very firm/tight structure with dark red fruit notes in the front palate. The tannin's are prevalent but are softened by the touches of Syrah. If you focus on the wine it is possible to note each of the varietals yet they are blended in perfect harmony to make a complete wine. Leviathan was a straight forward (easy drinking) yet complex wine that had a long finish. Leviathan never disappoints and at the price point ($43) is an excellent offering highlighting the blending skills of Andy Erickson.
The second wine for dinner was a 375ml bottle of 2008 RUBICON ESTATE Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Cask which perfectly blended dark fruit, firm structure with a touch of oak. The mid palate and finish had a dry mouth feel complimented with mocha and cherry. The finish was a bit underwhelming due to the mid length finish but overall a perfect wine for the meat entrees.
For dessert chocolate and cake was skipped in favor of Dolce. The 2007 Dolce is the blueprint for late harvest wine. The complex fruit notes of honey, melon and pineapple give way to a decadent structure. The wine manages all this without any of the syrupy flavors or mouth feel of many other dessert wines.
I would recommend each of these wines.
No comments:
Post a Comment