Cabernet and Star Trek

It was another beautiful evening last night, but all that changed this afternoon. The rain is currently 'torrential' and it's very dark at a time of day when it shouldn't be. For once I paid some attention to the weather forecasters so there was a birthday dinner on the grill last night instead of today.

Dinner was an aged, bone-in rib steak rubbed with a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar and dusted with black pepper and then grilled. There was a baked potato with sour cream and freshly snipped chives, some sauteed asparagus and a small salad with a chive blossom and honey vinaigrette.

The wine was the last bottle in the cellar of the 2001 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Cold Creek Vineyard from Washington. I purchased five bottles of this wine four years ago when there was a 'going out of business' sale at a local outlet.

While the steak was grilling I pulled the cork and poured a glass. It was closed up for only a couple of minutes before black cherries and other dark fruits started to fill the room. This was a wine that just blossomed to the point I felt like I could drink it with my nose. The cherries were there in the taste as well along with something that reminded me of blackberries. I had purchased some fresh blackberries a few days prior so I pulled a few of them out the refrigerator and had to agree that they were indeed in the wine as well. The wine was full flavored but balanced with great acid and sweet tannin on the finish. The finish lasted for some time. The wine was even better with the steak.

This was not an overpowering wine, nor was it voluptuous. It was just perfectly balanced, perfectly aged and perfectly delicious. A great birthday treat.

Since today was a complete "wash-out" as far as doing anything outside (and since I am home from work for the rest of the week) I took the opportunity to catch the new Star Trek film that opened last weekend. I have seen every episode of the original TV series more than a couple of times, and have seen most, but not all, of the movies based on the series. I wasn't really expecting much, but for once I was pleasantly surprised. The cast is more than good and the story line is more than acceptable and taken as a whole the movie was as good as last night's wine. And just like the wine it left me wishing for more. With the way the movie ended I think I will get more Star Trek, but finding another 2001 Cold Creek may require a black hole and a slight time warp.