Steak and Red Wine

It's been hot, humid, wet and miserable here for the last several days, and in weather like that it's little fun to cook. After four days of avoiding cooking much I lit the grill last night and threw on a bone in rib steak and a couple ears of fresh corn. Once they were cooked we jumped back inside to eat in air conditioned comfort.

The steak called for a red wine, but nothing very heavy. Kinkead Ridge had the perfect wine for the evening with their 2006 Revelation red wine. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and checks in at a modest 12.8% alcohol.

Lots of dark cherries and oak in the nose with some underlying dirt. The taste was strong on the black cherry side but there were a few currants tossed in for good measure. The wine had great acidity and wonderful soft tannins, lots of them. I love this kind of tannin because it gives a nice structure to the wine while still cleaning the palate for the next sip. There was a hollow spot in the wine just before the finish, but that was just a minor distraction. An immanently drinkable red wine for the summer.

Today is seafood Saturday. We went to the local market a little later than normal this morning because they were grilling salmon outdoors and then selling it as sandwiches. There was a good slab of Alaskan salmon, a locally made soft bun, lettuce, tomato, red onion and a chipotle barbecue sauce to top everything. Throw in a bottle of chilled water and for $6.50 you won't find a better lunch.

We also hit the seafood counter and came home with a baker's dozen plus one of fresh oysters that will go on the grill tonight. The wine is still in the deciding stage.

The Saturday wine tasting was just starting at the market so we also purchased a glass of 2007 Belle Glos Meiomi Sonoma Coast pinot noir, from the good folks at Caymus. Fully ripe, tasting of alcohol and dense plums and almost completely closed up, it seemed more like a Syrah to me. Disappointing wine.

The second photo is just because the marigolds on the front step are blooming and I needed a picture of them before they got between Scott and a squirrel.