That can't go on forever so last night we lowered the temperature in the house and lit the grill. And we decided there would be no wimpy red wines. Dinner was a dry aged, bone in rib steak and a potato gallette.
The wine of choice was a 2006 Georges Vernay Saint Joseph. The cork was pulled about half an hour before the steaks went on the grill and two thirds of the bottle was decanted. Of course there was an immediate sip or two taken.
The wine was dark purple in the glass and definitely on the young side. The aromas were dark plums and other dark fruit and that wonderful fresh meat smell that often comes with a good wine from the northern Rhone. One sniff of the wine and I needed to sniff the steak since there were similar aromas. The taste was full bore Syrah with lots of fruit and immense tannin to coat the tongue. There was little elegance to this wine, it was in your face and somewhat rustic. It was exactly what I was hoping for when I bought the bottle a year or so ago. By the time dinner was ready the wine had only softened a small bit. The tannin was still strong and the acid remained high and it was a perfect match with the steak.
This was my first experience with a red wine from Georges Vernay, who is known primarily for his Condrieu. The Saint Joseph was equally good and a decent buy at $30. Alcohol was 12.5%.
The local market has greatly expanded their cheese offerings and we sampled a very good one after dinner in lieu of dessert. The cheese was a Saint Nectaire. It had a very rich and soft texture and one could get earthiness from it along with the hazelnuts and mushrooms for which it is known. Good stuff and it would be great with a dry, crisp white wine. It was good with the glass of Oloroso Sherry that we drank with it as well.
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