2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine has been sitting in the cellar since I picked it up at the winery last September.  Since the new 2008 vintage is out in two weeks it was time to see what a year of bottle aging did for the 2007 wine.

The color was a medium to dark red in the glass with a slight purple edge to the rim.  Still young.  The nose was full out fruit and a large whiff of oak with some vanilla and cinnamon peeking out.  The first impression from tasting the wine was a dry Coca Cola with some black cherry syrup mixed in for good measure.  The wine was full bodied with a great mouth feel.  The flavors finally settled down to the dark cherries playing with some fresh oak and spices.  It was warm and inviting.  Good acid, good depth of flavors and a nice bite a the finish made this wine go down quite easily.  This is a big wine with the flavor and the oak influence, but it was well balanced and delicious.

Dinner was a marinated veal rib chop cooked to medium rare on the grill and some fresh gnocchi finished in a brown butter and fresh sage sauce with a grating of Pecorino Romano cheese over the top.   Great with the wine.

The dogs got some of the fatty parts from the chop mixed in with their dog food and managed to entice a gnocchi or two by giving me the innocent and hungry look.  It helped Scott get over his depression of not having any squirrels to chase this evening.