Election Night and Day

The U. S. election is over and it is now safe to turn on the television and not be subjected to countless attack ads from national and local candidates. Living in Ohio, one of the key toss up states, it is also nice to hear the telephone ring and not have the expectation that it is a programmed call from a politician, one of his/her supporters, local political parties, people promoting or denouncing issues or a celebrity telling me to make sure to vote (and while you're voting make certain to vote for the right candidate). During the last week I disabled the answering machine and made full use of caller ID before picking up the phone.

All that said, I was not disinterested in the election at all. I thought it was critical to our future as I don't care for the direction the country has taken in the last eight years.

Around 10:00 PM the major television networks announced that Senator Obama was the winner in the state of Ohio, a major surprise at that time of day. In the last two elections it has taken all night and part of the next day to determine the winner in Ohio. That was reason enough to celebrate, but couple it with the fact that the correct candidate won meant it was time for champagne.

In this case it was a 2002 Lancelot-Pienne Cuvee de la Table Ronde blanc de blanc. There were lively bubbles when it hit the glass and there were aromas of yeast, toast, very fresh and tart apples and hints of lime. All those aromas were in the taste, though the toast came through more as fresh, crusty bread just out of the oven. It bubbled away in the glass for as long as it was allowed to stay in the glass. It was a wonderful way to end what turned out to be a very good evening. And yes, there was a deliberate choice in the Cuvee de la Table Ronde. An Obama administration will not be Camelot, but after the last eight years I feel as though the curse of Mordred and Morgan la Fay has been lifted.

It was another beautiful day in Ohio with warm temperatures and beautiful blue sky and a light breeze. The knee is keeping me home all week, but it didn't stop a trip to the market. Dinner was from the grill again. In this case it was veal rib chop. It received my standard and favorite marinade - lemon juice, olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, red pepper flakes and a pinch of white pepper. That is what is marinating in the photo.

There were some diced potatoes tossed with duck fat and pepper and roasted in a hot oven for forty-five minutes and a salad of romaine, red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, celery, blanched, white asparagus and crumbles of soft, fresh goat cheese. All of this was dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and orange marmalade dressing.

The wine was a 2002 Beaulieu Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from the heart of Napa Valley. I decanted the wine for half an hour. The wine was dark and the nose was just a little closed, but there were currants and dark fruit hiding in there. There was a touch of cedar in the nose as well. The wine was very closed on the first sip so I left the decanter alone until dinner was ready.

The currants and fruit came nicely forward and there was a hint of cranberry in the nose as well. The taste was full of the currants and cranberries and some very dark cherries as well. The weight was on the heavy side of medium, though not so full and powerful as to overwhelm the meal. Good acid and the unique tannins one gets with wines from Rutherford. Throw in a moderately long finish and for $22 you have a very, very good wine. The last of the second glass played very nicely with a square of dark chocolate with pomegranate bits.

I have one other bottle and I will squirrel it away for several more years as I don't think this wine was at its peak.

It was a very good day, and today will be good as well as there is some of each wine left. Champagne for lunch anyone?