Liquid Dessert

Burns Night was a chance to do something that I don't usually do, open a dessert wine.  In this case it was a 2007 Ferrari Carano Eldorado Gold from California's Sonoma Valley.  The wine was a botrytised blend of 91% Semillon and 9% Sauvignon Blanc.  This was a wine that I picked up at the winery during a visit in 2009.

The wine had a deep golden color, as pictured at the left, and a wonderful nose of perfectly ripe apricots, golden figs and golden raisins.  Thick and sticky on the tongue the apricots were joined by some honey, the before mentioned figs, a touch of herbs and just a suggestion of pineapple.  Nicely balanced wine that really lingered on the tongue.  It was quite sweet but there was still enough acid to keep it from being syrupy. 

Dessert was a mixed bag.  There was a shortbread cookie topped with a coconut caramel sauce, a slice of freshly baked gingerbread and a small scoop of caramel and sea salt gelato.  Hard to argue with any of them, but together they made a nice test for the wine.  It went best with the coconut caramel shortbread.

13% alcohol and $40.