Tonight’s dinner was Porterhouse-style pork loin chops, seasoned with onion powder, orange peel, onion pepper, & mesquite seasoning, and grilled to medium rare on our Weber Gas Grille. Veggie was te Mr. G’s beets that came with the beet greens we had a few days ago, seasoned with butter, coarse sea salt, Tellicherry black pepper, & chervil. We ate inside on a cool, breezy evening. All was enjoyed with a 2001 Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘Réserve des Célestins’ - cork barely stained; clear ruby-garnet in color, with a slight light edge; nice nose & flavors of spicy black & red fruit; slightly low acidity in a fruity mid-palate; and a medium long; complex fruit finish. The evolution of this wine over the past 2 - 3 years has been interesting, I think the low acidiiy will restrict its ageability. There certainly has been significant difference in the the three we’ve had over the last few years.
Then for dessert we finished the ripe Black Mission figs, and the bottle of '94 Ch. de Fargues we started a few nights ago, with Brie and St. Andre cheeses. A very nice finish to a good meal.
The Beeler Iowa pork, that we get from La Montanita Co-Op, is the best pork I’ve gotten here in Santa Fe, and rivals the best i used to get in SoCal. It’s definitely not the ‘other white meat’. It’s bright reddish-pink with good marbling. It’s organic, hormone & pesticide free, and grain fed.
