This past Friday we invited some Greek friends over for dinner for…what else but… home cooked Greek food. Since one in the group is not fond of lamb the main dish was moussaka made with ground beef. The ground beef had a high percentage of short ribs to give it more flavor. Spanikopita was the starter with a Greek salad(no lettuce here!) to accompany the moussaka and we finished with walnut and pistachio baklava. The wines for the night were a 2000 Chateau Yon-Figeac and a 2021 Kind Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
2021 Kind Cellars - This bottle was gifted to me by a relative of the Kind Cellars winemaker. This wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon from Howell Mountain. It was opened after 2 days standing upright on the counter. There’s an aroma of rich dark fruit with a hint of a floral scent. In the mouth this is full bodied perfectly rich blackberries with a splash of raspberry and blueberries. The blackberries remind me of my favorite boysenberries. There is integrated flavor of spices with a solid tannin structure. The wine lasts long on the palette with a delicious experience start to finish. The 15.5% alcohol is well integrated and clearly adds to the mouthfeel. Not much sediment in the bottle on the last pour. Even though this wine is pleasurable now I sense it will develop for many years to come and will add more complexity later in life.
2000 Chateau Yon-Figeac - This bottle was purchased on release. Produced in St. Emilion this wine is mostly merlot with some cabernet franc and petit verdot. This sat on the counter for 1 day before opening. Cork was in great shape after 25 years. On the nose this expressed more earthy aroma than fruit. First sip provided a nice balance of blackberries and plums with spicy woody notes. The tannins have softened. A nice acidic backbone carries the flavors to the finish line. The 13.5% alcohol is only noticeable in giving this wine a medium-full bodied mouthfeel. My sense is this wine is showing all it can show now. With that said it’s not fading away anytime soon. Nice bottle of wine with a style I appreciate very much.
Both the wines mentioned above went well with the moussaka. I kept cycling between both wines as the night went on. Both are delicious but of contrasting winemaking styles. Enjoyable Friday night dinner with friends we don’t see often enough…Cheers !!
