A big day of some BIG wine......

OK so not to bore anyone with details, but my wonderful wife has been having some health challenges for the past 9 months or so. One of the biggest issues her condition has caused her is extreme fatigue; she can rarely get through a day without a nap, or two...and often is so tired that she's ready for bed in the very early evening. And I mean EARLY.

This has had a fairly negative impact on our wine consumption; she is rarely able to drink a much wine before it's time for bed, which leaves me with the arduous task of drinking the rest of the bottle. I know, I know, I'm so unselfish.

Anyway, yesterday was somewhat of an exception, as we actually managed to get through THREE bottles, all wines I have not reviewed before.

We met some good friends at a restaurant for lunch. It was really nice to see them, it had been a while, and they invited us up to their cabin at Cultus Lake; but given Tracey's penchant for naps these days, we thought it was best to get her home and prepare for "Nap One". In the meantime, I cracked open bottle one:

Tinhorn Creek 2016 Oldfield Reserve Rosé ($19.99)

100% Cabernet Franc

Herbaceous notes on the nose, green tomato and orange blossom. The palate is bright, fresh and juicy, with flavors of strawberry, orange rind, grapefruit, rhubarb and even some red apple on the finish. Another stellar vintage of this terrific rosé. 91.






We finished this off while sitting outside on out patio, and the nap had still not occurred; by this time, we thought maybe the best thing to do was to get going on an early dinner, and she could simply go to bed after dinner. We had steak ready to go, and I decided it was a good night to make a special dish to go with a special bottle of wine.

Grilled Filet Mignon with Chimichurri Sauce

Tracey generally handles grilling the steaks, and she couldn't have cooked these ones any better. Absolutely delicious, and a perfect pairing with this beauty which we've been saving for a special evening:

Silver Oak 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($150 USD)

Incredible aromas of sweet blackberry and blueberry, mint, cedar, leather and cigar box. The wine jumps from the glass, attacking your mid-palate with black cherry, coffee, toasty oak and tobacco flavors. Long, luscious finish. Even at a decade old, this has a ton of life left, it could probably improve for another 10-15 years. There isn't much improvement needed. 96.

By the time we were done with dinner and about halfway finished this bottle, it was only about 5:30, and the wife was looking awake and refreshed and we decided that we could handle one more bottle. We figured "what the heck, let's make that 2007 only the SECOND oldest bottle we'd open tonight".

Cedarcreek 2006 Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir ($125)

Pleasant notes of mushroom and leather have developed with age, but this one is all about bright red cherry aromas and flavors. Some earthy flavors and some strawberry peek out from under the cherry as well. Very nice, but unlike the one above, this one seems to be at it's peak or starting it's inevitable decline. 93.

So as we got about halfway through this bottle, Tracey hit the wall and had to go to bed. She muttered something like "I'm so tired, it must be almost 11 o'clock, I'm going to bed".

Well, it was about 2 minutes to 8, actually, but these days, that's a really long day for her. Almost 8 PM and NO NAPS! What a trooper she is :)

Next up: Still have a ton of other stuff to catch up on, and we are just days away from heading up to the Okanagan where much wine will be enjoyed and reviewed. Stay tuned!