The bottles of wines we paired with our home meals in the past weeks were forgettable except for this one - 2003 Beringer Merlot. Claudia, Mijo's sister, brought this bottle a few years ago.We opened this bottle on the evening of World Series Game 1.
I sort of knew that this bottle was going to be a good one. Plus, I think we also got lucky with the food that we paired with this bottle that evening. On top of good wine, good take-out food and the best companion in the entire world Mijo, the SF Giants won that evening!
Claudia worked for a couple of wineries in the Napa valley for years so she is very knowledgable when it comes to wines and this is why, eventhough I've never tasted this one before, I kind of knew that this bottle of merlot was going to be a good one. We paired it with a designer pizza called Amatriciana which contains tomato, pancetta, chilies, pecorino & a farm egg and also with an order of pork belly with polenta. Both were from my favorite neighborhood pizzeria Gialina. We also grabbed a couple of crab cakes, corn ensalada, and a classic meatloaf from our neighborhood grocery store Canyon Market. Here are my notes:
Tasting Date: October 24, 2012
Tasting Partners: Mijo
Wine Name: Beringer 2003 Merlot Napa Valley
Producer: Beringer
Region/Appelation: Napa Valley
Grape Varieties: Merlot
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: n/a
Color Hue: red ruby
Developments: medium body
Aromas: raisins, cedar, chocolate, banana
Dry/Sweet: less sweet
Body: medium body
Acidity: medium acid
Tannins: medium level
Flavors: smoke, raisin, chocolate
Since it was Game 1 of the World Series, I left work early, dropped by the pizzeria and the grocery to pick up dinner and got home a little after 5'oclock. I remember the house smelled like a tasting room. I later learned that Mijo had opened the bottle earlier to airate it a little bit. The food I brought complimented the wine very well. The smoky and salty taste of the pancetta in the pizza and also the pork belly with the medium tannins of the wine.
~rl
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