I made a Chili Mac for dinner and wanted a wine to go with it. I only had a couple of choices-an old vine Zinfandel or the Notebook. I thought that, with the spices in the dish, the Zinfandel would lose some of it’s jamminess and become a little more tannic than what I was in the mood for. The Notebook might just be the best choice.
This wine is a blend of some robust grape varieties-55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 17% Merlot and 8% Malbec. All of these grapes are powerhouses on their own and with this blend, I was expecting a bold, more earthy wine that would hold it’s own with my dinner.
What came out of the bottle was a surprise for me. Yes, it had those earthy qualities that I was looking for. It had these notes of herbs, green pepper, coffee and cherry. But, it was the fruitiness that was unexpected. From the first sip the blueberry, blackberry and cherry stand out. However, they are nicely balanced with the earthy elements that I mentioned earlier. The tannins are also there and give the wine the structure that it needs, while not taking over the palate. The alcohol is at 14.5%, but it is so nicely balanced, that you don’t notice that the alcohol is high.
The wine is made by hand and aged in French oak. The grapes are from appellations that are exceptional for growing the grapes in this blend-Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Columbia Valley AVA and the Red Mountain AVA. Bookwalter is a boutique winery that produces many award winning wines. So, to get a handmade, quality wine like this one at $9.99 is amazing. I almost feel a little guilty paying so little for this bottle.
So, did it go with the Chili Mac? Sort of. It had the structure and earthiness that was needed but the fruit got lost with the spices of the dish. A better pairing would be a burger or a pasta with a tomato based sauce. I concluded that the wine was much better on it’s own and ended my evening with another glass-by itself.