Wine Notes - September 5

We have more than steak for dinner - honest. But with school starting this week, plus some late nights working for JBL, and dinners with friends, last night was the first sit-down dinner without the girls, which is typically when we'll do something with nicer wines.

Why steak again? Well, Costco has started carrying beef rated 'prime', typically only available to restaurants but now here for us thanks to the effects of a lagging economy on steak houses, and we picked some up last week. After all, in addition to being an oenophile, JBL loves quality food. Why not have ribs shipped direct from Memphis for the summer party? Why not regularly order bagels from Manhattan when our options around here are so pitiful? Of course we'll drive 45 minutes for the best smoked salmon for our holiday open house. Wouldn't you?!

So there we were, hunkered over the coffee table, finally watching show 1 of Mad Men's third season, eating the best damn steak I've had outside of Ruth's Chris. We went lighter on the seasoning than with last week's filets, and they were just perfect. What else do you need besides bread with good olive oil and salad to accompany it?

But enough about the food. JBL came up with a 1998 Viader - a blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc - from the St. Helena region in Napa Valley. Another block buster, and more mature than our previous splurge. Thanks to the cab franc, it was a little softer on the tannins, but still round, luscious and weighty.

I don't really have much more to say than about the whole meal than, wow - you really out to treat yourself to this. Hopefully you will.