I thawed some lamb chops late last week for a Christmas meal for Margie and I, but somehow they made it to December 27 uncooked. So last night I marinated the chops in a concoction of soy sauce, dried mustard and rosemary. (I forgot the minced garlic but it was not missed)
While the chops were marinating I went in search of a nice red from my cellar. I stumbled on a Neal Family Vineyards Cab that looked interesting. A 2005 One Lane Bridge from Napa. …..bottle number 123….
That looked expensive. When I picked the bottle up from the rack it was very heavy. Felt expensive. too.
So to the wet bar it went. Opened it and poured Margie and I a splash to taste. WOW!!!! Pure DY-NO-MITE! That would be saved to go with the lamb. So we went to the cellar and found another everyday red to nurse until the chops and asparagus were cooked.
With dinner, the wine was outstanding! Five stars!!!
The next morning I looked up the Neal Family winery. They present a number of different Cabs, some specific from Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Napa, some vineyard specific and some lesser blends. Their website reflected a number of vintage offerings going back to 2003! Some of these bottlings are not apparently available otherwise. And a search of the internet for this particular Neal Cab we had opened turned up nothing. I defer to our retailers and wholesalers to pipe in if Neal Family wines are available through normal three tier channels in Florida.
I now keep notes on where my wines come from, how much I pay for them, and from whom they came from if they are gifts. This puppy must have shown up before I began that practice. So if this bottle was a gift, my sincere thanks to whomever!
For a number of years I was able to purchase Buccella Cabs from Martin’s in New Orleans at “reasonable” prices when they were making room for new juice. But they can no longer get it. A search on the internet did show some, and at “reasonable” pricing. The Buccella was as fine an American made wine I have ever tasted. The Neal wine Margie and I shared last evening surpassed even the Buccella! Rich, dark, balanced, a real mouthful! Priced on the Neal website at $300, as I guess it should be.
It is these spectacular seldom seen wines that I would like to see our wholesales and retailers more often bring to our attention.
~ Bob
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