Cynthia and Stuart were in the area this past week and we arranged for a get-together. Who ever heard of having a picnic in Buffalo in October? It was sunshine, blue skies and about 80 degrees. The kind folks at Freedom Run Winery in Niagara County allowed us to not only meet at their winery, but provided us with a grill, tables, chairs and stemware. We were all there around noonish, as Cynthia had to drive Stuart to the Buffalo airport at 3PM for a 5PM flight back to Austin. There were only 5 of us. I invited a couple I've been close with for many years, but the husband, Walt, had to go out of town, so his wife Laura came. I also invited a lady friend I've been seeing lately, Mary Jo. It was a pot-luck affair and we had enough to feed the staff working at the winery. Good food – two pizzas, one with morel mushrooms, carmelized onions and Yukon gold potatoes, the other a thick crust Sicilian style, a pasta salad, a Winter vegetable salad, cheese, pepperoni, fresh tomatoes, basil, crusty rolls, mild Italian sausage with sweet red peppers & onions, marinated-grilled portabells with mozzarella and a pumpkin crisp.
We opened three very different reds for the event. Stuart brought a 1980 Jean Leon Cabernet Sauvignon (Spain). We had some trouble with the crumbling cork, but Stuart saved the day. Deep red with a slight bit of bricking and a little cloudy due to the rise in the car. Generous nose, with leather and coffee. A long finish with good acid and tannin – surprisingly vibrant for 31-year old wine. Truly magnificent wine. Stuart gave it a Double Curly.
Next was a 2008 Lailey Zweigelt ($14). I bought this the day before at the winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake, while was in the area buying some juice. Medium red, with cherry-berry fruits, medium-long finish and a nice, juicy acidity – good food wine!
I brought along a bottle of my 2009 Lemberger. I only had about 4 bottles of this left and hadn't tried it in almost a year. Pretty good, with that distinctive black pepper character. What a great way to spend an October afternoon. I wish we could have had a longer visit.
