For Easter dinner, I opened a white, a rose and a red for a dinner of ham, baked beans, honeyed yams, asparagus, and shrimp cocktail. The white was
Salt City Cellars 2003 Chardonnay - made by Dan Smothergill. The label lists .0825 acidity and 0.6% RS. Bottled under screwcap, the wine is a brilliant light straw color. A bit light on the nose, but clean. The low RS in not really noticeable, but the wine is well balanced with a crisp, lingering finish. Good wine. The rose I opened was my '06 Steuben. This matched up pretty good with the variety of foods we had. My brother-in-law, who came over for dinner likes reds and I had been looking for an excuse to open the bottle of
2005 Presque Isle (Lake Erie) Noiret which I purchased at the winery last Fall after tasting it and liking it. Noiret
(LINK) is a new hybrid named by Cornell last Summer. Deep, inky color with blueish hues (looks like a young Foch). A distinct generous aroma of black pepper and raspberries that carries over into the mouth. Vibrant tannins, good acidity and the black pepper continue in a long full finish. Without a doubt, this is one of the finest red hybrid wines I've ever had. (Note to self - plant these vines in the back yard.) This wine seems like it could age well for several years. Reminds me of Syrah.
