Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

What a happy day! Our son, Tony, is home from his 8-month travels in South America. He arrived home very late last night. I was sleeping but woke up at around 1:30 a.m. and got up out of bed to see if he was home. I crept silently downstairs and saw two pairs of flip-flops by the front door. No sign of life on the main floor. Then, I went down to the basement to find both of our sons downstairs together. How wonderful! They were “hanging.” So, Tony is home and he has found a job and a place to live for the summer. I assume this is just a stop before his next adventure.

I chose this Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 for our cocktail hour. This is a superb California Cabernet. The predominant flavor is raspberries. It is on the nose and on the palate and even on the finish. . .however, in addition to the berries, this is a particularly balanced wine — fruity, yes; but also silky and full bodied. I believe for the first time in our married life, we are not going to have dinner because we had a sandwich on the way home from a trip “up north.” Neither one of us is hungry, so I think we’re just going to skip dinner. If I had to choose a meal to accompany this wine, it would be spaghetti and meatballs! Cheers!

Tom: This Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is an interestingly different cabernet: its taste is red fruit, medium body, fairly tannic, and with a hint of sweetness. We often write about “big” reds, but this isn’t big; it’s ‘medium-sized,’ but in a pleasant way. It’s a fun, tasty, sipping wine that’s been pretty perfect for our cocktail hour.

Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)

A gorgeous Thursday evening in Michigan. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the breeze is coming softly through our open window. Long and tough day at work, though, and I am glad to be home in relaxation mode. I have a casserole in the oven.  We have been reading the newspapers and relaxing and probably won’t get to dinner until 8:30-ish.

Tom chose this wine Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Chile tonight. He didn’t say why — just brought me a glass. It’s a good one. A nice nose — fresh and spicy. The palate is fruity in a subtle way with notes of coffee and tobacco. Nice structured tannins . .  .a good choice for a potato/beef casserole. I’ll hand over the computer to Tom for his opinion, which is always top notch (in my humble opinion).

Tom: This Santa Ema Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is a pleasant, fruity, fairly tannic, young-tasting red with just a bit of caramel. Pleasant, not especially remarkable, but very drinkable. An above-average wine for mid-week.

Valoroso Cabernet Sauvignon Castelao (2008)

A Wednesday June evening and we worked on the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle for awhile. I had opened a bottle of another wine last night and I can’t even drink it. . .not good (see previous post). . .so I opened this bottle of Portuguese wine and THIS is more like it. If you like ripe plums, this is your wine. An abundance of plum flavor on the palate with a touch of spice and tobacco on the finish.

For dinner tonight, something so simple I am almost embarrassed to write about it — but I had a pound of ground beef in the refrigerator and I had a long, demanding day at work (that’s my excuse) — so, I browned the beef in my cast-iron skillet, drained the fat and then added chopped onions, followed by a large can of diced tomatoes. That simmered while we worked on our crossword puzzle. Then, I added a can of chicken broth and about 3/4 box of elbow macaroni and covered the skillet to simmer. When that is done, we’ll have a tasty goulash that I will serve with a vegetable and salad. Extremely plain but comforting. . .

Livingston Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Not good.  Can’t finish the glass. ‘Nuff said.