What I found in the freezer paired with what I found in the wine cellar. Yes it was a great dinner to be. Those wonderful steaks with a 2003 Whitecliff Sky Island.
Honestly I wasn’t sure about the wine. I found this deep in the wine cellar and questioned whether it had aged out. There was only one way to tell – open the bottle.
Whitecliff’s Sky Island is their Bordeaux Blend type of wine. This was made with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Since I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had no expectations, but did have some wandering doubts of this 8 year old wine. Once opened and tasted, WOW, this wine really held up well. I was impressed! I don’t think it would have lasted another year or two, so I am glad I found it when I did..
The nose was a cigar box at first with some black cherry and big bold mushroom. The texture wasn’t big and bold, but medium to thin. There were flavors of black cherry and dark fruit on the palate with a hint of mint. The wine finished with a sour cherry lingering on your palate.
I will say it went great with my steak. It’s nice to see that a Hudson Valley wine aged fairly well. I guess I had my doubts, but was pleasantly surprised once again by winemaker Michael Migliore.