Cambria Chardonnay

Katherine's Vineyard
2005
Santa Maria Valley, California

Mankind . . . possesses two supreme blessings. First of these is the goddess Demeter, or Earth whichever name you choose to call her by. It was she who gave to man his nourishment of grain. But after her there came the son of Semele, who matched her present by inventing liquid wine as his gift to man. For filled with that good gift, suffering mankind forgets its grief; from it comes sleep; with it oblivion of the troubles of the day. There is no other medicine for misery.
Euripides c. 485 - 406 B.C.The Bacchae [c. 407 B.C.], l. 274

The Guy brought home a lifetime ago, from a business trip to California, a bottle of Cambria Pinot Noir from "Julia's Vineyard". It was a gift from a colleague who knew our latest baby was "Julia". At his suggestion, we laid it down awhile. When we drank it, it was good but it was long before this blog and my more detailed concentration on each new tasting. Therefore, I have no valuable recollection of each glass other than I enjoyed it.

I picked up a bottle of Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay on a hot summer afternoon this week. I opened it tonight and thoroughly enjoyed the first few sips on their own. I grilled a piece of salmon fillet, bought fresh from the Maine fish man, and also grilled one of the "Fish Man's" fine crab cakes. While I normally enjoy my salmon baked with olive oil, fresh dill and lots of lemon, tonight I used what I had on hand. I rubbed it down in fine organic E.V. Olive Oil, Sea Salt, and fresh lime juice, fired up the grill and grilled it alongside the crab cake. I sat on my patio with my citronella candles, and absolute quiet, and sipped this wonderful Chardonnay. What I liked the most was its lingering finish. It tricked me at first and I thought the flavor was gone within seconds of swallowing it. Then a wonderful, buttery vanilla-ness came creeping back on my tongue.

My salmon came out the best. Crispy grilled on the upper surface and moist and buttery on the inside. I had a heavenly first bite of the salmon and then followed it with a sip of the Chardonnay. I could taste the oak and pear. I then had a delectable bite of crab cake and followed with another sip. I could taste a definite citrus-pineapple burst. It was really fun to have two totally different flavors with each bite of something different. But in the end, that wonderful buttery vanilla came back.

8 out of 10
13% alc. by vol.
http://www.cambriawines.com/