This past weekend saw me staying with my friend Benyamin Cantz of Four Gates Winery as my wife was at a wedding.  So I brought over two bottles along with a meat Lasagna that I cooked up along with the others I made for the party that I co-hosted on the previous night.  Benyamin opened a few bottles of wine that are not yet released, and when they are – I will blog the results.  That said, the evening started with a lovely Merlot, and was followed by a wonderful Chardonnay poached Salmon.  He paired the Salmon with some 1996 Chardonnay, which is still kicking and very oaky.  That was followed by my lasagna and some red wine braised Boerewors sausages which were just a joy.  The saltiness played the meat and lamb and was braced by the vinegar and spices, just a joy indeed.  We opened the Lambouri, and enjoyed it along with the Merlot, and they were a nice pairing for the meat lasagna and sausage.  The acidity in both paired well with the meat and the medium to full bodies of the wine played a nice waltz in the mouth – quite enjoyable.

The next day we had two unreleased Four Gates Chardonnays (again, we will blog on them as soon as they are released) and the Vina Encina.  They were paired with some lovely fresh salads, rice salad, salmon, and chumus.  The Chardonnays played a wonderful part in the meal, as the oakiness and fullness of wines helped them stand up to the acidity in the chumus and salads.  The fish was complimented almost perfectly with the oakier of the two Chardonnays.  Later in the day we opened the Vina Encina with some Vegetarian Stew and thick whole grain bread.  The wine was nice and paired well with the richness of the stew (that was cooked for some 20+ hours).  One of the cool tricks of vegetarian cooking is time, you do not need meat, butter, or cream to create richness, you just need slow cooking and a long time.

Thanks to Benyamin for hosting me over the weekend, and the wines notes follow below:

Lambouri Ya’in Kafrisin – Score: B to B+
The nose on this light garnet colored wine has hints of cranberry, dirt & earth, oak, raspberry, and strawberry. The mouth of this medium to full bodied wine is luscious in the mouth with notes of cranberry, cherry, raspberry, and strawberry. The mid palate is still tannic in nature that lends to the mouth feel. The mid palate’s tannin is still integrating and has enough acid to balance out the palate. The finish is long with coffee, allspice, and a hint of oak. As this wine gets more air, the wine turns a bit darker with more earth and dusty mouth that is tightly wound through to the finish.

Elviwines Vina Encina 2004 – Score: B to B+
The nose on this dark garnet colored wine has aromas of coffee, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, plum, and cloves. The mouth of this somewhat complex and medium bodied wine starts with cherry, plum, and cranberry. The mid palate of this enjoyable and tannin rich wine, has oak, allspice, and a good amount of not yet integrated tannins. The finish is long with oak, coffee, nice tannin, and acidity.