What Would Mikey Drink

With chicken over lentils. Deep and dark color, but not too interesting in the nose. Simple wine but pure fruit. Good for everyday drinking. Reasonable value. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Transparent ruby, incredible aromatics of forest, truffle and dark fruits. Clean and persistent on the palate. Bing cherries and strawberries supported by balanced acids and tannins. Very sooth, long finish. Wish I had some earthy food to pair. Then one hour later with Annie’s mac and cheese. Even more persistent and lively. This one will [...]

Deep, dark and viscus. Lots of cherries, tar and syrup. Long finish. Andrew says as deep and dark as it is, refreshing for a shiraz. Cath says lots of jam. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

With spicy sausage spaghetti. Dark, dense and rich. Bittersweet chocolate, oak, pretty berry. Plays off the saltiness of the Parmesan and back again to the spice. Long, smooth finish. Jill says “really great pairing” www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

With hot and sour soup, black pepper steak and snow pea shoots (thanks Phil Han for the dish recommendation). Dark and inky, much more than the other Artadi Vinas de Gain I’ve tried (1996, 1998 and 2003). Concentrated, tannic and intense. Tannins disappear under the spice of the food. Lots of dark fruit (plums, blueberries) [...]

With wild sockeye salmon, broccoliflower and couscous. Dark ruby, huge nose of dark fruits and truffles. Dances and sings. Up front attack with crushed violet and a real sense of place. Black cherries, Forrest flower, finesse and elegance. Pine needles and Forrest accent the dark fruit. Very big finish with great balance and acidity. Possibly [...]

Light color, nose of hay and hazlenuts. Drank it with a burrito from Blockheads. It showed lemon zest and nice, tart acidity. Very French- could be a Chablis. Not a perfect pairing. It would be better with a lighter food. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

1998 Veuve Clicquot with caviar. Great pairing. Not more interesting than their non vintage however. Was a good supporting cast to the Petrosian American Caviar. We tried it with the catfish. Jill found it festive and light, springy with the spice. Mikey thought it floated on top of the spice. 2004 JL Chave Mon Coeur [...]

Sunday evening dinner with steak, potato, broccoli and carrot. Pretty nose, much more bordeaux (not a great year, maybe 2001) than Napa. Medium body, tannic and acidic, but balanced by a core of berry and earth. Not worth the money. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com