Good Wine and Good Company
A beginning to the reviews of wines assigned for this trip home. First, I must say my case was Fogarty/Martella heavy. When you can combine quality and value, that is always a plus in my column of numbers. In addition, I want to share what I do for a living with the people I love. Wine has always been important to me; now it’s a part of almost every aspect of my life.
Therefore, bottles I carted from CA to MS:
2005 Martella Fiddletown Zin (not yet released)
This one had a makeshift label, as it has been bottled but isn’t for sale yet. Everyone really liked it, maybe the near 18% alcohol had something to do with it. That, and it went beautifully with the shrimp and crab gumbo my aunt had waiting when I arrived home Christams Eve. The heat of the dish was the right accompaniment for such a peppery full-bodied wine.
2003 TF Fiddletown Barbera (x2) These grapes come from the same vineyard in Amador county as the Zin—farmed byRichard Martella, our winemaker’s big brotherOne of my favorite Fogarty wines ever… this one is no longer available, except for the few I whisked away (adding more to my wine bill) before it disappeared. One is for a gift, the other I opened Christmas morning to share with the fam. I thought it especially appropriate because we’re Italian. The smoky vanilla and juicy red fruit results were better than I remembered.
2002 TF Lexington Meritage
Present for the parents
Yet to be consumed:
2003 Martella “Heart Arrow Ranch� Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Karly Orange Muscat, 2004 La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux , 2005 TF Rose of Barbera/Cab Franc, 2003 TF “Fat Buck Ridge� Syrah, and the big ones:1997 Franciscan Magnificat & 1996 Ridge Monte Bello
Thomas Fogarty, Michael Martella, gumbo pairing, Barbera
December 26th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for the tip on wine with gumbo! I’ll be doing gumbo again for superbowl, and now i have a wine to serve! Not that any guys there will care, but great for me because i can’t stand beer.