Tonight I had the rare experience of being on my own for dinner. Chris had signed up for a Sushi class and had left the house by 5:00 pm. I was in a meeting that ended around 6:30 pm. By the end of the meeting my stomach was starting to tell me it was time to eat! I’m not a good cook but I can do the basics. I make a heck of an omelet, but I really didn’t feel like one, nor did I want to spent a lot of time figuring out what to make. As my luck would have it there was a Gluten free pizza in the refrigerator freezer.
Their claim at Udi’s Gluten Free Foods, is that you’re buying a product that is free of gluten, but what you’re really getting is an innovative blend of quality, taste, and flavor. Their mission is “to show you a new way to approach gluten-free living, and provide you with the tastiest gluten-free food on the planet”. (I thought it was good, but also think Chris would have made it better; perhaps by crisping it up some more.) In stark contrast to other gluten-free foods, which are often tasteless and crumbly, Udi’s creation, wasn’t half bad.
I doctored up the pizza slightly and with the oven at 400 degrees I put the pizza in. Once my meal was figured out I needed to see what kind of wine I wanted to pair with it! I had fourteen minutes to go and was feeling a big red. I wandered down to the cellar and after pulling some bottles I decided to try the 2008 Aloft Cabernet Sauvignon.
Reading the back of the bottle I was intrigued to learn that it was a Howell Mountain collaboration of Peter Mondavi, his wife and two sons. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is the inaugural release for Aloft; and it was great!
Sight
Deep color depth and a garnet hue.
Smell
The Cabernet Sauvignon was moderately aromatic and development was youthful-fruity. I could smell spice, dark fruit, cocoa, tobacco.
Taste
This wine was dry, full-bodied, and the acidity was good while the tannin level was medium with a slight astringent characteristic. Tasting it, I had rich mid-palate flavors with a medium to long finish.
abv: 15.5%
How much: The wine was a gift. Looking online the wine should retail for $150.00 per bottle.
Wine maker notes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cold Springs Vineyard on Howell Mountain.
My initial rating for the 2008 Aloft Cabernet Sauvignon was three plus glasses. As the wine sat in my glass and evolved it was clear it should be a four glass rating. I would recommend you decant and let it sit an hour prior to drinking it.
Back to the meal… The think the star was clearly the Cabernet Sauvignon. I should have left the pizza in the oven five more minutes because the center of the pizza crust would have better a bit more crispy like the edge.
Life is too short to drink crappy wine!
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