WineLife365

It all started with a peaceful Tuesday evening.  Yes, you read that right…TUESDAY!  By some twist of fate, there were no evening activities for the kids, their homework was done and they were sufficiently occupied.  Oh yea, we fed them too.  Anyway, it had been a while since I last had more than 20 minutes to whip up an incredible meal.

Carpe diem…into the kitchen I bolted!

Luckily, my wife reminded me that we had two lamb chumps (or lamb chops) sitting snug as a bug in the freezer that didn’t get put to good use at a recent swanky dinner party.  SCORE!

I marinated those two lamb chumps with lots of TLC.  I dowsed them with fresh-squeezed orange juice, pepper, sea salt, and minced garlic; allowing them to rest for an hour before cooking.  Note to self: some fresh lavender sure would have been swell for this marinade, too!

After we put the kids to bed (on time!), I ran back downstairs like a madman and started pulling things out of the refrigerator and pantry:  carrots, zucchini, red onions and roasted red peppers.  I also discovered some capers, chicken stock, minced garlic and a single box of Near East Whole Grain Blends “Roasted Garlic.”  Yes!  My plan was developing, and I could actually take the 30+ minutes needed to bring it all together – there was plenty of time to spare.

Taking a stainless steel cooking pan, coated with some olive oil, I seared the pieces on the stovetop then moved it into the oven to cook on a low fire [325°F] for about 30 minutes.  While the lamb chumps were cooking, I fired up another pan with some olive oil and sautéed the minced garlic, carrots, zucchini, red onions and roasted red peppers (all diced).  I then added the capers and chicken stock to keep the medley moist, and added a dashed of kosher salt with some Victoria Gourmet’s Herbes de Provence dry seasoning.

I was really hoping to find the “perfect” bottle to go with this meal, so I decided to give it a go with the 2008 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Estate Bottled Petite Sirah (MSRP: $20, Sample).

How do I adequately describe how this wine tasted?

It was AMAZING!

And I will drink it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
It is so good, so good, you see!

This wine was remarkable all by itself:  it was silky-smooth, bursting with massive blackberry, blueberry, chocolate – all beautifully complimented with a beautiful aroma of anise, eucalyptus and white pepper spice.  With the meal:  it was off the charts!  The 2008 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Estate Bottled Petite Sirah had my wife and me at Hello!  And so ends my story of a most superb Tuesday night.

4 Stars out of 4 for the 2008 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Estate Bottled Petite Sirah.  For under $20, it’s easily one of the most beautifully crafted red wines that we’ve tried so far in 2011.