Happy holiday season. We’ve picked some lovely, big-boned red wines specifically aimed at those of you intending to have dishes with powerful flavors and red meat.
We’ll start with Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel ($17), a quintessential American wine loaded with fruit, high in alcohol, and possessed of a thick mouthfeel that invites sip after sip of pleasure. This wine goes best with grilled meats like burgers, steaks, or roasts. For just a dollar more, you can try Milbrandt Cabernet Sauvignon ($18), a delightful Washington wine that finds a perfect blend of American fruitiness and Old World sophistication. Owner Butch Milbrandt is someone I’ve known for many years and he is one of the good guys. You can always count on him assuring each bottle balances quality and price.
If you’ve been wondering about which Bordeaux might give you some seasonal joy, allow me to recommend Chateau Meyney ($33). We originally discovered this wine when Guy Stout, one of Texas’s first Master Sommeliers, worked at a lovely wine shop in Dallas called Marty’s (since shuttered). We started learning about wines by working closely with Guy. One week he would recommend a few wines to us, then we would go back and tell him what we liked or didn’t like about the wine which allowed him to focus in on what our tastes were and would likely grow to become. Chateau Meyney has since become the single most commonly purchased Bordeaux in the Marshall household, and luckily, I can report that the folks at Meyney have gotten better and better at their game.
Any of these three wines will bring you great joy. Just follow your taste buds. The Cline is big flavors and lots of delightful fruit. The Meyney is dryer and more traditional. The Milbrandt falls in between. Pick whichever profile fits your meal and enjoy!
This article appears in December 14 • 2018.
