Wine: Three Saints Steak House Red Wine; Three Saints Chardonnay
Vintage: Steak House Red – 2009; Chardonnay – 2010
Alcohol percentage: Steak House Red: 14.1%; Chardonnay: 14.7%
Found at: The California Wine Club www.cawineclub.com
This review is being written fresh on the heels of February school vacation. Vacation was more of a “Staycation” this time around for our family. Usually we find a way to ski up north, or kill a day at the New England Aquarium, but this year, our plans never really came together. Our choices were limited by budget, so we had a week of going to the movies, visiting the local museum, an AHL hockey game, add in a sprinkle of playdates and a whole lot of sibling rivalry. In essence, I was driven nuts by my kids. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but after a few days of bickering over ESPN vs. Nickelodeon, and more than a few tears over some sort of street hockey game, I was ready for the bus to come on Monday morning.
Mid week after a particularly grueling day of errand running, Wii tournament playing, raking leaves and general whining, I thought it would be a good time to try Three Saints Steak House Red. I had planned um…shake and bake pork chops, and I thought it would work. This particular wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.
On the nose, this wine smelled of spicy fruit with a teeny hint of vanilla. It was very fragrant. When tasted, I found it to taste almost exactly like it smelled. A smooth and slightly lingering finish and just a little dry. No surprises with this wine. It was pleasant and uncomplicated; a perfect compliment to slightly overdone pork. After two glasses, it seemed to make my hearing dull, and lightened my mood, so much so that I declared it “Family Movie Night” at 8:30pm.
The Chardonnay was opened on Sunday evening, as the “Staycation” week was coming to a close. I may have mentioned in the past that Chardonnay is not my favorite, but after 9 glorious days of wonderful, memorable time with my loving, polite children, I was ready to drink rubbing alcohol. Luckily, my husband was suffering from the same affliction, and he thought ahead and put the bottle in the fridge at noon.
When opened, this wine exploded into the glass, a bouquet of juicy pear and citrus and a fresh flower yet to be named. It tasted again, very similar to how it presented. Its finish was long and fruity. The wine would pair well with seafood or chicken. We drank it with cheese and wheat thins. The cheese with the wine seemed to tame the tartness of the fruit. The alcohol percentage is a little high for a Chardonnay at 14.7%. There was definitely some body and substance in the glass, yet light enough to pair with a lighter meal.
I might mention both of the Three Saints wines that I tried had screw caps instead of corks. I am not opposed to the screw cap, as I tend to view screw caps as a quick and easy option. I also tend to think that the leftover wine might keep better if tightly capped. Not that there is ever any leftover wine in my house so that I may test this theory out, but you get what I am saying. I am not so snobby that I require a cork in my wine bottles. Neither wine was a disappointment, and I look forward to trying the Steakhouse Red again, this time with an actual steak.
