About a year ago a friend gave us a bottle of Justin 2007 Isosceles Reserve. I’ve been waiting – and salivating – for just the right occasion to open it, and found that occasion last week on New Year’s Eve.
The wine, a Bordeaux-style blend from Central Coast California, the Paso Robles region, was one of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. The intense aroma of cassis and black plums (and whiff of vanilla) met me more than halfway, that is, the minute I opened the bottle. The concentrated flavors of blackberries and currants were almost chew-able. Though extremely fruit-forward, the wine was balanced and refined.
Fans of French Bordeaux may scoff at my enthusiasm, preferring more reserved, austere wines as they do. But I’m not ashamed to say I flipped over this bold, extraordinarily rich, self-confident wine and can't wait to taste it again. (Justin Isosceles Reserve 2007 received 94 points from Wine Enthusiast. It sells for about $100. Though I've heard that it is only available to the winery’s Wine Society members, I did find a few bottles for sale on-line.)
Before planning the New Years Eve dinner, I read the tasting notes on the wine and wondered what the heck one eats with a wine that’s called “tremendous,” “impressive,” “powerful,” “brilliant” and “gorgeous?” We decided on our family’s traditional Christmas Day turkey dinner, which we didn’t have on Christmas Day this year, and readied an organic nine-pound bird, for the outdoor Ducane rotisserie. I was looking for pure, hearty flavors but nothing rich or fussy to compete with the wine. The crackly, well-burnished bird, with mashed potatoes and shaved Brussels sprouts sauteed with shallots, bacon and toasted hazelnuts, was a deliciously satisfying choice.
However, the logistics of the adventure proved a little dicey. Since the thermometer registered below zero that night, my husband had to pile on ski clothes each time he ventured out to baste the bird. As it happens, the Wall Street Journal picked the same day to do a feature on winter barbecuing. "The Life of the Party: Your Grill" offers tips, recipes and anecdotes about dinner parties in Fargo, ND.
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