Last night a buddy and I went to our usual and always reliable Pamplemousse Grille to plan a few upcoming events with chef extroidanaire, Jeffrey Strauss, who is clearly the best chef to plan a party with in San Diego, especially when wine is involved.
Last night Ray McKewon, founder of the XCeptional Music Company and I opened up the 2007 Tikal Jubilo and the new 2009 Orwin Swift D66. Both are complex wines, blended from multiple grapes and both are massively enjoyable.
The 2007 Tikal Jubilo, a wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the Mendoza Valley of Argentina by Ernesto Catena, is perhaps one of the best examples of South American Wine around. I've been drinking and never saving this wine as far back as I can remember, and always walk away just saying "WOW" as it's a winemaking tour de force. It is loaded with black and red fruit flavors, an elegant bouquet of fresh fruit and easily qualifies as a "fruit bomb" but behind all that is the deeply structured Bordeaux like character. While this may have been the last bottle of this treasure, I'm happy to say it was a perfect match for Jeffrey's Cowboy Cut Rib Eye and his signature Truffled Fries.
The D66 was so impressive Ray and I decided to split a case of it. If you like rich, opulent blends of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan grapes then the D66 is for you. It is made from grapes that come from vines over 60 years old. The grapes come from a vineyard in the Maury region of the Roussillion, almost close enough to be in Spain. There, in the dry, anthracite rich soil, the vines work hard to produce grapes. But what they produce are grapes of highly intense mineral rich grapes that Orin Swift and his team have turned into their first non USA project. I've long been a fan of wines from the Roussillion, starting first with Domaine Gauby, and others like Clos de Fees, the exquisite Mas de la Rectorie in Banyuls, the elusive Vaquer and of course La Tour Vieille in Collioure.
Like "The Prisoner" and other Swift wines, the intensity and depth hit you at first whiff, but its the layers of fruit, spice and dry sweetness that cascades through the glass that makes this wine so enjoyable. Ripe raspberry, bright blueberry, a hint of black pepper and the unmistakable quality of the aromas that come from the combination of the Garrigue and the sea makes this wine a gem. I'm glad I grabbed more.
