Saturday Night – Independence Day - Part 1

Mick and Amy were by Saturday for our normal Saturday night dinner. Saturday during the day was a tad busy as we had to wrap up some odds and ends that needed addressing from renovations. This had me adjusting the menu so it was just a main course and dessert vs. the normal appetizer, main course and dessert.

I had a Vina Albali Rioja that I enjoyed at Wine Club that I wanted to have Mick and Amy try and a second new Rioja, a Bordón Gran Reserva, that none of us had tried before. I’d tried the Vina Albali at Wine Club but also had a bottle of it last week with Beef Tenderloin and Greek salad and loved the pairing. So the menu for the evening was Beef Tenderloin, pan fried potatoes with onions and Greek salad.

"Worth $27?"

I have been craving a good Greek salad for about two weeks and the one I had earlier with the Vina Albali Rioja was a pre-made store bought one that just didn’t do it for me. My biggest problem with store made Greek salad is the dressing. It seems like every bottled/pre-made packaged Greek dressing contains feta. Don’t get me wrong I love feta but feta sitting in a bottle of dressing for months is nasty. First I don’t understand how any time I have seen feta for sale it is in a refrigerated area yet feta in salad dressing sits out on a warm shelf for months. Second, feta that comes out of that bottle is so far from the fresh feta’s texture it isn’t even funny. I really wish they’d go back to making Greek dressing without “feta” …. sorry end of rant.

So I picked up some fresh Romaine lettuce, some Hot House tomatoes, cucumber, onions, Kalamata olives, fresh oregano and fresh basil and a bottle of Kraft Oil and Vinegar dressing and a block of Feta in brine and made the Greek salad I was craving.

Getting back to the wines, I’ll cover the 2001 Bordón Gran Reserva Rioja first.

The nose on the wine was a combination of cedar, cherry, black pepper and spice. Tasting the Bordón Gran Reserva was a bit disappointing as there was a sourness to it that I wasn’t keen on and the tannin was way too chalky. The flavour to the wine was a blend of sour cherry and lime/citrus. The flavour of the wine really improved with the beef tenderloin and the potatoes but was just OK with the Greek Salad.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 86, Mark - 85, Kathy – 85, Amy – 84, Overall – 85

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

RIOJA BORDÓN GRAN RESERVA 2001

VINTAGES 114454
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 26.95
Wine, Red Wine,
13.3% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Rioja, Spain
By: Bodegas Franco-Españolas
Release Date: May 23, 2009

Tasting Note - A classic old-school Rioja, featuring aromas of dried figs and dates, wood smoke, tar, cedar and fresh herbs. Dry, very supple, round and ready to drink. The years in wood and bottle before release have paid wonderful dividends. Decant it before serving to remove any sediment, and enjoy with an elegant beef or lamb dish. Or, you can sip and savour this mature Rioja on its own, revelling in its kaleidoscope of flavours. (VINTAGES panel, Sept. 2008)

Click here for Part 2