Saturday Night – As per recipe – Part 3

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For the main course Mick did rolled chicken breast stuffed with basil, cheese and prosciutto and he grilled them on BBQ and served them with a tomato sauce and a side of rice.  He paired these with a 2002 Shafer Merlot.

The nose on this wine was stunning, big aromas that could be detected almost across the room with cherry, tobacco, mushroom and pine needles aromas.  Raspberry and black pepper were the two main flavours to the wine.  There was a harshness to the finish which was due to the heat/alcohol of the wine.  It was decent with the chicken but I really think a Merlot with more fruit and less heat would have worked better with this dish.

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 86, Kathy – 87, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.

Here is the LCBO information for the wine –

SHAFER MERLOT 2007

VINTAGES 247676
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 59.00
Made in: California, USA
By: Shafer Vineyards
Release Date: Mar 8, 2012
Wine, Red Wine
14.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Merlot
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note - Dark and muscular, with blackberry and graphite aromas and youthful, concentrated black cherry and mocha fruit that show notes of roasted herb, with a hint of game. Score - 92. (Tim Fish, winespectator.com, April 30, 2010)* Note – this is for the 2007 and not the 2002 review here.

I wasn’t blown away by this wine and at $50+ a bottle I was expecting a bit more from it.  The nose was stellar but the taste and structure were close to OK than good.  There are better Merlots for less money out there and I would recommend going with them instead.

The new Chicken dish was good and Mick grilled them to perfection which with stuffed meat is tricky to do.  The tomato sauce with the chicken didn’t add much to the dish and we all thought a cream base sauce would be interesting with this dish for the next time.

Amy picked up a Milky Way chocolate cake to finish off the evening which was enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Mick for all the great food and to both Mick and Amy for hosting.

Cheers!

Mark