Wines with dinner

[Florida Jim]

With a seafood stew in red sauce (Mahi-mahi, shrimp and scallops) and a Caesar salad:

1999 Siduri, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley:

Despite its 14% alcohol this wine captures its Oregon origins with crisp, cranberry scents and flavors backed with dark fruit, forest floor and spice nuances. No discernable heat or wood, plenty of cut but just a bit short; this wine was very good with the stew.

1999 Alain Michaud, Brouilly Cuvee Prestige:

Expansive aromatics of black cherry, mineral and smoldering leaves – all very nicely integrated but still discreet enough to identify lead to a palate of black cherry and red cherry tones with a solid mineral streak and a little spice and smoke. Excellent intensity and concentration without any sense of weight. A long, structured finish reminds me that I should let the rest of my bottles of this sleep awhile. Very good with the meal.

Best, Jim