San Polo Mezzopane Sant' Antimo DOC 2004

Anthony finally brought home some wines for us to try. I was excited. And once again he didn't let me down. The first one we tried is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Sangiovese and is from Montalcino, which is in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is a dark, earthy wine, which Anthony, and I have found that I, really enjoys. I am definitely finding that I prefer the Old World Wines over the New World Wines and this is a perfect example of that. I can sense the cherry in the bouquet but it is by no means 'fruity' and has a fine, tanniny taste. It has a pleasant, clean finish which doesn't linger in your mouth but does make you want more. I think this might be one of my favorite things about it. I think I could definitely drink this one often - if it wasn't so spendy.

Chateau Cantenac Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

I was recently invited to enjoy dinner with the owners of the restaurant Anthony works at. It was fun, casual affair and the owner suggested I pick the wine for dinner. Gasp. I honestly don't feel qualified for picking wines, especially for other people to enjoy with their dinner! So of course, I just punted.

I thought a bordeaux sounded like an interesting one to try, and one I don't believe we've had. I also vaguely remembered that Grand Cru meant something, and so my choice was made. It was a good one. This was a very good, what my amature palate might call full-bodied, red, with what seemed like chocolate flavors and maybe a little spice. It went very well with my chicken and with everyone elses hanger steak.

So I decided to look up what exactly Grand Cru meant. According to fabulous Wikipedia it 'is a regional wine classification that designates a vineyard known for its favorable reputation in producing wine. Although often used to describe grapes, wine or cognac, the term is not technically a classification of wine quality per se, but is intended to indicate the potential of the vineyard or terroir. It is the highest level of classification of AOC wines from Burgundy or Alsace. ' However, it notes that wines from the Saint Emilion region were not included in the standard classification system so Grand Cru in this case means something else. Still a very good wine.

On a side note - I think a little history from the Saint Emilion area is interesting. Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.
The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century AD. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine.
The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.