The Way of Cenay



Sunday I should have been hunting with my family, but was sidelined after a small kitchen accident.  However, all was not lost.  Since I wasn't out in Bluetown, I was able to make a nice little dinner for Pris and I.  The same injury that kept me out of the field meant that it needed to be an easy dinner, so flank steak with caper sauce and grilled asparagus seemed to fit the bill. 

To go with this rich fare Pris selected a 2006 Cenay Blue Tooth Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California.  Apparently September is California Wine Month, and Pris remembered that this is a great California Cab.  Despite all that though, you can't really go wrong with beef and California Cab.



The Cenay hits with loads of ripe red fruit on the nose.  The typical raspberry and blueberry aromas were in full effect.  This Cab was full and flavorful on the palate.  The same ripe raspberries and some cassis worked together with a bit of oak worked together nicely.  The Cab starts of smooth at first, and continues smoothly through the mid-palate.  But then bold tannins come out and lead you into a big biting finish.





Essentially, the 2006 Cenay Cab is everything you'd expect from a California Cab.  It went great with the flank steak with caper sauce, grilled asparagus with manchego cheese, and toasted Italian cheese bread.  The savory bite of the caper sauce was a great counter-point to the fruit in the wine.  At the same time, the beef itself complimented the lush Cab very well.  We're actually finishing off the wine as I write this.  It went well with tonight's dinner which was a bone in strip steak with mushroom/goat cheese polenta.  Again, the bold Cenay Cab was a great compliment to the beef and the savory polenta.



If you're looking for something exceptional, this isn't quite it.  If you're looking for a really good Califonia Cab and are willing to spend a bit more, then this is a wine for you.  We picked up this wine originally at Central Market in Austin.  This particular bottle that is now empty was purchased at Jones Liquor for $37, but they also sell it at Feldmans as well here in the Valley.  For more information on the Cenay line of wines you can visit:

http://www.rowlandcellars.com/about_cenay.html