Hall: A Simple Name for a Damn Good Wine

So we decided to change things up a little this Sunday.  If you've read a few of the posts you know that Sundays are reserved for steak and a full red wine of some type.  We kept the beef and the full red wine, but changed up the steak.

For dinner I braised beef short ribs in red wine and served it with a cheesy polenta.  Sorry, no pictures this time.  To be fair, it wasn't as photogenic as some of our other meals.  To go with this rich dinner we selected a great Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from Hall.  My brother brought over a bottle of Hall for Thanksgiving last year, and it was exceptional.  We kept the bottle despite not getting to enjoy it as thoroughly as we would have liked.

The 2007 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic full bodied wine.  Its all dark amethyst in the glass with a deep rich fruit nose to match.  Plum, spice, and rich berries all vie for attention on the nose.  The wine is smooth and bold with loads of dark luscious berries, cassis, and even anise on the palate.  Full tannins round out this Cab and give a long full finish.  This is everything one would expect from a fine Napa Cab and more.

The Hall went really well with the wine braised short ribs.  The full flavored Cab was perfect with the rich tender beef that fell off the bone.  I had worried about it being too much wine for the braising, but that wasn't an issue.  On a quick side note, the short ribs were braised in a full bottle of Concha y Toro's Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend.  I know the experts say cook with what you drink, but the Hall was way too good to cook with.  And back in the day Pris and I both drank our fair share of the Conch.  The wine also went well with the polenta which was rich and savory.  I suppose the cup and a half of heavy cream, or the almost cup of parmesan and fontina cheeses had something to do with that.  At any rate, the creamy richness was a great foil to the deep rich fruit of the wine.

I picked up this bottle on sale at H.E.B. in McAllen for about $34.  It usually runs a bit more, but it is worth it.  I know they also carry it at Feldman's, but I don't remember the price.  To find out more about the Hall family of wines you can visit: http://www.hallwines.com/home