Celebrating Post 100 with Hughes Wellman

When Pris and I started this blog a friend of ours told us to talk to him when we hit post 100.  Well here we are at 100 and going strong, in fact there are still 2 wines on deck to write up after this one.  Its been a lot of moderate wine drinking, and a few instances of wine drinking that resulted in some very unpleasant mornings after.

For this post Pris and I felt we needed an exceptional wine.  From there it was a matter of deciding if we go out and buy one or crack into one of the few specials we have saved up.  We opted to go for the latter and open up our last bottle of Cameron Hughes' superstar Hughes Wellman 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena.  This vintage is sold out now, but Pris and I ordered a couple bottles when we moved to Brownsville last year.  We tried our first one to celebrate our anniversary last year and decided to hold off on the second.

The Hughes Wellman Cab is subtle, complex, smooth, and full bodied.  Essentially the perfect Cab.  This opaque purple wine contained ripe red berries and cherry that assailed the nose right away.  While the aroma is great, wait for the first sip.  Full bodied, smooth, and incredibly balanced this wine is amazing.  Black cherries abound at the forefront, followed by just a tough of mineral and spice towards the end.  Silky smooth tannins complete the wine and create a lingering smooth finish.  This wine goes down effortlessly, and is one the easiest drinking wines Pris and I have had the pleasure of enjoying.

We actually paired the 2006 Cab with a pot roast and mashed potatoes.  Its not the grandest of dinners, but it was solid comfort food made with wine and many of the ingredients found in beef bourguignon.  The recipe actually recommended a merlot for the meal, but the Hughes Wellman paired perfectly with the tender beef and savory sauce.  This wine is so good and smooth that I'm fairly sure it will pair well with about anything.  That said, it really shines with rich beef dishes so look for a roast, braised beef, brisket, and of course a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak.

At $50 this wine was a steal, but its gone now.  The 2007 vintage is available at Cameron Hughes' website: http://www.chwine.com/.  I haven't tried it yet, or even ordered some, but Christmas is right around the corner so maybe a nice gift of wine from us to us is in order.