Ewine of the Week

Hello Everyone,
Alexander Valley cabs pair well
Let’s revisit an eWine mini-lesson from almost a year ago, about a wine region in northern California that has one of the longest wine histories in that state, some of the oldest vineyards, and some of the most food-friendly wines.
If you’re in Little Rock our next After Work Wine Tasting will be at Loca Luna on Nov. 12, where instead of just wines, we’ll celebrate the holiday season with a selection of chef Mark Abernathey’s wine-friendly Tuscan pizzas, from Loca Luna’s authentic Wood Fired Pizza Oven. It’s $20 per person for the usual four wines, 3-ounces each (that’s half a bottle!), plus the pizza. No reservations needed, just drop by anytime from 5 until 6:30 p.m. and taste through the wines—and the Tuscan pizzas—at your own pace. James Cripps and I will see you there, wine glass in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. Loca Luna is at the foot of Cantrell Hill just off Cantrell Road, (501) 663-4666.
Try a new wine this week!
Bruce

Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon
To demonstrate the variety of styles available from California, open a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley next to one from Sonoma Valley or Napa. And the next time you’re looking for a cabernet to accompany a dish that might be easily overpowered, you’ll likely open a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley.
Located in northern Sonoma County, along the upper portion of the Russian River north of the town of Healdsburg, Alexander Valley is responsible for nearly one-half of the county’s wine production. Wines from here tend to combine depth of flavor with a food-friendly elegance that isn’t found in many other parts of California. The area’s style is also known for fine, relatively unobtrusive tannins. Tannins are what can make a young red wine puckery, and also allow it to gain complexity with cellaring.
Of the valley’s many wineries, Alexander Valley’s flagship has long been Jordan Winery, but that’s been so hard to get for so long, that a lot of wine lovers don’t even know the name any more. One that is available, and that offers good quality at a fair price, is Souverain. Long time wine fans might remember this as the old Chateau Souverain, but recent bottlings have dropped the word “chateau.” Francis Ford Coppola bought it, with plans to rename it and make it a centerpiece of his Sonoma County line of wines.
The Souverain brand still belongs to Fosters of Australia, which own Fosters beer, Beringer, Meridian and many other well-known brands. The current 2004 vintage has depth of flavor, with hints of black cherry and plum, with a toasty oak finish from aging in French and American oak barrels. The tannins are fine and supple. Great with beef or lamb.
Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon retails for around $20 a bottle. The merlot is also very good.
All wines in E Wine of the Week are available locally. To subscribe to the electronic version of E Wine of he week e-mail bruce@brucecochran.com.