2017 Wood Family Vineyards “One Oak Vineyard” with Andouille Cajun Dish
The Winery
Most everybody by now knows Wood Family Vineyards and their awarding winning wines. For any further background you can read at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2/
On her recent 2021 San Francisco Best of Show 2018 GSM and her unprecedented 7 Double Gold Medal awards you can read more at:
The 2017 Wood Family Vineyard “One Oak Vineyard” Merlot
Opened a 2017 Wood Family Vineyards Merlot from the cellar that comes from Livermore Valley, California. Dark ruby on the eyes and purple hues with a medium to medium heavy viscosity. On the nose a dark fruit compote leads to a beautiful sweet & sour cherry and plum fruit with red licorice. The finish provides a hint of oak and cedar with soft tannins but with some edginess but still a silky smooth Merlot which was an enjoyable treat! Also on the finish pomegranate, hints of vanilla with texture and medium acidity. This is a soft and comforting Merlot, still with structure and layers of taste. The 2017 was rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast and won a Silver Medal at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Her 2018 also won a Silver at the 2021 SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Currently they are offering the 2018 Merlot One Oak Vineyard at $32.
The Food and Wine Pairing
A fantastically prepared Andouille Cajun Rice Skillet dish was chosen to pair with the wine. This was a “warm temperature flavor” dish with spiciness and far reaching textual appeal in the mouth. The recipe called for Andouille Cajun sausage, yellow onion, red & yellow bell peppers, minced garlic, Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, kosher salt, tomato paste, fresh sliced Roma tomatoes, crushed red peppers and brown rice. A fresh garden salad with chucky Blue cheese dressing on the side. Paired with the Wood Family Vineyards Merlot was an excellent choice to counterbalance the spiciness and big flavor of the meal.
Sláinte,
Michael
California Wines & Wineries 