Christmas Dinner and Wine Pairing

I recently received the latest Food and Wine magazine and the beef rib roast on the front cover immediately caught my eye. I have to admit that a full bodied red wine paired with red meat is one of my favorite wine and food combinations. I also must admit that I often start planning a menu with the main course wine and then choose the food. Priorities, right? That night while lying in bed, I picked up the magazine and checked out the rib roast recipe where I found a complete menu, including the horseradish herb crusted rib roast, and immediately exclaimed to Gloria: “this is what I want to fix for Christmas dinner.” In no way could I ever pull off that complete menu, but the chined and frenched rib roast with a full bodied and complex cab would be wonderful for any special occassion.

As I looked over the menu I found that the main course wine pairing was a 2004 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Being a fan of Robert Mondavi cabs, and not ever having had the 2004, my interest was immediately piqued.

I have two bottles of the 1996 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Reserve left in my makeshift wine cellar (OK, go ahead and laugh, my cellar consists of wine boxes turned on edge with a number of bottles stored away on a shelf against a cool concrete wall in my basement laundry room). The 1996 is a wonderful wine and I thought at $100.00/bottle Gloria and I were stretching the budget to have those, not to mention the three bottles we had already enjoyed on special occassions. I have also had the 1999 which I also thought was a very good wine, although it didn’t reach the complexity and depth that characterizes the 1996.

So, I jumped on to the Robert Mondavi web site the following morning and found the 2004 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Napa Valley) at $125.00/bottle (I did not find a 2004 non-reserve cab). The Robert Mondavi Winery describes this wine with words like “polished but assertive”; and “ripe black fruit aromas merge with hints of cedar, black licorice and a pinch of nutmeg and clove” on the nose; “dense, fleshy flavors of balckberry, black plum and cassis” on the mid-palate; “elegantly powerful tannins.” The wine is 86% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot.

I haven’t yet seen the 2004 in the liquor store I frequent but at $125.00/bottle all I would probably do is look at it anyway. But, I would very much like to add a bottle or two to my makeshift wine cellar and maybe one of these days I will.

In any event, if any of you have had the opportunity to try this wine, I would really appreciate your comments.