Cooking: 2002 A.Mano Filet Mignon

Here is quick marinade. I had a bottle of A.Mano 2002 open from the night before and I had a 7 oz. filet mignon to prepare for dinner so, put them together. I added some olive oil to the dish first then placed the filet on the dish and flipped the filet to coat both sides with the olive oil. A quick twist of the sea salt grinder is added to both sides. Then I added some of the red wine. The spices used are from Spice Merchants. Mushroom Mania is then sprinkled on both sides of the filet. I put this all together just before noon and dinner is at 7:00 pm.

I added the same mixture to some asparagus and had them wrapped up in some foil to put on the grill.

Dinner Served: The medium-rare filet mignon is just wonderful. The flavor of the wine and the spices mix well together. This was the perfect thing to do for a wine that I was not too impressed with. Now, the asparagus is another story. I killed the asparagus with this wine. The wine flavors did not work well with the asparagus. All you can do is try!

The Wine

I had the A.Mano wine in a different vintage (maybe 1999) and it was very nice for a red zinfandel. When I bought the 2002 bottles (in 2006?), I was really looking forward to trying this wine again. The first bottle I opened I could not finish it. It was so inky and had a bitter citrus bite. Now, zinfandel’s can have that inky taste but, this was way off the chart. Now, 2010, it is time to open another bottle of that 2002 and see if age has mellowed those overly aggressive notes.

Yes, time did its job. It has mellowed but, it still has a thick inky, earthy and a slight citrus note. I doubt that there are any 2002 bottles left of the shelf but, if you see one – select something else. But, at $10.00 a bottle you can use it for marinating filets. I guess I have two bottles of marinate left in the wine cellar.

I just did a search on this wine and this is interesting. The 2002 vintage is not even listed. They had 1997 to 2001 and then 2003 to 05 listed – with ratings. I’ll bet that the 02 could not get a rating or nobody would taste it to give it a rating.

A Wine Review: Fess Parker 2005 Syrah Santa Barbara County

Just this past year I bought 2 different seasons of Daniel Boone (the TV show), season 4 and 6, and what a great television show. As far as I am concerned there is not much on TV that is worth my time. But, when I watched the old Daniel Boone show it took me back in time. Back in time for the setting of the show and back in time when I was a kid and watched this show.

Then, one day I was at my ‘new’ favorite beer store and I was checking out the wines and there it was, a Fess Parker Syrah on the shelf. Of course, I had to buy it. I was impressed with the wine. Then, the other Thursday I went back to the store to buy some more and they only had one bottle of Syrah and one bottle of Pinot, so I bought them both. Later that day my wife called me and told me that Fess Parker had passed away earlier that day. So tonight, I am having this bottle to thank Fess Parker for making some great wine and also the great memories from his acting career.

Now, onto the wine!For a wine that is going to run you around $25, this is a great buy. I really like this wine. The big berry taste is directly up front. If you like blackberry and dark cherry this is it. The spice profile, feels like white pepper, dances on the tongue and that helps to build that medium – medium-full mouthfeel. The appearance is very dense. When held to the light you are not going to see through it. And, the denseness of the appearance translates to the mouthfeel. The big berry taste just coats the palate like jam. There is a nice sweetness and dryness to the mouthfeel that makes you want to just lick your chops and enjoy the experience. And then, you want to take another sip and the nice aroma of spice and berry hits the nose. As I thought, from the first time I had a bottle of this wine, this is a must buy for the red wine lover, the Syrah lover and oh yeah, the Fess Parker (Daniel Boone) lover!