Christmas: A Family Celebration

It really doesn't matter how big your family is, there's nothing better than celebrating Christmas with family. Over the last few years I've visited with various family members for Christmas.  

Since I no longer have any children living at home with me, Christmas isn't like it used to be. No excited children hoping that I'll get out of bed so they can get to their presents. That's why visiting with my brothers is always a treat. They still have children at home.

With four children and two dogs, my younger brother's house can be quite exciting. This year, we visited them after Christmas, so this Christmas was a lot quieter. There were just five of us.  Now I never want to run out of food, but perhaps 4 ribs of a standing rib roast might be a little bit too much.

With our horseradish encrusted standing rib roast we had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, brussel sprouts with a cheese sauce and some fresh bakery rolls. I wasn't sure what to serve with dinner so I tweeted out a couple of selections in hopes of getting some feedback.

My friends at Pine Ridge Winery suggested their 2009 Fortis.  Now I don't pay a lot of attention to how wines are rated. Mostly I pay attention to whether I like the wine or not.  I've had a lot of unrated wines that I really enjoy. But the 2009 Fortis was rated 93 by Wine Spectator and 92 by Robert Parker. 

I'm not sure what number I'd rate the wine but it was a perfect pairing for the standing rib roast. This Cabernet was selected from the very best vineyard blocks from the 2009 vintage. 

This is what Pine Ridge says about the wine:  

The 2009 Fortis presents an intense nose of cassis jam, black mission fig and blackberry fruit, supported by balancing aromas of rich caramel, dried rose petal and French vanilla. The black garnet color hints at the extraction of this gorgeously complex wine, confirmed by the intensity of flavors of sweet juicy blueberry and stewed black fruits beneath a harmony of chocolate ganache, dark espresso bean, brown butter and toast. Creamy tannins follow through the smooth and lasting finish of this rich and full-bodied wine.

As I've said before, I can't always pick up the aromas and flavors outlined but I did pick up on the blackberry, caramel and the vanilla. It's inky dark color hints at its bold, robust taste. The only thing bad I can say about the wine is that I only had one bottle.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging in the man cave with a fire in the fireplace and enjoying what I'm sure will be a new Chistmas tradition: watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We did open a bottle of the Onyx and a bottle of Seghesio's Chianti Station to go with some cheese, salumi and crudites.

But most of all, it was a day full of family, food and fun. As the fire died down and the Christmas lights dimmed, we went to bed content. It's hard to imagine a better day.