One More Bottle of Wine: Saviah Cellars' "The Jack"

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 27, 2007 7:00PM

We love a good bottle of wine almost as much as a great beer. But we're the type of person who buys a bottle, places it on the wine rack in our kitchen, and forgets about it. We have a much harder time keeping beer in stock.

Last week we veered from the Thanksgiving norm and fixed ourselves a rare sirloin for dinner with caramelized onions, rosemary home-fried potatoes, and a red wine reduction (and we made the reduction properly this time around). The wine we used, which we also paired with the meal, was a blended red from Saviah Cellars in Washington State's Columbia Valley. "The Jack" - and doesn't that just make you think of Bon Scott-era AC/DC just saying it? - is a blend of 89 percent Merlot with small touches of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, and Syrah. Aged in 100 percent oak, the result is a medium-bodied red wine with some subtle hints of spice and tannins. We let it open up a bit, which really brought out the bright fruit flavors one associates with a Merlot, but doesn't weigh on the drinker. The second glass goes down quicker than the first.

We recommend "The Jack" for wine drinkers who don't like dry reds, but appreciate some complexity to their vino. Unfortunately, you're gonna have to hunt it down; we can't remember where we bought it, and both Sam's or Binny's don't list it on their websites.