“It needs only a good bottle of wine for a roast chicken to be transformed into a banquet.”
……Gerald Asher, The Pleasures of Wine
Luzon is a Spanish wine; a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre (a.k.a. “Monastrell” and also occasionally known in California as “Mataro”) and Tempranillo (known locally as Cencibel). It’s a good wine to use along with the quote of Gerald Asher’s because the wine shined the Churrasco (Brazilian barbecue) I made recently (minus the fancy presentation). We enjoyed loin lamb chops, beef flank steak, boneless pork chops, chicken breasts and (because I wanted to) Andouille sausages. So the axiom of “white with this & red with that” was of no value (never was much anyway) since we had red meat, white meat, pork, chicken, beef & lamb, oh my! I had already decided to limit the wine to a single selection, and I also grilled red pepper, beets, parsnip, red onion, zucchini and carrots just to mix it up a little. Finally, along with the limit of the one wine rule, it had to be kept within the Wine Mizer price point.
D.B.A.W.S. (Don’t be a wine snob) regulations require you keep an open mind after learning the price. Bodegas (a.k.a. Chateau) Luzon comes from Jumilla, a “D.O.” appellation in the S.E. of Spain (like an “AOC” in France or “DOGC” in Italy). Each of the four grape varieties is aged separately in French (80%) and American Oak (20%) for twelve months. This is a newer style of Spanish wine and – by the Spanish standards – the short aging time requires it be labeled as a Crianza instead of a Reserva.
Parker awarded this inexpensive wine 87 points. Wine Spectator gave it 90. And as the Mizer, I give it my enthusiastic recommendation. Try this wine and you may enjoy the taste of grapes you haven’t yet enjoyed. Drink it now through 2016.
Salud!
……………… Jim
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