Let me explain. We already know that not every Rosé is like sex.  I mean, after all, White Zinfandel is a Rosé. I mean, technically speaking.  But really. Ew.

So it’s not summer, and unless you’ve been under a rock, you already know that Rosé is my favorite summer wine.  I’ve recently discovered that it’s pretty close to being my favorite winter wine.  Or, more accurately, Rosé is my “go to” winter wine.  You know, kinda like George Clooney is my “go to” fantasy.  Don’t tell the Wineaux Guy.

I opened up a bottle of 2010 Hug Cellars xoxo Central Coast Rosé wine last week (just for this review) and was blown away.  Unfortunately, I pretty much drank it all and didn’t pay attention to the details.  So I was forced – forced! – to open up another bottle, and this time I took the time to really enjoy the nuances of  this Rosé.  I reviewed last year’s offering of this wine and loved it then, but it’s grown up a bit with this vintage.

First of all, “Rosé” is a misnomer.  It is darker than pink, certainly a lot different from the Rosés of Provence that are a light salmony peachy color.  It almost looks like a Gamay or a light Pinot Noir in the glass.  This is definitely a grown-up’s pink wine, mostly because there’s not much actual “pink” involved.

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I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how I won’t be tasting “new” wines any more and reviewing them; at least, I won’t be reviewing wines that aren’t ready for prime time.  The wines are good, but if it’s not ready to drink, how can anyone give a good judgment about the wine in its youth?

I had decided to drink a bottle of one of my “good,” relatively aged wines over the Labor Day weekend.  I found a 2004 Linne Calodo Outsider resting in my Haier wine cooler (the “I Can’t Believe I Spent That Much on Wine” cooler), and decided to enjoy it.

First, let me explain the concept of aging.  A really “good” wine from a classic wine area that’s known to improve with age can do so – up to 30 years, more for vintage Ports.  I’m going to be 60 my next birthday.  Do I want to spend a gazillion dollars for a wine that will be good enough to drink in ten or more years, possibly “peaking” in 25? Uh. No.

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The hardest thing about doing wine review tastings is that you usually have to taste pretty young wines.  These young wines are not bad – especially the ones I go out of my way to taste; life is too short for bad wine – but they’re not as good as they’re going to be.  And that can be a real problem, especially when you know that the wine that you’re drinking OUT OF YOUR OWN CELLAR is going to be sooo much better in just a couple of years.

One of the complaints I’ve received about my occasional tasting notes and/or videos is that I’m tasting wines that sometimes cannot be purchased anywhere any more.  I would like to say I’m sorry, but I’m really not.  At least not from my standpoint. I always enjoy doing tastings of wines that I like and that I know I’m going to be finishing once the tasting notes or video are done.

Let me explain.

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Two of my recent discoveries – although they’ve been around for a while – are two butcher shops here in town.  One, John Mull’s Meats, has been around, it’s said, for nearly thirty years since this part of town was on the outskirts of the middle of nowhere.  The other, The Butcher Block, is on Rainbow just south of the 215 near Robindale.  It’s relatively new because that area was mostly desert and dirt a few short years ago.

While my culinary adventures take me to a lot of places, Larry’s Meats had been my butcher shop of choice because it’s close to the day job and have super fresh meats, including game.

This time, I’m going to brag on The Butcher Block.  They will occasionally get in some actual veal bones, and I just got a bunch for stock. Yes, I’m tackling Demi Glace.  In their deli case, however, they have a lot of other items, and I purchased some homemade venison sausage.  Three sausages set me back ten bucks, but, hey!  It’s an adventure!

Pan seared in a tiny bit of my own version of blended oil (grapeseed and EVOO), and finished in the oven, they were stunning.  Like a famous brand of potato chips, I couldn’t eat just one.  With a salad of fresh veggies lightly dressed with olive oil, fresh lemon (yes, my Meyers are ripening), fresh garlic, and salt, they made a great dinner.

The wine (did you think I talked about all of this without bringing up wine?!?) was one that I was initially reluctant to open, because I wanted to save it for a special occasion. However, because of the encouragement of the Wineaux Guy, I did so (see mushy, loving smile) and was glad that I did.  The wine was a 2007 Hug Cellars Boulder Ridge Vineyard San Luis Obispo County Pinot Noir. Whew.

I dunno.  Something about “Hug” and “Deer” just seemed to fit.  But I digress.

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It was Sunday night, and I was a little tired after spending all afternoon at the Orleans casino with my cousin Byron, watching the LVMPD K-9 Trials .  It was fabulous, by the way, and gave me hope for the future of Jake, my own personal wannabe K-9 Belgian Malinois.  I say this as I watch him romping around the living room, throwing a squeaky cow in the air.  Oh well.

While a part of me wanted to stop at a restaurant, preferably a local place, the part of me that said “get home before you fall down” was more insistent, so that’s what I did.  I grabbed a few items from Whole Foods and hurried home.

One of the items I grabbed was some ground lamb.  I figured that lamb and wine were a no-brainer as far as classic matches were concerned, and I had nothing to lose.  I picked up a few veggies, including kale, beets, and grapes (okay. not a veggie), and decided to throw something together at home.

If I want ground beef at home, I purchase it in solid hunks or pieces and grind it in my own grinder (thanks Rod!), and don’t give it another thought. This is the first time I purchased ground lamb, and immediately discovered that it was very sticky from the naturally-occurring fat. So what to do? Add more fat!  EVOO to the rescue!

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