This past weekend we celebrated my wife’s birthday.  No I will not discuss age, I still want to see another day.

Dinner was a magnificent treat made by some new, dear friends as a surprise.  Pork chops and broccoli.  Literally the best chops I had ever eaten.  Fresh hand cut chops straight from the butcher, brined in seasonings including molasses.  Wow what a treat.

I picked the wine for the evening.  I wanted something special, I chose a 2007 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet.  I had been saving  this one, oh was it well worth the wait.  David Tate is the winemaker at Barnett, and man what an artist he is.  Tongue-gasms (yes my made up word, but you get the meaning).  The wine opens a bouquet that just fills the room.  Oh my.  The anticipation of the things to come.  The color-rich, deep, dark purple.  Just adds to the magnificence of the wine. (big words now).  Big words are indeed needed to express the flavor of this wine.  The lush juice immediately hits your tongue, all kinds of berry.  Blackberry, cherry, currant and licorice with a very long finish, a very long finish, let me say again, a very long finish.  Little notes of spice, pepper and very light tannins-yes it is 10 years old.  The exceptional fruit forward but very balanced style of this wine is well-EXCEPTIONAL.  One of the best wines you will ever have at any price.

$$$$

Usually this is where I end.  I am after all a wine blogger, (well I try to be).  But tonight, even with this magnificent specimen before me, one of the best wines I have ever had, from one of the most spectacular vineyards your eyes could ever behold, (if you have the chance to visit the vineyards- it is as close to the garden of Eden that a mere mortal will ever have-please go).

But tonight, Sorry Mr. Tate, you were upstaged by a 14 year old and a purple cake.  As I stated before it was my wife’s birthday celebration.  Our friends had prepared the fore mentioned meal.  Too top it off their 14 year old son (yes 14) made her a birthday cake.  A wondrous sight to behold, three colors of purple, 3 tiers of chocolate.  Extraordinary.  I am not a baker, so I cannot do justice to the intricacies of creating such a piece of art.  I can only say that it was the most beautiful cake I have ever seen, and one of the most delicious too.

I hope that someday the two artists of this evening will have the chance to meet and share their respective art.  But until then, I will.

Enjoy