I remember tasting a bottle of this in 2000 and then securing four dozen bottles. This was one of my all-time great buys and the wine has improved and served me well over its lifetime. I was running down to my last few bottles several years ago and topped off my holdings by buying four more and six of the 1998 St George (an even slightly better vintage). We also have a couple dozen of the 1997 St George which is a great wine, if not quite as complex as the 1996 or 1998.
This wine has large berry flavors, most closely to raspberry or sweet (over-ripe) blackberry. It is beautifully balanced. However, this wine is starting to show its age and should be drank in the next year or two. I think I have about three or four bottles left, so this should not be a problem. The fruit is not as lively as it was three or four years ago.
I have always liked the St George Cabernet Sauvignon as one of my go-to Cab Savs. An even better one (but with more variability vintage to vintage) is the Wynn's John Riddoch. The Wynn's John Riddoch also tends to cost about 50% more per bottle, but for great vintages, can be worth it. But my love affair with the Lindeman's St George has served me well year-to-year and I have bought so much volume that I am always able to get quite good prices for it. In totality, I have had the 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003 (only available as a clean skin), 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 vintages.
Is this too good a wine to drink with pizza? I don't think so. "Yes," I could have a decent and much cheaper Chianto to go with pizza, or a cheaper Cab Sav, but why should I when I have a bottle of the 1996 St George staring me in the face when I open the Vintec? If it needs to be drunk in the next several years, there is no time like the present! And I can guarantee that it makes a great pizza even better!
I love Merlot to go with pizza. By the by, do you ripen your dough?
ReplyDeleteBut the best red with pizza I've had in Switserland. It was a Humange from Gilliard. A small cave and the box I could secure didn't last long. I still look for a wine with that same heavenly taste.
Lucy, I expect Merlot would go well with pizza. I tend not to drink Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc very much, so tend not to think of them as wine options for any food. I will write a blog on why that is the case.
ReplyDeleteI think a Merlot / Cab Sav blend would work well with most pizzas.
Tonight, we used a store-bought base and did not make our own. When we do make our own, it has turned out ok, but have had a difficult time getting it to rise. I like the thinner home-made dough and we make up enough that we use one for the current pizza and then freeze three to be used later. After they freeze and the warm up to room temperature, they seem to rise better!