Every so often, on a whim, I root through my wine collection.    And there, carefully hidden from prying visiting eyes is a prized collection of Cabernet Sauvignon wines.    These Cabernet Sauvignon wines are kept in a cool dark place.   It is here that these wines thrive as they rest peacefully and undisturbed.   Time can be on this varietal’s side for in Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon is king, many of these bottlings can often age for ten to twenty years.

Wine evolves with time and what might be a big bold tannic wine upon release can emerge smooth, elegant and sensually disarming with careful aging.  Yet as wine ages, its identity can be fleeting.   One year it may rapture your palate with rich jammy fruit and six months later it may command your attention with distinctive spices.   At some point, a bottling will open and the fruit will be faint, if not fading.   Cellaring wine properly is a feat in itself, but knowing when exactly to open a bottle before a vintage has its last hurrah is an art.

Perceived pressure or not, there is an element of mystery with opening an aging bottle of wine.   It is a discovery in the making and generally, such a discovery goes so splendidly well that your guests will marvel.

As wine ages, it appreciates in value.   This can hinder a connoisseur or enable him or her with an almost feisty sense of reckless abandon.   Those who are fearless know that there is a certain guilty pleasure of sneaking into the depths of a wine cellar, quietly pulling an aging bottle and opening it simply to see where the wine is “at” in its aging.   There needs to be no special occasion for such samplings.   Perhaps such an opening is merely because it is Wednesday.

Years ago I found myself at Alpha Omega Winery in Napa Valley on a quiet winter Sunday afternoon and found myself sharing tales of “what have you ever opened on a whim” with the winery’s hospitality manager.   No matter what one shared and the other one-upped, the resounding occasion was, “because it’s Wednesday.”

This past week I mulled and contemplated what to feature.  I had been absent the week prior and generally such absence merits something of interest or reward for the returning article.   My mind thought through my wine collection and all of the waiting possibilities.  I thought about what I had featured this past year, what I had not, what I had consumed on a personal whim and what I had given as a gift.  My memory and mind focused on that carefully hidden collection of Cabernet Sauvignon wines: a stash of wine that to access is no easy feat.   Earlier this spring I had snuck back into this section of my collection and pulled a bottle of Alpha Omega Winery’s 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to give as a gift to my best childhood friend who nearly shares my birthday and who I have known since birth.   A simple email determined that her bottle was still waiting to be opened and while she was waiting for a special occasion, those words “because it is Wednesday” drifted into my head.

Boldly emerging from the collection, out came a perfectly 55 degree cool bottle of Alpha Omega Winery’s 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Cool to the touch, knowing that this bottle has been resting seven years since release, there was a palpable anticipation of what was to be discovered.

Consisting approximately of a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, Alpha Omega Winery’s (“Alpha Omega”) Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon always yield promise of being artfully crafted, blended and dreamily balanced.   While not yielding grapes from a single American Viticultural Area (“AVA”), a wine labeled as a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon instead offers the adventure of grapes from various AVA’s and the distinct opportunity for a skilled winemaker to show off the best that the diverse and varied terroir  of Napa Valley has to offer.

Pouring into the glass, the wine flaunts gorgeous ruby red jewel tones that will soften the eyes of any admirer.   The wine’s coloring is starting to thin ever so slightly at the edges due to aging, but given where the wine is presently, it will still continue to age for a bit longer.  Checking in on an aging Cabernet Sauvignon such as this is helpful as well if (like me) you have a few other bottles of this wine hiding in the depths of your collection.

Due to its age, no aerating or oxidation is required.   This wine is ready to go in the glass but before your palate can be entertained, your nose will certainly be stopped.  Alpha Omega’s 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to date shows off a fantastically beguiling nose.   Depending on how your nose approaches the glass will vary greatly what you smell.   At a distance, the wine shows off undeniably distinct rich milk chocolate, vanilla and pipe tobacco.   Drawing closer, the nose discovers nuances of warm toffee.  Finally, resting the nose towards the top of the glass lush ripe black cherries emerge coupled with a slight whisp of thyme and violet.

Finally the wine meets a mouth that at this point is slightly salivating with sheer anticipation.   Greeted with a hint of acidity, the wine is impeccably balanced and clean distinct flavors of cherry, chocolate, herbs and a kiss of vanilla step forth.   Between the nose and clever changing flavor profile of this wine, this is clearly a sophisticated red that will turn any female’s head and command respect from the palate of any male.   It is a wine that you do not want to rush, but a wine that captures your full attention and your palate respectfully stands by to see what unfolds.

Texturally, while this wine has aged and is slightly lighter in the mouth, it still yields meritable body mid-palate and presents a finish that denies the palate the ability to forget the wine any time soon.   The wine continues to linger and present a slow seductive changing slide show of flavors.

With one’s attention and senses fully captured by Alpha Omega’s 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the mind vividly envisions a variety of ingredients to pair with this wine.   From traditional culinary pairings to simpler combinations, aged cheeses, spinach, shallots, mushrooms, herbs and butter will be a good start.   The beauty of aged wines is that they are meant to be enjoyed, savored and lingered over.    They are not intended or designed to pair with big heavy meals.   For these wines aloofly sit in the wine glass waiting coyly for you to come to them, not to greet that which sits upon your plate.

As often appropriate, less is more with an aged Cabernet Sauvignon and keeping it cooly casual, this week’s menu hosts:

• Panini For Grown-Ups with Sherry-Mushroom Gravy

Knowing that there are number of elements to match in this wine, creating a Panini with expensive cheeses is a decadent simple start to ensure that this is an affair designed for grown-ups only at the table.  With a visit to your favorite knowledgeable cheese monger, you will surely return home with something sinfully delicious and unique to the wine that you are pairing.   Here a combination of a dry-aged jack cheese is combined with San Joaquin gold.    Capturing the dry aged nature of the jack with the silky fat of the San Joaquin gold, it matches nicely with the texture of the wine.   Spinach is a favorite vegetarian pairing of mine with Cabernet Sauvignon.   The flavor of spinach is rich in its own right and can go toe to toe with the depth of a Cabernet Sauvignon.    Combine the spinach with lemon, butter, shallots and a bit of garlic and add that to the inside of the Panini.   Coat the outer sides with bread, but prior to adding it to the grill pan, dredge it through herbed flour.   Flour that is mixed with minced thyme, rosemary and freshly cracked pepper dust the outside of the Panini before it is coated in a beaten egg.    When this sandwich emerges from the grill pan, it is trendy and rich and fit for an exquisite aged Cabernet Sauvignon.   To dress the sandwich, add a chunky gravy of sherry, shallot and mushrooms.

When plating the dish, give your olfactory senses a jump start by garnishing the plate with rosemary and lavender plucked from the garden.   Much of one’s ability to taste elements in a wine is affected by one’s sense of smell.   When aromatic elements such as these are added to the plate, it teases your senses and primes the palate in a coy game of culinary foreplay.

Slowly nibbling on this type of combination, it becomes apparent that the incorporation of natural fats into pairings with aged red wines revitalize the varietal’s fruit and spice.  One’s lips become slippery with this dish and the wine greedily clings to the fat from the butter, cheese and egg to render vivacious fruit and spice.   Similarly the wine washes back with waves of milk chocolate and vanilla persuading the palate that there is no need for dessert for it sits in the glass before it.  

Even though this wine is seven years past its bottling date, Alpha Omega’s 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is still giving all that it has and shows no indication of giving up.  With that in mind, noting the other remaining bottles of this vintage in my collection there will be other “Wednesdays” to look forward to.