This is the fourth time that we've offered this month's High End Red Wine club selection - Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon - the wine is that good!
In fact we love all of the wines that Dave Phinney makes - he's the mind behind Orin Swift wines and is best known for The Prisoner Zinfandel blend - he's that good!
He's best known for The Prisoner, but also makes Saldo Zinfandel, Veladora Sauvignon Blanc, Papillon Meritage blend, and Stanton Cabernet Sauvignon. All are known for their full blown style and beautiful package design , but this wine is perhaps the greatest example of the David Phinney style.
Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon has it all - killer packaging (a real Mercury Head Dime glued to the bottle!), great fruit, and a lovely finish!
This is a blend of what Orin Swift wines consider their best lots from their best vineyards. Largely sourced from the Lewelling and Taplin Vineyards in Saint Helena and the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford, the wine is our version of the classic Napa Valley Cabernet. All three of these vineyards, and the guys that farm them, are legends in the valley.2007 also marks the first vintage where we introduce the Reese Vineyard, farmed by another great friend, Larry Benttinelli.
Mercury Head is the slang term for the authentic Liberty Dime which serves as the wine's "front label." As a kid, winemaker Dave Phinney collected these dimes. Years later, after getting one with some change, he was reminded how striking they are.
The 2007 Mercury Head is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The color is deep dark garnet. It has aromas of wild ripe field berries, figs, dust, earth, cranberry, black cherry, spice, dark coffee, chocolate, leather, violets, and currants. Forward, rich, precocious nose of vanilla malt, cocoa, blackberries and currants. The mouth is lush, rich, approachable. The palate is also dominated by dark brooding fruit, pomegranate, plus a little root beer and licorice. It is solid with a firm chewy mid-palate. The finish is long with smooth, well integrated tannins. The 2007 Mercury Head was aged in French oak barrels (30% new) for sixteen months.
93+ points from Parker: "The brilliant 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue as well as classic notes of lead pencil, creme de cassis, black cherries, spice box, and cedar. Full-bodied, concentrated, deep, and layered, this impressive, but youthful, primary Cabernet needs 2-5 years of aging, and it should last for two decades.
RECIPE: Bistecca Fiorentina with Sautéed Spinach Serves 4
The Fiorentina steak is one of the glories of Tuscan cooking. You may have to special order this steak, but it is well worth it.
- 1 48 oz Porterhouse or T-bone steak, (28 Day Aged Preferable)
- 2 Rosemary Sprigs
- 1-tablespoon sea salt
- Pinch cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 pounds baby spinach, washed and dried
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Kosher salt and pepper
Remove the steak from the refrigerator about 6 hours before cooking it. Chop the rosemary and mix with the sea salt, cayenne, sugar, and olive oil. Rub the mixture into the steak, season with freshly ground black pepper and allow to sit at room temperature until ready to cook.
Light a hardwood charcoal fire in a grill and place the grill rack about 4 inches from the heat. When the flames have died down and the coals are glowing bright red, place the steak over the heat. Allow it cook, without moving it, until the underside is well-browned 8 to 9 minutes. Turn the steak with tongs and cook until the second side is well browned and the meat is rare at the thickest part close to the bone. The meat should feel springy to the touch. (If you like, you may judge the doneness of the steak with an instant reading meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the steak close to the bone. The steak is cooked rare when the thermometer reads 120° F.) Transfer the steak to a carving board.
Allow the steak to rest 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, add approx 3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until very hot. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until just golden. Add a few handfuls of the spinach, sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper and cook until just wilted. Add the remaining spinach in batches, lightly seasoning each batch and cooking until just wilted. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning if necessary with more salt and pepper.
To carve and serve the steak, first cut the meat away from both sides of the T-bone. Cut each piece of meat on a slight angle into 1/2-inch slices. Reform the slices and place them back next to the bone. Bring the steak to the table like this, right on the board and serve slices from the board unto 4 large dinner plates. Place the spinach next to the steak.
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