And a partridge in a beer tree...

Chimay rocks... earlier this week we tasted through the three Chimay Trappist Ales - Cinq Cents (tan-ish label), Premier (red label), and Special Reserve (blue label). All of them are amazing examples of Belgian Trappist Ale. The Cinq Cents is the lightest of the three with a pronounced fruitiness and light, yeasty aroma. A wonderful ale to have with some lighter food or perhaps fish (can you say fried Alaskan Halibut???). The Premier, or "Red Label", is significantly darker, with a very pronounced hoppy aroma and some black fruit as well as a much darker - almost burnt toast - head. A great, medium-to-full bodied ale. The Special Reserve (blue label) is my personal favorite - has been for a while. To me, this is the finest ale in the world. The color is very dark - but clear. Aromas of hazelnut, chocolate, and hops are accompanied by a complex array of dark berry fruits. Heavy on the palate, but not so much as a Porter. This is a meal in a bottle, but incredibly satisfying. Very nice ale.

On the wine side, the 1996 Muga Prado Enea Rioja Gran Reserva could be the single finest traditionally made Rioja I've ever had. The nose is classic Rioja - pure dill with sawdust, dried clove, dried cranberries, leather, black plums, and black cherries. The nose is so intense... but on the palate it all comes together. The leathery, cedary, dusty and dried fruit components all come together to create an intense, extremely balanced wine with layers and layers of flavors. The finish is amazingly long and this wine stays with you for quite a while. Tasted the 2003 Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Pinot Noir as well... a classic RRV Pinot with candied cherry, strawberry and raspberry tightly wound with hints of black earth. A nice, easy to drink wine. The 2003 Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon was a tad disjointed, with the alcohol overpowering the fruit and creating a slightly unbalanced wine. The fruit was there, but there was just so much alcohol, it was hard to cut through it. Perhaps in time this might get better organized, but I'm not sure.