Lasorda Family Wines Pair Nicely with Just About Anything
Tommy Lasorda is one of the true icons of baseball. He’s in a class unto himself in Dodgers lore. In much the same way that tuning into a Dodgers game long meant being graced with Vin Scully’s smooth stories, LaSorda’s appearance at Dodgers’ games was just as reliable. As I tuned in to Game 3 of the World Series, just after preparing lamb chops to pair with the set of LaSorda Family Wines that were to enhance the viewing experience, there was LaSorda, in Los Angeles to throw out the first pitch. Now 91, the skipper’s lefty toss wasn’t what it once was; he’s six decades removed from his playing days, after all.
This post isn’t about Tommy Lasorda. It’s really not even about Game 3, though the 18-inning, 7-hour and 20-minute affair was historic. It was longer than the entire 1939 World Series, which was a four-game sweep by the Yankees. No – the title of the post tells you that this post is about wine. You’re here for a wine review and a wine review you will receive.
I invited my friend Pete over for the evening. Pete enjoys wine, but I rarely see him with a glass in his hand. He, like me, is much more a drinker of wheat, barley, and hops concoctions than a partaker of fermented, aged grape. Still, when presented with an opportunity to drink a nice bottle of wine, we each gleefully poured a glass of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon
One sip, everyone knows the rules: 9.4 out of 10.
The cabernet sauvignon is a really lovely wine. It’s not the bold cabernet that your (my) grandmother drank. Rather, the 2016 vintage is still young, with a forward crispness that sits light on your pallet. The mouthfeel is fruit-driven of the highest quality. Others wrote of boysenberry and currant. My fruit pallet is much simpler: I picked up the tiniest of blueberry, more in the nose than anything. There was also a bit of cherry wood that one can only pair with a baseball bat. The Cabernet has a strong, lingering finish that displays the expert craftsmanship of the wine. It has clearly been crafted as a switch-hitter, highly drinkable, but also worthy of being savored.
Pete’s review was much more about where the wine takes you. I think that’s right. In front of my fireplace on this crisp, rainy, fall night, the sweet floral notes transported Pete to the vineyard in California on a fall afternoon. If you think about your evening at that vineyard in the fall, you know that you’re having a great time. That’s what this wine is about.
Chardonnay
One sip, everyone knows the rules: 7.3 out of 10.
I drank this wine wrong. Not that I failed to fully embrace the wine. No, I enjoyed the aromas and carefully inspected the color before carefully sipping the wine. I mean that I drank it wrong because I had it on a cold night by a fireplace. It’s not meant for that. Where the Cabernet brought Pete to the vineyard in the fall, the Chardonnay put me by a pool in the summer with the sun shining upon me. It’s crisp, refreshing, and provides a fresh citrus to balance your experience. You should drink this wine while the sun shines on you. You deserve it.
Lasorda wine made me a Dodgers fan this weekend. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. The Red Sox won their 4th World Series in 15 years. But you don’t have to be a Dodgers fan to enjoy the wine. You don’t have to be a Red Sox fan looking to drink the blood of your rival after a victory in battle. You don’t have to be a baseballl fan. It’s just really good wine that happens to have a fun baseball tie. It will age well, just like the icon whose name graces the front of the bottle.
A few pictures from the evening:
The sign of a good wine? A well designed cork.
Peppered lamb with tiny fancy potatoes paired fine with the Cabernet.
Pete fell asleep in the 5th of the 18 inning affair.
-Sean Morash
