TN: Havens 2006 Napa Valley Bourriquot (now with new context!)

Here's a testament to the importance of context in evaluating a wine. I really enjoyed the Havens 2006 Napa Valley Bourriquot the last time I tasted it. But when put up against a Thanksgiving dinner, it really did not fare well at all. The extraction and oak clashed with just about everything on my plate from mashed potatoes to turkey. I had thought perhaps Cab Franc from a cooler climate would be a flexible food pairing, but here style trumps variety and climate. Here's there's just too much in the wine, and it was like a battle between wine and food.

You live, you learn. Next time I'll go with a simpler Chinon or Bourgueil if I want Cab Franc with Thanksgiving.

• 2006 Havens Wine Cellars Bourriquot - USA, California, Napa Valley
  
  
  
  Much less impressed on this go round. Clashed with the food at the table with the vanilla and oak being the major culprit. Better on its own. After being open for 4 hours, though, the bitterness of the heavy extraction became more evident. Nice earthy aromatics, though. Just seemed rather awkward and clunky.