Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Having a great glass of red wine with dinner eases the tension of the day in just a few, calming minutes. This Kenwood Cab, from the Jack London Sonoma Vineyard, is a great weekday wine to keep open to unwind at the end of the day.  Bold but not too complex to enjoy without food, it will also pair really well with food.

Wine Review Haiku

Moody but balanced,

Earthy with hints of cherry –

Perfect paired with steak.

Hold on – I know that guy.

You may have noticed that the label says “Jack London Vineyard.” A vaguely familiar name? Let me help you recall: Jack London, as in the author of The Call of the Wild and White Fang, the books you read in high school. He had a ranch in Sonoma. According to Jack London’s bio, he lived there with his second wife, Charmian Kittredge (what a glamorous name, right?), until he died there.

“For more than thirty-five vintages, Kenwood Vineyards has been sole producer of the distinctive wines from the vineyards of Jack London’s historic ranch. Located above the small town on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain, the vineyard’s unique red volcanic soil vineyard grows grapes with full-bodied texture and exceptional flavors vintage after vintage.” via Wine.com

Tasting Notes

Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Wine people would call this “approachable,” meaning it’s going to be pleasing to most people. It’s a great wine – easy to drink, will pair well with food, and a good selection if you’re looking for a hearty wine to enjoy after a particularly taxing day at the office (or home, whatever your career may be.)

 

Pairings

Obviously, since a classic American lit author’s name in on the label of the wine, book club is going to be the theme.

Friends

SHOP TINYPRINTS

This wine is going to appeal to most people – and the price point (Wine.com is selling it for $27.99) makes it a great choice for a small dinner party or when it’s your turn to host book club. The cute book club invitation from Tinyprints is the perfect choice to send out to your friends that still remember checking out library books and reading from an actual book, flipping paper pages with page numbers in the corner. This is also an excellent bottle to keep open for a few days and enjoy a glass over dinner with your husband during the week.

 

Style

SHOP RALPH LAUREN

We’re going to keep going with the bookish theme here. You’re going to have to go librarian chic look with this wine. The wine is big and bold – but also polished, and would pair perfectly with this comfortable and flattering classic black Ralph Lauren shirtdress – plus, if you’re drinking red wine, wearing dark colors is always smart.

 

Stylish Glasses

Shop WARBY PARKER

Glasses, but of course. Duh. To pull off librarian chic, you have to have a good pair of glasses, which are having a fashion moment at the moment. Warby Parker will send you five pairs of glasses to try for free so you can find the perfect pair – and the Linwood are a stylish mix of a tortoise shell pattern with vibrant violet blue.

Tory Burch Reva Flats

Shop NORDSTROM

These Burch were made for walkin’ … I love Tory Burch Reva Flats. My  fashionista friends would be so pleased I actually have shoes on my unpedicured toes… but these are the only shoes I wear to work. I have a black pair and a platinum snakeskin pattern and I wear them nearly every day. They match everything in my closet and are so comfortable. I’ve heard the ones with the scrunchy back are uncomfortable – but the Reva are excellent and I’ve worn them everywhere – including climbing down a creek bank to get a shot at rocks in the water. Shoes survived.

Food

Foods that are savory and rich will pair really well with this wine – like the ahhhhh-mazing pork chop from Mustard’s in Napa. I dream of that pork chop. One day, we’ll meat again. (get it? ha. HA.)

Also: braised short ribs, the Steak au Poivre from Joes Bar & Grill in Myrtle Beach with peppercorns and a creamy dijon sauce, and green olives stuffed with blue cheese. Yummm.

Cheers!

 

Disclaimer: contains affiliate links.

Blog note: this is going to be a new(ish) series in which I recommend my favorite wines with a wine review haiku (I KNOW. IT RHYMES. But haiku shouldn’t rhyme) and pairings with food, friends & style. When I drink wine, I don’t care about the “mouth feel” or detecting the grassy notes on the nose – I want to know what I should wear, what I should order, and who I should invite. So that’s what you’ll get: tasting notes, and pairings with food, friends & style.