homebody

So remember how my last work trip was supposed to be in March? Turns out I'm not done yet. I flew down to L.A. yesterday for Wine & Spirits magazine's Hot Picks tasting. (More on that later -- I have some funny photos -- who convinced me that a beret is cool?) And I'm supposed to fly to Aspen next month for the music festival, which we sponsor every year.

But I'm back home now. And it feels good. Especially since we just had a nice dinner. I made fish cakes with a mango and pasilla pepper sauce, Israeli couscous and butter lettuce salad. And paired it with the Forman Vineyard 2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay (a no malolactic Chard made with Chablis in mind).

Um, yum.

But even more fun: The history behind the bottle. Todd gave me this Chardonnay for our first Christmas together -- way back in 2004. He bought me this Chard (along with a Cab) because it was a white wine that would age well -- and he figured we'd be together long enough for us to drink it in the future.

And that's exactly what happened. Four years later, here we are: Dinner in our house with our cats. Extra servings of fish cakes. A really dorky discussion about the parallels between the UC Davis enology program and getting your M.F.A. in fiction (did I mention really dorky?).

And a gorgeous, gorgeous wine that couldn't be more perfect for the evening. Nose still full of crisp, crunchy apples with a touch of sweet toast. Flavors of tropical fruit and pineapple with just the barest hint of caramel on the finish. Nice acidity. And the absolute perfect pairing for tonight's dinner -- it was killer with the pasilla-mango sauce.

Ah, I love home.