Wine: Hess Select Treo 2010

We made trip to the Hy Vee Liquor Store on Saturday. There are Alcohol Restrictions in this state that I am just not used to. Alcohol (more importantly, Wine) isn't sold in Grocery stores. You have to buy it from a liquor store, which is adjacent to the grocery store.

I was pleased to see the familiar names of La Crema, Two Vines, Columbia Crest, Seven Deadly Zins, and Gnarly Head. Even more pleased to see a good selection of Hess; we shared a bottle of Viognier with some friends a while back.

So, looking at me dead on was a Treo, a Merlot, Syrah, and Petite Syrah blend. And I made the choice, at 16.69 a bottle (very reasonable in this region even after shipping costs, don't you think?). And it was a good choice. I mean, I am feeling homesick for California, and how much more California can you get than a wine from Napa County?

This blend was magnificent. It has a very peppery nose. But surprisingly, its finish isn't so dry: cherries and blackberries coat your tongue and throat and give a nice mellow, rich fruit finish. No, it's not sweet or jammy (although I akin jammy wines to the Shiraz Varietal specifically). But it does pair amazingly well with dark chocolate chips (cacao!, more specifically Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Baking Chips. Don't judge me! I eat chocolate chips out of the bag. a lot.), and dulche de leche ice cream. And a good movie [The Perks of Being a Wallflower ].

The equation for a good evening in?

A little bit of Napa + Chocolate + a Good movie