Crepuscule, A Wine To Drink In The Magic Hour
Filed under: Wine
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for five-dollar words and crepuscule has to be one of my favorites. It is a French word referring to the magical hour of twilight. It's also the name for a magical dessert wine. The 2006 Crepuscule Late Harvest Semillon, $90 (375 ml) is a wine from Swanson Vineyards in Rutherford, California. Swanson has made this wine eight times over the past 22 years, needing exactly the right conditions for 'noble rot.' The wine includes some Sauvignon Blanc and is fermented in new French oak with native yeast. Swanson has made my bottles to bring lists before, their dessert wines are some of the best produced in California and with names like Arsene, Minuit, Tardif and Luminous they are great conversation starters. The 2006 Arsene Fortified Petite Sirah which sells for $75 is a port-style desert wine that would pair terrifically with dark chocolate truffles. The 2004 Minuit Black Muscat, $65 (375 ml) is made entirely of black muscat grapes, vinified in a process developed by Spanish missionaries two hundred years ago, adding brandy to the just harvested juice. The wine's name, the French word for midnight, seems to suggest the ideal drinking time. The 2005 Tardif Late Harvest Chardonnay, $80 (375 ml), is golden wine with a honey nectar flavor, it would be all sorts of wonderful served with a creamy cheesecake. The 2006 Luminous Gewurztraminer Ice Wine, $85 (375 ml) has the classic piercing sweetness of ice wine and expresses the lychee and honeysuckle character of the grape.
For chocolate lovers, the Alexis bonbon, a collaboration between Alexis Swanson Traina and Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut Chocolate is a must-try. It has a cocoa and cabernet sauvignon center, is dipped in Belgian chocolate and dusted with a delicate curry powder.
Brooke Shields Goes From 'Pretty Baby' To Gorgeous Woman
Rodents Run Amok at Upstate New York Walmart
Apple CEO Tim Cook interview at D10: the liveblog
Beyonce 60-Pound Weight Loss: Queen B Flaunts New Figure During Comeback Concert Series
What's a Realistic Retirement Age?
I'm A Successful Entrepreneur But Might Get Deported
Carrie Underwood's Grunge Rock Past: 'I Was All About Pearl Jam'
What Happened When Alex Kenjeev Paid His Student Loan in Cash
Farmers Hit the Jackpot in Kansas Oil Boom
Mary J. Blige, Charity Lawsuit: Singer's Foundation Sued for Failing to Repay $250K Loan
Supposed new iPhone casings show up with tall body, tiny dock connector, tons of mystery (update: a bit of the front too)