Markham Merlot and Grilled Vegetables

Markham Merlot - 2017

One of our favorite, easiest (and healthiest) meals is grilled vegetables and boneless/skinless chicken thighs cooked over an open flame. The only seasonings we use are specialty salts, butter, and olive oil. This particular meal was first made for us by a dear friend who has traveled worldwide, meeting people of all cultures and learning how they cook over open flames. He has sourced salts from many of these countries, and lucky for us, he shares them with his friends! We baste the chicken thighs with garlic butter and use ghost pepper salt to add heat to the meal. We had been eyeing this bottle of Merlot for a while and thought we'd give it a go with this meal. Great decision! It paired so well with the charred veggies and the spice without overpowering it.

From the winemaker: Our Estate Vineyards provide the backbone to this Napa Valley blend, with Oak Knoll's Little Cannon weighing in with a distinct tart cherry character while Yountville's Hopper House and Yountville estate vineyards add classic Bing cherry. Together, this showstopper has a lovely balance of candied cherry laced with dark chocolate aromas. Floral fruit runs from strawberry preserves to boysenberry and is accented with an assortment of baking spices. The velvety entry melts like chocolate on the palate providing a silky but dense mouthfeel with a long, intense finish.

Even though we grilled out to make this meal, do you think we drank this sustainably made wine from a plastic cup? Absolutely not. We respected the wine (and the environment) and drank this delicious wine out of a proper glass. Good thing we know someone who has come up with an easy way to clean it!

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