My 1986 bottle of J. Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon

A few evenings ago, it finally occurred to me...why am I waiting for a special occasion to enjoy a fine wine?  Isn't life special enough to live every day to the fullest?  This bottle of wine had traveled with me from the various apartments and houses that I've lived in, for probably close to 10 years now, if not more.  Tonight was going to be "it's" night, my 1986 bottle of J. Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon.  I know what pushed me in this direction - I was out of wine.  This was the only bottle of red wine that I had, and I wanted some.  I also wanted to add a splash to a chicken dish I was cooking.  I can see you wincing, but honestly, it was just a splash, and I'm a firm believer of never cooking with a wine you wouldn't drink. 


I opened the bottle, the cork started to crumble, and I thought for a minute that it might have turned.  I mean, why wouldn't it have!  This fine vintage has been housed in completely different ends of the temperature spectrum, exposed to light every day (I know, more wincing), and probably hasn't been laying to rest at the appropriate angle for all of these years.  I gently wiggled out the cork and took a whiff of probably the smoothest wine aroma I had ever inhaled.  My anticipation was growing, so I poured a small glass and sipped.  Ahhhhh....my nose was happy, my mouth was happy, and I was happy.  I immediately had to share a sip with Mark, but I honestly thought it would end there.  As most of you may know, Mark is an avid craft beer drinker. He definitely has the palate to appreciate a good bottle of wine, but normally only sticks to a couple of sips here and there.  I didn't expect he would be hooked.  He was already in "beer mode", having had a Karl Strauss Fullsuit Belgian-style Brown Ale, so I never expected what would come next.

Mark was so overwhelmed by the smoothness of this full-bodied cabernet, that he asked for his own glass.  It didn't stop there either.  His enjoyment continued on until we finished the bottle together. For dinner that night, I made a simple tomato sauce and simmered drumsticks in the sauce as it cooked down to a thicker ragu.  No pun on the word, but I did honestly use Ragu brand pasta sauce.  I had a jar of Ragu chunky tomato garlic and onion sauce, so I doctored it up with more onions, Italian seasoning and a splash of...yes...1986 J. Pedroncelli Cabernet.  The flavor turned out absolutely amazing, I served it over pasta, and everyone at it up, including the kids.


I'm so glad tonight was "it's" night.  I'm glad I didn't wait for one of those over-rated special occasions.  I couldn't have been happier enjoying the bottle with my man, eating dinner with my family, and appreciating life to it's fullest.  Hopefully I don't have to spend $100+ each time I want to have Mark partake in a bottle of wine with me, but this evening was delightful.

Easiest, best-tasting Coq au Vin ever!

This is by far, the easiest Coq au Vin!  I always have a stash of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer since I load up when going to Costco.  I'm not a huge fan of white meat, but give me a thigh or a drumstick any day, and I'll be happy.

So, as I was cooking this meal, Ryan asked me what we were having and I proudly said in my terrible french accent, "Coq au Vin!".  Obviously, he proceeded to say "What?", so I was able to give him a quick french lesson, but it made me wanting more.  I looked up the history and meaning of coq au vin and found what I was looking for.  Check out this fascinating food timeline!  Translated literally, it means cock with wine.  Farmers would keep the cocks around as long as they were good breeders, which made them very old when their time was up. Cock was considered peasant food, due to the meat being extremely tough, so they had to cook it for long hours in wine or broth, just to make it edible.

Another interesting fact is that some food connoisseurs prefer to use white wine to braise with, instead of red.  The thought being that the white wine compliments the chicken without overpowering it.  I may just have to try that next!

A quick interlude about this recipe and then back to some coq au vin history.  I'm not sure how I came about this handy tip, but I wanted to share it.

This recipe calls for 1 TBL of tomato paste, like plenty of other recipes I've done in the past.  Who wants to open a new can of tomato paste for just 1 TBL?  Instead of throwing the rest of the can away, you scoop out the rest in individual tablespoons, place on a small square of wax paper, wrap up and store in the freezer.  Every time I pull one of these tomato packets out of the freezer, I feel so great for not being wasteful!

The most exciting discovery on my quest for coq au vin history was the a la carte website.  The drawings are exquisite and the passionate nature of the author is incredible. He flat out calls himself obsessive and at the current moment, is obsessed with French cookery.  After all this talk about coq, I will leave you to enjoy a few jokes around coq au vin's sexual connotation, courtesy of a la carte.