Spring dinner & a gorgeous bottle of Rooiberg Chardonnay Reserve 2008

So I am a romantic, straight down to my core.  I love candle lit bubble baths, followed by a candle lit dinner surrounded by roses, a gorgeous bottle of wine, Ella Fitzgerald playing in the back ground, and snuggling close to my gorgeous hubby like it's a first date.

To celebrate the birth of Spring, I decided to do a delightful "Welcome Spring" dinner for hubby and me.  I chose a recipe out of Marie Claire: real + simple (a must have cookbook)

And this was the result: Chicken leg quarters with herby stuffing - I know I know, these are not quarters, but don't count your chickens...   The Afrikaner in me changes recipes sometimes & this time I added a not so healthy finish (which was not part of the recipe); a creamy basil & Dijon mushroom sauce.  That, on top of the fresh basil and cashew nuts in the stuffing (also not in the recipe) made this meal delicious... if i do say so myself :-)

Our wine for the evening was a gorgeous bottle of Rooiberg Chardonnay Reserve 2008.  I have never tried this before and it complimented our food perfectly, pat on the back ;)
It was a beautiful full bodied Chardonnay which went very well with the chicken. The taste that was most interesting for me... You know when you suck on those caramel sweets?  Now that initial flavor was in this wine mixed with a bit of vanilla and also beautifully matured & rounded for a 2008, not being the least bit green or young.

A Gorgeous Reserve wine which, at a low price of R52, from Pick & Pay was an awesome deal. Honestly I would have thought this wine was an older bottle it was so well balanced,  I can only day dream of how amazing their 2006 must be... drooool.

Unless something goes dramatically wrong with their soil or winemaker, this is definitely going on my list of "must always have a bottle in the fridge" white wine & one of my next farms to visit when we are in Cape Town.

Thee, blush, the hangover on this was delightful, not that painful "please put me out of my misery" headache that you get from most young/cheap white wines, but instead more of a "i need a hug" headache that did not last long.

Do yourself a favor and go get this for one of your Spring events this weekend & I would love to know what you think?

So here is to a gorgeous week & weekend & good luck to all you poor snotty nosed people out there that is suffering because of all the blooming blossoms around you. :(  my husband is one.
Keep your chin up, your tissue close and drink your sorrows away. ;)

Cheers all!

I am a drinker with a writing problem.
- Brendan Behan