Welcome to today’s issue of “Wine Wednesday”! This wine is available on the ‘Wine by the Glass’ list in most U.S. Morton’s locations and in most local wine shops. Today’s wine pairs nicely with our famous Hot Chocolate Cake, which happens to be our featured recipe! We are also celebrating this wine during #Cabernet Day on September 2!

Today’s Featured Wine: Hidden Ridge, “55% Slope,” Sonoma, 2005

The Story:

  • The vineyards include extreme terrain and steep mountainsides, developed by owners Lynn Hofacket & Casidy Ward. The elevations range from 900-1700 feet with slopes as steep as 55%
  • Located on the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain (nearest neighbors are Pride & Paloma), they were once called “Impassible Mountains” on early maps
  • Made by veteran Marco DiGiulio

The Profile:

  • Sweet fruit up front–but dry with soft tannins
  • “Modern cult-style” of ripeness (per Wine Enthusiast)
  • Rich with mountain-intense black & red current, bitter chocolate, spice and toast notes in a lush style
  • Soft tannins for such a dense wine

The Pairing:

  • All Steaks: This is a steak lover’s wine.
  • Chocolate: Chocolate and Cabernet are a classic pairing. Chocolate has a rich fat content like steak and also has tannins which balance nicely with the tannins of the wine.

The Region:

  • Hidden Ridge Vineyard lies between Mount Hood and Diamond Mountain in the Mayacamas mountain range near Pride Mountain Winery and Paloma Vineyards
  • Sonoma has a moderate climate, which produces a richer and fuller Cabernet

Today’s Featured Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cake

We first posted this recipe in October 2009, so this link will take you directly to that blog post. We also tell the story of when we first made this once closely-guarded recipe available to a guest. Today, you can find it featured in Morton’s Steak Bible for the whole world to enjoy!

Cheers!

Tylor Field, III
V.P. of Wine & Spirits
Morton’s The Steakhouse