Dinner tonight was barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, and watermelon. I used store bought BBQ sauce (Stubbs Original) on free range skin-on, bone-in breasts and thighs. I brined the chicken for 1 and a half hours in 1/2 cup white wine, 1.5 cups beer, and enough water to make a total of 2 quarts, to which I had added 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, a bay leaf, and a half teaspoon each of black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Forty minutes on a gas grill. Yum.
To drink, I poured a nine year-old Ode to Picasso, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, as well as being one of my favorite Behrens wines. After decanting, I let it breathe for 45 minutes before dinner. Soft tannins make it easy to drink now (and I suspect it won't get much better). There's enough acid to stand up to barbecue sauce, as well as plenty of rich, dark fruit. Blueberries, black cherry, mocha java, pepper on the nose and palate. Grade: A-
