A Beautiful Afternoon at Flight 1868

Bart here. It was a hot Friday afternoon, so my wife and I stopped into Flight 1868 –the Clifton Square aviation-themed Whiskey & Wine bar.  We sat in first class, in big comfy airline seats near the front window. Y’Teva was our stewardess who gave us our bearings and took great care of us.  Flight 1868 has a wide selection of whiskeys, spirits, and liquors, setting the stage for some wonderful cocktails. For this visit, however, we opted to check out their wines. On the by-the-glass menu, I ordered a 2023 Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.

Its aromas actively jumped from the glass, with fresh cut grass, grapefruit, key lime pie, and ripe yellow apples. It had crisp acidity and a stony minerality, hitting the spot on a hot afternoon. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we settled in and ordered the Propeller Platter, a beautiful selection of savory meats, cheeses, and stuffed olives, with mixed nuts, crisp crackers, and pickles all served with spicy brown Mustard. Unfortunately, this crisp, clean Sauvignon Blanc fell a little short when paired with the savory meats and spicy mustard.

Not deterred and comfortably mid-flight, I ordered a 2020 Angel’s Ink Pinot Noir from California’s Central Coast.

It looks dark and rich and leads with dark red, ripe, juicy cherries followed by a creamy vanilla suppleness, portraying its time in oak.  Balanced acidity and tannins give it a round, warm character.   A classic Central Coast presentation. This was a great wine to go with the Propeller Platter, given the variety of pronounced flavors on this charcuterie board. My wife had started with a 2020 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles (which I believe we have reviewed before).

This wine made a seamless transition from casual conversation to sharing the stage with this sampler platter.  Its fruit forward nature and more tannic quality kept it center stage, receiving equal billing. We both really enjoyed the afternoon stop. We ended with a promise to visit again soon. In true fairness, next time we will survey the list of interesting cocktails, their real forte.