Evening at the Monarch

Bart here. I met my wife and son at the Monarch recently for an early dinner.  This is a special place in historic Delano, a favorite of ours after a busy day!  It is mainly known for its very long list of Bourbons, other distilled gems, and related cocktails.  I love my Old Fashioneds and may need to expand a section of our blog to distilled spirits.  As a matter of fact, we did have to learn them all for our sommelier tests and would hate to let that knowledge go unused.

Since this is currently a wine blog, with Nathan’s help, I chose the 2020 DeLoach Heritage Reserve Merlot—I have seen this wine before but do not recall tasting it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of wine at a bourbon bar, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This Merlot showed notes of raspberry and sweet, dark, ripe cherries with clear notes of dark chocolate. This was enhanced with soft oak flavors like toasted vanilla and maybe a little caramel on the end.  See, I told you I was pleasantly surprised!  My wife and I split the Cuban sandwich with ham, smoked pork, spicy mustard, pickles, and Swiss cheese served on a French roll with sweet potato tots. This is the answer to any evening’s dinner question! The wine paired very nicely with both, contrasting and complimenting the elements.  The ripe fruitiness contrasted the spicy vegetal elements in the sandwich and tots, and the smoky oak undertones complemented the protein and tots as well.  I cleaned my plate and was left with a smile! We all agree with the Monarch when they say, “The Monarch is a damn good backyard escape.”