I have for you two wines whose names naturally go together - Grace (score 88)  and Faith (score 90).

This was a delightful evening we shared with friends.  Lynn and I had our friend Fr. Brendan over to help us discern the proper scoring of our wines, and the wines were perfect for the occasion - what could be better than grace and faith in the midst of good friends sharing good food and good wine.

Grace, properly speaking is a Chianti Classico made by Il Molino di Grace (the windmill of grace). It has an exceptional Chianti character that  is well worth the enjoyment.  The wine impresses from the pour with a deep opaque red.  The nose was rich in spice and fruit. The wine was well balanced and was appropriately firm with soft tannins providing a good backbone.

The taste was peppery with ripe plum flavors, and the finish was good but not particularly remarkable.  Chiantis are best when accompanying food (at least in my opinion).  After tasting this, we also enjoyed it with a Chicken roulade stuffed with a paste of sundried tomatoes, olives and parmesan.  With these flavors, the wine took on the most delightful character - gone was the heavy pepper, and in its place was a sweet and smooth flavor that was delightful.

On the same evening we tasted a delightful Shiraz from Australia - a place known for their delightful Shiraz - named Faith.  This was a 2006 Shiraz produced by St. Hallett winery in the Barossa Valley. This pour impressed us as well as the previous wine - again we had a rich opaque garnet color.  The nose was outstanding with ripe cherry and plum with a complex spice - more than just a simple pepper scent.  The body was well balanced and smooth, perhaps a little soft.

The taste was delightful and nearly perfect.  It was complex and mature.  We tasted plum, strawberry, a hint of smoke from the oak, and the most delightful spice flavors with hints of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. The finish had a nice length, and left a pleasant taste that anticipated the next sip. While this wine would go well with the usual shiraz suspects, this one would be great to drink all by itself as well. We were certainly grateful for the chance to taste this one.

In the end, we were blessed to have an evening full of Grace and Faith, and recommend both.