For our actual fiftieth anniversary, we had a getaway week to our Destiny East Cove vacation rental, in Destin, FL, and dined at Bijoux French Bistro restaurant in nearby Miramar Beach, Sandestin.
Pictured above at earlier celebration, and, at the right, the anniversary couple, not at elegant dinner, but on our pickleball courts at Destiny East, earlier in the day.
Bijoux has been acclaimed for being the "Most Romantic Restaurant" as well as "Restaurant of the Year” and “Best French Restaurant on the Emerald Coast",
From the Bijoux Award Winning wine list we selected a producer and label we know well, Del Dotto Cave Napa Valley Cabernet, which was an ideal pairing with our filet of beef entrees.
As a starter, I ordered the Lobster Spring Roll, Tempura Fried Maine Lobster Tail, with Green Tea Soba Noodle Slaw, Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce, and Wasabi Aioli.
We both ordered the “Black Skillet” Filet Mignon with Buttermilk Gruyere Mashed Potatoes, Bacon Braised Greens, Roasted Garlic Herb Butter and Demi-Glace sauce.
Note - I ordered my filet of beef my customary “Pittsburgh Style” - charred with a hot pink center, and it was prepared perfectly!
Del Dotto Caves Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
We've been fans of Del Dotto Vineyards and their Estate wines since the early nineties dating back to their inaugural release in 1993. We still hold a vertical collection more than two decades of vintages of their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon dating back to those earliest vintages. We visited and featured Del Dotto during several of our Napa Valley Wine Experiences in 1998 through 2008, then again in 2017 and 2019.
We wrote about Del Dotto Family Vineyards and Wineries extensively in our feature of our Del Dotto Napa Valley Cave Tour Barrel Tasting during our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2017.
Del Dotto is one of the largest holdings in our cellar collection, but we’ve not had this vintage selection of this label before so it was a new experience to celebrate the festive occasion.
Even though it says, Cabernet Sauvignon, we chose this particular label as it is actually a Bordeaux Blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, - ideal for pairing with our filets of beef. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is our classic blend showcasing a conglomerate of vineyards and Bordeaux varietals. This is the painter's palette of Napa's finest appellations. With fruit from the hillsides and valley floor, this is about 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. For an everyday Cabernet, this is the perfect bottle. The bouquet is refined with both floral notes, cedar shavings, milk chocolate and red berries. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and supremely balanced with crushed cherries, vanilla cream and brownie crumbles. The finish is soft and lengthy creating a perfect complement to many foods or by itself with a great movie or book!
