Duck Breasts with Pinot Noir and Cherry Sauce

What a tough week… I caught a cold and have not really been able to taste much wine… certainly not smell it.  In the meantime, I’ll share with you the recipe I used for a Duck and Cherry Sauce dish that paired nicely with the some of the Oregon Pinot Noir we brought back from our vacation.  As we get older, we continue to try to find ways to control the waste size.  Yes, we’ve done the Atkins, the wheat pasta, no bread, some yoga and now I do some triathlons and even a half marathon coming up in December (good luck to me).  As a part of that theme we often turn to Cooking Light magazine for some ideas on fairly easy recipes that are quite healthy.

This recipe was pretty easy to follow and the duck was easy to find at the local Whole Foods, already prepackaged at the right serving size (6 oz.)  While I think I overcooked the meat a little and the sauce wasn’t as thick as I wanted it to be, the flavors still paired nicely with pinot noir from Penner-Ash and Willakenzie.

2005 Willakenzie Terres Basses Pinot Noir - This was my favorite and had just showed up in our recent cellar club delivery.  The fruit forwardness really came alive with the sauce and then had a great mouthfeel all to its own.  It really blew me away how I enjoyed this wine through and through yet it never overpowered the meal along the way… the way good Pinot ought to be.  By the way, we did decant these wines around an hour ahead of time.  According to the tasting notes (use the link on the wine name above), we were in the wheelhouse of 2-3 years from release date, but it also has enough structure to cellar for 10.

2006 Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Pinot Noir- Jack, however, felt this wine was the best of the 2.  It also was very fruitful, but maybe he liked the bigger tannins that appeared in this wine that finished with some spice and toffy or whip cream.

Drinking wine on its own is fun for sure, but give it a shot with a meal and friends or family to round out the experience.