Drinking in Las Vegas.

Last night, whilst the majority of my family toddled off up The Strip to see the musical-fountain extravaganza at the Bellagio Hotel, I took my mother, aka Vinomum, for a drink at our hotel's bar.
The Mandarin Bar, located on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, is a lovely place to enjoy a glass of wine and the bright lights of Sin City.  Floor to ceiling windows ensured that my mother and I were able to drink in the unimpeded sights of some of the goings-on on the Las Vegas Strip.  My mother had a pleasant glass of Okanagan Estates Merlot and I had a glass of The Federalist Zinfandel (sorry, did not pay attention to the respective vintages).  Once again, I really enjoyed The Federalist and it paired wonderfully with the appetisers I chose for our big girl's soirée. 
Bottoms up, mother!

The Federalist.

I love chili con carne, my own, homemade chili con carne that is.  And I love chili paired with a nice Zinfandel, however, California summer evenings are just too hot to indulge in a big plate of spicy, steaming hot chili (served over rice).  So between the months of May and September/October I simply don't make it, much to the vexation of Vinomaker.  We just recently enjoyed our last, cooler-spring-evening chili paired with a really nice Zinfandel that Thud had sent to me a couple of months back. 
The Federalist, 2010, Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel was everything I like in a well made wine of this particular grape variety; pepper, red currant, plum and raspberry, yum!  Produced by The Terlato Wine Group (a company with an extensive wine portfolio which includes vineyard ownership and management, wine importing/exporting and many international winery collaborations), The Federalist hails from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County.  The Dry Creek AVA has come to be recognised as perhaps the premier viticultural area in the state for producing Zinfandel.  Zinfandel is considered the unofficial state grape of California.
And besides, I love the label.  Alexander Hamilton was an interesting man; born out of wedlock, he was a patriot, legal scholar, fiscal conservative and a defender of the Constitution of the United States.  All was going well for Hamilton until his career and reputation were derailed by his complicity in an 18th century sex scandal.  And then, to top it all off, he was mortally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr, a political rival.  Wow, what a life!  Spicy stuff, just like this wine.