My favorite players the week are…

Puka Nacua Rams reciever

I think that Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is the offensive rookie of the year, but Nacua has made a great case for consideration. Against New Orleans he had 9 catches for 164 yards & a touchdown.

Amari Cooper Browns receiver

Since Joe Flacco became the starting quarterback, Cooper has been on a tear! Against the Texans he caught 11 passes for 265 yards (24.1 average!) & 2 touchdowns.

Christian Barmore Patriots defensive tackle

The Patriots’ defense has been amazing this year considering that their 2 best players are on injured reserve & the offensive struggles have kept them on the field more frequently & with tough field position.  Barmore has been a big part of that & last week was a great example.  He had 8 tackles with 3 of them being sacks.  Two of the sacks came on 3^rd down.  One sack took down Russel Wilson at his own 3-yard line.  He forced a fumble on one of the sacks.  He also drew a holding penalty when he was held to stop a 4^th sack.  He had a total of 4 quarterback hits.

Brian Branch & Ifeatu Melifonwu Lions safety

I’m putting them together. Branch had 2 passes defensed & an interception, & a sack, & forced a fumble.  Melifonwu had 2 sacks, 2 passes defended, & 2 tackles for loss.

Kyle Hamilton Ravens safety 

Hamilton had a great game across the board.  He had 6 passes thrown against him, picked off 2 of them & broke up a 3^rd.  He gave up 12 total yards.

Jason Sanders Dolphins kicker

Sanders went into the game with only 21 field goal attempts for the year.  Miami’s offense has been so good at scoring touchdowns this year that he hasn’t had as much work as usual.  That changed last week against the Cowboys when he kicked 5 field goals including the game winner as time expired.  The Dolphins beat the Cowboys 22-20 & Sanders scored 16 of the 22 points.

Younghoe Koo Falcons kicker

Koo didn’t have to kick the game winner as the Falcons cruised over the Colts.  He did outscore the Colts by himself though going 5 for 5 on field goals & adding 2 extra points for 17 total points.

Chad Ryland Patriots kicker

Ryland has been the least accurate kicker in the NFL this year.  He is actually the 39^th ranked kicker in field goal percentage this year, which is quite a feat considering there are only 32 teams.  It has driven Patriots fans nuts because they have lost some close games where making the kick might have made the difference.  To make it worse, Ryland was drafted to replace Nick Folk, who is having a great season for the Titans making 96.6% of his field goals so far.

Ryland missed another field goal on Christmas Eve, but he made 2 including a 56 yarder with 2 seconds left to win the game.  The Patriots have had some of the most clutch kickers in league history, but Ryland now holds the Patriots record for longest game winning field goal. Maybe that’s a sign that he is turning things around…or maybe it was a Christmas miracle!

My favorite wine of the week was…

Gamling & McDuck Pickleberry Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2017 $62 Sonoma Mountain Fruit 13.8% ABV

Gamling & McDuck is in downtown Napa.  They focus on Chenin Blanc & Cabernet Franc.  I stopped by back in June & tried through their selection & was impressed across the board with what they were making.  One of the wines that went home with me was this Cabernet Franc.  They make several different Cabernet Francs.  This one comes from a block of grapes planted in 1982.  Between the use of old vines & careful craftsmanship, they really have a winner.

Cabernet Franc usually has a strong herbal component & this one delivers.  I tasted a mélange of herbs with sage & garigue.  It had ripe fruit showing black cherry & red cherry with red raspberry & cranberry notes.  There was an earthy base to the wine as well that brought everything together.  It had an almost umami or soy sauce note as well.  It has moderate but defined tannins & tart acid.

I paired this with a roasted duck on Christmas Eve.  Pinot Noir is usually a go to for roasted duck, but I didn’t have a nice one around.  I had tried 9 Pinot Noir samples two days earlier for a project, but they weren’t Christmas Eve wines.  This Cabernet Franc was.  It had enough fruit to pair with the spice in the rub & the acid cut through the duck fat.  It really complemented the food without overpowering it. 

It’s also delicious by itself. Give it a try if you get the chance. The tasting room takes walk-ins & I don’t think they are charging a tasting fee, which is rare for Napa. Here’s a link to their website.