Always drink the good stuff!

                                    

   

                  Over the last three weeks we have enjoyed the 4 bottles above!

From left to right: Henriot, Champagne N.V.; Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere Blanc, Pessac-Leognan Cru Classe 2004, Lopez de Heredia "Vina Bosconia" Gran Reserva, Rioja 1978, Domaine Jamet, Cote Rotie 2003

As one begins to delve deeper and deeper in the the world of wine it begins harder and harder to just "settle" on a wine. For many of us in the wine industry we are fortunate enough to regularly get samples, trade with friends, or get the "hook" up at a wine shop; while this sounds like a great positive (which it is) it also has a serious drawback, you get pretty picky. This picky-ness is not about price but about quality and drinking what you really want. My grandmother told me never to "settle" and I apply that adage to everything in my life, especially wine.

Shauna and I enjoyed this bottle of Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere 2004 on a Thursday night. We made a composed salad that night with roast chicken and a bunch of veggies. The wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc that is matured in 100% new French oak. Though this may seem over the top, the wine was in harmony. The aromas were exotic and rich. There were hints of Honeydew melon, Magnolia, lemon zest and kisses of that new oak aroma (it is even better than new car smell). The palate was rich with a texture that was akin to creme fresh. The acidity balanced the wine out flawlessly and the finish went on for quite a long time. White Bordeaux has always been on my radar but I have never bought very much and recently I have been stocking up. I find these wines to be a good cross between bright crisp wines that are refreshing and richer whites that provide a more exotic experience. The retail value is between $35 and $40. I feel that the quality is well worth the price.

The next wine we shared was quite special. Shauna's 30th birthday was this Memorial day and her entire family came up from Los Angeles to celebrate. On her birthday night we all went to Laiola Restaurant on Chestnut St. in San Francisco. 

Laiola is a Spanish inspired restaurant that is quite good and offered a great excuse to bring a bottle of 1978 Lopez de Heredia "Vina Bosconia" Gran Reserva, Rioja. This wine was amazing! Old Rioja is so special, elegant and beautiful everyone should rush out and find a 30 year bottle of this wine. The wine was just released from the cellars of Lopes de Heredia a few months ago and I picked it up at a local wine shop. The moment the cork was pulled we knew it was special. Aromas filled the restaurant: dried sour cherries, dried roses, currents, leather, clove, cinnamon, and other exotic spices. The palate was silk with a surprisingly good amount of acidity. Shauna, Shauna's parents, the GM, the server, the bartender, owner and I all enjoyed this great bottle of wine! This wine is quite pricey: $114, but for a 30 year old bottle of wine, it was well worth it.

The final wine of our splurge was the Domaine Jean Luc et Jean Paul Jamet Cote Rotie 2003. Cotie Rotie is one of my favorite wine regions.. Located in the Northern Rhone the wines are made of Syrah and sometimes a little Viognier. Jean and Jean make amazing wine that is dense, structured, complex and riveting. 2003 was an extremely hot vintage that produced over-blown wines in many parts of Europe but the two Jamet brothers knew what to do when the heat struck and produced a wine of density, richness, and structure that eluded many of their neighbors in 2003.

We enjoyed this wine on a Saturday night with my cousin, his wife, Shauna, and a leg of lamb. This wine blew us all away and made the lamb taste that much better.

Life is to short to take short-cuts, listen to bad music, eat bad food and definitely drink bad wine. So next time you have your hand on that special bottle and you say to yourself, I should wait. Slap yourself and take the time to enjoy that bottle and cherish the time with whom ever you share it with.

Comments

[kristin]

Hi there,

I enjoyed reading about your experiences with wine but was curious, why no mention of the Champagne Henriot?

[David C]

You're a nut. I love you.

[Kim]

Amen. Life is TOO short.