An Anniversary to Remember..
My wife and I just celebrated three years together, and we made sure to try some wines we hadn’t had. One was the 1999 Harlan Maiden. We had it at one of our favorite restaurants in Pleasanton CA, Haps Steaks and Seafood. It was definitely a night and bottle to remember. An inky purple color with a rich nose of Vanilla, Anise, Blackberry, Chocolate and cedar led into a refined mouth feel that included a mineral earthiness, and a lasting, dense finish with mellow tannins. We enjoyed every sip. The service and food were also fantastic.
We also took a trip to the pan handle of Idaho and had quite an experience at the Wine Cellar in Coeur D’Alene. The ambiance is great as the layout of the underground facility is that of a wine cellar (huh!). The Sommelier and Owner, Jim, is himself an avid wine collector who boosts more than a 5,000 bottle personal collection! Some of the gems from his cellar make it into the restaurants own wine list, which has earned a Winespectator award several years in a row for it’s outstanding selection. The food was fantastic and affordable, each dish well prepared and balanced. We found a bottle of 1996 Chateau Montelena for the extremely affordable price of $78 and enjoyed that with our 4 course meals. The wine paired perfectly with my marinated flank steak, pan-grilled and topped with a mushroom balsamic demi-glaze, an amazing piece of meat that was tender and rich, with a cedar wood flavor from the Grill. The wine has reached an elegant point, is refined and subtle with flavors of Cherry and Currant, and a nice finish that still envelopes that palate. The Wine Cellar will defiantly be a regular stop on our trips to Coeur D’Alene.
Finally, my wife got me a great gift. It was a gift card for $100 at Trader Joes. That’s it you say? No, no, no, you must understand, every time we are there shopping for food, I bug her about getting wine. A bottle here or there ads to the receipt, and we always go through them quick. So my gift card went straight to wine. This in turn, afforded me the opportunity to buy wines that normally I wouldn’t. This was quite a fun exercise as I spent about half an hour mulling through the wine section trying to stay in my budget. I was quite proud of the selections I made, as they are diverse and different than my standby wines, and for staying in budget.
Here’s the list:
2003 Columbia Crest Gewurstraminer, Washington
2003 Chateau St. Michelle Johannisberg Riesling, Washington
2004 Lacheteau Vouvray, France
2002 Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz - Cabernet Blend, Australia
2004 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
2002 J. Vidal Fluery Cotes Du Rhone, France
2004 Yellowtail Chardonnay, Australia
2003 Mountain River Pinotage/Shiraz, South Africa
2002 Torres St.Valenti Red Table Wine, Spain
2002 Robert Hall Cabernet, Paso Robles, CA
2002 Napa Creek Chardonnay, Napa
2004 Manina Carmenere, Chile
2002 David Frost, Chardonnay, South Africa
NV M. Chevallier Brut, Spain
NV Domaine Ste Michelle, Blanc de Noirs, Washington
Some bottles are standby’s, like the Kim Crawford, Yellowtail, and Penfolds. Some were purchased out of curiosity, like Fred Franzia’s Napa Creek, made from Napa fruit for only $3.99; the Mountain River Pinotage/Shiraz, South Africa’s indigenous varietal, Pinotage, that hasn’t ever really taken off in popularity; the 2004 Lacheteau Vouvray from France, another varietal I don’t think I have ever had; and the 2002 David Frost Chardonnay from the South African Golfer, David Frost, whose Chardonnay pictured Jack Nicklaus on the back label.
If you have an extra $100 and are thinking of a Star to spend it on, you might want to put it off just this once and head to your local wine store to see how far it can go. You might be surprised and pleased at the experience, and with what you go home with. I was, and will continue to enjoy this anniversary present for a long time.. :o)
January 27th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I too liked this. I was introduced to Pinotage last summer, and am in search of one I like as much as the one I tried initially.
Mikes-Wine-Blog
January 28th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Actually Mark, I wasn’t a fan of that one. It tasted pretty bad to me actually, but now that I think about it, it could have been corked.
I enjoyed the Stormhoek one much better.
http://winexpression.com/2006/05/09/wine-marketing-outside-of-the-box/