Happy New Year everyone!!
As I sit here on the first day of the New Year writing my blog (on time for once to make sure I keep one of my resolutions) I'd like to reflect on some of my most memorable wine experiences from 2006.
2006 was a great year and I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m healthy and happy and some of my most important goals were finally achieved last year. So here goes:
Kicked off the New Year right by stealing a bottle Naia Verdejo from my roommate’s wine cellar and drank it out of a tumbler in a bed and breakfast in Rhode Island while getting ready for dinner.
On a chilly February night I ate white truffles and drank 1995 Produttori dei Barbaresco. The best part was that the wine actually had a stronger truffle taste than the truffles on the pasta. (Note: truffles taste better before the holidays during their peak season).
Worked an event called Masters of Food and Wine in Monterey where I drank my weight in Batard Montrachet and laughed hysterically with my good friend Joe from Vegas.
Not too long after that, I swore off wine while opening The James Hotel Chicago last Spring, opting instead for Dirty Martinis after work as a result of having to taste (and spit) about 100 wines per day to complete the wine list.
I can still see the salmon color of the Guy Larmandier Rose that my best buddy Eben and I drank at Cru to celebrate me turning 27 in June.
Soaking in the summer sun made me so happy especially when I sat in the pool with my friend Jenny drinking Leitz Dragonstone Riesling...the low alcohol % allowed for multiple bottles.
Discovered new and exciting wines in Greece this September including the most memorable wine of the year which was the 2003 barrel fermented Assyrtiko white from Sigales in Santorini.
I flew to Walla Walla, Washington where I shared my 1979 Fritz Haag, Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr (Thanks Rudi Wiest) with great winemakers and sommeliers and tasted the best New World Syrah, made by my mentor Greg Harrington off the tailgate of a pick up truck. (It really did taste like Cotie Rotie).
Studying in October through November meant blind tasting almost every day and yet with all my practice I kept mistaking the aromatic peach, banana and floral qualities of Viognier even though the Jeanne Marie from California was such a classic example.
Running around Paris drinking old, expensive Bordeaux only to discover that the best bottle of the evening was a $40 Jouget Chinon, which I enjoyed during a conversation with my new friends Gary and Bruce.
I was reminded of the wonderful flavors of Thanksgiving long after the holiday was over while drinking Betts and Scholl Grenache. When I asked the amazing winemaker, Richard Betts, where the sweet potato and marshmallow flavors were coming from he said "all of the sweet love and care that we put in there!" as well as the earthiness from the vineyard and the ripeness of the fruit.
Last night at midnight I drank 2002 Gimmonet Champagne and watched the ball drop with friends.
All of these bottles ranged from good to exceptional, mid-priced to expensive. But it’s not the cost or quality that makes these wines special to me. What makes them special are the people, places and experiences that are forever attached to them in my mind.
I hope I have many more great wine memories this year. And I hope you do too.
Cheers and Happy 2007.
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