Sublime Wine
By Scott Miller
A certain level of education to the palate must occur before
one can begin to appreciate the truly sublime experiences that are
available through wine.
My recent (and greatest) "sublime wine" experience was
a bottle of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1996.
Well, actually, two bottles...
It was my birthday, and being just a day
before THE Robert Mondavi's own 90th birthday, I decided to celebrate with the finest Mondavi in my cellar.
By happy chance, this also
happened to be one of the highest rates wines of the century, and
possibly the finest Mondavi ever made. It was an easy decision to
make. Remembering the many tragic stories of great wine held too
long, I was not going to let that happen to this wine.
Wow!
William Buckley Jr. has said sharing good wine is
a matter of fatigue (see quote at top of page). Well, I must have been
exhausted! Having just opened the bottle, my sister, in the mood
for some red wine, held out her glass and said: "this isn't
another 'experimental' wine is it?" I had to smile. It's important
to understand that it is not uncommon for me to 'test' wines at my
table, and a couple over-aged reds had recently been inflicted
upon her.
She gave the first comment on the wine "...not bad. This will
do." I had
to laugh. Not bad, indeed. After a brief sip myself, I suggested
we give it a few minutes as it had just been opened. Already I
could tell this was an exceptional wine!
A short while later, as the steaks were coming off the grill,
she tried it again. This time she had a different reaction. This
time, she believed she could be "developing a meaningful long term
relationship with this wine."
Now, that's more like it! All I can say is: "Bill Buckley go
home." It is a great pleasure to share such experiences. In fact,
we all enjoyed the wine as it opened up into a smooth, complex,
layered, wine; so much that... we had to open another! (And unfortunately,
the only other bottle I had of this exceptional wine.)
But really, who knows if
you'll live through tomorrow? So with zero hesitation, this was
opened and enjoyed as well. Final assessment: this 1996 Mondavi
Reserve Cabernet was soooo good that an extra
year or two would not have made any appreciable difference to my
taste. This wine is perfect, right now. If you have any of this, I
would suggest finding a special occasion, like tonight!, to start
enjoying it.
Do you have a "sublime wine" experience of your own? Please let
us know.
Click here to tell us about it!
Enjoy!
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