Life-Changing Wines

It was a year ago today. After an unexpected week at home due to this new virus that we really didn't know anything about, it sunk in that business travel might be over for a month or two. I needed something a bit different to do to take my mind off of this change in routine. So, I had this idea to start a blog -- for me, another blog. But, why wine?

First, I digress. Throughout the first year, I've blogged every day, but I've resisted even going near the question I get asked most frequently. Today, at the very least, I am going to approach it. 

The single wine question that I get asked more than any other is what is my favorite wine. I don't have a favorite wine. Never have. Never will. It changes with my mood and the day and the food that it accompanies. It changes with the weather. It changes with my spirits. And, heck, I didn't even always like wine.

But, something changed and my passion grew. And, my passion really grew because I had some life-changing wines. No, they didn't make me win the lottery or get a new job or by a new house, but they changed the way I think about wine. They fueled my passion and during my newfound time needing something to distract me from my change in routine (I don't like changes in routine), I thought it was time to share that. So, what are some of those life-changing wines?

1985 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23

The circumstances behind this wine were part of the story, but I'm not going to go into this today. But, let's just say I was trying my best to impress someone. It was late summer, or perhaps very early fall of 2004 and I had this bottle. I don't think I had ever had a really good bottle of wine at around its peak of maturity.

I experienced new joys in this bottle. Rather than tasting some of the alcohol and what I have since come to know as a fruit-forward wine with biting tannins, this was smooth as silk, and quite earthy and savory. It warmed my senses without necessarily warming me, or perhaps it did. 

And, by the way, my goal of impressing worked. And, it really did help to change my life.

2009 Robert Young Estate Winery Barrel Select Chardonnay

It was, I believe, our first trip to Sonoma, although I could be wrong on that. I know we had stopped in one or two wineries there previously heading back to SFO, but this was different. We actually planned to spend a day in Sonoma. And, we really didn't know much about it. What we did know is that we were not fans of what we had come to know as typical California Chardonnay. You know; overoaked, overly buttery, and more focused on mouth feel than on flavor and the ability to go with foods.

We didn't know where we were going. As we left one winery and asked where we might go nearby, Robert Young Estate Winery was recommended as being close to there and worth a stop. And, so we did.

Greeted in the small tasting room, the hospitality manager explained to us about the winery. He explained how until fairly recently, they have been mostly growers for other wineries, primarily in Chardonnay. Our hearts sunk. We didn't want Chardonnay and we probably expressed that. But, we were there.

So, we tasted. And, we listened to the story. And, this wine, while quite buttery, was different. It was structured and balanced and I could imagine it with food. And, then our host told us he'd like us to try something.

The winemaker had decided to experiment with oak and was using 7 different barrels to produce just 2 barrels (about 50 cases) of Chardonnay. That's right, the aging process was taking place in seven different barrels of seven different styles from seven different coopers. 

This gave me an entirely different view of Chardonnay. It made me understand that it's more than just the variety of grape, but what is done with it. It opened my eyes to trying any grape, not just the two or three that I thought I really liked. So, I guess it was life-changing.

2001 Chateau d'Yquem 

Other than port wine, I didn't like wines with any sweetness. In fact, just upon hearing that a wine was bone dry, I didn't want to go anywhere near it. I didn't understand it all. This, despite the fact that my grandfather who had one of the world's sweetest of all sweet tooth syndromes among still wines would only drink Chateau d'Yquem. He didn't drink it often, and thankfully, back in the days when he did, wine was much, much less expensive, even adjusted for inflation.

I remember who the person was, but not where I was. He asked me to try a wine. Blind. I agreed. And, he poured a taste into a glass that suggested it might be sweet. But, he was nice enough to offer. And, little did I know what he was offering.

It was a fairly bright yellow, just barely browned at the edge. As I tilted the glass to bring it to my nose, I could see the viscosity. And, I could smell a bit of sweetness, if that is possible, and I think it is. 

I resisted, but put the glass to my mouth and took a sip. Talk about luxurious. The wine coated my entore palate bursting with fruit and floral sensations. The sweetness was not the insipid sugar that I thought of in sweet wines (think grocery store swill), but instead something calming while stimulating the senses. I imagined it with rich, creamy foods and desserts. And, while I probably had by then had the best sweet wine I will ever have in my life, it gave me a new appreciation that I have cultivated and cherished ever since.

2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Out to dinner for a special occasion and willing to spend a multiple of what I normally would for a bottle of wine in a restaurant, I perused the wine list. Looking as I always do at a wine list, I look first for wines that will pair well with our food and then once having narrowed down the wines, I look for the best value. 

For me, value means three things. First, it has to be not above the price range I am willing to pay. Second, it has to be of a quality at least as high as I had planned for. And, third, I look for a wine that compared to the others on the list is underpriced.

Such was the 2003 Quilceda Creek. While most of the wine list had huge markups, this wine was priced at roughly the same price that I could have bought this wine when it was first releaed, assuming I could have bought it. That's value, in a restaurant wine list.

Big and bold and balanced and structured and bursting with flavor, it was everything I imagined and more. For perspective, and you don't have to agree with all the ratings and raters, Wine Advocate gave the wine 100 points, Wine Specator gave it 98 and called it their #2 wine of the year, Jancis Robinson scored it 19 out of 20, and not a single critic anywhere had anything to say about it that was not glowing. Not one.

It told me a number of things. Perhaps among the most important was that the best values on wine lists are often great wines that most people have never heard of. American diners, generally, do not look outside of California for high-end Cabernet. And, back then (likely about 2015), they certainly were not looking to a bottle with a funny name from the State of Washington.

Epilogue

On a different day, I might have chosen different winea and perhaps one of these days I will. But, this concludes my first year of this journey.

We've visited several dozen countries, albeit vicariously, been to all seven continents, and tasted perhaps one hundred different grapes. I've written entirely off the top of my head, meaning I'm certain there have been some errors. But, so far, it's been a blast.

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, I hope you've enjoyed the ride ... and the flights ... and the boats. And, for those of you newer to this space, welcome aboard.

I don't know how long I can keep this going or if I will once I return to regular travel, but for the time being, let's all raise a glass of something life-changing.