You have to be pretty special to accompany me to my "happy place." Very few people have been fortunate enough to be my guest. However, if you ARE fortunate enough, I not only think you will enjoy and appreciate it, but you also need to realize you are representing me and if you act up, you'll never be asked to join me again. (Try me, it's happened.)
I say all the time that there are people at my happy place who I would never have come into contact with if it wasn't for our common love of wine. I also say that wine is one thing that has allowed me to connect with some of my co-workers as well. If it wasn't for work, the Evil Red Genius and I would have never met and look how wonderful that friendship has become! It truly is interesting to see the paths that life takes us down. It is definitely interesting to see the friends I have made as a result of this libation that comes in a (usually) beautiful bottle.
One Friday evening, my friend from work, "my numbers guy" joined my parents, myself and the Evil Red Genius for the weekend tasting and dinner. It was his first time there and while I knew he'd enjoy himself, as he is quite the wine connoisseur, I had no idea that after conversing throughout the night, our families would be connected!
Who would have ever guessed that I worked with his late Uncle Anthony in 1996 in my first "real" job and adored that sweet man!
Who would have guessed that his Aunt knew my grandfather and his brothers!
What a small but fascinating world!
Our first wine of the night was the
2012
Ramey Claret
Napa Valley
With aromas of hay and barnyard, this wine got even funkier as it decanted. As it opened up, the California fruit came out but with a dirty aspect. What an intriguing bottle of wine! I only wish we had decanted it longer. This truly would be worth experimenting with again.
With the lasagna, it still tasted fruity but also brought out a tangy aspect.
Or maybe that was the urinal effect.....Don't tell me you don't see it..
Question: How many glasses do you get out of one bottle of wine?
Answer: Not enough
When I asked my Dad what he smelled after the Ramey had decanted, he showed me his glass and replied, "Empty".
Guess he liked it....
Our second bottle of wine of the night was:
2011
Buena Vista
The Count
Sonoma, CA
This selection didn't come easy. I usually know what I want or at least an idea of what I have a taste for but this evening I was completely indecisive. Arthur brought out 3 bottles of wine for us to choose from and we chose this one through a process of elimination. We also chose it for the interesting story behind it. I love a wine with a good story!
"Buena Vista winery's colorful founder Agoston Haraszthy, The Count of Buena Vista, pioneered premium winemaking in California. A tireless and passionate devotee of California wine, The Count imported hundreds of premium vines from Europe, dug Sonoma's first wine caves, introduced innovative viticulture techniques and wrote the first treatise on California wine. Buena Vista Winery honors his legacy, bold vision, and commitment to excellence through this red wine - the Founder's Red Wine."
Arthur then told us that there used to be someone from this winery (and maybe there still is) who dresses in costume like the Count and promotes this wine. Intriguing, yes?
What do you smell, I asked?
jammy, flowers, a funeral home
What do you taste, I asked?
Toasted marshmallow, dark cherry, smooth but tangy
What do you hear, Dad asked....
Oh Dad....
It's always a party when Dad's around!
I can't introduce someone to my happy place for the first time and not share chocolate!
What kind of guest would I be?
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the wines of the night. Two very different reds which none of us had tried before and while it's always good to try something new, I'll keep trying.
If I had to chose the best of the two, I'd have to chose the Ramey. It was fascinating to see how it changed once it was decanted and then how it continued to evolve. I'd definitely buy that again just as an experiment if nothing else.
"There must be always wine and fellowship or we are truly lost."
- Ann Fairbairn
We're always up for a little creativity at my happy place.
It's never planned; it just happens.
This piece of art was designed by my mother.
Yes, my mother. My mother, the one who 1) doesn't drink and 2) worked at an elementary school for almost 30 years. Explains a lot, yes? I added the wine bottle. I mean come on, he was thirsty!
My kind of creativity is often done with a camera. For some reason I thought this was pretty alluring. Good to the last drop, perhaps?
Richard and I knew we had a fabulous friendship but we chalked it up to our love of wine (even though he favors Rieslings) and our loving, generous personalities (cough, gag) and of course our disdain for online dating (Match, Schmatch)!
All along, our families were connected and we never knew it until we broke bread and drank wine at my happy place! There was no doubt that my grandfather, Carlton, and his Uncle Anthony were looking down on us and smiling.
"From wine what sudden friendship springs!"
~ John Gay 1685 – 1732
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