Open That Bottle!
Tonight, 28 February 2009, marks the ten year anniversary John and Dottie have tempted us to find that special bottle and crack it open. All sorts of bottles from Yellow Tail to Yquem will have their corks popped this evening to relish in the finer things life has to offer.
While enjoying the weekend up here in McCall, my parents, my wife, and I decided on two bottles that would be a fitting tribute to the ten years this event has been taking place. From our cellar, we offered up the 2002 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. Michelle and I acquired this wine when we spent the summer of 2005 working at the Bistro 45 and these bottles would come throught the shop on a frequent basis. We bought this bottle with a stern warning from Kit, the owner, that it needed LOTS of time in the cellar. We sampled one that summer and didn't really see what the big deal was, but that's when the money was rolling in, so we splurged.
About two months after we returned to Boise from Portland, I was showing my mom through the Co-Op wine shop in hopes of finding something she could call her own. Dad usually does the wine shopping - especially the high end wines - and mom wanted something which was all hers in the cellar. She loves Sauvignon Blanc and I suggested she pick up the 2002 Didier Daganeau Silex, as it is supposed to be one of the best Sauvignon Blancs ever made. She decided to take a chance and took the bottle home.
Tonight seems like as good a night as any to indulge in the pleasures these to bottles have to offer. We first opened the Silex and I had to pause in mid sentence to savor the beauty of this wine. Simply fantastic all the way through. Didier pushed for a more intense example of wine from the region of Pouilly Fume, and he nailed it with this vintage. Earth, stone, stone fruits, tropical, and round are all good descriptions that fall way short on this bottle. Wish there was another one around, but a fitting tribute to the late, great winemaker from the Loire.
The Leonetti is good. Damn good. In fact, this makes me believe in the power of aged Washington wines again. On the initial nose, it is huge - typical for Washington - but in the glass it gets softer and more harmonious; less bombastic and more elegant. Lots of meat flavors and black currants and blueberry are all fantastically balanced and even the oak is well used: present, but not overpowering. This is one of the finest Cabernets I have ever had from the Pacific Northwest, and I am historically not a huge Leonetti fan. Massive kudos to Chris Figgins for this.
If you're reading this and also participated in Open That Bottle Night, I'd love to read what you have to share. Please leave your comments and happy drinking!
While enjoying the weekend up here in McCall, my parents, my wife, and I decided on two bottles that would be a fitting tribute to the ten years this event has been taking place. From our cellar, we offered up the 2002 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. Michelle and I acquired this wine when we spent the summer of 2005 working at the Bistro 45 and these bottles would come throught the shop on a frequent basis. We bought this bottle with a stern warning from Kit, the owner, that it needed LOTS of time in the cellar. We sampled one that summer and didn't really see what the big deal was, but that's when the money was rolling in, so we splurged.
About two months after we returned to Boise from Portland, I was showing my mom through the Co-Op wine shop in hopes of finding something she could call her own. Dad usually does the wine shopping - especially the high end wines - and mom wanted something which was all hers in the cellar. She loves Sauvignon Blanc and I suggested she pick up the 2002 Didier Daganeau Silex, as it is supposed to be one of the best Sauvignon Blancs ever made. She decided to take a chance and took the bottle home.
Tonight seems like as good a night as any to indulge in the pleasures these to bottles have to offer. We first opened the Silex and I had to pause in mid sentence to savor the beauty of this wine. Simply fantastic all the way through. Didier pushed for a more intense example of wine from the region of Pouilly Fume, and he nailed it with this vintage. Earth, stone, stone fruits, tropical, and round are all good descriptions that fall way short on this bottle. Wish there was another one around, but a fitting tribute to the late, great winemaker from the Loire.
The Leonetti is good. Damn good. In fact, this makes me believe in the power of aged Washington wines again. On the initial nose, it is huge - typical for Washington - but in the glass it gets softer and more harmonious; less bombastic and more elegant. Lots of meat flavors and black currants and blueberry are all fantastically balanced and even the oak is well used: present, but not overpowering. This is one of the finest Cabernets I have ever had from the Pacific Northwest, and I am historically not a huge Leonetti fan. Massive kudos to Chris Figgins for this.
If you're reading this and also participated in Open That Bottle Night, I'd love to read what you have to share. Please leave your comments and happy drinking!
posted by Scott | 7:48 PM
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