Spottswoode Cabernet

I had the good fortune to share a bottle of Spottswoode Cabernet last night with new friends Trey and Jorge. I have had this wine once before and it was excellent. Last night it did not let me down with an abundance of bold flavors, complexity and sopistication. I'm not much good for tasting notes but it was an outstanding wine and that is what counts. My new friends share many interests but I am far behind them in wine knowledge and exposure. It was fascinating to hear some of the stories behind the wines below and their memories of how they found, first drank those wines and the story behind them.

I had offered to bring over a nice bottle of Hurricane Ridge Cab from Washington and they said thank you but I should really just have some of theirs. They had an impressive collection of wine on the counter including 2 bottles of Screaming Eagle Cab, a Harlan '99 Cab, Petrevs '97, Colgin Herbland Vineyard '98 Cab, Amuse Bouche '02+'03 Cab, Pride Reserve Cab and a Diamond Creek 3rd release Cab. They are here for a week and I saw another case on the floor. They were kind enough to invite me over again later this week to taste some of the others.

I've often thought about what makes an expensive wine worth the price. I think that the story and the friends you drink a great wine with are almost as significant as the pedigree of the wine itself. A great bottle of wine or a great friend can make an occasion, sharing wine can make a new friend. A virtuous circle I think. It is quite a compliment to me to get to share nice wines with any friends much less new ones. You can't put any price on friends other than how great it feels to have them and how long the memories last. Something simple like opening a bottle of wine has created another great memory for me.

I sent a girlfriend a bottle on a trip a week after we met and now she is my wife, best friend and the mother of two wonderful kids. Wine is powerful stuff, the passion that goes into making a great wines comes back in the strentgh of our memories of it and the occasions it creates.