On cellaring and surprises

[Brad Widelock]

Sometimes I forget just how much fun there is in cellaring wine. Today I went to wine storage in Oakland and found a bottle of 2009 La Clarine Farm Home Vineyard Sierra Foothills Red Wine. It has a glass stopper. I have no memory of putting this wine into storage. When I saw the bottle, I just laughed. I think part of this has to do with enjoying a pleasant surprise. Nowadays most of the surprises I receive are in the form of an email from my principal informing the staff of another student who has tested positive for Covid.

In my novice experience of cellaring wine, it is the most fun gambling I have ever had. Sometimes I leave the tables too soon and others I stay too long, but when I win, which I think is more often that I lose, the payoff more than makes up for the losses. No matter what the La Clarine Farm tastes like, I know I will count it as a win. Wine is a spider web of connections to people and places that you can follow back through space and time. The center of that web is a beverage, and depending on your perspective that is either the start or the end of the journey.

The La Clarine Farm was in front of a bottle of ESJ 2009 Wylie Syrah that I had on my list to take home along with some 2013 Briords. My chips are in the pot.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season,
Brad

 

[Peter Creasey]

Timely posting in my case. I went to the cellar yesterday and pulled a bottle of the Trape Gevrey Chambertin Chapelle 1er Cru '02 and decanted it for dinner. Nonchalantly poured a glass and tasted it -- pretty darn good, but doesn't taste like the Trape. Sure enough, I looked at the bottle and it was Pecchenino San Giuseppe Barolo '10.

Serendipitous surprise, indeed.

. . . . . Pete

 

[Florida Jim]

Back at ya, Brad. Enjoy the season.

But after 50 years of cellaring wine, I’ve come to enjoy most wines on the younger side. Every so often I will find an exception (and look forward to those times) but I seem to be drinking most wines younger. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe there’s a lot of good wine made approachably.
Maybe it will snow.

Best, Jim