The other day I was hunting through my cellar looking for a certain bottle. As I picked up bottle after bottle, I realized my wine cellar is a reflection of my life. Certain bottles remind me of certain people and times in my life.
The 1985 Santa Cruz Bates Ranch comes from my first visit to Monterey. In 1988 I came west for a vacation. We stayed in Monterey and I bought the bottle at a tasting bar a few blocks from the aquarium. Why am I keeping it? I don’t know for sure, but maybe it is a tangible reminder of the trip.
The 1994 Rafanelli Zinfandel goes back to my Zinfandel period. In my Zin period, I bought cases of Zin; I joined ZAP, Zinfandel advocate and Producers, and did other rash things. When I visited the Rafanelli winery and had the 1994, I thought it was the best Zinfandel I had ever tasted. But here sits three bottles. I have not opened any of them. Why? Maybe they won’t live up to my expectations; maybe I was all wrong about this wine. I know I don’t buy Zinfandel the way I used to. Perhaps, I am avoiding a letdown.
Look over here a 1982 Margaux! This is the first great bottle of wine I bought. I bought in 1985, after my first visit to the White House. It was to be opened with four of my college buddies in 2005. We are three years late. Will it happen? Who knows? It will slumber a little longer.
This BV Carneros Pinot was given to me on for my 39th birthday. We were going to drink it together, but that never did happen. It is not getting better at this point, but I still haven’t found the time and place to drink it. Is it another bottle taking up space, or another memory sitting snugly in my cellar?
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