Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
Email Don directly with your wine-related questions.
On Sabbatical
I got a message at work this week from my old buddy Robert. I hooked up with him on the phone the next day. We hadn't spoken in two or three years, but in about 30 seconds we were back in our old conversational mode.
Robert was an original 1980s Napa Valley Winery Exchange customer. In those days, his business required that he keep apartments in both San Francisco and Florida, although his residence was in Omaha. He was a restaurant habitue and became something of an NVWE scout, suggesting new wines to us that he had tasted with sommelier friends. The 1991 Selene Merlot was a debut he introduced to us.
He enjoys fine white wines but, as far as his cellar is concerned, the first obligation of any wine is to be red. Although his preference is for the grapes of Bordeaux and Burgundy (wherever they are grown) he also enjoys exploring Zins. Rhone-ish or Italianate blends, and other richly flavored pleasures.
Several years ago, Robert traded most of his stockpile of maturing upscale Cabs and Bordeaux reds to an importer of fine Burgundies. In that trade, he received a stash of Premier and Grand Cru French Pinots from outstanding vintages. He gave himself up to the near-exclusive exploration of those wines and took a lengthy sabbatical from the home-grown produce.
Back in the Hunt
The call was to inform me that he was ready to rediscover the pleasures of California and see what he has missed. I told him that he would be in for a surprise, as places we had explored together in the 1990s (such as the Green Valley, where about one hundred new vineyards have sprouted up) would now be nearly unrecognizable. He was not only game, he was itching to start drinking.
It was just like the old days. He chose a twelve-bottle mix: five Cabs, three Meritages, three Pinots and a Syrah-Merlot blend. I know Robert's methodology. He will pull a cork and sit down to an evening of sipping. If he gets excited, he will take some to a favorite restaurant to share with the sommelier. Not a bad way to live, really.