I have now officially purchased my first “case” of wine. Sort of. From Cabrini Wines in Manhattan I have now pruchased 12 bottles (in two shipments). The first shipment was 6 bottles of Robert Foley’s 2005 Merlot. The second shipment came just a few days ago and included:
1 Jayer-Gilles Echezeaux du Dessus Grand Cru-2004
3 Vini Menhir N° 0 Negroamaro-2006
1 Woodhouse Darighe-2001
1 Tenuta di Trinoro le Cupole Toscana Rosso-2005
I’m not supposed to drink the Jayer-Gilles until 2014, however have reasoned out a fabulously reasonable excuse for drinking now, instead of later. To all those connoiseurs who feel the necessity to hold onto wine, take heed:
The year 2004 ran its cycle five years ago. This wine is five years old, therefore. Therefore, like a child, a wine of five will act similarly to a child of say 10, 11, or 12. The child will not be driving nor holding down a job. Neither shall nor should the wine. The child will not taste radically different at age 10 as opposed to age five, say for except for say the child may have a “cleaner” taste, or less “tanic” bite. The child will certainly begin to ripen at age 10, however at age 5 the child is fairly ripe and saucy. And, you’ll often hear that a wine will “mellow with age” or will “soften with age” and I must ask, is a “mellow, soft” wine truly what the connoisseur is after? When the connoisseur looks to purchase his first vehicle, are “soft” and “mellow” two words that come to mind?
I am nearly ravenous now with circumspect. Therefore a manifesto is in need of manifesting. I will, in the next article, define the wine connoisseur and establish a radical system of rating wine; one we can all understand, all of us whose noses are not nearly insured for nearly a million or so american denaro.
