“Wine improves with age, and I improve with wine.”
– Anonymous
I have identified 87 of my 99 wines, regions, and experiences. Some wines mark milestones; others mark the people who brought them into my life. I now realize that many of the wines I have come to enjoy were introduced to me by friends. So, a toast! Here’s to my friends!
72. Madeira 1785 – What is the oldest wine you have ever had?
My wine group and I participated in Saturday morning ritual tastings at Marché Bacchus Bistro and Wine Shop before the COVID pandemic. We irreverently referred to those gatherings as “going to church.”
I met Eric at “church” one Saturday. He had recently moved to Las Vegas from California. His wife, the adorable Lory, had remained in California to finalize the sale of their home whilst Eric was readying their new home in Las Vegas. They had designed and built an enviable wine room in their new home for several thousand bottles.
Eric had formerly worked in the wine industry in Napa before moving to Las Vegas. My friend has an excellent palate, and his knowledge of wine is incomparable. I could always count on Eric to provide the backstory on wines we shared, particularly Napa wines. The curious thing is that Lory does not share Eric’s appreciation of wine. She will enjoy a glass or two of everyday wine, then move on to other pursuits. Thus, their wine collection is mostly a reflection of Eric’s taste.
Eric has an affinity for Madeira wines, and he has one of the largest collections I have seen. Madeira is a fortified wine from the Madeira Islands off the Western coast of Africa. I had always viewed Madeira as a cooking wine, having only experienced it whilst taking a sip or two when cooking something such as Chicken Madeira. I had found it to be too cloying to drink, even as an aperitif. It had never occurred to me that Madeira was a wine to be quaffed. I had also never had a quality Madeira.
Eric changed that for me. Madeira is meant to be aged, and it is the longest-lasting wine produced. Eric’s collection included bottles from the 18th and 19th centuries. I had only used sweet Madeira wine whilst cooking. However, Eric explained that Madeira ranged from sweet to dry.
America’s founders, particularly Thomas Jefferson, enjoyed Madeira. It was one of the wines used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What Eric explained was that a dry, well-aged Madeira can be enjoyed as one would a fine Cognac.
One Saturday before church began, Eric came to me and said, “Close your eyes and open your mouth.” I did as he requested. There was the sound of several rapid bursts from an atomizer, and suddenly my mouth filled with a dry, fragrant wine. Notes of toffee, roasted nuts, and bergamot lingered impossibly long.
I opened my eyes.
Eric had decided to Coravin a bottle of 1785 Madeira and put the juice in an atomizer for us to try. He repeated this for each of our small group.
I said to Eric, “Let me get this straight: This is really from 1785? And it still holds up?”
“What do you think?” Eric said.
I replied, “May I revisit it?”
73. Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian – A tasting room in an art gallery.
My friends Eric, Lory, and I went to Napa for the 2017 release party for Patland Estates Vineyards. (I wrote an article on the Patland release party entitled “A Weekend in Napa – A Phoenix Rises!” which can be found in the Vegaswineaux.com archives.) Eric had formerly worked for Patland before moving to Las Vegas. Going to the release party was going to be fun.
We had rooms at the Archer Hotel in downtown Napa. Eric was going to help pour at the release party, so he left early in the morning. That left Lory and me to explore downtown Napa. We found ourselves walking along the riverfront when we stumbled across the Blackbird Vineyards tasting room. Blackbird had the most unique tasting room. It was in an art gallery. Two of my passions in life are art and wine, so I made reservations for the three of us for Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the tasting room has since moved.
Blackbird Vineyards produces Bordeaux-inspired wines curated by the revolutionary winemaker Aaron Pott. I had Blackbird Vineyards Contrarian for the first time around 2015. It was a beautiful expression of a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It was one of those wines you file away and make a note to try again whenever you can.
The release party was wonderful, and we came back to the hotel late Saturday evening. I went to Mass early on Sunday to ask forgiveness for Saturday night’s sins. Lory, Eric, and I left the hotel upon my return and walked a short distance to the Blackbird Vineyard tasting room.
Eric was unfamiliar with Blackbird. This surprised and amused me, considering his knowledge of Napa wines. I finally had a “gotcha moment.”
Having a tasting room inside an art gallery was such a great idea. We sat outside on the patio after touring the gallery. Eric and I had flights of Blackbird’s wines as Lory took in the ambiance. Contrarian is Blackbird’s Cabernet Sauvignon wine. However, what I did not know was that Blackbird makes more than just Cabernet Sauvignon.
We began with Dissonance, which is a white blend of Cabernet Blanc and Sémillon. This was followed by Arriviste, a Rosé blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Both wines were refreshing and a good lead-in to the main course.
Blackbird’s Illustration is a Merlot-based blend. Aaron Pott, Blackbird’s winemaker, was formerly the winemaker at Château Troplong Mondot, a Premier Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux. So, the man knows a little something about making a Merlot, and it shows with Blackbird’s Illustration. Any Right Bank wine lover would feel right at home with this wine.
The Paramour is a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. I enjoy the Cab Franc varietal, and Eric and I really loved Paramour (forgive me). Eric suddenly realized he was familiar with Blackbird and had even visited their former tasting room, then located in another part of the valley. I should have known that I could not introduce Eric to a new wine!
The final wine in the flight was Contrarian, a predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blend that is rounded out with Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I love a good Napa Cab, and Contrarian is certainly that. There is balance, freshness, and complexity to Contrarian. This Cab has notes of black truffle and sous-bois, that complement the dark fruits and cocoa, leading to a lingering finish. Of course, I joined their wine club, and there is always Blackbird in my cellar.
Lory, Eric, and I sat on the patio on one of those beautiful May days in Napa, surrounded by beautiful art, gazing at the river, and savoring remarkable wines. How could this not be memorable?
74. Buoncristiani – Brilliant wines from a passionate craftsman.
I met Jay Buoncristiani in 2019 at the Patland Estates Vineyards release party for their 2017 vintage. Jay is Patland’s winemaker. He is gregarious, animated, and passionate about wine. We had a great time talking about the wines we had that day. The only thing that Jay is more passionate about than wine is his lovely family.
Jay is a winemaker from a family of Italian winemakers. He was formerly the winemaker at The Hess Collection Winery, and his wines have received multiple awards. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded one of his wines 98-points. Wine Spectator named him a “Rising Star of Napa Cabernet,” and one of his wines was ranked #25 in the Top 100 wines of the world by Wine Enthusiast.
My friend Eric called me about three months after we attended the Patland release party and said that Jay was coming to town. He suggested we put together a pop-up tasting for friends to showcase Jay’s wines. We decided to have the party at my house.
I forgot to mention one more of Jay’s accomplishments: You see, Jay and his brothers, Matt and Nate, started their own eponymous winery, Buoncristiani Family Winery, in 1999. Jay is the winemaker. Jay was going to bring his Buoncristiani wines, which I was going to try for the first time.
Jay and his much more significant other, the lovely Anya, arrived, bringing an amazing collection of wines produced in their underground facilities at The Caves at Soda Canyon above the Stags Leap District in Napa. His handcrafted wines included a Rosato, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, an O.P.C. Proprietary Red, Syrah, Malbec, and their piéce de résistance, a Cabernet Sauvignon. He also brought his Estate Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which should not be missed.
About 20 people attended. We had excellent food, including charcuterie and cheese selections from Napa’s Browns Valley Meat. Jay also taught me to sabrage a bottle of sparkling wine.
I had an idea of what to expect, having tasted Jay’s wines at the Patland release party. However, the Buoncristiani wines blew us away. Each of his wines bore a special signature, a fingerprint that distinguished his wines from other wines of the same varietals. Each wine was handcrafted and limited in production. I especially loved Jay’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. It was big, bold, with loads of dark fruit, leading to a lengthy finish. It is no wonder that Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate described Jay’s wine as a “Legendary effort.”
I have had my friend Jay’s wines many times since that evening, but the first time was the most memorable.*
* I wrote an article on the party, entitled “One Night, Seven Wines, and the Voice of an Angel,” which can be found in the Vegaswineaux.com archives. The article contains a reel showing my successful first-time sabrage.
Cheers!
Note from Irene: I’ve had photos of Eric’s wine room for years, but never published them because of metadata. Metadata can pinpoint the location of anything, and I didn’t want to put the location of that beautiful, one-of-a-kind wine room on the Internet. Crazy evil people exist, and that wine room had priceless bottles, as well as Eric and Lory, who are valuable people in my life. But now that he has moved, not only out of the city but out of the state, I can safely publish the photos.
