Time to Crown California Royalty
Buying
wine in the United States used to be a big deal, something
almost ceremonial and definitely out of the ordinary. One of
the major reasons that consumption’s reached a new height of
popularity in the past decade is that we’ve finally overcome
the idea of wine as a “special occasion” beverage whose
primary purpose is to commemorate memorable events. Through
repeated exposure it’s successfully shed this image and
become an integral part of the daily diet for an increasing
number of people. Still, everyone understands that there is
a category we might call luxury wines, comprised of bottles
we probably wouldn’t ever open, for instance, sitting on a
couch watching television or even during the course of a
casual meal. The great thing about these “important” wines,
however, is that while they represent significant upgrades
from everyday bottles, few are so expensive that they are
totally out of reach.
Wine of this
type can be a wonderful gift because the recipient can enjoy
it at a time of his or her choice and, if properly stored,
it can improve in the bottle as the years pass. One of the
great things about the way most wines capable of bottle
development are being produced today is that they also taste
great when they’re young. The point is that while their
flavors and textures change, for the most part you can enjoy
the wines at any stage of their evolution. The following is
a list of wines I tasted in California during a recent
Master of Wine Symposium and tour of the North Coast wine
regions, that fall into this luxury, potentially age worthy
category, each of which would constitute a superb, if
somewhat expensive, choice to give someone who has a cellar.
Some may be difficult to find, because they are produced in
limited quantities, but each is highly recommended and well
worth a search. Each is from a single estate, and, while I
am not a proponent of terroir for its own sake or a believer
that blends can’t produce great wine, there was clearly
something unique about the site in each of these cases that
allowed special qualities to express themselves.
|
Rubicon Opus HdV Lucia HdV |
