What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors
What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors
What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors
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Due to some of the same strange market<br />
dynamics that allow for sub-$10 Napa Cabernet,<br />
we currently have great deals <strong>on</strong> two great<br />
Beringer Cabernets: the outstanding 1999<br />
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvign<strong>on</strong><br />
and the Excellent 2001 Beringer Knights Valley<br />
Cabernet Sauvign<strong>on</strong>.<br />
BERINGER Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvign<strong>on</strong>,<br />
Napa Valley, 1999<br />
$58.99 btl $353.94 case 6x750ml<br />
This is an elegant, medium-weight, well-balanced,<br />
beautifully perfumed Cabernet featuring lovely<br />
dark berry and cherry fruit with complexity from<br />
tobacco and cedar. Succulent and delicious with a<br />
lovely feel in the mouth, the wine is complete and<br />
perfectly integrated; everything fits. Deep,<br />
flavorful, and absolutely alive through the l<strong>on</strong>g<br />
perfumed finish, it is quite elegant and even<br />
ethereal. For me at least, it pushes all the right<br />
butt<strong>on</strong>s. Outstanding. Bear’s Score: 96+ points.<br />
BERINGER Cabernet Sauvign<strong>on</strong>, Knights Valley,<br />
2000 $13.99 btl $167.88 case 12x750ml<br />
100 percent Cabernet Sauvign<strong>on</strong> from Knights<br />
Valley, this well-balanced, medium-weight red<br />
shows red and black cherry and dark berry fruit<br />
with dusty oak and sweet spice notes and hints of<br />
potpourri, tobacco, and cedar. The texture and<br />
feel are dusty dry. The dry finish lingers with oak<br />
dust and sweet berry perfume to the end.<br />
Excellent. Bear's Score:<br />
91 points.<br />
96+<br />
points<br />
While sipping our bubbly we were shown<br />
around the winery. I d<strong>on</strong>’t think I could<br />
ever see too many wine vats, crusher destemmer<br />
machines or barrels. The<br />
atmosphere of a winery with that musky<br />
smell is <strong>on</strong>e of the things that can transport<br />
you to a different level. It evokes a romance<br />
between the earth, the fruit and the wine,<br />
and you find yourself somehow involved<br />
with the whole process. It’s very mystical.<br />
After the tour, Joy came up to each of us<br />
with two baskets filled with corks. The<br />
women drew from <strong>on</strong>e basket, and the men<br />
drew a cork from the sec<strong>on</strong>d basket. The<br />
corks had numbers written <strong>on</strong> them. We<br />
didn’t know what this was for until we<br />
went to the tables that had been set up for<br />
lunch. At each place, there was another<br />
cork with a number <strong>on</strong> it. To find our seats<br />
we had to match the numbers. It was<br />
really an ingenious way to seat people.<br />
Each table had bottles of wine, opened and<br />
ready for us. Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Cuvee R, a blend<br />
of Sauvign<strong>on</strong> Blanc and Viognier was my<br />
favorite. Perhaps it was the dedicati<strong>on</strong> to<br />
Forrest’s mother <strong>on</strong> the back label that<br />
drew me <strong>on</strong> Mother’s Day.<br />
by Lindy Rydman<br />
S<strong>on</strong>oma California doing what we like best: enjoying food and wine. The day was simply beautiful<br />
with a light, cool breeze. We, and a group of wine retailers from around the country were the guests of<br />
Joy Sterling and Forrest Tancer, the owners and wine maker for Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Vineyards. We were met<br />
with a glass of Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Brut, a light, crisp sparkling wine that went down easily in the spring sun...<br />
Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Brut Sparkling 1998<br />
750 ml $22.29<br />
Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Cuvee R 2001<br />
750 ml $17.33<br />
Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Chard<strong>on</strong>nay 2000<br />
750 ml $19.75<br />
Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse Estate Bottled Pinot Noir<br />
2000<br />
750 ml $24.31<br />
Or perhaps it was the delicious taste that<br />
did it. It was light and clean with a<br />
smooth finish that went especially well<br />
with our salad of fresh fava beans lightly<br />
dressed with olive oil and Parmesan<br />
cheese. The Cuvee R would be great for a<br />
party wine because it’s equally good with<br />
or without food. The Ir<strong>on</strong> Horse<br />
Chard<strong>on</strong>nay was our sec<strong>on</strong>d choice of<br />
white wines. This Chard<strong>on</strong>nay is rich<br />
and luscious, but fresh enough to go<br />
with a salad. Again, this wine is easy to<br />
drink and would be good with a variety<br />
of foods.<br />
Grilled Kobe beef with boiled potatoes<br />
and arugula dressed with truffle oil and<br />
garlic followed the salad course. The Ir<strong>on</strong><br />
Horse Estate Bottled Pinot Noir was<br />
perfect with it. Deep purple in color with<br />
a satiny finish, you could smell black<br />
cherries and exotic spices. It’s a truly<br />
elegant wine without being “fussy” or too<br />
highfalutin'.<br />
We whiled away the afterno<strong>on</strong> enjoying<br />
the company of our hosts. It was a<br />
glorious day.