Quaffing wine

Shannon, Jeff and I decided to make a local roadtrip up to Ridge Vineyards today. It's only a short trip up into the foothills from the peninsula, but it seems like I only make it once every few years.

When we got there, the small tasting room was a bit crowded, but we slipped in at the end of the counter. They started us off with a 2004 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay, and then quickly got into the reds. Our second wine was a 2003 Cabernet/Merlot blend which wasn't as nice as I had hoped, but Ridge redeemed itself with tis 2003 York Creek Zinfandel. The Zin had a hint of spice, and it was nice. But our next wine, the 2003 independence School Zinfandel provided some extra character.

The initial tastings were free, but afterwards we elected to try the supplemental tastings for $5. The 2004 Buchignani Ranch promoted itself as "quaffing" wine. Jeff wondered what a "quaffing" wine was. Shannon wasn't sure, but said that whatever it was, it "sounded dirty."

Our server informed us that a quaffing wine was a bistro wine, or table wine that would go well with spaghetti & meatballs and other pasta. In other words, a quaffing wine is an everyday wine.

We moved on to our final tasting, the 2004 Lytton Springs Zinfandel, and then it was time to decide what to buy.

I elected to purchase two bottles of the 2004 Lytton Springs Zin, two bottles of the independence School, a bottle of the 2002 Paso Robles Zin and one bottle of Ridge's flagship Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. The '99 Cab was expensive, but I thought I'd cellar it with some other keepers I have.

The purchase of the Monte Bello Cab made me think back to one of my favorite recent movies, Sideways. There's a scene where Miles gives a intricate, long-winded description of why he enjoys Pinot Noir so much. Then he asks Maya why she's into wine, and she gives a classic reply:

I like to think about the life of wine. How it's a living thing.

I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing. How the sun was shining. If it rained?

I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now.

I like to think about how wine continues to evolve. Like if I opened a bottle of wine today, it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day.

Because a bottle of wine is actually alive... And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. And that's until it peaks. Then it begins its steady inevitable decline.

And it tastes so fucking good.

So when I buy a nice bottle of wine that I know I will cellar for a while, I think to the future. When will I drink this bottle of wine? How old will I be? Where will I be? Who will I be with?

I have a few bottles of Silver Oak begging those very questions. And now a 1999 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon.