Nepenthe 2004 Tryst (Australia)

Tryst is a blend of three grapes, and an odd triple blend at that, especially if you consider the country of origin (Australia):  Cabernet, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel ... As a Zinfandel fan I was positive I would like this even though zin was low man on the totem pole to Cab and Tempranillo ... I also decided a little time would do it some good and I wasn't wrong on either count.  The nose if full of plum, blackberry, vanilla and baking spice.  The palate also had much to give and the tannins still put up a fight with the tongue, but it also allowed the spiced-plum, cinnamon, dark chocolate and coffee to come through unimpeded.  A real taste treat after all these years - so glad I held onto this one.

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Ca'Momi 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley (California)

A find is a find is a find ... not sure if that was ever a saying but I think I would like to coin that one now.  I discovered this wine during a Vintages tasting in late December 2013 during the Ontario Wine Board's annual crap-a-thon that they call "Smart Buys" (a virtual dumping ground of low-priced, low end wines that they can't figure out where else to put them throughout the year).  But on occasion there is a stellar bottle that sneaks through the cracks and this was one of them ... so much so that I just had to buy a bottle the moment it hit shelves (okay, so I bought three).  What made this wine so good is that is wasn't your same-old, same old typical low priced Cali-Cab it had everything that a higher priced bottle should have, and then some:  Nose was loaded with plum, smoked cherry, Christmas cake spice, black currant, anise, and coffee bean while the palate takes all of that in and adds black cherry, white smoke, touches of smoked meat and mocha wrapping it all with a long, luxurious finish.  Pure yum.

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Beaulieu Vineyard 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon / Estampa 2004 Gold Assemblage (California / Chile)

Beaulieu 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coastal Estates - When you pull a bottle out of the cellar like this (a relatively inexpensive wine with mucho age on it) that you have most likely just lost track of over the years you wonder if you should open it or just make salad dressing with it ... well my experience has always been to open it and let the chips fall where they may.  This wine ended up being kinda smoky with dried fruit character, sure it opened a little but it never gained  anything but some odd dried fruit and earthy notes on the palate - this was a bottle that would have been best to have stayed hidden, but I am glad I got it out of the cellar so that something else can take its place.   

Estampa 2004 Gold Assemblage - Whenever I pull out a wine like the previous attempt, I also pull out something as "back up" and here I used the Estampa 2004 Gold Assemblage (Red), form Chile ... this one proved to be much more interesting with its smoky mint quality right from the get go; from there it added blackberry and cassis along with hints of vanilla and mocha.  Happily it was delightfully delicious and complex.

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A Mixed Bag from Bubbly to Malbec to Dessert (France / Argentina / Ontario / Australia)

I have been a little lax about updating this blog because we re building a new website and I keep hoping we can move all blogs to one location ... But the change over is moving at the speed of IT, and anyone who has worked with an IT department knows exactly what that means.  Subsequently I have not posted anything here thinking that I would just have to move it or it would not get swept up in the move ... but since we find ourselves behind schedule I thought I best keep going with my wine finds ... this one goes back to a dinner party we attended in early January - with a friend who is as passionate about wine as she is for making great food, not sure which one comes first in her book:

We kicked things off with a hybrid of our own doing:  a Chateau des Charmes Sparkling Brut and a dash of Tawse 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine, on it's own the Icewine had strawberry, cherry and hints of spice, not too sweet, with nice balancing acidity.  Combined they made one hell of an impressive aperitif.  There was also another bottle of bubbly on the table that night, but alas I did not take note of what it was.

Our friend is a huge fan of Malbec, and I thought I grab one from the homeland and one from the adopted land (France and Argentina) - both wines had a fair bit of age on them.  The Argentinean was a Altos 2002 Las Hormigas, and it was head-snappingly atrocious in both smell and flavour ... granted, maybe it was a little too long in the tooth, but I can't believe that plastic cork helped in any way.  The French version was a Chateau de Gaudou 2005 Cahors Tradition, and it showed amazingly well with plum, spice and pepper notes on the nose; palate was well-balanced with black raspberry and a lovely cedar finish ... now it also wasn't all Malbec (80%), it also had some Merlot (15%) and Tannat in there as well (5%).

Final wine of the night was Lillypilly Estate 2002 Noble Blend, I thought it was lovely for its age: caramel, apricot, lemon, baked pineapple, and after a while develops marmalade notes, these all appeared on the nose; palate showed off honey-apricot with some lively acidity, creamy mid, and a floral-vanilla finish ... alas I was the only one who really enjoyed this ... but then sometimes my inner wine-geek takes over.

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The Wines of Christmas Eve, 3 Cabernet Sauvignons (California / Australia)

It was an unconventional Christmas Eve at my in-laws this year ... usually it's family get together about an hour outside of town, but this year we stayed put with my in-laws, ordered Chinese food, played games and drank wine (cider and beer for some) - there was no worry about driving home so I could sample a few more wines than usual.  I started with a wine I picked up at Meijer a few days before called Carnivore, a  2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, simple yet a great sipper to just sit around the table and sip on: plum, blackberry, cocoa, black currant, smooth and silky ... of course it did not pair with the food what-so-ever, but I don't think that is what I was going for.  The next bottle to be opened was a Shinas Estate 2009 The Verdict, I picked this one up from my buddy Dave at Champane Wine Cellars; it's not as big and robust as I thought it might be, but then again isn't it nice get an Aussie wine that shows more finesse than being all alcohol and sweet fruit.  The Verdict is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Victoria the still showed plenty of fruit black cherry and plum, with a middling of chocolate, some blackberry, and a touch of alcohol on the nose (not surprising with it coming in a 15.5%), there's also an element of cherry-kirsch, all seems to follow on palate ... it too was basically smooth with silky tannins.  Turns out it was a really pleasant drink that would match well with a meat dish because of the acidity that appeared on the finish.  The final wine was something my niece and her boyfriend call their house wine: Trader Moon Wine 2012 Velvet Moon Cabernet Sauvignon, to me this one smelled more like a Zin than a Cab, I had to re-check the label and the back of the bottle to see if any existed within ... No mention.  Red and black plum ruled the roost with blue fruit and vanilla; it too was a rather tasty wine.  I think I still enjoyed the first wine best of all, just because of it smooth, sippable nature.  The night wasn't about complex wines it was about all things easy drinking.

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St. Francis 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County (California)

We arrive in Michigan for the holidays early on Saturday morning.  We do a little shopping at that French bulls-eye store everyone talks about known as Tar-jay (Target) and then we head over to Meijer for a look-see at the groceries on our list to take home.  Once done I wonder into the wine department to grab a couple of bottles for the next few days.  I am heading over to see my buddy Dave at Champane Wine Cellars in a few days so I just need a couple till I get there to discuss wine, have a drink and buy some interesting bottles.  The first bottle I picked up was this bottle of St. Francis Sonoma Cabernet: nose of  black currant, smoked-blackberry, and cinnamon; while the palate had some mocha notes along with smoked currants, black cherry, and some mean-spirited blueberry skin tannins.  There also seems to be a grittiness to the finish that is not tannin related.  This one's not much of a sipper as the drying finish could be seen as more food based ... maybe with the pizza proposed for dinner tonight.  Turns out it was okay with dinner, but those tannins and that grit never seem to mellow.

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Ten Birthday Wines - Starring a 1970 Bordeaux (France, Germany, Ontario, California)

'Twas the night of my birthday and friends were in the house - bottles of wine were opened and here's what we had:

Starting with a Dr. Burklin Wolf 2004 Riesling, which was quite an interesting older German Riesling full of honey and waxy notes with some apricot pit ... this was the first dead soldier of the night (some wines did not get finished).  Other whites of the night were a Thirty Bench 2012 Riesling, Chateau des Charmes 2010 St. David's Bench Chardonnay, Cave Spring 2012 Dolomite Chardonnay, Vineland 2011 Elevation Riesling, and a Vineland 2005 Dry Riesling (this one did not show well).  Speaking of not showing well, we also opened a bottle of Ruhlmann 2004 Sylvaner Bouquet Printanier - Cuvee Prestige, sealed with a cheese-o plastic cork, this wine should never have spend this long in my cellar, nor should it have been opened tonight - this wine should have stayed lost.

Surprisingly, only two reds were opened, a Tom Eddy 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which proved to be a delightful wine, well aged, well balanced but certainly not the star of the night ... on any other night maybe, but tonight it was a 43 year old Bordeaux that stole the show.  The Chateau Gruaud Larose 1970 Grand Vin was absolutely stunning, considering its age.  To the average everyday wine drinker this is going to sound unappealing, but to wine geeks (like a couple around the table tonight) this wine kept changing and opening and giving different aspects of its character that were admirable: starting with Band-aid and forest floor on the nose and a bit on the palate, there were also welcome (and surprising) hints of raspberry that appeared, not strong, but subtle and appealing.  No doubt the wine is very mature, but still very drinkable. The most surprising part is the acidity, which still stood up and kept the wine "fresh" or at least the palate from getting tired.  The biggest and best compliment I can give this wine is that it is savoury and sexy - in its own kinda way.  This is only the second wine I have ever had from my birth-year, this time it was extra special cause it was my actual birthday.

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Casa Marin 2006 Cartagena Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

It's Saturday night and I have just finished my seminars in Sarnia for the Fusion Festival ... now sitting quietly in my room I am able to open a bottle of something I have been looking forward to all day, put my feet up and watch a little hockey.  But before I get too comfortable I thought I'd let you in on that wine I have been looking forward to all day, a Casa Marin 2006 Cartagena Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.  What possessed me to bring it along as a room wine, I am not sure, but I am sure glad I did.  The starting aromas are coffee and licorice adding touches of cassis for fruit.  Then comes some white pepper and hints of mint - these appear on the nose and palate.  The finish has a touch of chocolate and spice.  As the wine sits in the glass the fruit starts to come out a little more and now we're at a juicy blackberry, cassis and white pepper stage ... so this is obviously getting better the longer it is open.  So I'm gotta get right to it and enjoy the game along with my (turning into) delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

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Ernest & Julio Gallo 2000 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Another one of those finds in the cellar ... what am I doing with a Gallo wine from 2000 still kicking around down there?  On the other hand, these days the Gallo boys are derided for being successful, or is that for making plonky, cheap wine ... but when you climb the ladder of quality (away from Barefoot and such) you do find some really beautiful wines - and in 2000 this was the case.  I found this Sonoma Cab to be very good, especially when considering its age: dark red fruit (definitely not fresh) along with dried cranberry, there was also just a hint of spice towards the finish.  What I really found surprising was the long lingering mouth presence that came post-swallow and that brought with it some hints of licorice.  This was actually a very pleasant surprise of a wine, showing that when the Gallos aren't making those cheap and cheefuls they can make some really good ageable stuff too.

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A Couple of Dancing Bulls (California)

Went to my brother's house a dinner of beef rib and coleslaw and in the deep bowels of the wine cellar I found a couple of bottles of interesting wine - a set of Dancing Bull wines: Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel both from 2003.  Now how they made it through all these years I'm not sure, but tonight was the night to try them.  Interesting to note that once the capsule was removed one of the wines was under cork the other under a synthetic closure ... weird, as you would suppose they would have the same closure.  The Cabernet was thin with hints of dried fruit, sweet dried-cranberry, and a massive hit of oak, but you really had to look for the fruit - for the most part the wine was lifeless and un-appealing.  The Zinfandel on the other hand was full of spiced vanilla and raspberry, while on the finish there was red fruit and spice mixing interestingly in an appealing combination - the wine still had quite a bit of interest to me as a Zin fan and those assembled as it contained some real umph as it sat in the glass.  I won't tell you which wine was under synthetic and which had natural cork, I'll let you figure that out yourself.

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Vina Cobos 2008 Felino Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina)

It's been a long day ... my feet hurt and I'm tired ... dinner is still an hour away and I pour my wife and myself a glass of Featherstone 2012 Black Sheep Riesling - as I get to pouring my second glass of Riesling my wife suddenly gets very possessive (she's had a hard day too it seems), "Hey," she says loudly form the other room, "get your own wine and leave my Riesling alone."  Gosh darn it she's right, why am I wasting a hard day on a Riesling when what I'm really craving is something with some umph.  I look on the wine rack upstairs (too lazy and tired to go down to the cellar) and find a bottle of Felino 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ... my wife, not knowing what I am up to, pipes in with, "someone on Facebook says it's Cabernet Sauvignon Day" ... that's good enough an excuse for me.  I pull the wine off the rack, pop the cork and take a sniff.  The nose is loaded with cassis, blackberry, spice and cocoa powder ... the palate is white pepper and spice before it brings out the rich fruit flavours of blackberry, black currant and black raspberry, following it up with some cinnamon and a dollop of chocolate.  Now that hits the spot.  Sorry about the Riesling mix-up dear, I don't know what came over me.

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Sister's Run 2008 Gomersol Cabernet Sauvignon

A Thursday night with the BBQ on, what in the world to drink is the main question ... we're doing a simple supper of burgers (flame grilled to perfection) and I'm in the mood for something rich from Australia.  I have also recently finished my Vintages Release report and remember a wine from a winery called Sister's Run, I'm pretty sure I still have something from them left in the cellar, and so the choice is made.  The difficult part will be to find it.  Thankfully it's an easy one to locate because of the red screw cap closure.  I have to admit I thought I had a Shiraz in the cellar but it turned out to be a Cabernet, was I disappointed?  Only for a minute, because once I got a whiff and a taste of this wine, the smile on my face went ear to ear.  What a delightfully silky smooth wine with plum, cassis, vanilla, chocolate and a delight of a raspberry finish ... looking through my inventory I am sad to report I have not a single bottle left of this delicious wine (as the French say, "c'est dommage") - guess I'm just gonna have to buy something else from these guys.

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One with Friends - One for Us (California / France)

Beautiful (almost) summer evening on the back deck.  Some friends came over for an impromptu drink and I open a bottle of something I picked up in Michigan this past weekend, Greystone Cellars 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from California ... this is an almost perfect deck wine as it is big on fruit, low on tannin and nothing to get in the way of the fruity nature of this wine on the palate; had I chilled this wine for about 20 minutes it would have been perfect: fruit forward, lots of plum and cherry with no complications.

Then they went off to make dinner for their respective families and we were left to deal with own dinner plans (tonight we are breaking in the new wok): a stir-fry of shrimp and veggies, it seemed only fitting to open something to enjoy.  Bouchard Pere & Fils 2010 Mâcon-Lugny Saint-Pierre was the Chardonnay of choice for this seafood dish.  Peach (pit), apple and butter on the nose with a hint of vanilla (bordering on butterscotch) hanging out in the background; the palate follows pretty close to the nose with a really good acid backbone that makes it so easy to take another sip ... there's also a hit of citrus pith on the long finish that lingers pleasantly.  Great for sipping before, during and even after the meal.

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Montes 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Aged (Chile)

It's Montes week here at Casa de Pinkus ... yesterday I opened a bottle of 2006 Limited Selection Red Blend ... tonight I went for the single variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, but this time I've gone back 2 more years, to 2004.  I opened this bottle a little early because tonight's dinner is cedar plant salmon Provencale, and as much as I am into trying different wines with different kinds of food, the Cab Sauv / Salmon pairing is not one that (from my experience) works very well.  So I will have a glass now and maybe one after I finish dinner ... though as a glutton for punishment I will most likely still try it with the fish.  Tonight's wine is hugely better than last night's so-so affair ... this 2004 still has weight and structure, the tannins aren't big in-your-face bruisers and the oak is well-balanced and delicate on the tongue.  There's an an element of fruit that still seems lively and vibrant right down the heart of this wine.  Sure there's a touch of dried fruit here but it is counter-balanced with a nice baker's cocoa that comes through, and while the tannins are most definitely present they do not interfere with what the cocoa and the fruit have going on ... in fact it seems to add just the right amount of a drying effect along with a lovely smokiness to make me want to take sip after sip after sip - and the finish lingers with a delicacy that seems to say "take another sip, I won't disappoint."  This bottle shows an elegance and finesse that last night's bottle could only dream about ... and it's 2 years older.  This is one you could still hold a few more years, but it's drinking very well right now.

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Tale of Two Vintages: Jackson Triggs Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon (British Columbia)

Not sure what possessed me to do this but tonight I thought it a great idea to pull out two bottles of wine from the same winery: same grape variety but different vintages ... why not eh?  If you've got 'em flaunt 'em, or at least pull 'em out and try 'em.  The two wines were Jackson Triggs Proprietors' Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2001 and 2004 vintages.  Starting with the opening of the bottles:  the 2001's cork pretty much disintegrated in the bottle, it was spongy and soft and no matter how I tried I could not get that all the cork out of the bottle.  My last resort was to push the remainder of the cork into the bottle - while an eighth of the cork remained adhered to the side of the neck.  The 2004 was in much better condition and slid out without any hassle what-so-ever.  Colour of the wines were as expected, the 2001 was definitely brickier than the 2004 - though the 2001 was more evidently aged and showed its 12 years more readily, whereas the 2004 did not look to be a wine of 9 years from vintage date.  Initially the 2001 was a nice wine with sweet dried fruit notes and it was quite smooth with just a hint of some tannin or acidity - it was hard to make out what was biting back ... but that was short lived as the wine became very raisiny within 30 minutes and stayed that way for the rest of its life span in the glass (about 2-and-a-half hours) ... it had definitely crested the hill and was hurtling towards the bottom.  The 2004 had the opposite effect:  it started off pretty rough and rugged, almost to the point of being aggressive - but once it settled into the glass it started to reveal its true nature, lots of cassis and other dark fruit with creme de cacao on the palate ... over the course of its lifespan in the glass (same as the 2001) it developed a wonderful texture in the mouth, mixing tannins with a pseudo-creaminess.  Within the course of 2 hours it opened to the point that it was expressing itself with dark fruit (mostly dried) with black licorice and sweet spice.  Truly impressive.  So while the 2001 is definitely on the decline the 2004 is just a hair off its peak and should be drunk this year - yes it has crested the hill but it sure doesn't want to go down with any quickness.

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Domaine Boudau 2008 & Finca Las Palmas 2007 (France / Argentina)

Easter dinner with family, it's what the holidays are all about.  A brother who can make a hell of a lamb and another who picks a hell of a good bottle of wine (or three) it's a perfect combination for a fun and delicious evening.  Started with a bottle of the inaugural Tawse 2011 Gamay - could have used a bit of a chill, but it was a nice wine to start the evening.  Next up, a bottle of Domaine Boudau 2008 Côtes du Roussillon Le Clos a beauty full of white pepper, plum, spice and black raspberry - good acidity and some fine tannins round it off.  Even more interesting was the shockingly imperceptible 15% alcohol - this wine packed a hidden punch amongst all that fruit and light-spice flavour.  Also poured with dinner was a bottle of Trapiche 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Finca Las Palmas from Argentina, paling in the alcohol department by a full percentage point; but it proved to be an even bigger hit than the Boudau with its chocolate-mocha-coffee nose that followed through onto the palate adding rich dark berries and a silky smooth finish along the way.  I was very happy with the performance of all these wines ... after all they had to match up with the dinner that was cooked to perfection.  I'd say the Boudau has a few more years left under the hood - while the Las Palmas is ready to drink now.

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Two South American Bottles 2003 & 2010 (Argentina / Chile)

Dined on prime rib Saturday night, and I was in charge of the wine ... hate to say it, it was never actually said that I was in charge but I put myself in that position.  I pulled out two very different bottles one from Chile the other from Argentina ... one brand new (2010) the other nine years old (2003).  Started with the older wine: Clos de los Siete 2003 from Argentina, a wine that proudly states on the front label Michel Rolland's name.Turns out about 6 months ago I opened a bottle of the 2006 version of this wine and thought out loud in that post about what the 2003 would taste like.  As it turns out the 2003 was not as exciting as the 2006 but was still a decent wine.  Earthy nose was the mainstay of aromas, while the palate was dried of fruit with earthiness mixed in - the wine had definitely crested the hill and was on its way down the other side; but I still had a glass and a half to see how it progressed over the course of an hour or so - it never got better, but it didn't get worse either, so that was a plus in its favour.  The second bottle was the one I popped the cork on for dinner:  Valdivieso 2010 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz) - now this was typically Chilean, but typical in a good way: the wine was laced with mint chocolate, dark berries and a luscious mouthfeel.  Two wines with very different stories to tell and both told them in their own way, and I was glad to be there to listen (so to speak).

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Jackson Triggs 2002 Proprietors' Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (British Columbia)

My love for older wines and experimentation continues ... and today in the middle of the afternoon, after a wine tasting that did not go so well, I decided to find something interesting to try.  That curiousity led me to this bottle from the Okanagan and surprisingly it was very good.  Sure it was mainly past its prime but it showed well as a mature wine.  The fruit on the nose was all dried, mainly blackberry and cherry in nature - sweet smelling and rather inviting.  The palate was the most interesting thing about it: licorice/anise notes with dried blackberry and cassis, smooth and quite drinkable in its present state ... then within half and hour the oak showed up on the drying finish and began to take over, thankfully the dried fruit remained intact.

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Two Aussies and a Californian (Australia / California)

The title of this post sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke ... but the only joking was during the evening as we had friends over for plenty of wine, lots of laughs and a trip down memory lane.  My wife opted for beer and the other spouse decided she was driving so it was just the men who polished off the following three bottles - much to my head's chagrin the next morning:

We started with a bottle of Thorn-Clarke 2009 Merlot from Australia, which we paired with the simple dinner of meatloaf and potatoes we consumed.  My wife was appalled by her new potato recipe, which she made in the crock-pot.  The taste was alright but the red skinned potatoes leached a funny colour into the concoction.  Everybody still ate them with gusto.  As for the wine: smooth blackberry and nice spice.  I continue to like this Merlot as it ages.  The next wine was also an Aussie: Thorn-Clarke 2008 Terra Barossa Shiraz ... why so much Oz tonight?  Because that's what my guest was thirsty for.  The Terra-Barossa Shiraz was a plummy, vanilla and chocolate affair that is a quintessential Aussie Shiraz ... not too jammy, and very delicious.  Finally it was time to introduce our guests to a bottle of Californian Cab, Rebel Wine 2006 The Show Cabernet Sauvignon.  The bottle is a lot of fun with its old time circus style logo - this was the one with the cowboy on the front - and the wine inside was a showstopper: mocha, dried blackberry, cassis and plum; it showed itself to have a little elegance after the jamminess of the Shiraz.  Once we all come down off our hang-overs (a problem one of us did not participate in) it'd be nice to see them again, or as the hanging ornament in our living room states; "I like the nights I can't remember with the friends I can't forget" - or something like that.

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Two Hot Climate Reds (South Africa / Australia)

Tonight I had a past winner of the Wine Tasting Challenge over for dinner ... I have to admit I totally forgot that until my wife asked what prizes they had won ... after that the night became its own challenge, to see if I could stump the champ (or is that chump); which is actually a lot easier to do than you would think - when someone is put under that kind of pressure to be right they usually start to second guess themselves ... I know that each time I have participated in the Challenge (at which in 2008 I came in fourth place, professional category) I felt enormous pressure to be right - especially in 2009 because I had an award to live up to.  That all being said I will tell you that my chump-friend missed both wines: guessing one as a California Zinfandel and the other as a Merlot ... as for what the wines really were:

We started the night with a little bubbly and a white - but those were not the stars of the show so they will not be mentioned here - they were warm ups for the main attactraction.  Staritng with the Ayama 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine I had bought a few years back as one of the best Cabs I have ever had out of South Africa and a great value to boot.  It was smooth and fruit driven with lots of red fruit goodness and a dark cherry finish - yes, there was a hint of that South African tarry note, but it was masked very well by all that fruit.

Next up was a favourite I was sure my friend was going to figure out in a heartbeat ... surprisingly their significant other nailed it first shot ... who knew that my friend had a block when it came to Shiraz: the Stalking Horse 2008 Shiraz is textbook Australia with big alcohol, rich jammy black fruit, chocolate, vanilla and white pepper notes that carry through to the jammy yet spicy finish.

To my friend, all I can say is "Better luck next time" ... and there will be a next time ... because if there is one truism about wine - it always brings people (back) together.

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