Remembering 'why' you liked a wine

Every year around this time, when we gather with good friends and family we always delve into our personal library to pull out some of our old favorites and share them with those closest to us. This year our Thanksgiving gathering was smaller than normal just me, Mary and another couple who are close friends of ours. We pulled out three older bottles from our library to enjoy over the two nights we celebrated Thanksgiving Day; 1994 Ridge Geyserville, 1994 Ridge Lytton Springs and 1993 Trefethen Reserve Cabernet.

The wines were all spectacular but perhaps the most exciting part for us was remembering why we were so fond of these wines in the first place. Clearly our palate preferences have changed in the nearly 20 years since we purchased these great bottles - we prefer a little less oak, a little lower alcohol and a lighter winemaking touch, but the great thing was when we just had them they delivered some great memories and confirmed our long ago choices.

All three of the wines were in great shape and in my opinion have a few years left in them, which is great news as we have another bottle of each in the "rack" still. So sometime in the next couple of years or maybe months we will get to repeat the enjoyment. Specifically the Ridge wines, both of which are Zinfandel-based wines that are actually field blends, showed good structure still. Whatever the oak barreling was that was used in ageing, the wines had transitioned to lovely aromatics of pipe tobacco and cedar. The fruit aromatics were concentrated and all focused on dark berry notes. The wines were lush and rich in the mouth, and the best part for us the wines really evolved as the bottle sat open. Not that it sat for very long in either case as the wines were delicious and went down way to easy with our Thanksgiving turkey.

Back when we purchased these bottles Paul Draper was at the helm of Ridge crafting wonderful Zins, and he is back there now which bodes well for the Ridge wines as we move forward. Paul has always exhibited a deft winemaking hand and harvested his grapes with enough acid which he maintains during winemaking to give his wines great longevity.

The Trefethen Cabernet was similar in one regard as the oak profile had transitioned into light cedar and brown spice on the nose with just a hint of pipe tobacco. These aromas though could not hide the blockbuster fruit on the nose and the palate that was focused on dark ripe plums and black cherries. The wine was elegant and lovely and while when initially harvested there was much hand wringing about the 1993 vintage, in recent years we have really found the wines coming into their own. This is not really surprising with Trefethen wines they have always been built to age. In fact this was one of my very first exposures to wine and one of the first wine clubs I ever joined. Some of their Chardonnays we have aged for 20 years and found them to be lovely; their reds have even greater longevity and specifically their 1993 and 1994 Cabernet have some time still.

Mary and I love these trips back in "wine time" and for wine consumers of all budgetary means there is always opportunity to create the same adventures. Regardless of your preferences or budget, the next time you find a wine you really like chat with your favorite wine professional about how the wine was made and its potential for ageing. If you come to the conclusion that a wine is age worthy and you feel strongly enough about it, buy just a couple of extra bottles while they are still available, find a special storage spot and do your best to forget about them for a while. Even though 20 years may not be realistic, give them 2, 5 or 10. Then when there is a special occasion with some folks you are really close to, pull them out of the closet and give them a try.

Not all of these experiments will turn out perfectly, but without a doubt it will be a fun trip down memory lane and on at least some of the wines you will try them and you will have a "wow that is really good" moment! Remember to store them somewhere away from direct light and heat sources, like our friends who have the right side of the closet and the left side of the closet designated for "drink it now" and "hold for later" - you do not need a fancy storage system. If the bottles are sealed with natural cork remember to store them on their side or cork side down to keep the cork moist and the wine sealed.

For all wine lovers these trips to the "library" provide some of the great opportunities to re-connect with some of our old favorites and confirm the memories and choices we made earlier in our wine experience, and for us this is truly one of the joyful moments in wine appreciation.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.