Witnessing greatness

We had the opportunity the other night to watch the movie Ali starring Will Smith. I reflected on the greatness portrayed in the movie.

Not in the acting of Smith portraying Muhammad Ali — although it was a remarkable performance — but in the athleticism of Ali himself at a time when boxing was a highly athletic endeavor.

We have recently seen likely the last game for Peyton Manning, one of the great quarterbacks to ever play football, even though his last game was not his best work.

I grew up in Chicago and lived there until my mid thirties, and I had the opportunity to see both Walter Payton and Michael Jordan play their respective sports at the apex of their careers. With all of them and more, I feel fortunate to have witnessed greatness in athletics, it was a treat.

The similarities between wine and athletic endeavors is undeniable.

When, as wine consumers and appreciators, we take the time to reflect on the artisans that create our favorite bottles and look at their product as a body of work in the context of their full careers, we have the chance to witness greatness, and we get to taste greatness as well.

In 1989, Tony and JoAnn Truchard founded their winery that is still family-owned and operated, with their son Anthony II running things now. What is remarkable (and in fact, great) about Truchard is not only that they produce some of the best wines from Napa, but that they do so while ignoring the siren call of ever-higher prices that Napa is prone to.

From their location in the Napa side of the Carneros appellation they produce some truly delicious wines with great consistency, at prices that are modest by Napa standards.

On a trip to Glacier National Park last fall, I discovered the 2012 Truchard Merlot on the wine list at a restaurant in the town of Big Fork.

Mary and I loved the wines when we lived in Sonoma, so I was compelled to order it for sentimental reasons. What a treat! It was all we had recalled, with opulent fruit and wonderful depth and length, rich and elegant.

When we returned, we set about on a quest to get the wines picked up by a distributor here in North Idaho.

After some perseverance, our great distributor partner Idaho Wine Merchant is now bringing the wines in. We could not be happier and encourage all to watch for the wines to show up in our market.

They will be on our shelves as soon as we can get them.

Rob Newsom, owner/winemaker at Boudreaux cellars, like many of us had a successful first career.

During that time, he began to try wines and was struck with the greatness of a bottle of Leonetti he tried in the mid-1980s. He would later seek out the advice of the Figgins family on winemaking; he also was inspired by John Abbott, formerly of Abeja.

While self-trained in most aspects, Rob is one of the truly great winemakers in Washington, a result of his own progress and the irreplaceable advice of these other great winemakers. The Boudreaux wines are sleek and powerful with impeccable balance. While they are priced at the super premium level, they are worth every penny.

John Lancaster of Skylark Wine Company is also self-trained, but again received inspiration from the likes of Tony Soter and Bob Lindquist, two superstar producers from California. John’s perspective is truly unique, as his “day job” (or night job, as the case may be) is as sommelier at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco. This mix of roles gives John a unique perspective on making wine that he would like to drink himself, but also with an eye to the marketplace and what it will support, allowing him to produce wines that are delicious.

With all three of these producers, wine consumers can witness greatness by drinking the wines but also by meeting them at tastings right here in North Idaho over the next few months. Winemakers have careers less fleeting than athletes, thankfully. The chance to meet them and experience tasting greatness while listening to their own stories of their journeys should not be missed.

For specifics visit our website or call us here at the shop.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have 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 tabletop décor shop by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles and other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.