First Best Wine Friday of 2011

I wrote this week about the crazy joco NYE that happened at my crib.

Most of that was inspired by tons of really great wine. It really is what I look forward to on NYE. We hold back pretty much nothing. The food while important is nothing more than the excuse for the wine.

I'm actually gonna do a throwback post and tell you the best and worst of what we drank.

The best really was a tough call. We had a bunch of 5 star stuff including The Prisoner, William Hill Bench Reserve Cab, Hewitt Cab, Beringer Private Reserve Cab but the winner was undoubtedly the Quintessa 2007. Wow.

The Quintessa 2007 is a red blend mostly of Cabernet. It is stupid rich and voluptuous. Big extraction and super luscious with soft tannins. Blackberrys, Black Cherrys, Mocha and spice. It is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and one of my newest favorite grapes Carmenere. This wine is a serious treat. Critics will tell you it too young to drink but I didn't find it tight at all. It was gorgeous voluptuous and well built like well......Scarlett Johansson.

Now, let's talk the worst.....or at least most disappointing wine of the night. I left it out of the list above for dramatic effect (yea right). We pulled a 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia which is THE original iconic proprietary red wine. I've been a life long fan. For the wine unordained this is not only top pedigree wine but a stone cold bitch'n vintage. I'm talking 96 point wine that lists all around the internet for $200 a bottle. We pulled the cork and decanted. The were disappointed. I'm hopeful it was just that bottle cause I own a case. It wasn't corked and it wasn't bad but it didn't have great color and the fruit was sadly muted. I felt compelled to drink it anyway but I didn't really want it. Shit happens. Anyway, we moved on. I'd be pissed if I had saved it for the big finale and if it was my only bottle.........

Cheers and Vaya Con Dios. Have a great weekend.

Monday check out my list of my the most overused words and phrases in 2010.