The funny thing about working in the wine business is that all of a sudden people start giving you wine gifts. I've seen it all. Golf towels, cheese trays, card games, icesicle chillers, elaborate paintings, those cute stoppers to save the remnants of an unfinished bottle of wine. What wine lover out there has half drunk bottles of wine sitting around their house? On the flip side I can also say that since I've been working in the wine business most of the gifts that I give out revolve around a recently discovered gem that's a great value to drink now, or a classic bottle that I'd like a friend to save for a few years. The latter is primarily reserved for special milestones that will be fun to relive in 5-10 years and also see the improvement of the wine at that time. However, I've never treated myself to that same present. The birth of my son Jax in 2013 seems like a pretty good opportunity to start such a tradition, but what wine? We're talking about the perfect cellared treasure to open on his 21st birthday! We're talking about toasts and stories of how I came to pick the wine and how I excited I am to share it with the family. Yes, this will go down as the ultimate wine gift and I'm feeling the pressure.
Well the obvious place to start is Bordeaux. I mean the '52 Margaux was how I fell in love with wine in the first place, it's perfect. Not so fast there captain Claret! I'm picking a 2013 wine that won't be made for another year or so, won't be released for sale for another few years, and finally opened in another 15 years after that??? Let's take a look at the facts first. For starters, it looks like the only feature Jax inherited from me isn't just our chubby cheeks. We both have the tough luck being born in a difficult Bordeaux vintage (1981 for those of you keeping score). 2013 was rough! Cold wet spring, followed by a summer hail storm, and finished with more rain and mildew at harvest. Yeah, that sounded fun. Oh I'm sure prices will still find a way to go up and producers might claim that they sorted the grapes meticulously and their wines are still great. I'm just saying that I'd stay away from the 2013's.
Unfortunately catastrophic climate didn't limit itself to the banks of the Gironde. Most of Western Europe felt this same turmoil and battled with inopportune rain, cool conditions and disease in the vineyards. Burgundy didn't fare much better than Bordeaux and Champagne might not even declare the vintage. Well let's cross France off the list, so who else is a classic contender? Port is a great wine to lie down for decades but you won't get the chance to taste the 13's because it just wasn't up to par. And when you only have maybe two declared vintages in a decade, those standards are pretty high. Anything else from the Iberian Peninsula? Spain had been bone dry from drought over the past few years that the extra rain this year was seen as a miracle to replenish the soil. Rioja might be the one standout region this year, but do I really want to invest in a farming victory as opposed to a wine makers triumph? I think I'll hold off. Italy is next on my list but the weather wasn't quite so uniform across the country to make a blanket statement. Same story with rain but in a few regions there was a shining light, literally. Temperatures stayed cool from Summer straight trough Autumn and the sun was shining just enough during the day to ripen the grapes. Tuscany may have seen a touch more mildew in the fields and there could be a shortage of star wines coming out of that region. Piedmont, however, saw near perfect conditions allowing the late ripening Nebbiolo grape plenty of time to mature and develop character. We could have our winner here as Barolo is one of my all time favourite wines and definitely needs several years to soften the structure and showcase all her earthy flavours.
Ok, so what about the rest of the world? Oh, whom I kidding, I'm an old world wine lover and I'm already picturing me and Jax decanting a bottle of Barolo and enjoying the wine together. To be fair though, regions in The United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand all saw near perfect growing conditions. If I were the sort of person who was drawn to this style of wine it would be a perfect year to buy a Don Mechelor Malbec, or Two Hands Shiraz, or Heitz Martha's Vineyard Cab. There's even a $50 JAX Cabernet from Napa Valley. I'm sure the wine is pretty good and the name alone makes a great story.
Actually, that's it right there. What's the story that I want to tell Jax when we open this wine together. I want this bottle to sum up everything that I love about wine and hopefully be able to share that passion with him one day. The wine should speak of incredible journeys through vineyards, echo the outstanding pairing with food, and reminisce about great friends that I've had the pleasure of sharing a bottle. Who's to say that he'll even want to sit down with his boring dad, no doubt retelling the same stories for the millionth time. It makes me think about my dad and I wonder how receptive I've been in the past to share a drink. I kind of want to call him and invite him over right now. This anticipation is all part of the story. For now I still have to wait, see how the wines progress, select the perfect Barolo, and then wait some more. I'm so excited to taste this wine! But the real gift, of course, will be sharing it with my boy.
POSSIBLE 2013 wine recommendations:
Gaja, Barbaresco
Aldo Conterno, Romirasco Barolo
Bruno Giacosa, Barolo Felletto
Vietti, Masseria Barbaresco
Giuseppe Mascarello, Monprivato Barolo
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