We open her...

Dry cork. Off putting smells of vinegar, gasoline. Will she be alright? Stored improperly for perhaps a touch too long during its 21 year life? To decant?

We let her sit. Breathing, the first kiss of air in 21 years.

Slowly, she makes a ninety degree u-turn.

Aromas, sips change from disappointment to promise, to grins, and finally full out smiles.

I don't know that you can say that you have had wine(or food, for that matter,) until you've had one that truly strikes you, drops you onto your knees and keeps you up at night. One that makes you beckon for more, addicting consumption but wavering inside that the more you sip, the less that remains.

This was the case for one of the birthday wines that I had, a 1991 Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia from esteemed old school producer in Rioja, Heredia Lopez. (fact sheet here)

I've heard wines be described as humans, with personalities, changing day to day with it's flavors and enunciation of what it has to offer.

By the end of the evening, the wine was offering up notes of dark red fruits, tar, leather, with full palate flavors reverberating throughout for a beautiful minute. Beyond remarkable.


My heart races writing this. I hope that you too have had or will search out an experience with food or wine like the one described above. Appreciation for those who preach about food and wine will  be gained, and you will soon find yourself on a lifelong journey for better and better things to consume.

Pictured, right. Also had the chance to taste a '93 Reserva Blanco!