Posts tagged with 'open that bottle night'

Celebrating A Loved Ones Life

  • Posted on July 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm

Lloyd celebrating his 86th birthday at The Cedars Floating restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, ID, September of 2008.

By Phil Anderson

This column started out, and has continued to be, about general wine thoughts.  After all, that is why I named this blog the way I did.  But this post will be a little more subdued.  Shelley and I have been together, off and on, for awhile now and I’ve had the privilege to get to know her family during that time, but nobody more than her father, Lloyd. 

He lived with Shelley for over four years and was instrumental, in various ways, in her leaving her nursing job at the hospital and starting an online support website for those taking care of their aging loved ones or parents.  She has rapidly become one of the foremost experts in the field of caregiving for seniors.  Her goal when her Dad came to live with her was to keep him OUT of an assisted living facility and now that goal has turned into a passion to help others that are in the position SHE was in to do the same if that is what they desire.

Last September he passed away at the age of 88.  Because he wanted his remains to be scattered over Christopher Lake, which is about a half hour North of Prince Albert in Saskatchewan, Canada, we had to wait until just recently because the lake had already froze last year.  The logistics of getting a boat out on a lake to spread ashes when the lake is actually ice was too much to manage.

For four years I played three hand Cribbage with Shelley and her father, Lloyd, nearly every night while sipping wine.  We had to dilute his wine about a third with water because he refused to quench his thirst with water so he usually finished his wine rather quickly (we learned this the hard way).  His famous saying was, “Water is to wash with not to drink!” 

Shelley and her father, Lloyd, bidding winter goodbye in April of 2009.

Lloyd had a knack for picking out the subtle nuances of a wines characteristics that amazed Shelley and I, even though he might have trouble remembering names of close family members or even what we did an hour before.  He DID enjoy his wine.

He also enjoyed Marilyn Monroe.  Certainly that is no surprise; many men of his generation had a special fondness for her.  He would have calenders, wall hangings and other things with the image of Marilyn Monroe.  He combined his love for wine and his “crush” for Marilyn Monroe by drinking, when the opportunity presented itself, a Napa Valley wine called, Marilyn Merlot.

Marilyn Merlot is produced and bottled by Nova Wines of Oakville, California.  What started out as just some fun with a group of friends in 1981 spiraled into a cult wine.  According to their website Marilyn Wines traces its origins to 1981, when a small group of friends started making wine at their home near St. Helena, in Napa Valley. One evening in 1983, over dinner and a bottle of homemade Merlot, the concept of “Marilyn Merlot” was born. The wine enjoyed a good deal of popularity around the valley and was often donated to charity auctions and given as Christmas gifts.  To learn more about the journey of Marilyn Wines just click here.

I had found, and purchased, a bottle of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot for Lloyd about five years ago.  Often I would ask Shelley if “this” night would be a good night to open that bottle with her Dad but the occasion never seemed to be right.  This is EXACTLY what Open That Bottle Night is all about, isn’t it! 

Well, his health continued to deteriorate and it seemed apparent that he would not be enjoying this bottle of Merlot with us.  After his death, the bottle sat motionless in the pantry.  When a date surfaced on when we would be making the trek up into Canada to honour (that’s the way Canadians spell honor) Lloyds life I suggested we bring the bottle of Marilyn Merlot up with us and enjoy it as we spread his ashes onto Christopher Lake.  Shelley agreed and that’s what we did yesterday morning.

Shelley and her family prepare to scatter Lloyds ashes into Christopher Lake just after toasting his life with a 2003 Marilyn Merlot.

The weather certainly wasn’t conducive for this event, nor did it cooperate!  Windy and frigid was the lake air as the pontoon boat waited for the arrival of our group.  There would be a total of 13 family members.  We had glasses for everybody.  As the Last Post played from my iPod through the boats’ stereo system we poured about 2 ounces of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot into each glass, passing them around.  Shelley’s son, Tyler, was chosen to gently pour Lloyds remains from a ceramic vase into the chilly waters of Christopher Lake, where Lloyd had spent so many summers of his life playing.

As Shelley put it, “It was the best event of the weekend.”  Although each function honored Lloyd well, the barbeque the day before at Jill and Gerald’s house and the actual memorial service following the boat ride on Sunday, this really was a special moment, for a special person, with a special wine.

It had been a long weekend, full of sadness yet fond memories.  Family members that hadn’t seen each other for many, many years were reunited because of Lloyd.  Two full days of emotions.  As we made our way into the hotel room last night, after it was all over, I looked over to Shelley, showing her what was left of the bottle of the 2003 Marilyn Merlot, and said, “Care to finish the rest of this with me?”  The answer was, of course, “Of course.”

I pried the cork (with a replica of Marilyn’s lips on two sides of the cork) out of the bottle and poured a decent glass for each of us.  We swirled and smelled and sipped.  Shelley noticed the beginnings of brown showing up on the edge of the wine as it started showing its age. 

The wine had some alcohol in the nose but it smelled and tasted delicious with hints of prunes, raisins and soft dark cherries.  It had structure and a lingering finish.  But, honestly, it could have tasted horrific and we both would have loved it anyway.  Thankfully, it was the perfect way to peacefully close the book on Lloyd, her father.

As I was doing research on this wine I found out what it sells for now.  I paid about $35 US dollars for the bottle in 2005 and now you can purchase it for a mere 100 bucks at Marilyn Wines.  To me, Shelley and her family, it was worth MUCH more than that.

Thank you for the years Lloyd, although too few, and may you Rest In Peace.

Remember, you can join the many people who like drinking wine by joining the drinking wine fan page on Facebook!  We’d love to have you…

As always, thank you for reading, and remember, bottoms up and enjoy each swallow to the fullest.  You never know when it will be your last glass.

Open That Bottle Night 2010

  • Posted on February 28, 2010 at 11:22 pm
We are enjoying a 2007 Maryhill Columbia Valley Chardonnay while sitting on folding chairs and using a step stool as a table!

We are enjoying a 2007 Maryhill Columbia Valley Chardonnay while sitting on folding chairs and using a step stool as a table!

Open That Bottle Night 2010 came and went without much fanfare, last night, just as last year did.  This year, however, we were back at home in North Idaho instead of Ogden, Utah. 

As you may, or may not, know, Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN, is the night you force yourself to open that “once in a lifetime” bottle of wine because if you didn’t, it may never get opened.  We save that special bottle for that special time and for some reason that special time never seems to be quite special enough.  So the bottle sits.  And sits.  And sits. 

“How ’bout THIS anniversary, honey?” 

“Ummmm, no.  Not quite important enough.”

And sits.  And sits.

“How ’bout the birth of our 14th child, baby?”

“Ummmmmm, nope.  Close, but STILL not quite important enough to open THAT bottle!”

And sits.  Until, it has sat too long.  Way too long!

That is why John Brecher and Dorothy (Dottie) Gaitor coined this once a year event, in their Wall Street Journal’s ”Tastings” column, that falls on the last Saturday of each February so that we could at least open a very special bottle before it had a chance to get over the hill, so to speak.  And this was the eleventh year of the event and it has gone viral globally!  It was all a-twitter on Twitter last night with the question, “What are YOU opening for OTBN tonight?”

Two years ago we had a little soiree at our place with a small group of friends and opened some very special wines.  One of them was a 1981 Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon.  It wasn’t very good.  It was either over the hill or just not kept correctly over the years as it was just bad.

But the experience was good.  That was the year we unvailed our cork catcher as I had just finished it a couple of days prior.  Last year we were on our own in Utah where we opened a Sancerre. 

So, what did WE open for that OTBN last night?  Good question.

This year we started out the evening with a 2007 Maryhill Chardonnay.  AND, it marked the first night of the year we enjoyed a glass of wine outside while throwing the ball to the dogs.  Last year we had snow in the back yard until April but this year it’s almost gone.  The sun was out so it made for a beautiful setting but once the sun set it got chilly really fast.  We even fed the fish in our pond for the first time this year on this eventful evening.  I drug out a couple of folding chairs because all of the patio chairs are inside for the winter, and we used a step stool as a table (see photo).

Maryhill has continually impressed me with their quality juice.  A couple of weeks ago we had a Maryhill  Sangiovese and it was very good.  We’re not really Sangiovese fans but this one was something we enjoyed.  We always enjoy their vitners blend.  But last night we opened a 2007 Columbia Valley Chardonnay, from Maryhill Winery.  It had a light toasty finish that continued to linger.  Very nice.  It wasn’t at all over oaked. 

Then, with dinner, we had a choice to make between a Cotes du Ventoux or a 2005 dArry’s Original Shiraz/Grenache from d’Arenberg in Australia and we chose the latter.

Shelley has a fondness for McLaren Vale Shiraz so we chose this one because of that.  We had T-Bone steaks (we usually have rib eye steaks) and they were scrumptious.  The only problem was that I THOUGHT it was a 100% Shiraz we were drinking (because I inadvertently FORGOT to look at the entire label!) but instead was a 50/50 Shirza/Grenache.  My bad.

Well, it started out rather tight but opened up in due time to a VERY berry nose and a chewy, jammy taste!  It paired very well with the steaks and by the end of the night my stomache was full and my heart was happy.

If you happened to enjoy your OWN Open That Bottle Night will you please comment here so that I know what YOU had to drink?  Thank you for reading and, as always, bottoms up!

Open That 2007 Sancerre Night

  • Posted on March 1, 2009 at 11:41 pm

When we woke up yesterday morning it was five degrees.  Now as I write this it’s a balmy fifty something degrees and it’s 11:07 PM in Orange, California.  But last night we found ourselves in Ogden, Utah.  Thank goodness we had brought wine, on ice no less, so we didn’t have to concern ourselves with having to figure out how to buy wine in Utah.  Such a beautiful place–mountains in our backyard, but serious, what would we have done if we weren’t prepared??

We had driven over ten hours.  We were tired.  And it was Open That Bottle Night 10.  Unbeknownst to Shelley I brought a special bottle of wine to welcome us into our hotel room.  I knew we wouldn’t be able to handle an entire bottle of red so I went with a white.  I also know that Sauvignon Blanc is probably our favorite white wine right now.  So refreshing.

I chose a 2007 Sancerre from France.  Not much of a surprise, I know, since I basically told you in the title of this blog.  This Pascal Jolivet Sancerre scored 90 points from the Wine Spectator and it didn’t disappoint.  Although I will admit almost anything would have hit the spot, this went up and over. 

What I found interesting was that the nose on this wine reminded me of Chardonnay and Shelley of a Chablis.  It was very smooth.  However, about two thirds through the bottle it started to hint at what we’re used to in a Sauvignon Blanc, the grassy, floral nose.  I tasted a tart, sour taste.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.  At first I thought it was apricot but then realized it was not. 

Because we were on the road we weren’t able to have our annual Open That Bottle Night party but this was the next best thing.  It’s not often we spend thirty bucks on a bottle of wine but this certainly was worth it and we were happy to be able to share another OTBN night together.  To be sure, this cork will go in our cork catcher when we get home.  I don’t know who gets to toss it in but it will make it’s way in, without a doubt.

I hope you were able to find a special bottle of wine to open for this once a year occasion.  My next post may not be until next week as we are visiting California relatives before bringing Shelley’s father back home with us.  Until then, bottoms up!

‘Twas The Night Before OTBN…

  • Posted on February 27, 2009 at 10:20 pm

‘Twas the night before OTBN Ten and all through the house…

That’s right, tomorrow is Open That Bottle Night TEN (see previous blog post).  We’ll be on the road so we couldn’t have our annual event, which would have been our third year, but that doesn’t mean we won’t have something fun to open tomorrow night.  I have a little surprise for Shelley, but, where WILL we be?  Twin Falls?  Idaho Falls?  Logan or Provo, Utah?  I’m guessing it will be somewhere in between these points as we make our way down to Southern California.  Wouldn’t it be great if we were going down to wine country?  Ah, but alas, we are going down to pick up her father and visit our kids.  My guess is we’ll probably be in Salt Lake City.  Hmmm, they probably won’t appreciate us having a special bottle of vino, will they?

Oh well.  So here’s the deal, you will have to wait to find out what we’re going to open tomorrow night.  I went into our wine cellar looking for just the right wine but all we have are reds down there and I didn’t think we’d finish a whole bottle by ourselves (I’m not about to let a special bottle of red go to waste by not drinking all of it!) so I’ve opted for a white.  And that’s all I’m telling you–for now anyway.  The next post you’ll real ALLLLL about it!

Last night we had a marvelous pork tenderloin and we opened a bottle of 2005 Sagelands Merlot.  Sagelands is from the Columbia Valley in Washington, located in Walla Walla.  This was a delight.  I got raspberries on the nose and even some terrior.  The taste was very mellow and Shelley commented on the tannins.  It went very well with the pork.  Shelley made this wonderful raspberry sauce and it all paired very well with the wine.

Well, tomorrow will be a long day but we’ll have our special bottle of wine to look forward to when we reach our destination, wherever that might be.  I hope you have pulled a special bottle for you to open yourself and share it with somebody or somebody’s special.

What a Great Surprise!

  • Posted on February 21, 2009 at 11:12 pm

Some things you can never predict.  Have you ever had one of those nights when the stars all aligne perfectly and you never expected it?  That’s what happened tonight. 

As you may or may not know we are living in North Idaho and it’s beautiful.  Today got up to a balmy 45 degrees and the sun was out and it glistened on the snow.  Just beautiful.  Then the Huskies beat USC and kept an arms length to those pesky Bruins of UCLA and the “other” UC school there at Berkley. 

Then the magic started shaping up.  OK, so it was 45 and sunny today but when it’s clear like this the temperature drops fast at night.  So there I was, walking outside with two steaks on a plate and it’s 17 degrees.  And there I am barbequeing.  Chilly yes, but I’m looking forward to a great dinner with a Cabernet Sauvignon. 

We opened a 2005 Cab from Arbor Crest Wine Cellars in Spokane, Washington.  We’ve visited this winery one summer a couple of years ago when we went to listen to some jazz and drink some wine.  At the time I was not very enamored with the wine but the property that the winery sits on is unbelievable.  A Florentine house built in 1n 1924 sits on a bluff overlooking a river valley below.  Arbor Crest Wine Cellars purchased the National Historic Landmark in 1985.

The wine was young but very good, indeed.  I think Cabernet Sauvignon is my very favorite red wine if I had to pick one.  I love the full body and berry nose.  I think if this wine were to be layed down for a bit it would be really very good.

So, now for our surprise.  Remember, the last post I made I told you I was going to explain about Open That Bottle Night.  Here it is, in a nutshell.  Dorothy (Dottie) Gaitor and John Brecher write the Tastings column for the Wall Street Journal.  I recommend everyone read their column any time you have the chance.  It used to run on Fridays but now it is every Saturday.  They write in the most down to earth way that shouldn’t intimidate anyone wanting to know more about wine. 

We stumbled across these two after reading their book, “Love by the Glass” which you can find, and should buy, at Amazon.com.  It is probably the best romantic wine book written.  I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of it.  After we read the book we began to read their column every week.  February 28th will mark their 10th year of Open That Bottle Night, or OTBN.  The idea was born from many letters and e-mails they recieved asking when they should open “that special bottle of wine”?

You know that wine, yes?  Everybody has one.  It’s that special, SPECIAL bottle of wine that the occasion or event never quite seems to match.  So there the bottle sits.  And sits.  And after it’s done sitting it sits a little longer.  Until…it goes bad. 

Open That Bottle Night is for just that sort of bottle.  We sort of jumped the gun by one week.  Shelley pulled out a bottle of Sterling Vineyards Light Zinfandel Port  NV from the pantry.  It’s been kicking around there for awhile and it had not been stored very well.  It even had a slight wine stain running straight through the middle of the label.  So she opened it up and to her and my surprise it was fabulous!  She had bought this in March of 1982 and it was made in 1978  even though it is a non vintage wine. 

I talked with Mike at the winery and he says they don’t even call this Port anymore because to be called Port means it has to be from Portugal and Sterling Vineyards is from Napa, California.  When they make this particular wine now they call it Light Zinfandel Port Styled Dessert Wine.

So we encourage you to take that bottle of wine that you’ve been waiting for “the” special occasion and drink it next Saturday.  Make THAT day the special occasion.

Better Late Than Never

  • Posted on February 14, 2009 at 7:37 pm

Ok, so I probably would have written right after the Super Bowl had my prediction turned out correct.  Shelley nearly predicted the exact score at one point late in the game and then Ben Roethlisberger did his thing by taking the Steelers all the way down field, throwing the winning touchdown pass that destroyed Arizona’s dream of winning it all.  But we were close!

So, now nearly two weeks later, I am writing about a 2006 Shiraz that we had last night with meatloaf.  First of all, let me tell you, Shelley knows what she’s doing in the kitchen.  This was likely the best meatloaf I’ve ever had.  And this Shiraz from Burley Fox went quite well with it. 

Our Cork Catcher and riddling rack.

I don’t know much about Burley Fox other than they’re located in South Eastern Australia.

It was a young Shiraz and it lacked complexity and character.  I was thinking we would get a much stronger wine but it worked well with the meatloaf.  When we were finished we did what we do with all our corks after we finish a bottle of wine and pitched it in our cork catcher. 

Yes, you read correctly, cork catcher.  About a year and a half ago we went to a little wine bar  in Sandpoint, Idaho, to enjoy a little wine and a little food.  It was a lovely place down a long stairway.  As we entered there was this large framed glass with a bunch of corks in it. 

Shelley loved the concept and asked if I would make one for us.  I did and you are looking at the outcome.  We had a few corks saved up but since then we just pitch the cork in the top (the top is open) after we finish a bottle of wine.  We usually don’t put anything in unless it’s actually a cork MADE of cork.  On special bottles or wine drank on special occasions or events we’ll even write on the cork including the date and what the occasion was.  It’s been a lot of fun and quite a conversation piece. 

Next to the cork catcher is our antique riddling rack.  A riddling rack is for sparkling wines.  They are to be turned, if I remember correctly, about a quarter turn every other week, which is called riddling.  I will get my facts straight in a later post but this is the rack that is used to do this.  Now most riddling is done by a machine.  Notice this rack is also used for drying out lavender.  A rack for many uses!

We unveilded our cork catcher at our Open That Bottle Night last year which is the last Saturday of the month of February.  I’ll explain all about Open That Bottlel Night on my next post.  Until then, bottoms up and keep enjoying that wine.

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