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Holiday
Wine Buying for Tough Cookies
by
Randal Caparoso
 When
it comes to gift giving, it is the thought that counts. If that's
the case, then it's also safe to say that it is almost better to
give nothing — if what you give is chosen without at least some
thought. I think all of us who have had our share of ugly ties,
processed cheese, and cheap, smelly perfumes can agree on that.
Wine
makes a fabulous gift — when it is fabulous. But take it from a
wine lover who has tried almost everything: fabulous does not necessarily
mean expensive, or even rare. What a wine lover really wants for
Christmas is something fun, something delicious, something unique,
stimulating, and above all, given with some degree of thought. If
you can't do that, then you better to stick to ties, cheese and
perfumes.
With
that in mind, once again I've asked my friend Roberto Viernes —
the gifted, young sommelier from Honolulu's Mariposa in Neiman Marcus
— to help me select gifts for eight of the more common, but not
exactly easy, types of people who appreciate wine. Here are our
choices:
The
smarmy, know-it-all/been-there-done-that brother-in law
— Roberto's
choice is the 1994 Château Musar ($35-$40) from, of
all places, the ancient land of Lebanon; because, as he says, "I
guarantee he hasn't tried this wine!" Roberto also says that
even the smarmiest brother-in-law "would have to give into
Musar's wonderfully charming personality." Personally, I've
always found Château Musar — a powerful, aromatic red wine
made mostly from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape — somewhat chewy,
like shoe leather; and I don't really have a brother-in-law that
I dislike enough to give that to. So my choice would be an equally
unusual red wine, the 2000 Chinon "Les Varennes du Grand
Clos" by Charles Joguet ($22-$28) — made from the soft
and lush Cabernet Franc grape (as opposed to the harder, heavier
Cabernet Sauvignon) grown in France's Loire River region. Let him
eat fruit, not shoe leather!
A
senior partner in a law firm
— I
don't know if it's high standards for wine or of themselves that
big shot lawyers possess, but clearly something royally rich for
them to kick back on —"with big, fat Cuban cigars," as
Roberto sees it — is in order. Mr. Viernes' choice would be a classic
2000 Vintage Port from either Fonseca or Taylor
Fladgate (both $90-$100). I think authentic Port from Portugal
is a capital idea, but a more impressive choice might be the 2000
Quinta do Vesuvio ($60-$70). Why? Because Vesuvio is not as
famous as Fonseca or Taylor; but unlike Fonseca and Taylor, it is
a single vineyard selection (most Vintage Ports are multi-vineyard
blends) owned by the Ferreira family (as it were, my favorite Port
producer), with somewhat sweeter aromatics of violets, black licorice,
and all the blackberries in the world. My choice also costs less
than Mr. Viernes'; and lord knows, there's nothing lawyers like
better than a good deal.
Your
dentist — Roberto recommends a white wine so your dentist
"can't complain about stained teeth." But dentists generally
have very good tastes in wine, and Roberto's choices of either the
2000 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet from France or the
1999 Joseph Phelps "Ovation" Chardonnay from Napa
Valley (both wines, $45-$55) are excellent. If you play golf with
your dentist, you may as well buy one of each. My choice would also
be a clear colored wine that is best served cool and refreshing;
but one made from rice, rather than grapes: the Yaegaki Mu "Nothingness"
($45-$55), an authentic "daiginjo" (highest quality) sake
from Japan. In fact, I think this dry style sake (my favorite in
the world) is finer than most white wines, with intense fragrances
of white peach, mango, and icy mountain streams flowing over smooth
stones. Wouldn't that, for once, blow your dentist's mind?
Your
favorite soccer mom or dad
—
For
severely time strapped people like soccer moms and dads, Roberto
recommends an entire case of 2000 Tormaresco Chardonnay (12
bt./$120-$135) because it is "a perfect everyday wine that
is versatile and exuberant." Me? I think a single bottle of
one of my favorite German Rieslings — the 2001 Robert Weil Estate
Riesling Kabinett ($18-$22) — is perfectly appropriate, plus
clean as a whistle, smooth as silk, and as sweetly crisp as an apple
on a Christmas day.
A
girlfriend who makes three times more than you
— This
is a guy's predicament, and I've known some who've been there. Roberto
says that "a woman who makes that much money won't be impressed
with anything less than a great bottle of the finest vintaged French
Champagne, such as the 1990 Salon ($155-$195)." Ye gads,
I think Roberto forgot that it's the girlfriend, not the guy, who
is pulling down 150K. But still, I'd have to go along with Viernes'
choice of Champagne, since I've known women who practically like
to bathe in the stuff. My choice would be a nonvintaged Champagne
that I consider to be just as good — in fact, many connoisseurs
would say better! — as any vintaged one: the Krug "Grand
Cuvee" ($105-$135). Never mind the fact that the bubbles
in the Krug are so fine that you'd swear they were put there by
tweezer twirling Keebler elves, note the price. This might leave
the poor boy enough to buy some perfume from the Neiman Marcus counter.
If
your boss is a Republican — Roberto wisely recommends
the super powered 1998 Lokoya Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
($110-$130) because right now "the Republicans are sky
high atop the political mountain." If you can't find the Lokoya,
look for my choices of the finest mountain grown red wines: either
the huge, black, explosively spicy 1999 Jade Mountain Mount Veeder
"Paras Vineyard" Syrah ($50-$60), or the more suave
and elegant, yet equally luxurious 1999 Laurel Glen "Sonoma
Mountain ($85-$95).
If
your boss is a Democrat — Roberto suggests that the best
way to cheer up a member of a losing party is a bottle of the lush,
fruity, gently effervescent Michele Chiarlo "Nivole"
Moscato d'Asti ($10-$12/half bottle). I don't think Democrats
need cheering up, they just need to find their cojones, if
you'll pardon the expression; and there are no better wines for
that than a selection of rude, wild, rustic, thick, gnarly yet soulful
red wines imported from France by the famous Kermit Lynch. I'd recommend
a combination of the 2000 Saint-Joseph "Offerus,"
the 1999 Madiran "Château de Perron," the
1998 Domaine de Trevallon, the 2001 Morgon by Marcel
Lapierre, the 2000 Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape,
and the 2000 Banyuls by Domaine La Tour Vieille. Black, bootstrap
reds, each and every one of them, retailing for between $25 and
$55 apiece.
If
your friend already has a great cellar full of classics
— What do you give to the wine lover who has everything? Roberto
would choose the 1997 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
($40-$45) because many collectors consider the Brunellos from this
vintage to be so good and reasonably priced (for them) that they
are drinking them up like "house wine." But for me, Brunello
di Montalcino is still a traditional choice, while there are always
plenty of new, fascinating, cutting-edge, high quality wines being
produced all over the world - more than the most serious wine lovers
can shake a stick at. These are eight of the most unique and notable
wines I've tasted during the past year: the huge, lusciously flavorful
1999 L'Adventure "Optimus" ($45-$55) from California's
Paso Robles, the intricately layered, Tempranillo based 1998
Dehesa la Granja ($25-$30) from Spain, the scintillatingly scented
2000 Blue Mountain Pinot Noir ($20-$25) from Canada's British
Columbia, the sensuously textured 2000 Campion Santa Lucia Highlands
Pinot Noir ($35-$45) and 1999 Domaine Alfred "Califa"
Pinot Noir ($35-$45) from California's Central Coast, the essence-of-velvet
2000 D-Cubed "Howell Mountain" Zinfandel ($28-$33)
from Napa Valley, and the resoundingly rich, regal, musclebound
2000 Tikal "Jubilo" ($45-$55) from Argentina.
© Randal Caparoso
image by www.intuitivmedia.com
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