Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Savignon "John Riddock" 1998. Only 2 left now and really mellow.
Oh nulla nulla I am your new best friend
.
I had half a dozen of those which alas now onlyform part of my bodily structure (not sure which bit LOL but anyway) and some very fond memories.
That is one smoooooooth drop. Wish I was there to help you savour the last two bottles. Enjoy slowly.
From the same growing region an another amazing red - Rogue Homme 2005 Cab Sav. Found this at a pub in Parramatta. Bought out their entire cellar of the stuff it was that good. Unfortunately the Rogue Homme Limestone Coast winery is no longer - bought out by one of the large wine makers. Still have about 2 doz left. It would have to be one of the best reds I have ever had (and that includes the John Riddock, some exceptional Frenchies and some heavy hitting Hermitage's). You can actually smell the earth the vine was growing in (which always made me wonder how some "experts" were able to call which vineyard and even which side of the hill the grapes had grown - that was until I came across the RH - now I can understand how that is possible).
I am lucky as we live close to the Hunter Valley so it makes it easy to sample the vintages each year at the wineries - but alas mainly whites. The Hunter Valley is not up on its reds imho. Just wish I could get to the wineries in South Australia more often - the Coonawarra produces some of THE best reds in the world (again imho).
My receipe for enjoying wine - look at it in a glass, marvel at its colour, inhale the aroma, let that drift through your mind, then slowly taste it, roll it around your mouth and either spit it out if you hate it or order some more before someone else does...
Wine is like a lot of the finer things in life. To fully enjoy those things you have to involve all the senses, take the time to savour it. Doesn't matter if it is a top end sports car, a mate, a delicious meal (alas Level 41 is no longer
). Deliberate, conscious presence and thought. Anyone who has ever done Tai Chi would understand what I am talking about.
To just drink a wine or spirit (good or bad) (or any item of fine distinction) without thinking about it is the mark of an uneducated person. A heathen if you like. Unfortunately the world is filled more with people lacking finesse and appreciation of skill than there are with those imbued such sensibilities. Without them fine wine, art, precision engineering, music, poetry, good food may well never have existed.