Thursday, March 5, 2009

OTBN 10! (No, not another Rocky movie!)

In my last newsletter I talked about "Open That Bottle Night 10" as made popular by the Wall Street Journal wine editors. What did you open last Saturday the 28th? I actually did go with the 1990 Franciscan Magnificat as referenced. While the cork did break (thank goodness for decanters!) the wine was actually quite amazing! To recap, the goal of OTBN is to pop a cork that you have been saving for a "special occasion" that never seems to come around. I wanted to drink the 1990 along with a 1991, 1993 and 1994 but I thought it would be too far gone. Thankfully I was wrong! Why should you open one of your "special" bottles? Life is short! Another stated goal of OTBN is to relive a special memory. To be honest, I think I got that bottle shipped in Franciscan's Wine-of-the-month club (long before the stupid illegal shipping laws). While that's not too exciting, it does remind me of my first trip to Napa with friends who lived in San Francisco. What a magical experience! Whenever I drink Franciscan it also reminds me of another trip out west (yes Nate, the famous 'dancing in the fountain' photo!). So should I have left that bottle in the cellar in hopes of that mythical dinner party/vertical tasting? Nope! I got to pop, sip, smile! I'd love to hear from anyone else who participated in OTBN-leave me a comment. CHEERS!