We had several celebrations in February, beginning with a trip to North Carolina to visit our friend Lori and kick off her 60th birthday festivities with, bien sûr, a bottle of Hewitt we’d been saving for the cause. Then, back to Maryland for our friend Mike’s 76th birthday, which we toasted with a pair from Quinta de Sant’Ana and Charteris. More on the trip to Wine Authorities in Durham here.
2004 Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley
Not surprising, this 21-year-old Napa cab needed decanting…and a little bit of cork rescue owing to its travels over the past 15 years in my possession. Once we sifted out the corky bits, we enjoyed the medium to heavy weight and solid tannins, which evened out on the finish. With a deep eggplant color, the Hewitt showed huckleberry and bramble aromas. Rutherford dust, and more sweet huckleberries sang through on the palate. Lots of fruit left for 20+ years!
Quinta de Sant’Ana 2015 Baron Gustav von Furstenberg Tinto Blend
The first of two special bottles from our recent trips to celebrate another birthday… we opened up the Baron on his own 10th anniversary, which felt fitting. Designated VR Lisboa with a blend of 58% Merlot and 42% Touriga Nacional, it showed a deep obscure garnet color. Moderate to heavy tannins on medium legs stretched along the glass. Dusty blackberry and tarragon aromas played off the deep black currant, garrigue, and dusty tannins on the palate, with an even send across the finish. Glad we have another bottle of this to enjoy in a couple more years to see how it evolves.
Charteris Semillon 2022 Hunter Valley
Moving on to a treat we brought back from Australia last year, we enjoyed a Charteris furthering our exploration of Hunter Valler Semillion, which is really a treat. With the palest green straw color and aromas of spring hay bale, flowers, and lime zest, it moved into green apple and key lime zest on the palate. Cheers!