Tapas plates were circling here and there as platters of appetizers kept rolling in. Middle East dishes mingled with mushrooms and seafood. Discussion ranged from world financial affairs to the Iowa State basketball team.
Of course, we needed fuel for our conversation and wine to match the eclectic eats we were enjoying.
We started with a beautiful Stags' Leap Petite Sirah. This was a luscious wine bright with blackberry and cherry. On most nights, this would be the pinnacle. But there was a surprise in store.
Ace of Bass and Glorious T conferred over the wine list for what seemed like ages to our thirsty group. They placed the order with our waitress and soon we were rewarded with the sound of a popping cork on a Mount Veeder Winery bottle. Little did we know how well they had chosen.
The selection was a Mount Veeder Winery Reserve and I was surprised to see that it was a 2000 vintage. The wine is a blend of 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. It was the perfect wine to enjoy with the remainder of our tapas and camaraderie.
The wine has a thin slice of spice with dark cherry and black fruit flavor notes. The 12 years of aging has rounded the edges of the tannins, but it kept a pleasant firmness. The Mount Veeder had some nice tobacco and toast accents to add to the complexity.
Certainly, this was a special bottle of wine. Our curiosity was raised even further as I studied the label and saw that it was a Meritage from a limited batch.The bottle was number 27,775.
This had a remarkable finish – a couple days later. Glorious T looked online and saw that this bottle sells for more than $100. At a restaurant, you could expect to pay more than $200 for it!
SCORE! Apparently this bottle was just waiting for the right group of wine lovers who could truly appreciate it.
RATING: 4.5 of 5
VALUE: Off the charts!
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