KEEPING SPIRITED HOLIDAYS
Be a Gracious Giver—Present Fine Drink
By Bernard Ledermann
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“There can’t be good Living where there is not good Drinking.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Now the sun is sliding down the sky and the days are decaying into early inkiness; mornings have a frosty edge and in your head there’s the clawing need to make lists. It’s time to bedeck, bedazzle, and be creative with your intended holiday shopping. That annual mall-maul, that exhaustive heavy-haul of schlepping and wrapping isn’t such an easy assignment. Well, let the olde Wassailer offer a tip to relieve some of your woes. Why not visit your neighborhood package store and look over this season’s extensive selections of premium wines and spirits? At least for the drinkers on your list, a gift bottle of some renowned beverage should make quite a favorable impact. You might even save yourself some wrapping (Ever try to gift-wrap a bottle?—suddenly you have no opposable thumbs, ten pinkies, and the cellophane tape just ran out) by letting the merchant provide a festive bag, or by letting the same cordial purveyor make up a spiffy gift basket of some bottles and cheeses. It’s the only way to go, for sometimes you shouldn’t try your own presentation ideas at home. A few years ago, a friend attempted to treat his wife to a good bottle of red, which he confidently stuffed inside a stocking which had been hung by the chimney with care; alas, a lack of a good nail resulted in the overly-weighted sock smashing to the hearth-stone. Imagine a holiday season in which one has to placate a mute spouse—AND attempt to clean up wine stains around the fireplace.
Red table wines are always in season; therefore, our Holiday 2000 shopping possibilities include ten premium labels containing a dozen different styles of the wine makers’ art. Technically, a vintage Port, though a rich ruby red, is not a “table wine”; normally a sweet-ish wine fortified with brandy would not be consumed with any dinner courses. (Bring on a chocolatey dessert or a handful of Dominican cigars later, and we’re singing a different tune.) Reds mentioned here come from three different countries and nine different growing/producing regions. Grapes used in production are all heralded vinifera varieties (or “varietals”), ranging from Bourboulenc (no, it isn’t a Kentucky-grown grape) and Cabernet Sauvignon to Syrah and Zinfandel. European producers will not indicate varietals on the label as we do in the U.S., but your wine merchant should know “what’s in the pudding.”
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And if 1998 barrel samples can be trusted, that vintage Cabernet will also out-distance the 1996s. California Chardonnays of 1998, already at your retailers, also show that their “birth year” did not bestow that attractive mouth-filling sappiness found in the 97s. Buyer, check with your wine merchant. Be aware of vintages.
In the shopping guide further on, there’s nearly a blank on blancs and by now you know that in this quarter, whites, along with Bentleys and fair-spoken blondes, are held in highest regard. Given limitations of column inches and the need to discuss some delicious beverages distilled from grains, potatoes, and herbs, we’ll let you make the choices from the endless flow of mostly flawless white wine currently on the market and let you try to match bottles with your recipients’ food leanings. Just be aware that Chardonnay, once the golden super-star, is gradually yielding its advantage to the likes of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, and Riesling—albeit the one gift white touted here is a Chardonnay.
Specialty wines are unique and show that you’re an original. Any complete wine cognoscente on your holiday list will understand the goodness and value of vintage Port, meio seco Madeira, or syrupy Tokaji Aszú. Such vinous wonders are seldom low-priced, but you’ll be gratified how giving one will solidify a friendship.
Waters of life
Boo to the 18th Amendment; cheers for the Martini renaissance, and huzzah! to the discovery of single-malt Scotches. Never has the American drinking public encountered a wider, tastier—and more legal—selection of both white and amber spirits. By my count, one four month period of 2000 saw the introduction of seven new premium “whites”—and this was just in the category of gins! We’ll see if we can sort out a few potable—and memorable—distillates for gift-giving. All bottle sizes are 750ml unless otherwise noted.
Our holiday wine-spirit choices
A gifted white: Burgundy: For its sheer elegance and restrained power, its floral bouquet and its complex smoked hazelnut flavor, our white wine choice is Louis Jadot’s 1997 regional Meursault (100% Chardonnay), one of the raciest white Burgundies tasted from this vintage. It will be a great foil for the fruit any Mer can heave at it, including the Sea of Tranquillity. Maison Jadot proclaims “We do nothing but Burgundy” (a thrust at rival Georges DuBeouf?), and their whites are particularly splendid, if expensive. ($43)
A foursome of American red beauties: For the California fans—or anyone predisposed to top-flight reds—choose from among the first three. Each from different grapes, but all equally treasured.
California: 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon by Rombauer. A successful, graceful effort by this family-owned winery in St. Helena. Drink or hold until 2003. Think medium-rare lamb with this beauty. ($33)
1998 Robert Biale Spenker Vineyard (Lodi, CA) Zinfandel, for the patient Zin devotee. Robust and ripe, gushes with blackberry flavors. Cellar at least four years. ($30)
1996 L’Ecosse Cabernet Franc (Napa). If you think $150 is too much to pay for Bordeaux’s Chateau Cheval Blanc, give this “foal-ish Cheval.” Rich and fragrant with a powerful, cedary after-taste. Drink or hold until 2002. ($27)
N.Y. Finger Lakes: 1998 Fox Run reserve Pinot Noir (Seneca Lake). Ten years ago, New York’s success with Pinot, like news of Mark Twain’s death, was greatly exaggerated. Now—it’s been said before—we rank among the best in domestic production. Opulent yet subtle, with luscious cherry fruit. Enjoy now. ($20)
Savoir-Vivre. Our own chauvinism (it’s even THEIR word) sometimes gets in the way, but we admit the Gauls have mastered most of wine-making’s secrets—even Robert Mondavi accepts it. Share French craft at the holidays with one or more of these.
Bordeaux: 1996 Chateau Brane Cantenac (Margaux). Medium-bodied, fragrant, great with food. Drink or cellar. ($30)
1996 Chateau Lagrange (St.-Julien). Some floral notes on the nose; also, spicy oak and a distinguished palate-load of black fruit impressions. For the collector. Hold until 2006. ($40)
Rhone: 1998 Les Calcerniers (Delas & Fréres) Chateauneuf-du-Pape—an appellation that falls trippingly off the tongue and a wine which passes as nimbly over the same sensory organ. It is one of the Rhone Valley’s finest wines, with thirteen different—including Bourboulenc—grapes in the blend. From an outstanding vintage, this wine shows hefty ripeness, exuberant sweet fruit and firm, peppery tannins. Will benefit with five-eight years more aging. ($32)
Burgundy: 1998 Domaine Joblot Givry Prémier Cru (100% Pinot Noir). This established star of Givry producers offers a Pinot permeated with richly-extracted berry and cassis fruit, and plenty of vanilla on the nose (new oak?). Drinkable, but will improve for five years. ($29)
Buono Italianos. There were several exciting years for Italian reds during the 1990s. In the Piedmont district especially, the post-1994 Barolos and Barbarescos have gained in reputation and elegance (did we mention price?). That is not to imply that the wines are all cookie-cutter in style—far from it. Foremost is Chiara Boschis’ topflight 1996 Barolo Cannubi. A spicy, faded-rose-petal bouquet hints of greatness. What follows are berry and sour cherry flavors and a triumphantly long finish. A 300 lb. high-wire performer: big, yet—potentially—balanced. A serious collector will love you for this one. Hold at least 10 more years. ($65)
1995 Tommasi Amarone (della Valpolicella Classico). Is it possible to give these voluptuous reds from the Verona district higher praise? It is, if the wine is a 1995 from Tomassi and daughters. Warm and mouth-filling with meaty fruit and that complex, oak-derived aroma. A holiday high-light. Should be cellared. ($38)
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The time for distillates
There is very little holiday life without a good libation, and as a refined giver you have an amazing scope of lawful drink from which to choose.
Brandy: In their arch way, the French have named the world’s best brandy after a place name, Cognac. Two of the world’s finest, Martell’s Cordon Bleu Grande Classic ($95) and Delamain Grande Champagne (a production zone within Cognac) XO (seven-ten years minimum mellowing in oak), $62, are blends of old brandies, with the flavor of the grape nicely in balance with the oak. Both are silky smooth and boast a superlative end-flavor.
Scotches: Scotland’s fundamental elixir has been around since the 1400s, so production rough spots have been greased by now. Single-malt (unblended) Scotch in the U.S. has been the rage of the past fifteen years and is still attracting new followers. At its best, it should be consumed á la Cognac—neat, and from a snifter glass. Two twelve-year-old knock-outs to which we return repeatedly are Springbank Campbeltown (West Highlands), ($58), and Glenmorangie (Highlands) finished in sherry wood ($48). Springbank double-distills the “tail-ends” of the still’s first run for a smoother finish; it is light but has profound depth. Glenmorangie’s subtle, multi-dimensional flavors result largely from barrels in which Spanish sherry was once aged.
Rum: How does Haiti produce the world’s most elegant rum? Don’t ask, just buy. Another retire-to-the-library-and-drink-neat product, Barbancourt fifteen-year-old Estate Reserve Rhum is warm, medium-bodied, dry, and spicy, marked with mouth-watering butter, vanilla and honey on the palate. ($30)
Bourbon: An American original, Bourbon must be produced from at least 51% of a corn mash, attain 40% alcohol, and receive at least two years aging in charred barrels. Arrival of the noble single-barrel and small-batch bourbons—most, at least ten years old—make this classic even more exciting for sippin’ before or after dinner. Look for full-bodied Blanton’s, the first single-barrel ($40) and the powerful, sweeter Knob Creek ($30). Each will be appreciated by your most demanding friends.
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Vodka and Gin: Today’s putative flavor leaders in these categories are Grey Goose Vodka from France ($28) and Bombay ‘Sapphire’ Gin ($25). Still honking away after a trounce of the world’s best vodkas in a national taste-off, the Goose is as good as its hype. With ‘Sapphire,’ boasting an infusion of spices and herbals, its terpsichorean vitality is felt on the tongue whether it’s sipped off the rocks or is the heart of a deluxe martini.
Drink dessert first
Sweet teeth on your list will always appreciate the enchanting Godiva Liqueur traditional (now in white chocolate and cappuccino), ($22); Opal Nera’s deep and seductive black Sambuca Liqueur ($22); or the unusual Coquila ($17), which combines chocolate, coffee and Tequila. Surprisingly refined and tasty.
We’ve tried to shop it all—and a welcome assignment it was. May these liquid gift recommendations release you from the mall that much sooner. You too deserve to kick back and sample a bit of this counsel.
For 23 holiday seasons, Bernie Ledermann has been Santa’s helper to legions of retail wine and liquor customers, both in western New York and North Carolina. Bernie’s “can’t miss” conclusion on how to give the right beverage gift: know your recipients thoroughly, their overall life style, even the kinds of foods they prefer; then, select a gift that also shows something about you—your flair, your good taste.
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