2000 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon

Last night we were treated to a fantastic dinner. Out with friends, we had dinner more the way the Italians do. Things came in courses; I was full before my dinner got to the table, so I brought almost all of it home as leftovers. The restaurant, Bugatti's in West Linn, had a nice atmosphere and was packed---an affirmation that the food there is good. And it is.

The real surprise, I must admit, was the wine, however. We tasted several and I had saved the corks so I could remember what they were called. (Unfortunately, the waiter took them as he cleared the table and I didn't realize until it was too late.) Having not brought a pen, I had no way of writing down the information on the wine, so thinking smartly, I took a picture of the last bottle (which I liked the best) with my cell phone so I could at least remember the name.

2000 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
This vintage is basically unobtainable with the oldest on their website being 2003. I have never tasted wine this expensive before. The waiter poured me a taste because (stupidly) I wasn't planning on drinking and since I had to get up very early, I didn't want to get tipsy. Had I been smarter, I would have demanded a full pour and then hoarded the bottle. Curse my sensibilities!

I like wine, and especially Cabernet Sauvignon. But I don't know the first thing about it. My palate is probably the most underdeveloped of anyone I know. I swirled the glass, I checked the density of the color, I breathed it in. When I tasted it, I found it to be the most beautiful and pleasant wine I've had thus far, and at this time I didn't know it was a Cab because the bottle was on the other side of the table. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't pick out one definitive flavor---it was just...really good. It had a full flavor that didn't taper off into tannins as I swallowed it. It didn't make my tongue feel "squeaky clean" (like those old Tupperwear ads) as some other wines tend to do. Finally, I asked them to pass me the bottle whereupon I immediately knew why I liked it---my favorite varietal, Cab. Also I found the bottle itself to be appealing to the eye. Taller than I'm used to and slender, it seemed suited to the contents.