Celebrating Four-Legged Friends with Some of the Best Wines I Ever Drank

Wine Reviews and Ratings

Some nights just call for an incredible roster of wine… Within the past couple of months, our closest friends, who happen to live just down the street, lost their two sweet dogs, “Wile E” (yellow) and Sullivan aka “Sully” (brown and white) to old age. When Sully passed yesterday, we collectively knew it was the right time to grab some of our most special wines from the cellar. We took time to look at old photos and share funny stories about these furry boys in their youth and turned the night into more of a celebration. Both wine enthusiasts, we opened four bottles and toasted to great pets past and present, a delicious meal and good, lifelong friendships. Together, we pooled four mind-blowing bottles from the West Coast of the U.S. and Australia. I love Napa wine because it’s what I know. I do enjoy opening my palate to wine from other areas in an effort to continue to broaden my knowledge and appreciation.

Wine Reviews and Ratings

I think I could even go out on a limb to say these were four of the best wines I’ve ever had:

• Lewis Cellars 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – The tone of our night was set with this beautiful, fruit-forward wine, produced by former pro race car driver, Randy Lewis. It’s a complex 100% Cabernet with grapes from Calistoga and Oak Knoll.  It began with aromas of cocoa, black fruit and spice and included flavors of oak, anise and chocolate. This vibrant wine had elegant supple tannins and a dramatic finish. Rating: 4.63
• Penfolds 1999 Grange Shiraz, Australia – By far the continent’s most well-known premium wine, my husband snagged a few bottles of 1995 and 1999 Grange a while back. We opted for the ’99 last night to mark the year Sully was born. After a double decant to help separate some of the sediment, we gave it about an hour of air before taking the first sip and drank the rest very slowly. Compared to the 1995, which we consumed a couple Christmases ago, it has yet to take on any of those aged raisiny or nutty characteristics, showing just how tight it still is. Visibly, it was deep, dark purple in the glass, unlike the more brick/brown hues of the ‘95. The nose included sultry aromas of leather, blackberry and even a hint of smoke. On the tongue, it tasted of earth and plum. I tend to choose extremely young wines because I simply prefer the way they drink over their aged counterparts. With (only) 13 years of age, the 1999 Grange is at its prime, hanging on to the best of its youth while beginning to enter into maturity. Rating: 4.79
• Januik 2009 Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley – Our friend’s company is based in Seattle and his frequent visits there have resulted in his growing interests in wines from Oregon and Washington. And, we’ve been fortunate to try many of them. This 2009 Reserve is made with 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. The first words that came to mind with this blend were “black cherry,” which was prominent on both the nose and palate.  Sweet vanilla complemented the cherry.  It’s pure, smooth liquid velvet.  Rating: 4.70
• Pedestal 2009 Merlot, Walla Walla – A Cab-lover’s Merlot, this one reminds me of those I’ve tried from Pride and Pahlmeyer. I would not have known to grab this one on my own, due to my Napa centrism, but I was thrilled to be introduced to Pedestal on this occasion. On the nose, I observed oak, chocolate and eucalyptus. On the palate, licorice, vanilla with smooth, soft tannins. It’s not surprising this wine made it to #11 on Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines of 2012 list. Rating: 4.79

All said, we gave Sully a memorable send-off and reaffirmed the value of friendship in good times and bad. It wasn’t too long ago they swooped in to help take care of our cat (and me) when I had my own family emergency. Wine certainly doesn’t make the pain of these moments go away, but it can serve as a welcome distraction. Cheers!