2009 Liparita, Yountville, Napa, CA.

I have to admit something: Over the past few years I've fallen into the preferring old world wines over domestic, and have found myself looking down my nose at the overly extracted fruit bombs of California. Particularly Napa.  Alcohol levels have been creeping up year after year due to a combination of global warming and the iron grip of the great Robert Parker, who prefers overly extracted fruit bombs. His touch of approval on a bottle through his scoring system has changed the way consumers purchase and the way winemakers produce. In the end, what is delivered to the market is what I view as cocktail wine. That is, wine that is meant to be consumed alone as a social libation, as common as a beer in a plastic cup at a ballgame, or a green martini on the set of a TV show about single women in New York in the 90's. But Liparita has changed all that for me. I'm now back to where I started.

I bought a bottle of Liparita "V Block" while on vacation a couple of months back and just got around to opening it. The guy who sold it to me said his instructions from the vineyard were: "open it for breakfast, drink it for dinner." Meaning that while it needs some time in the bottle to fully mature, to drink it now you should either pull the cork early, or decant for a good two hours. I opted to open for breakfast and drink for dinner. And I've got to tell you, it was truly amazing. 

Rich and viscus the deep garnet tones coated the inside of the glass and plumed with black current and cassis, with subtle notes of dark chocolate and cocoanut intermingling with hints of vanilla and toasted cedar. I couldn't believe that this bottle was only $50.

It's rare that I'll spend that much for a bottle of wine, I freely and openly admit it. Most of the time the difference is so negligible that I can't justify spending the extra bucks, but this my friends is worth every penny. 

On the palate was a burst of fruit at the attack. Deep and rich, the firm tannins added a prickle on the palate that reminded me of a young left bank Bordeaux, but with a hint more fruit and I was pleasantly surprised when my grilled ribeye absorbed the structure and the char mingled in, bringing up the wonderful wood that was only a hint on the nose.  

After a little research, I discovered that Liparita usually sells their grapes and the bottle I had was one of a 300 case run. Usually, their fruit from their Oakvill holdings go to Paul Hobbs himself, and the V Block that I tasted is sold exclusively to Caymus for the Special Selection. 

If you ever see Liparita around I urge you to grab a bottle. It's better than shelling out over a hundred dollars for the same thing with a different label; and I've had Caymus and Paul Hobbs, this I have to tell you, is so much better. 

I feel like I've discovered something new and wonderful.