The reason for the “Blow -out Wine Tasting” is that D. Vine Fine Wines is giving up their location, because of the increase in the rent. He is looking for a new location, so he decided to fete his customers with some of the wines that he had in stock that he really liked. Instead of some of the more popular wines that he carries. His back glass enclosed wine cellar had some very special wines. He wanted to close in a classy way, until he reopens and I think that is why he opened up seven wines for the last tasting, as he couldn’t settle on just six that he really enjoyed.

The last wine of the evening was a delicious proprietary red blend and I thought that the name was even indicative of all the tasters that evening. We ended the evening with Blackbird Vineyards Paramour Napa Valley 2014 from Oakville. The word paramour means “a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person” and I thought that is what wine tends to be for most, especially of my age. Here was a wine that was a Claret, but from across the river, as it was eighty-four percent Cabernet Franc, nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance was Merlot. This secret little winery that I knew nothing of, which is not all that uncommon was first planted in 1997 and prior to that it was a walnut orchard on its ten acres. The juice was aged for twenty-one months in French Oak, of which seventy-five percent was new, and they even sourced coopers that supply some of the great estates across the river from the Medoc, and you can see his dedication for a certain taste, look and feel. The production was quite adequate as they made forty barrels of this wine, and perhaps it was a good thing that my Bride was not at the tasting, as she may have swooned. From the nose, color, depth, taste and finish I immediately thought of a great Bordeaux, the Cabernet Franc just swept me away, and in a sense, I thought it was special that Cabernet Sauvignon was used as an enhancing costar, instead of the lead. There was one last pour, which I graciously poured for myself, before taking the photograph, after all, it was too good to leave.

Even though I was a relative “Johnny-come-lately” for the Tuesday night tastings, I really enjoyed my evenings there. There are very few places I have ever encountered where one did tastings from Riedel crystal in a very serene setting. The tasters were all captive each evening and there was a certain comradery that one felt night after night. Of special note, the owner noticed that I was especially fond of the Young Inglewood Chardonnay 2014, and he still had two bottles left of a production of twenty-five cases, can I tell you that I felt like a million dollars as I left that evening with those two bottles and the seven dead soldiers to remember the evening. I will have to pick out two special nights to pamper my Bride and any other guests that might truly be rewarded.