This past Saturday, in honor of “Open That Bottle Night“, Ryan and I sat down to a candle lit dinner to pair with our special bottles. We feasted on braised short ribs on a bed of polenta covered in a sauce made of a large handful of various dried mushrooms, some fresh beef stock, a little red wine and a lot of butter. Alongside the short ribs, we had fresh artichokes boiled and then sautéed until crisp on the outside, finished with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice – very Catalan. The wine chosen to accompany our meal was the 1999 California Ridge Monte Bello we’ve been carrying around with us for over a year. Actually, it has been almost a year to date, considering it was a gift sent to us from a close friend and a our favorite supporter on Ryan’s birthday last year. As if this wasn’t considerate enough of a gesture, the bottle had to be carried overseas to us by an old friend of Ryan’s from college. While tasting the incredible dark berry flavors that paired beautifully with the earthy wild mushroom flavors of the sauce, Ryan and I began reminiscing on how we eventually found ourselves in a beautiful apartment set within the mountains outside of Barcelona, Spain.
It’s really incredible to consider where we started and where we are today. This Thursday will officially mark our becoming a Spanish Business. Our goal, as is the goal with many of us, is to try to relate the idea Web 2.0 to wine. So far, we’d like to believe that we’ve had some success, but we know that time is truly the only indicator of progress. Looking at it with “adult” glasses on we we most likely would be high tailing it home; and if we had thought about moving to Spain before we bought the ticket, we probably would not have chosen this path. In all honestly, this conundrum is not so different from “Open That Bottle Night”. Wine is meant to be drunk, whenever you are in the mood for it. Price is no indicator of quality and sentiments are better kept in a memory than on a dusty wine rack. Thinking about something sometimes keeps it from happening.
Our two year mark is all well and good, but without the help of friends, family and loving spouses, we wouldn’t be here today. The bottle we opened tonight was a gift from a friend who has supported us through thick and thin. In fact, when we think back, we doubt we would have made it this far if it weren’t for his eagerness to see us succeed. Thus, it meant a lot to receive a gift such as this at a time when we were still living with our old roommates and had yet to really feel like we could succeed. To our great pleasure, not only were we able to open his bottle, but we did so with him on the phone. It made us feel good to know that we could at least share the first sip with them thousands of miles away.
So for this OTBN, we would offer a big warm thanks to all those who have made this past two years both memorable and incredible. We say “thank you” to our parents, who have done more than words can express to help us out sometimes financially, but more importantly, by standing by our decisions no matter how irrational they many have appeared to them. Thank you to Bill and Tami who are the friends, who not only gave us the 1999 Montebello along with a much needed break from Spain during our first year here, but who have also been some of our main supporters when our comment’s section appeared vacuous. Another thanks goes out to our friends back home who when we returned for the first time after two years, welcomed us with open arms thus proving that friendship can last through anything. The next thank you we would like to offer is to John and Dorothy, who in OTBN have given us a night, almost more special than any other holiday during the year. This night always seems make us reflect on who we are, where are going, and where we’ve been. Finally to all of you readers! Thank you for taking moment to see what we’re all about!
So enjoy our tasting notes that are posted below. The evening additionally included a sweet wine for dessert that Ryan had bought in Portugal the year before. Having traveled all over Spain, the label had seen better days. From the Dao region in Portugal, it showed a great nose when opened but then never really developed revealing only muted apricots with touches of boytritis. On the other hand, it was OBTN that got us to finally crack it. Thanks, now we can find something better to fill the space on the shelf with.
Till soon,
Ryan and Gabriella Opaz
Ryan:
- 1999 Ridge Monte Bello – USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/24/2007)
Deep black current nose with overtones of chocolate and coffee. This puppy needs a bit of air. In the mouth right away fine but very firm tannins with a medium acidity. After a couple of hours this wines nose remained dark fruit filled and intriguing. Black-raspberry jam, black cherries, and strong notes of cassias. Tannins never really left this wine and continued to provide a nice firm structure to hang the fruit on. Great roundness in the mouth and finish which lasted for a good minute afterwards, went a long ways to making the bottle last. Real treat. 4/5
Gabriella: :
- 1999 Ridge Monte Bello – USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/24/2007)
Deep, clear maroon color that speaks of its earthy and sexy nature. The nose is filled with pepper, dark forest berries, coffee and a slight bitter sweetness at the end that is incredibly inviting. On the palate, although I find it much more subtle than the nose, I am still star struck by not only its nice round structure and balance, but also the mineral, blackberry and chocolate notes that peek out every so slightly. For me, an amazing and fun wine! 4.5
