If you read the Wall Street Journal, you have probably read the weekly "Tastings" column by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Dorothy and John have been writing their weekly column for a number of years and to be honest, I truly look forward to each column.
Several years ago, Dorothy and John started an "Open That Bottle Night" - a night that gave you a reason to open up one of those long-collecting-dust bottles that's been sitting on a shelf somewhere. The thought being, that, too many times great bottles of wine are drunk too late because people are waiting for just the right time.
This year was OTBN #9 and the first time we took part. We invited over about 5 or 6 couples and asked them to each bring a bottle wine they've been holding on to and waiting for a reason to drink.
We started out with some lighter wines, while we were waiting for everyone to arrive and picking on the appetizers. Once everyone arrived, we spent the night drinking a number of different wines from various regions around the globe. The highlights of the evening were a 2003 Barolo from Mauro Molino, and another '03 Barolo, "Gavarini Chinera", from Elio Grasso. I dipped down into the cellar to grab a 1997 Regusci Cabernet that we picked up on our 10th anniversary trip to Napa as well as '97 Dominus (which was the first bottle I ever spent over $100 on). Lesson learned - the Dominus definitely got better as it breathed. It had an interesting odor to it when I popped the cork, but after about two hours, it was divine!
After all was said and done, OTBN was a great success and our guests were already talking about what they were going to bring next year. Looks like we'll have to start planning early next year!
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