Wine: Tulip Hill Winery Mount Oso Vineyard 2009 Tracy Hills Cabepulciano; Tulip Hill Winery Mount Oso Vineyard 2009 Reserve Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009 Cabepulciano; 2009 Reserve Chardonnay
Alcohol percentage: 13.9% Cabepulciano; 13.1% Reserve Chardonnay
Found at: The California Wine Club
Happy New Year! I find it hard to believe that I made it through the holidays in one piece. Every year, somewhere around December 19th or 20th I start to feel a crushing sensation in my chest, I get lightheaded, and my mind starts racing out of control. The pressure of the holidays pushes me to the brink of insanity. This year, that feeling surfaced on December 18th. I had planned the weekend to finish shopping and wrapping and at 3pm on Sunday, with still 4 people on my list and nothing wrapped, I was behind schedule. I somehow made it through dinner, herded everyone upstairs early and spread out my purchases on the dining room table.
I thought it would be appropriate to pour myself a glass of this month’s selection from the California Wine Club while I got my “elf” on. I opened the Tulip Hill 2009 Cabepulciano and set to work. The Cabepulciano is a blend of 2 different lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Montepulciano. I never thought that anyone would consider a blend of these two grapes, but the results were fantastic.
I began sipping my wine and wrapping the gifts. I have a system that I employ when it comes to wrapping. I use one design of paper for each person, and that way, only I know which pile is for which person. Unfortunately for me, two glasses into this rich and delicious wine, packed with hints of juicy berries and aromas of spice and vanilla, I might have forgotten who was assigned to what paper. Suddenly I had a pile a Rudolph wrapped gifts and I could have sworn one of those boxes contained shoes for my husband. (Rudolph paper was for my youngest) Or did that box contain the car care kit for my oldest son? (Snowmen paper for him, I think?) Another sip of wine, and I noticed that it had a dry finish, which was surprising, because it started so juicy and full in the mouth. In my house, no wine goes to waste, but I found myself slightly disappointed that I was drinking it without the accompaniment of a meal, or at least someone who could tell me what I just wrapped???
On Monday night after working late, and stopping to pick up a gift for my mother on the way home, I cracked open the Tulip Hill Reserve Chardonnay and begged my husband to help me label the gifts that I screwed up the night before. He is a fan of Chardonnay, while I will admit it is not my favorite. So, I had an ulterior motive.
I found this wine to be smoky, flowery and oaky on the nose. He found it to be balanced and fruity with a creamy finish. We both found it to be packed with citrus flavors. I also found what I thought was my son’s remote control toy helicopter was actually the box that contained my husband’s shoes. I discovered this after I asked him to peek to make sure it was the helicopter, and nearly spit out my wine when he exclaimed, “Whoa! Who scored the Keens????” I found myself second guessing why I asked him to help me, so I sent him into the kitchen to look for the Brie and crackers I bought for Christmas Eve.
The crushing holiday anxiety seemed to disappear that night, and we were able to enjoy a few laughs before our crazy weekend holiday schedule kicked in.
Comments