July 27, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Rudd Crossroads Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

To lure a friend to join me for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, I offered up this beauty.  I fell in love with this lush wine in the tasting room at the winery back in 2008.  Had they bottled it in half-bottles, I would have brought home a case of it then and there.  Instead, I bought just three full bottles that I have to share with dear friends.  Tonight, I did not decant as long as usual (just 15 minutes).  When I first tried it, there was an intense blend of dark chocolate, molasses, and coffee on the palette.  Given an hour, this wine pulled together in perfect balance, bringing out black cherry, red currants, minerals, and a note of maple.