Holiday Gifting
The holiday season for me has always been a season of fantasy and dreams. December is a month-long indulgence in special music and celebrations, colorful decorations, once-a-year menus, family reunions, and selecting gifts for loved ones. Matching the perfect gift with the recipient is often a challenge, but a large part of the holiday fun.
Many of my friends and relatives love wine and have extensive collections already. Choosing an appropriate bottle may require a little creativity. For the sake of discussion I will pretend that money is no object this year, and that fantasy will be my guide.
I have a great interest in the history of some of Napa Valley’s grand old estates. The venerable Inglenook Estate produced some of California’s best wines from 1933 (Repeal of Prohibition) until the early sixties. In fact the Inglenook 1941 Cabernet is called by many the best wine ever produced. It received a perfect 100 point score in the Wine Spectator. Since my mother graduated from Napa High School in 1941, her gift will be easy! Knowing her, she will open it up for the entire family to enjoy with dinner.
My brother, as a student, used to work the harvest for Inglenook. This was after the great estate was sold and the wine was more “mass produced”. But I would give him a bottle of the 1982 or 1983 because he had a hand in making it. Mostly he just did the labor of shoveling grape skins, so it would be funny for him to open the gift. In addition I would give him a 10 year vertical collection of Francis Ford Coppola’s Rubicon Cabernet. Mr. Coppola bought the Inglenook Estate in the ‘80s, with the goal of restoring it to its original grandeur. Using the legendary Rutherford grapes for the Rubicon Cabernet has given us a taste of the property’s history and future. The 1994 should be drinking very well indeed by now.
My sister has a nice wine collection built over the years that she has worked in winery hospitality. I would gift her with wines from all the wineries she represented. Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche’ from 1978 would be a good start. A 1987 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet would be stunning. She managed the tasting room there at that time. I would also give her a Rutherford Hill 1989 Cabernet XVS, a 1994 bottle of Far Niente’s “Dolce”, a Regusci Winery 1997 Cabernet, and a Laird Family Estate Diamond Mountain 1999 Cabernet. My sister will be able to see her resume’ in her wine cellar. All of these wines are exquisite. The Far Niente Dolce is liquid gold. I have never had a dessert wine so wonderful. Maybe she will open it for Christmas dinner and share the joy!
My dad was born in 1919, the year Prohibition took effect. I would have to give him wines from Beaulieu Vineyards, before Prohibition. In addition he will receive wines from each of the years of his children’s birth. It would be fun to find him some old Christian Brothers Cabernet, Inglenook Cabernet, Beaulieu, and Krug from 1944, 1945, 1948, and 1952. Some of the old Christian Brothers brandy and sherry would be great too.
Gift giving is never complete until we give ourselves a little something. I would give myself a magnum of 1978 Spring Mountain Cabernet. Spring Mountain was home to the television show “Falcon Crest” over the years, and was my first winery job. Of course my magnum will have autographs of all the actors and actresses I met there. That would include Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, Caesar Romero, and Kim Novak! I worked at Christian Brothers also during the 1980’s, and I would need an etched 1985 magnum of the Centennial Edition Cabernet, autographed by the late Brother Timothy. The same bottle was placed in the cornerstone in 1988, when the 100th Anniversary of the old building was celebrated.
A special gift to myself would be a Grace Family Vineyards vertical collection of Cabernet. Richard Grace is a non-drinking winery owner who has become one of Napa’s leading philanthropists. The causes of His Holiness the Dali Lama are the causes to which Mr. Grace donates much time and energy. He builds hospitals and establishes scholarships around the globe where they are needed most. Grace Family Cabernet is rare and almost always receives extremely high monetary bids at auction. I would use this special gift to help charitable causes. Mr. Grace helped teach me that we receive happiness by giving with an open hand, expecting nothing in return. In this spirit I wish you all the Happiest of Holidays.