My dad, Dr. R Lee Forshay, Jr. passed away two years ago today at the all-too young age of 68. I miss him dearly, but some of the memories we created over wine live on thanks to his wine journal. I'd like to share a few of them today as a tribute to him. (I've included some additional background info as well).
FEBRUARY 14, 2005
2002 SHANDEL'S OPPENLANDER VINEYARD, PINOT NOIR,
MENDOCINO COUNTY, CA
~Medium dark red. Cherry and raspberry fruit, silky and elegant. The best Pinot Noir yet.
If you notice the date, you'll see this was a "Valentine's Day" wine that he and my mother shared. It was the last bottle of a case he had bought at Wally's. His comments in the wine journal don't really do justice to how he felt about this wine. He was really, truly passionate about it. Guess that's why he waited until Valentine's Day to pop the last bottle!
DECEMBER 28TH, 2005
1997 CHATEAU MONTELENA, ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON,
NAPA VALLEY, CA
~Not quite 10 years old, this wine is showing a dark garnet color. Full-bodied and elegant, but muscular. Black fruit, currant, earth and mineral. Wonderful wine.
Dad had a good palate. This wine scored a 95 from the Wine Spectator and 98 from the Wine Advocate. I had tasted this wine before, and encouraged him to buy it when we saw it in a small wine shop in Studio City, CA, despite the price ($125). The fact that he pulled the trigger on my recommendation made me feel good; it meant he valued and respected my experience.
MAY 22, 2004
2001 L'AVENTURE, "OPTIMUS", RED BLEND, PASO ROBLES, CA
~A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot & Zinfandel. A big wine! Big fruit, big tannins, big body. Superb! A favorite!
Don't sugarcoat it, Dad...what did you think?
These are some of his favorites, although there are many, many more. He was a big fan of Silver Oak, Hendry, and Cakebread, among others. And I got him into Bordeaux, as well. He bought several bottles of 2000 Chateau Leoville Barton (96 pts) on futures (buying them while still in the barrel, at a lower price). A monumental wine, but one meant for aging; it's probably not going to peak for at least another ten years. I kept telling him it's too young, to hold onto it and let it properly age. It never occurred to me he wouldn't be here when the wine was ready to drink. His cancer diagnosis happened to occur just a day before his 68th birthday, and I had flown in to surprise him. I asked him what he would like to open for his birthday dinner.
We had the Leoville. It was young and tight, but we decanted and it opened up a bit. It offered up hints of how good it will be in another decade (or two). I can't recall specific notes on the wine, but we did enjoy it. Almost as much as the company.
"A man cannot make him laugh - but that's no marvel; he drinks no wine."
~WM. SHAKESPEARE, Henry IV Part 2
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2 comments:
This post made me really hope that if/when you two have kids, they inherit your wine palate so this tradition can continue. Then you could enjoy and talk wines together, while Criss sits sipping her Tinto de Verano. ; )
Question: since you have such refined wine tastes, are you able to still enjoy middle-of-the-road wines, or are those kinda ruined by the nicer stuff? Are there sub-$20 (or even sub-$10) bottles of wine that you like or recommend? (and is this one of those questions you get annoyed at b/c people ask it all the time?)
Beautiful post. Thank you.
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