January is one of the few months of the year that I can sneak away from the winery for a couple of days without worrying about things in the cellar.  I took advantage of this to attend the annual ASEV Unified Wine Symposium in Sacramento, California.  The Three day event showcases a tradeshow that displays all the latest equipment and technology in the wine industry, along with a series of seminars that discuss current industry issues and ongoing research project results.  Before flying out of Vancouver to Sacramento, I planned to stay overnight with some very dear friends in Vancouver.  

Taxi cab from Vancouver Airport to Tom and Kat’s house…$22.00 

Token hostess gift of a 6 pack of beer from the cold beer and wine shop…$15.00

My friendship with Tom and Kathleen goes way back and they’ve really become more like family than friends. Upon my arrival to their home, I was welcomed by aromas of fresh, rich Bolognese sauce slow cooking on the stove.  Tom, a great cook in his own right, was in the kitchen preparing homemade gnocchi.  We sipped cold beer as we talked, catching up on all of the latest trials and tribulations of family life.  With dinner being almost ready, Tom sent me down to his wine cellar, aka the basement closet, to pick out a bottle of wine and he told me to pick out a good wine or, as he likes to refer to them, a  “tear jerker”.

 A bottle of 1979 Chateau Jean Faure Saint-Emilion Grand Cru purchased in 1985…$30.00

Sometimes magic can come from a bottle of wine. Aromas and flavors evolve and change dramatically in a very short period of time.  This was one of those wines.  From the time I  pulled the cork from the bottle right through to the very last sip from my glass 3 hours later, this wine never tasted or smelled, exactly as it had moments before.  Throughout the evening the aromas and flavors ran a full gambit of sweet cherries, stewed tomatoes and herbs, pipe tobacco smoke, and fine graphite tannins.  It was an amazing wine.

After dinner, we had Tom and Kathleen’s children (Malcolm and Naomi) research the 1979 Chateau Jean Faure Saint-Emilion on the internet. We discovered that Chateau Jean Faure is a small, relatively unknown winery that is planted to nearly equal parts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  It neighbors to the prestigious Chateaux L’Evangile, Dominique and Cheval Blanc, basically the Rodeo Drive of the wine world. Interesting stuff but the next fact that popped up on the computer took us all by complete surprise.  

Discovering that the replacement cost of a bottle of 1979 Chateau Jean Faure Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is $1790 US…priceless. 

Apparently a 1979 Chateau Jean Faure was being offered for sale by a wine merchant in London for a mere $1790 (US).  This outlandish fact sent a wave of laughter and a barrage of “high fives” around the room. I can honestly say that I can not imagine another way in which to have experienced this wine and I can unequivocally say, without a doubt, that it is the only time that I have had $600 worth the wine in my belly at one time.  It truly made for an unforgettable night over a truly unforgettable bottle of wine.

As a side note, the Saint-Emilion vintage that is currently available is the 2005.  Chateau L’Evangile is selling for $2,400 per case, Cheval Blanc prices are ranging from $8,000 and $10,000 per case and their very close neighbour Chateau Jean Faure is being offered at $480 per case.  Can you say investment opportunity?

There’s nothing serious in mortality.
All is but toys; renown and grace is dead,
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vault to brag of.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Macbeth, II. iii. (100)

Dwight

Over the course of the past several months, Larry and I have tasted through some of the library of previous vintages of SHV wines and I have been compiling a collection of notes from these tastings.  My hope is to create a comprehensive vintage chart that may assist you with the timing of when you chose to drink our wines and have it post it on our website.

Fortunately and unfortunately, we are in the midst of rebuilding our website but the construction is not yet complete.  Rather than leaving you waiting any longer for the new website, I thought that I would post a “draft copy” of the vintage chart here on the blog.

Wine is a matter of personal taste.  Some like their wines austere and very mature, while others enjoy a wines youthful nature.  Please use this Vintage Chart as a reference point, but always use your own palate as your ultimate guide.