For National Pinot Noir Day 2024, we're traveling back in time. The year is 1998....
Here's a few significant events to set the landscape:
Google launched and would go on to change the internet landscape forever.
Britney Spears debuted her single "...Baby One More Time," which some say marked the beginning of the teen pop era.
The movie Titanic was dominating the box office for most of 1998, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time (until it was overtaken by Avatar in December 2009).
And on television, there was heavy coverage of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. He was, however, acquitted by the Senate in early 1999 and remained in office for the rest of his term.
And in the Napa Valley... it was an abnormally wet El Niño spring. This caused "shatter" in the vineyard, which caused fewer grapes on the vine, and significantly reduced yield; a common phenomenon in a wet, cool spring. The rains and cooler weather continued into late summer, which delayed ripening. Finally, in early autumn, the weather turned around and we had a few weeks of a warm and sunny weather. This push of good weather in the eleventh hour was exactly what we needed, and picking started in late September. The clusters, while small and low in weight, produced elegant fruit with definite personality and complexity. The juice to skin ratio was very low that year, which translates into extracted wines with concentrated fruit flavors.
For National Pinot Noir Day this year, we unearthed 3 cases of 1998 Pinot Noir in the back corner of the wine cellar and decided to give it away to our Pinot Noir loving friends for National Pinot Noir Day. Simply purchase 3+ bottles of Pinot Noir and use code PINOTDAY at checkout, and we'll add a complimentary bottle 1998 Pinot Noir to your order. Offer available while supplies last!
This wine has been resting peacefully in the wine cellar at Elkhorn Peak for 26 years....likely humming Britney Spears and wondering whatever became of Bill Clinton. Now, if you're claiming one of these bottles, we want to set your expectations. So, here are our thoughts:
Uncorking
First, getting the cork out was a challenge - it crumbled. This is a typical problem with really old wines, as corks are made of cork tree bark, and will eventually breakdown and disintegrate. I tried a few times to get it out clean with no success. So, I pushed it into the bottle, and then I used a kitchen strainer to pour the wine into a decanter and separate it from the cork bits.
Decanting
The wine poured a pretty, slightly cloudy pale garnet color. I let it decant for 45 minutes to allow it to open it...after 26 years with no oxygen, some air will help it open up.
The Wine
Lots of funk on the nose, which surprisingly didn't translate to the taste of the wine. The wine is definitely in the tertiary stage of its life, with pronounced earthy flavors like forest floor (damp, mossy, mushroom), but the fruit is still very much there - mostly pomegranate and cherry, leaning towards stewed or dried fruit rather than fresh picked fruit. There's a soft leathery spice flavor too, and candied apple flavors in there, which add to complexity. Most surprisingly was the detectable acid, which still held a grip on this wine after 26 years. For its age, this was a very enjoyable wine. Both of us when in for more than one glass, and before we knew it, we'd finished the bottle.
The Finish
The finish is short and bright, and tastes a little bit like fruit soaked in brandy.
The Food Pairing
I paired this wine with spicy BBQ chicken, with a side of rice and fried mushrooms with onions and jalapeno. The spicy BBQ chicken paired nicely, and the mushrooms were a perfect compliment to the sous bois in the wine. And because it's mid-August, our garden is overflowing with cucumbers and tomatoes, so we tossed the veggies in ranch dressing and called it a day.
Happy Pinot Noir Day to all of our friends! We hope you enjoyed this post, and a glass of Pinot Noir today. If you liked this Pinot Noir Day offer, let us know...we'd love to keep the offers fun and interesting.
Cheers, Elise, Maiel and baby Jett
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