My Article: Christmas Dinner Parties, Candy Wines and Drinkability in 2013

I have to admit that I felt a little like death warmed over on December 21, which was supposed to be the last day on earth according to the Mayan calendar. I had spent the evening before with some old friends from Newport Harbor High School in Orange County, Calif. And they brought magnums and bottles of California wines including 2010 Caymus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection, 2008 Cain Five Napa Valley, 2010 Navarro Pinot Noir Anderson Valley, and 1982 Ritchie Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. There was also a magnum of 2003 Monbusquet St. Emilion and 1985 Graham Vintage Port. It was a night of too much alcohol and sugar.

My girlfriend and I gravitated towards the Ritchie Creek, which had a very balanced palate with lots of minty almost eucalyptus character. She drinks mostly Bordeaux and Burgundy, so it was closer to what she was used to drinking at home in Hong Kong. The old California Cabernet was fresh and slightly austere. It was only 12.5% alcohol. My buddy who brought the wine was really happy since it cost him about $15 a bottle 10 or 15 years ago, and it was still excellent quality.

Nonetheless, a number of the other people preferred the new California wines. One blonde said that she loved the Caymus because it had that “candy” character. I usually use the word “jammy” but “candy” makes perfect sense. It’s that character a wine gets from being made with grapes that are overripe – even raisins. The Australians call it “dead fruit character.”

Honestly, I just don’t like that character when it’s overdone. It’s hard for me to drink a glass when a wine is overly “candied” or “jammy.” But many of you know my tastes on this. Candy character wines are usually overly alcoholic as well pushing 16% alcohol. They are more fruit cocktails than wine.

It was sort of funny that one of the driest wines of the night seemed to be the 1985 Graham’s Vintage Port.

I guess many North Americans still appreciate this style. I can say in Asia they don’t. And this is why I seldom see top California wines consumed there. I think a lot of people in the States, however, prefer balance and drinkability to power and intensity.

The night after my high school reunion dinner, I had a dinner that confirmed this. I was with three couples and we drank a range of Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosolis from 1990 to 2007, and they all agreed that they preferred harmony to opulence. One friend said during the dinner that he just couldn’t take “one glasses wines.”

Me too. So here’s wishing you many glasses of drinkable, harmonious and beautiful wines in 2013.