My baby brother is getting married and as a result, there are going to be two things that shall be considered truth:
- There will be parties (plural)
- There will be amazing wine (courtesy of the old man)
The venue for the rehearsal dinner was Mesa 364 owned by Chef Enrique Piñeiro who I can’t stress enough creates some of the most amazing appetizers you’ll ever try, the decorations were done by Soiree by Karen (*full disclosure: besides being an amazing flower arranger/event coordinator, the owner of the company is also my wife) and the fantastic photographs by Mr. Wilo Rosado.
The party started around 8:00pm and we were all received by some nice bubbles. First off we started with a nice Cremant from Burgundy, Jean Dorsene Brut NV. Typical pale yellow colors and crisp acidity with some nice tart flavors. Pretty good for a non expensive sparkling from France that is not a champagne. The experience with Jean was short-lived because soon after I was introduced to a new friend. 
Champagne Dumangin J. Fils Vintage 2000. Now that was something else completely. Points be damned (It was given 87 points by Wine Enthusiast back in 2008) this wine was great. Very few bubbles (I mean, it’s been 18 years) filled the glass of this elegant wine with its fruit still present particularly a docile lemon apparition. There’s something about vintage champagne that’s exciting because unlike non vintages, who try to maintain some consistency over the years, vintage champagne can be surprising.
The rehearsal was in full effect, people were starting to sit down and preparing to hear some speeches (some improvised, some well thought out as one usually finds in these events). One thing with my family is that we know how to entertain and both families get along nicely. At this point is when I started paying attention to the red wines. I started with an old acquaintance, a Pago de Carraovejas Crianza 1999. For anybody wondering what the name means, it translates to “the place where the sheep walk by”. This 91-93 pointer is always welcome in my house. This wine is a 75% Tempranillo and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 12 months in american and french oak. This is a full body, persistent mature wine full of vanilla hints and smokey meaty almost beef jerky aromas that I love about these old spanish wines from Ribera del Duero.
By the time I shifted continents and grapes I had already given my speech celebrating the lovely couple and hearing some of my brothers friends poking fun one last time to their soon to be not so single friend and listen to my soon to be new sisters friends do the same as well. I then started drinking a Bonaccorsi Sandford Pinot Noir 2007. This is a 90 pointer by Robert Parker that I had never tried before. This is the type of wine I called a Zohan because it tends to be silky smooth. Typical dark berries aromas (I can’t for the life of me remember the specific ones because I didn’t take any notes) and a long finish. I read what Robert Parker wrote to define it. He said it had hints of chinese black tea, damp earth and forest floor and I’m not even going to there. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because one, I’m not a hiker so earthy smells are not my strong area and two, perhaps the fact that he is a world renowned connoisseur with decades of experience over me might imply he knows a thing or two more than me. So better you listen to him over me. It was a great Pinot nonetheless.
The last two wines I tried before the end of the evening were to go along dinner which was very good as well. Let me just say, I enjoy drinking wines by themselves but there is nothing like pairing wines with well made cuisine. The last two wines were a little younger, with a lot more life in them and a lot of fruit. I had a Ryder Estate Pinot Noir 2013 and a Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.
These two wines had one similarity even though they are very different grapes. They are both from the Monterey in the Central Coast AVA in California. The Ryder was a great match for the soup with roasted peas (or at least that’s what I thought I was having, either way it was amazing) and the Ranch 32 went great with the meat. Both were full of dark fruit and a Goldilocks finish (not too long, not too short). They definitely went great with the food. I don’t have any ratings to share about these two, but I just share those for perspective. I don’t necessarily believe that you can’t find something you enjoy in non rated or below 90 points anyway.
I do believe there were some white wines being served but for the life of me, I didn’t feel like drinking albariños or chardonnays that night. Also two days after this event there was going to be a lot of heavy hitter wines and I needed to be on my best tasting game. It’s not everyday you get to hit an 86′ wine theme at a wedding.
