Taking advantage of the Holiday to bring out some old wines from my cellar, I grabbed a lone remaining bottle of 1974 Clos du Val, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. This was a wine I did not intend to keep this long, but it somehow had escaped a corkscrew for almost thirty years after I brought it home. I did not expect much.

The first sniff changed my expectations with a rush. There was still clean, bright black cherry fruit layered in with the cedary, earthy aromas of elegant old cabernet sauvignon. The wine absolutely filled the palate being expansive and elegant at the same moment. The freshness of the fruit was nothing short of astounding and the complexity humbling. The finish made you long for the next sip. I drained the last drops with a mixture of pleasure and sadness.

When I purchased this wine I was a wine neophyte full of wonder. This bottle brought that wonder back to me. Certainly there can be no better gift to give yourself.