Mmm. I’m greatly enjoying a bottle of 1998 Tyrrell’s Old Winery Cabernet Merlot that our friend Chris brought last time he was visiting from Sydney. I’m normally not a big Merlot fan (but not on the level of Bonny Doon’s Randall Grahm’s sharp dismissal of the grape), but this blend is quite tasty. Not quite the slap you around the head and shoulders and then check your pockets for change kind of experience that you get with Shiraz (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
On a related note, I highly recommend a visit to Tyrrell’s vineyard next time you are in the Hunter Valley. Lots of fantastic wine to taste, great personalized tour, friendly people, beautiful location.
I also highly recommend attending a winemaker’s dinner hosted by Monsieur Grahm. We attended one at Verbena in Oakland. He is, to no surprise, as witty and eloquent in person as in the Bonny Doon newsletter.
Update: Corrected link to Verbena, thanks to someone from the restaurant. I had mistakenly linked to a Verbena Restaurant in New York, which, by the way, also looks like a fantastic restaurant.
The current link to Verbena Restaurant that the Bonny Doon Wine Tasting Dinner was held at is incorrect. The link should be http://www.restaurantverbena.com which will give you the restaurant in Oakland, not the one in New York that is currently listed. Thank you for updating this link.
Thanks for pointing out my embarrassingly misguided link. It’s all better now.