Open That Bottle Night Report: Scholium Wine

Saturday was the 10th annual Open That Bottle Night. Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, the wine critics from The Wall Street Journal began the event because so many people have wine in their house that they think is too "special" to drink. The result? When something finally happens that constitutes a "special" occasion, the wine is over the hill and can't be enjoyed anymore.

Open That Bottle Night gives you the permission to say "today is the day" and pull the cork on that expensive, rare, or sentimentally significant bottle.

As you might imagine, the bottles I hang on to are the ones that cost me more than $20. After a disaster or two I no longer set aside "special occasion" bottles, but I do tend to be reluctant to open something outside my normal price range.

So I opened up a bottle of Scholium Wine, the project to push the wine envelope started up by former philosophy professor Abe Schooner. (photo of Abe Schooner taken by fellow blogger Dale Cruse, from the blog Drinks Are On Me) I'm on their mailing list, and get a chance twice a year to buy Abe's wine. One reason I like Scholium is because it's out-of-the-box wine making. Usually, I'm a correct varietal characteristics maniac, and want my Cabernet Sauvignon to taste like it's supposed to. With Scholium I make an exception. Nothing Abe does with grapes fits a textbook description and his wines are a wine-drinking adventure as a result. And I'm not alone in thinking so. Other wine bloggers enjoy the challenges associated with opening up a Scholium wine and abandoning their preconceived notions of what wine should be. Check out RJ's post on Scholium at RJ's Wine Blog for an example, or Richard the Passionate Foodie's experience meeting Abe.

That spirit of adventure was certainly part of the 2007 Scholium Project "The Prince In His Caves" Farina Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($45 through the mailing list; you can get other vintages for between $45 and $49 from these merchants). I just adored this wine, but all the while I had to abandon my idea of what Sauvignon Blanc was "supposed" to be. It opened up to a cloudy orange-yellow that resembled flat beer. Initially, there was a strong aroma of pink grapefruit juice concentrate. I got some rock salt, too. The flavors were thick grapefruit juice and guava nectar at first, then there were honeyed notes as it opened up, and minerality and citrus pith as it warmed. I kept thinking that this was a wine that they would recognized in the Middle Ages, which (from the descriptions I've read) was mostly thick and mostly cloudy.

I'm glad that I took the opportunity to open this wine now, because I have another bottle of it and I will save it for a night when all I ask for is a non-boring wine. This is most definitely NOT boring, and reminded me of what Open That Bottle Night is all about: wine is meant for drinking. So just do it.