Cabernet sauvignon lovers rejoice! Wines from the extraordinary 2007 California vintage are beginning to make their way to a retail store near you, and you would be wise to grab as many as you can afford. While the vintage as  a whole is exceptional with just about every red and white benefitting from an almost perfect growing season,  the cabernet is stunning.

2007 is being hailed as the vintage of the century – which probably isn’t saying much since we’re only a decade into the new millennium. However, your humble wineboy has sampled a pretty good cross-section of these goodies, and I can honestly say that none of the more than two dozen different 2007’s that have passed these wine-stained lips have disappointed.

The Wine Spectator (Nov. 15 issue) sampled more than 500 cabernets from the 2007 vintage and rated nearly 200 of them with scores of 90 or above  (on a 100 point scale). And, while Napa is still the appellation to find the best of the best, every major wine producing region in the Golden State has produced exceptional cabernet sauvignon.

The wines have all of the flavors associated with great cabernet including rich plumb and cherry fruit, vanilla and mocha tones along with aromas of spice, currants and leather. These are classic wines and most have exceptional aging potential.

While you can spend several hundred dollars (a bottle!) on cult wines such as Harlan Estate, Schrader Cellars, Screaming Eagle and Staglin, prices of the wines listed below range from under $20 to less than $60 a bottle. So here are some labels to look for from the 2007 California cabernet sauvignon vintage that I recommend for your sipping pleasure.

Gallo Dry Creek Frei Ranch; Sebastiani Sonoma; Rodney Strong Alexander Valley; Kunde Estate Sonoma Valley; BV Tapestry Reserve; Whitehall Lane Reserve; Joseph Phelps Napa; Franciscan; Pahlmeyer (Jason); and Merryvale. Disclaimer: Over the past decade, I must admit to drinking less cabernet sauvignon in favor of more medium-bodied reds such as pinot noir, sangiovese, grenache and tempranillo.  I also generally prefer meritage wines (those that are blends of several grape varieties) to most full-bodied single varietals like cabernet.   I just find them more complex and better matches with food.

But just about the time I think my appreciation of wine has evolved and I’ve become more sophisticated (preferring only subtle and nuanced wines to the fuller-flavored ones), I am utterly seduced and palate-slammed by the almost other worldly pleasure of sipping a big, juicy, purple cabernet. – like those from the 2007 vintage.

Go figure.

As we get closer to the holidays, I’ve become hopelessly nostalgic and, yes, even maudlin. Why? Well, suffice it to say that I yearn for the company of a certain group of friends who’ve left my immediate circle.  And while I will be surrounded by family and other friends this Christmas, I truly miss these special ones that have gone away.

Some of you may remember the WineBoy Webcast that appeared on this site last year. Alas, the show was cancelled after one glorious season.   That’s sad enough, but the loss I feel most is for those five intrepid experts who appeared with me from time to time to present their unique views on wine appreciation.

I speak, of course, of wine astrologist Marcrazi Umberto Lupini, the Right Reverend Red N. White, English nobleman and wine critic Sir Reginald Winesot Clydesdale, Frenchman Pierre N’Cest Pas (wine cynic and American wine hater) and cowboy oenophile Spud Dumplin.

More...So today, I’ll lift a glass to these unique individuals who, in the past, have provided me with inspiration, advice and, from time to time, a welcome dose of reality as I  attempted to impart a little wine information on the webcast.  Here are some special holiday wishes and my gifts to these very wise men.

To wine astrologist  Marcrazi Umberto Lupini:  May your Christmas be filled with galaxies of shooting stars, a cornucopia of moonbeams, urns of anchovies, and only the most fragrant garlands of garlic and tripe. For you Umberto, I send a special CD “The Vatican’s Greatest Hits” performed by such musical luminaries as Aldo Cella, Lucca Brazzi and Treccy Bungunga (with liner notes by Father Guido Sarducci).

To the (always) Right Reverend Red N. White:  As your preaching reaches a fever pitch this holiday season, I wish you voluminous lung capacity, hordes of cowering congregants and a bevy of beautiful women sitting in the front row (at least ones without facial hair). Your gift, Reverened, will be a Methuselah of Sparky’s Heavenly Elixer and Altar Wine along with 200 new reptile boxes to fit under the pews.

To Sir Reginald Winesot Clydesdale:  May your stables be always muck free, may your upper lip be always stiff and may your trademark whinny and neigh resonate thunderously through the midlands. For you, dear Reginald, I am sending one dozen designer clip-on ascots to conceal your rather prominent (but distinguished) goiter.

To Pierre N’Cest Pas:  My dear Pierre, I hope your holidays are filled with flagons of wine (French, of course), long-legged Pariesan women and the songs of Pepe LePew. I’m sending you a DVD of the movie “Bottle Shock” which memorializes the 1976 Paris blind tasting where an American wine was selected by Frenchmen over a first- growth Bordeaux.  Mon Dieu!

To cowboy oenophile Spud Dumplin:  May you always ride under cloudless skies, may your wine bottles be full and corkless, and may your domestic animals always be well groomed and obedient. Spud, my friend, I am mailing you a copy of Arsenius the Hermit’s famous book:  “If Only Sheep Could Cook.”

I don’t think there is any more versatile and tasty cut of pork than the tenderloin. In the past, I have regaled you with various culinary treatments for that long and lean piece of pig meat. And today, I’ll share another.

I call this recipe “Tipsy Tenderloin” because the marinade requires a glass of dry red wine (and also because I think it’s only fair to reward the pig for his sacrifice). As a matter of fact, I suggest you reward yourself with a sip or two from the same bottle for preparing this lovely dish. So, here goes…

Shopping List: 1 pound pork tenderloin trimmed of all fat 8 ounces of dry red wine (I suggest zinfandel) 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar 2 cloves of garlic chopped 1 small onion chopped 2 tablespoons of flour 1 egg and one-half pound of shredded mozzarella 8 ounces of Italian sausage 3 ounces of extra virgin olive oil 1 red bell pepper cut into thin, two-inch long strips 1 package of chopped frozen spinach 1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Cut the pork tenderloin in two lengthwise and rub with salt and pepper

Between two sheets of wax paper, pound the pork into 1/2 inch thick pieces

Whip the wine, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and balsamic vinegar into a marinade

Marinade the pork in a bowl or plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least four hours

Cook the sausage separately, drain the fat and chop into small pieces

Sauté’ the onions, peppers and spinach and allow to cool

Stir the cheese, egg and sausage into the onion, pepper and spinach mixture

Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry (reserve the marinade)

Spread the mixture onto the meat and turn into rolls using toothpicks to secure

Dust the rolls in flour and sauté in olive oil until brown on all sides

Place in the oven and cook at 375 F. for 20 minutes

Remove rolls from oven pan and allow to sit for 10 minutes

Pour reserved marinade into oven pan and reduce liquid to a sauce

Slice the pork into half-inch rolls, pour the sauce over and serve

I accompanied this dish with orzo in a light tomato sauce and served the remainder of the 2009 Foxglove Zinfandel ($19) to wash it all down. I think a sangiovese or old vine grenache would be an excellent choice for this dish too.

Enjoy !

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I can tell because many of the people I know are calling asking me to suggest a wine gift or two for the special people in their lives.  Even though I probably won’t be considered  “special” enough to benefit from my own advice, I do experience a kind vicarious enjoyment in being a part of this process.

So today, I’ll share with you some gifts I would love to have this holiday season,  and hope that you will pass these ideas along to my family and friends. Of course, depending upon your bank account, you can spend just about as much as you choose on wine and related gifts. However, my budget is not unlimited so we’ll stick with gifts you may acquire for under $100.

Let’s begin with wine.  Here are some bottles that should please the palate of just about every sipper: 2005 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir ($60) – I have collected wines from this Oregon producer since their first vintage in 1990, and the 2005 Evenstadt is among their best wines yet. If you like earthy, black cherry and mocha flavors overlain with aromas of spice and vanilla, then you’ll love this wine.  The Wine Spectator rated it among the top 100 wines of 2008 and, while the ‘05 Evenstad Reserve is enjoyable today, the balance of this wine will enable it to continue to improve in the bottle for another 10 years.  Match it up with this year’s holiday prime rib roast.

2004 Pio Cesare Barolo ($58) – Pio Cesare is one of the tried and true estates in all of Piedmont (in northwestern Italy) and their 2004 Barolo is a wonderful example of why Barolo is considered one of the greatest wines on the planet. Deep, dark fruit flavors with coffee, mushroom and earthy aromas, this relatively soft (for Barolo) wine will, if consumed now, need to be decanted for at least three hours. However, if you can wait, it will benefit from several more years of bottle age. This would be a wonderful accompaniment to a crown roast of pork sliced and served on top of porcini mushrooms sautéed in olive oil (with a few drops of truffle oil) and seasoned with salt and black pepper.

Rene Coutier Brut Champagne ($48) – This relatively small producer is located in the Grand Cru Champagne village of Ambonnay and this sparkler is a real pleaser. Full of toasty, rich, brioche flavors with a silky texture, this Champagne is a wine you can use as both an aperitif or with a seafood entrée such as mussels cooked in a spicy broth of white wine, garlic and tomatoes.

2006 Lafond Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay ($25) – If you prefer a well-rounded, nuanced chardonnay with plenty of fruit and balancing acidity, then you need to lay your lips around the Lafond. From the famed Santa Rita Hills AVA, this chardonnay has just the right amount of oak to balance out the fruit. Lovely with Chilean Sea Bass, sautéed with a little butter, salt and pepper and finished off in the oven for about five minutes.

2006 Hedges Three Vineyards Red Mountain ($28) – Washington State is a terrific venue for merlot and cabernet and the ’06 Hedges Red Mountain is blend of those two grapes,  producing an approachable wine that is ready to drink right now. Soft tannins and balancing acidity make this complex wine a joy to consume with your holiday meal such as roasted turkey or Cornish game hens. Here are a few more vinous picks for your holiday gift giving (sans notes) that should be real pleasers:  2006 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah ($30); 2006 Carabella Chardonnay (Oregon $35); 2005 Stuhlmuller Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($41); and 2006 Live Wire Cabernet Sauvignon ($25). Now here are couple of gifts that all wine lovers should appreciate. To truly enjoy that special bottle, there is nothing more pleasurable than drinking your wine from crystal stemware. You can get truly excellent stemware by purchasing your wine glasses and crystal decanters right here in West Virginia. Masterpiece Crystal in Jane Lew produces magnificent handmade, lead-free crystal wine glasses and carafes. Go to masterpiececrystal.com and check out these works of art or call 1-800-624-3114 to order direct from the factory. One of the neatest and newest wine-related gadgets is something called the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Having a working knowledge of fluid dynamics and the Bernoulli Principle may help you understand how this gizmo works, but thankfully you don’t need a degree in quantum physics to use it. Pouring wine from the bottle through the Vinturi (which is essentially a small glass tube) into a glass supposedly has the same effect as aerating your wine in a decanter for an hour.  I have one and I love it. You can find these online for under $40. Happy Holidays!

Welcome to 2009 wine lovers! Today, I’m taking the pledge! Not to go to the gym or to lose 10 pounds, or to (heaven forbid) limit my consumption of adult beverages.

No siree, I’m resolving to go where no wino has gone before. To explore new galaxies of wine appreciation, to set a course for bacchanalian bliss and to sip the most obscure Romulan elixir! [ED. NOTE: I added at right a shot of some Romulan ale, but don't you think that's Rich Ireland's bailiwick?].  So, get on board, loosen up and be prepared to toss wine convention to the wind.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit over the top. But I would like to start 2009 off with some New Year’s wine resolutions that you might find some value in too.  Introspection can provide a powerful wake-up call and my wine -related modus operandi reveals that I have fallen into an alarmingly predictable pattern when it comes to the beverage we all love. So here are some vows for the New Year.

1. Drink more white wine with dinner.  I seem to have fallen into a pattern of using white wine almost exclusively as an aperitif to get my palate ready for the “real” (can you spell red?) wine that will accompany that shank of  wolf pancreas I’m having for dinner.

2. Explore the wonderful world of German riesling and pledge to drink these wines with dinner, too. There are two primary problems Americans have with German wine:  1)  the labels on the wines are written in German, a language that seems to require each word to have at least 15 letters; and 2) riesling tends to be sweet and -- some of us think --  sweet wines are for amateurs or for those who prefer to sip their beverages under a bridge.

3. Vow to match wine with good old American meals such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, beans and weenies and even spam or other food-like products, especially those containing trans fats (after all, the healthy qualities in wine mitigate the bad effects of such artificial additives, don’t you think?).

4. Explore the more obscure regions of the wine world for quality inexpensive reds and whites such as those produced in the Navarro region of Spain, Apulia in Italy, Mendoza in Argentina, Virginia in the US and Central Otago in New Zealand.

5. Compile a top 50 list of great wines under $20 a bottle. One of the benefits of the wrecked world economy is that when disposable income becomes tight, supplies of wine will surely exceed demand and wine prices will plunge. And just maybe some of those new outrageously over-priced “trophy” wines will find their way in next year’s blend of Two Buck Chuck.

6. Heap praise or criticism on restaurants based upon their wine pricing. There is absolutely no excuse for wine prices to exceed two times the retail cost of a particular wine. Actually, some restaurants price wine at 1.5 times retail, but they’re about as common as feathers on a goat.

7. Drink more sparkling wine. I’m just like the rest of humanity when it comes to sipping bubbly:  I need a special occasion such as birthday, holiday or wedding to uncork a sparkler. I’m making a pledge to sip sparkling wine at least once a week  It’s easy and inexpensive (there are a huge number of wines under $15 a bottle) and sparkling wine goes especially well with salty or spicy foods such as chili, Thai cuisine and even popcorn.

So there you have it. My wine resolutions for the new year. What are yours?