I think I finally figured out how to do this so these tasting notes show up on the sidebar.  I certainly do not consider myself a ‘Blog Guy’ yet.

Every Thursday evening for about the last ten years or so, I have taught a Spinning®* class at the gym around the corner from our house.  Last night, just before I left, I threw this bottle in the freezer (by the way, despite the opinions of a few, I feel that there is nothing wrong with throwing a bottle of wine in the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill it–the only potential problem arises when you forget to take it out [after about 60 minutes you’re starting to push your luck]).  I asked my wife to be sure that she remembered to take it out of the freezer in about 20 minutes and put it in the fridge; she assured me she would.  Two minutes later, as I was running out the door, I reminded her again.  This time she became rather bit indignant (even though my wife is indeed a Saint, she can have a bit of a short fuse when she thinks I am being bossy [who me?]) and assured me she would remove the wine (although, in the last ten years, having gone through this exact scenario 227 times, she has remembered to take the bottle out precisely once).  No doubt, you see where this ship is headed.

Near the end of my class, my mind started to wander about the wine and whether my wife remembered to take it out of the freezer.  When one of the people in the class started to grunt a bit, I realized we had been sprinting for about three minutes (normally we sprint for 30 seconds or less).  I apologized and told the class why I was a bit preoccupied.  Don’t worry, they already knew about my wine obsession affinity.  In fact, every month I conduct a Spinning®** class followed by a wine tasting which is called ‘Sip & Spin’ (a name which I pretty much hate).  We have a Sip & Spin tonight, as a matter of fact, drinking wines from Argentina.  So they all know what a boozer I am.  I rushed through the stretching exercises a bit to get home before the 60 minutes had elapsed.  On my way out the door, the owner of the club stopped me.  Well, at that moment, if my wife had not taken the bottle out of the freezer (and we all know she hadn’t), I knew I was screwed.  The owner is a very nice guy, but there is no such thing as a ‘short’ conversation when he is involved.  15 minutes later (and 65 minutes after I put the wine in the fridge), I left the gym and sprint home.  I walked in the door, my wife was watching T.V.  Before I saw her face or opened my mouth I heard her say “Shit!!” as she ran to the freezer (the only reasons my wife will ever swear: when she cuts herself with a knife or she does something bad to wine–I will certainly take the credit for the conditioning on the latter).

She got the bottle out of the freezer, apologizing up and down.  She claimed she set an timer to take the bottle out but it was turned off somehow (another thing I love about my wife is she is a horrible liar).  I examined the bottle and no ice particles had formed–had they formed it would not have been the end of the world, but it would have made her feel really terrible.  I would have then made a remark about it completely ruining the wine (a total lie–you just need it to warm up a bit and melt the ice).  When her guilt reached a zenith, I would have tried to parlay said guilt into the OK to buy some more wine online.  Since I have tried to parlay her guilt into additional wine purchases about 1,212 times already, she would have simply said “Nice try, wine guy” and then we would have laughed (but eventually I would just buy more wine anyway).  So since there was no ice, we avoided all that, pulled the cork and sat down with some leftover risotto.

You’re thinking: “If you know she is never going to take the bottle out, why do you keep doing it?”  A very good and appropriate question, for which I have several responses:

1. As mentioned above, I think I could possibly work it into more wine in the future (I know, I am an awful and manipulative person–I’ll remember you feel that way the next time you come over for dinner).
2. I am an eternal optimist: I always hope that she might come through (just like that one dreadful baseball season that I hoped my son would eventually hit the ball).
3. I figure a wine that is too cold is better than a wine that is too warm–you can always warm up a cold wine by cupping the glass in your hands, or take a sip and hold the wine in your mouth for 15-20 seconds (which is probably a better way to taste anyway).  Both ways involve having the wine open and in front of you, which is way better than not.

As for the wine?  Sancerre is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire region in France.  It is characteristically quite ‘mineral’.  This is hard to describe, but it is a good thing–imagine what drinking water from a fresh, non-polluted (if that exists) mountain stream tastes like.  That rocky, almost metallic taste is ‘minerality’ (at least to me).  This guy does a better job trying to explain it.

Here is my tasting note:

The demise of this wine is greatly exaggerated (drink by 2009??? Seriously???)***. Citrus fruit galore here, but in that restrained Sancerre way. Tons of acidity and ‘minerality’ as well. Great with food or by itself. Outstanding. Wish I would have bought more, but I didn’t because I am a dope.

*Spinning is a registered trademark, and the last thing I want is to get sued.  OK, maybe not the last thing, but close.  I wonder if they would take me to the People’s Court?  Any way, I also just learned how to add the little “®” so I had to throw it in there.

**I’m just soooo tech savvy.

***I keep track of my wine in Cellar Tracker which is a great (and free) online cellar management tool, no matter how many or few bottles you may have.  Members provide tasting notes and drink by dates (the year by which you should drink a particular wine–an inexact science at best).  For this wine, the ‘drink by’ date by the Cellar Tracker members is 2009 which is just ludicrous.