It is a rare occasion when I publish a post with a singular tasting note, but today is one of those times. I had just come from another crushing defeat coaching my J.V. basketball team; this was the first year in my nearly three decades of coaching basketball that my team did not win a single game.

Sure, I had long seasons before, but this one was decidedly different; we lost each game by an average of almost 40 points, including a three-game stretch when we lost each game by precisely 57 points. Yup, in those three games, we lost by a total of 171 points.

Think about that for a second (but only a second–this post is supposed to be uplifting, after all).

So, with all of that in mind, I decided a sparkling wine was in order. Even the most casual observer of this space knows that we consume a ton of champagne in this house and therefore we always have tons on hand (currently that number is north of 300 bottles of champagne).

But this night, I needed something different, a wine with a bit of personal history to it, a wine that would make me forget about basketball and focus on another aspect of my life, one that brings considerable joy.

Here is what I grabbed, along with the note I wrote:

2016 Brooks Sparkling Riesling, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $55. 100% Riesling. “Hate” is a word that I try very hard not to use. It is a strong word and should be reserved for only extreme circumstances. There is far too much hate in this world and adding to it, even if by merely mentioning the word, should be avoided. Having said that, several years ago, I hated my job mostly because my boss was horrible at her job and I suffered as a result. Why do I bring that up? Well, my wife and I had several long discussions and we made the decision that I should just quit. I did not have another job lined up and it was a bit of a financial hit to us at the time, but I was miserable, and leaving the toxicity was really the only choice. So I did. I put in my two weeks and started to focus on my wine writing. (On my last day at the job, I brought in a bottle of sparkling wine, sabered it, and it spilled all over the place; it was fantastic. I like to think that I am not a spiteful person, but I hope the smell of the wine on the carpet lasted for months and my former boss had to smell it every day.) Why do I mention all of this now? Well, tasting this glorious Brooks Sparkling Riesling, I realize that even though I do not make a ton of money writing about wine, I am in a much happier place. I also get the opportunity to taste some truly fantastic wines and meet some incredible people. Near the top of both of those lists has to be Brooks Winery and Janie Brooks Heuck, the managing director at the winery, who took over after her younger brother passed away from a heart attack just a few days before harvest in 2004 (see: The Glass of Wine I Just Could Not Drink). This fantastic sparkling Riesling brings back all of those memories and while I have tasted this wine several times now, tonight, it means quite a bit more. Holy crap. That nose. Rich, fruity (Meyer lemon, kumquat), mineral, layered. Holy crap. Bright, fruity, but also a bit austere on the palate (OK, I was searching for a negative). My god, this is killer stuff. Outstanding. 94 Points.