After the Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon ($150) was poured into my glass, I toasted Gatsby, then sipped and savored the taste of splendid wine.
Gatsby did the same, only it wasn't really Jay Gatsby I was tasting with, although the scene reminded me a lot of "The Great Gatsby." Instead, it was 2009 and we were drinking exceptionally good wines at The Breakers, a spectacular Newport, R.I., mansion.
The Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival was in full swing and I reveled in it, enjoying myself immensely.
I've previously recommended wine festivals to my readers, and I've attended a number of them, traveling as far as Miami Beach to participate. However, this one was the most enjoyable I've experienced.
As I chatted with Mike and Meredith, a delightful young couple from Pennsylvania, they related how they love wine festivals and attend them from Washington, D.C., to Boston. It was their third year here and they claimed the Newport festival is tops in wine, food and fun. I would have agreed wholeheartedly, except I was too busy gorging myself on food and wine, making Bacchus downright proud, I'm sure.
The festival opened Friday night with a gala at The Breakers. If there was a perfect place to host a great wine event, this was clearly it. Guests munched on delectable morsels and drank stunning wines before watching a brief and fascinating wine auction conducted by Christie's.
The Saturday and Sunday tastings at Marble House were equally spectacular. The attendees were interesting and fun, the wine was fabulous, and the food, prepared by Newport restaurants' top chefs, was a match for any gourmet's palate.
A wine can taste different depending on the time, place and mood in which it is consumed. Amid the stately splendor of the former summer homes of the Vanderbilts, the wines tasted heavenly. Of course, these wines would taste great anywhere in the galaxy.
As one might expect in this venue, the wines included names that make devoted wine lovers go weak in the knees: wines from Caymus, Duckhorn, Maison Louis Latour, Ramey Wine Cellars and Silver Oak Cellars, in addition to more than 150 other terrific wineries.
Since the high-end wines, such as Caymus and Silver Oak, are well-known and widely reported on, suffice it to report they're as good as ever. Here are a few of the wines that got my attention and that I recommend.
Americans have a love affair with chardonnay. While there is an ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement afoot, there remain excellent chards worth consuming regularly. The 2007 Sonoma-Loeb Chardonnay ($25) reminded me of opulent, white Burgundy with delicious hints of butterscotch, pear and melon. Modeled after the wines of Montrachet and aged in French oak and left sur lie for eight months, it was impressive and well worth trying. It rates my Wine of the Tasting award.
I've always been a big fan of Jordan Chardonnay ($30) and the 2007 was scrumptious and enjoyable. Tasting subtly of apple, pear and a hint of butterscotch, it's aged in oak, but not overwhelmingly so. It consistently pleases.
A local New England winery, Jonathan Edwards, showed off their 2007 Estate Connecticut Chardonnay ($25), another light, elegant, European-style wine I liked immensely. It was a pleasant, savory surprise and incredibly good.
Jordan also sampled their 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($52). While I generally prefer European wines to California cabs, I never said that Cal-Cabs weren't excellent; they're just overpriced. Jordan proved me wrong, serving up a terrific, superbly balanced cabernet at a moderate price point.
Alexander Valley Vineyards tasted their 2005 Cyrus ($50), a red Bordeaux blend that is smooth, delicious and another bargain versus far more expensive California wines. This was a terrific wine with yummy flavors of plum and cherry; it was as good as or better than many of its higher priced competition.
A booth sampling wines from the Loire aptly demonstrated why this stellar but underappreciated region of France has incredible wines, yet offers tremendous value. Anyone eating oysters or other shellfish would appreciate the pure, clean, racy taste of either the 2007 Chateau de la Fessardiere Muscadet ($15) or Domaine de l'Ecru's 2006 Expression de Gneiss Muscadet ($20).
We may not be Vanderbilts, but we can still enjoy life to the fullest. Drinking good wine is one way to do exactly that. Enjoy.
If you missed the Newport wine fest, don't despair. The Boston Wine Expo isn't too far off. It takes place Jan. 23 and 24 at the Seaport World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel. Go to www.wine-expos.com for more information.
Mark P. Vincent is a Framingham resident who has a passion for wine. His column runs in Food & Dining on the third Wednesday of the month. Contact him at winewisdom@yahoo.com.
