Time sure flies by when your enjoying wine. I swore to myself I was going to keep up on the Wine Wonderland posts – I was hoping to do one a month. However, when I sat down to write the post, I realized the last one was way back in March. The adage of time goes by faster as you get older is definitely true for me and being the dorky science nerd that I am, I of course had to research if it was scientifically true.
In an abstract written by University of Michigan Dept. of Psychology, there is absolute evidence that demonstrates why time seems to go by in a blink of an eye as we get older. Professor Cindy Lustig explained that our perception is influenced by our perspective and influenced by our experiences. We have many less experiences as a child than we do as a 50 year old. She continued “For an 80-year-old, a week is a much smaller portion of their life, which contributes to the feeling that it went by quickly.”
According to Adrian Bejan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University and the author of the recent book “Time And Beauty: Why Time Flies And Beauty Never Dies,” our brains are trained to absorb new images as infants. Since as adults we aren’t supplying our brains with as many images, it makes us feel like time is going by much faster.
But I digress… I easily go down that rabbit hole and continue to dig. So without further adieu, here are some of my top wines that have been in my glass lately.
2022 Teliani Valley Tsolikouri
I have been drinking quite a few wines from Georgia. I have become enamored with them and this one added to my love affair. Tsolikouri is a high yielding variety that is the leading white grape variety in Georgia. The berries are thick-skinned, which helps make them resistant to fungal diseases. Teliani Valley harvests its fruit from the village Orbeli, which is located in the mountainous Lechkhumi district. Established in 1997, with its first vintage being 2000, Teliani Valley is one of the top producers of quality Georgian wine. Located on the site of a 19th century winery, Teliani Valley has the longest tenure on the American market of any Georgian company.
The wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel. On the nose grapefruit and tropical fruit. On the palate, the minerality is strong along with citrus flavors and a beautiful salinity. SRP: $15.99
2020 Tolosa 1772 Pinot Noir
Closer to home Robin Baggett came to Edna Valley pursuing a dream of owning a cattle ranch. After arriving in the area, he realized that it was an incredible region for grapes, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Robin attended Cal Poly on a baseball scholarship and in 1998, he was inducted into the Cal Poly Athletic Hall of Fame, in fact, the new stadium is named after him. Although Tolosa sources fruit from eight vineyards on the central coast, (including Bien Nacido) a majority of its fruit from Edna Ranch which is extremely varying in its soil types.
The wine was fermented in stainless steel open top tanks and then aged for 9 months in 100% French oak barrels. (24% new) On the nose bing cherry and vanilla. On the palate cherry, vanilla and cedar. SRP: $74
2022 Stiekema GSM
Mike Stiekema is a personal friend. He is honestly one of my favorite people in Paso. He is just a good soul PLUS he makes amazing wines. His tagline, “The manifested chaos of science and art,” truly represents him. After self reportingly “falling into the wine industry by accident,” Mike’s wines are the epitome of balance. He sources fruit from a variety of highly acclaimed vineyards including Alta Colina, Colburn and Kendrose, Mike makes great wines. The GSM is a blend of 31% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 44% Mouvedre.
His wines are so good, I forgave him for accidentally serving me Biltong. (I thought it was a piece of chocolate) The wine is one of the most aromatic wines I have experienced in a long time. Red fruit, spice and earth enticed me to take a sip. Once on the palate, each variety shines while also being harmonious with its counterparts. Aged in 100% French oak and an SRP of $48 this is a wine you want in your collection.
2014 Old Bridge Areni Noir Reserve
Oh my oh my oh my! This wine made me do a double take.. a triple take. I was extremely upset when the bottle was empty. Areni noir, an Armenian grape variety, was bred to be disease resistant and is known as an ancient grape variety. It is thought to hail from the village of Areni in southwest Armenia. It is in this region where in 2011 archaeologists unearthed an Areni-1 cave complex. Here, they found the oldest known winery, which dates back at least 6,100 years. The wine was aged in the customary karasi (clay amphorae.)
Old Bridge Winery’s vineyards are located on the right-hand bank of the Arpa River, near the village of Arpi, at an altitude of 1250-1300m above the sea level. The aromatics were jumping out of the glass and the flavors were dancing on the palate. Dark fruits, plum and spice with a hint of honey. We continued to say “wow” as we sipped this wine. SRP: $32.00
Although we don’t know how much time we have left, we can make the most of it. We can make it appear to slow down. We need to experience new things. Take a trip to a place we’ve never been to, pick up a new hobby, try to learn an instrument, or of course, my favorite option; keep trying new wines. Share what new to you wines you’ve had recently.
~Slàinte!
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