As good as I remember it

I was very happy today. I managed to get a pair of bottles of the wine I had for our anniversary.

I decided to splurge on our anniversary dinner and get a really nice bottle of Burgundy wine. I got really interested in Burgundy wines after hearing a few podcasts from Grape Radio about the wines, the makers, and the complexity of the Pinot Noir grape. I'm usually more of a Meritage-style wine kinda guy, but I was intrigued by what I heard.

Out of pure luck, I picked a bottle of Nicolas Potel Clos Saint Denis Gran Cru 2003, and I knew I had made a great choice when the sommelier complimented the choice. I've been to this place before and I trusted the sommelier's opinion. The wine worked great with everything we ordered! From the Foie Gras to the dessert, everything paired so good with the wine. We were both very happy with it. To top it off, I finally gave my lady a diamond ring, so the night was very special for both of us.

I tried getting the wine locally to no avail. 2003 Burgundy (apparently) is tough to get because the year wasn't that great, so the quantities are limited. After much searching online, I fond a place that carried it and shipped to my place. I got two bottles - not surprisingly for less than I paid at the restaurant - and they arrived today.

Tonight, my lady and I had a great dinner and we had one of them. Just as lovely as I remember it. Loads of fruit, lovely tannins, and a beautiful finish. It worked great with the reduction sauce on the steak and with the chocolate cake. Although not as good as with the dessert we had for our anniversary dinner. I searched around and found that the '03 was rated very high by the usual suspects.

I just saw that the '05 is supposed to be superb. If you can splurge, I'd suggest you try it. The guys from Berkeley Wine shop apparently have the '05. Let me know what you think.