A Shot–And a Goal!  A Shot – And a GOAL!!  Wayne Gretzky may have been the BEST player of his generation.  He scored early, often and at will.  His ability to handle a hockey stick was the stuff that legends were made of.  Back in Brian’s day, Gordie Howe was the standard against which all players were measure.  For the ‘modern’ era, it’s Gretzky that is the standard bearer.

When shopping recently in our favorite Cost Plus World Market stores, we happened across this wine from the Napa Valley in California.  It was the last bottle on display, and it was a 2006 vintage.  So, two things enter your head when you come across a 2006 wine – either it’s a really good wine and you’ve stumbled upon a classic OR it’s a mediocre wine that uses a ‘former’ celebrity’s name in an attempt to capitalize on it.  As a rule, (not true in 100% of the cases) if  a product needs a ‘celebrity’s name’ for its fame and fortune, then the product itself must fall a bit short!!

We think this wine is somewhere in the middle.  (Hate to be non-committal) The reality is that this wine is well, okay.  Would we recommend it to our best friend?  Mmmm, probably not.  Would we break this out after all of the ‘good stuff’ was gone – probably not as well.  Would we open this wine to share with friends?  Absolutely, yes.  Like we’ve said on numerous occasions, wine is meant to be enjoyed with friends, family or those whom you care to spend time with!  This 2006 Wayne Gretzky Cabernet Sauvignon is  a little rough when first opening; the wine will require some air time to open up.  Once opened and aired out, this little gem delivers an earthy, smokiness that few wines have given us.  The fruit takes a back seat to the darkness and scent of the wine.  Lots of leather, cedar and musk on the nose will give way to a smooth concentration of not only leather but a hint of kerosene and green pepper.  Yep, we know – that’ s a strange combination – we couldn’t agree more.  However, really good wines take time to open up and attain their fullest potential .  .  . we suspect that this wine could be magnificent after 12 or more hours of being open.

We had numerous opportunities to watch The Great One when we were living in St. Louis.  As Blues fans, the Edmonton Oilers came calling on a number of times and with the right connections, we could be sitting two or three rows from the visitor’s bench in the old Arena.  After the team moved to their new home in the late 90’s – we never felt the same “intimacy” that was felt when attending a game at the Arena.  We guess it’s called ‘progress’.  When we sat two or three rows from the bench, there was nothing, we mean NOTHING better than tempting, torturing, yelling, intimidating or just plain hollering at the visitor’s seated in front of us!

Hockey has changed a lot over the years.  Currently, they are in yet another lockout – it’s their third or fourth in the last twenty years.  It says a lot about a professional sports organization that can’t keep its continuity for an extended period of time.  Baseball learned the hard way back in the mid-1990’s; basketball learned the hard way last year as did professional football.  What we, as consumers/fans of these games fail to realize, is that it’s NOT a game.  It’s a business.  It’s just like opening a winery or a sporting goods store or a laundromat . . . it’s a business and because it’s a business, the intent is to make MONEY.  Plain and simple.  No strings attached.

The players are your ‘product’ and without them you have no ‘game’.  Without the owners, you’d have no players therefore there’d be no game.  It takes two to tango as they say and when there’s a lockout or strike or work stoppage–guess who loses?   Maybe this explains why a number of professional athletes have found other ways to enhance their careers. . .

When you try this wine, try it with an open mind – no hockey stick is required but patience will be a virtue.  Even as we’ve been typing this blog, the wine has opened up even more to be expressive and delicious.

Please remember to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible.