02 Louis Roederer, Cristal

Goodbye, 2009. Hello, 2002. The last decade probably won't be remembered for this--especially since it just came out--but it should be. It brings together some of my best memories of the past 10 years--the bracing tartness of my first Salon, the big frothy mouthfilling flavor of my first blanc de noirs, the sheer look of shock, awe, and horror at the metaphysical possession that was my first smell of Krug. The smile I had on my face every time I drank wine in the past ten years, whether I was a novice or expert, broke or starting to make it, no matter how hard the day had been. With my first white truffle (I thought it strange that chocolate would be served over handmade pasta), through an odd and surprisingly long stretch of vegetarianism, with duck, with tallegio, with Armandino Batali's salumi, with Chef Alyson West's cheesecake, with chorizo-stuffed dates, with Chef Kahan's tobacco ice cream for lunch. All the tables. All the broken glasses. The broken hot tub and sliced toe. But in the end, I'll remember all of that as the heady, phantomic breath--yes inhale and exhale--of the 2002 Cristal. The tart lemon curd and golden raspberry. The rhapsody. The glimmering pale yellow night and crystal. The bubble and squeak against the quickening rhythm of my heart, trickling across my tongue, clearing off my lips--remember what's come before, but give every moment its due. These nights will always be ours.