A Cab by any other name… or price.

A curious thing happened last month…

Attempting to stave off the winter blues, my dining companion and I decided to spend the weekend in the Laurentians with assorted friends and family. In addition to all of the skating and board-gaming to be done, we were all looking forward to some cabin-comfort-food, which would naturally include grilled meat, a little beer, a little wine and a few martinis. The second day in, after spending the day skating on some picturesque lake, we retired to the cabin for a dinner of grilled steak, potatoes and assorted vegetables.

Having recently returned from a “boy’s trip” to the States, my dining companion had brought with us to the cabin, a few bottles of Californian wine, purchased at a very reasonable price ($15-$20 max). Just as dinner was coming to a close, and after everyone had imbibed their fair share of any one of the following: beer, rum, scotch, and/or vodka, we decided to open one of KC’s bottles of California Cabernet Sauvignon. Declaring it a tremendous bottle of wine, we marveled at the $14.99 price tag on the bottle (its price was doubly-impressive in that this summer, while on a road trip through California, we had purchased the cheapest bottle of Stag’s Leap we could find and that rang in at about $60 USD). Upon closer inspection of the tag, we noticed that there was no decimal point and in fact, the price tag read $14999. While my dining companion was fairly sure he would have noticed a credit bill with a $150 charge for one bottle of wine, it was enough to cause some concern. In turn, it made us all a little sorry that we had not started the evening off with the good stuff. I would like to be able to comment on the wine’s bouquet, body, finish, etc., but I can honestly say that beyond being an incredible glass of wine, I don’t remember much else.

After returning home the following day (which had begun with a breakfast of no less than five or six meats!), and after comforting ourselves with the fact that KC did indeed only pay $14.99 USD for the bottle, we both did a bit of internet research only to discover that our bottle of Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Blend retailed anywhere between $150 and $200. Did we feel a little guilty? Yes. But as this is a blog that focuses on culinary and oenophile experience, rather than ethical responsibility, we’ll enjoy it for what it was – a heck of a deal!

Stag’s Leap Cask 23, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000

9/10