Genie in a Bottle

The label is simple. Clean. White. Stark comes to mind. The name of the wine, The Chocolate Block, is stated clearly in dark chocolate-colored block lettering at the top of the nearly pristine label. What’s inside, though, is the complete opposite. There is a genie inside every bottle of The Chocolate Block waiting for the person lucky enough, or smart enough, to take one of these special bottles home. Once you’ve taken home The Chocolate Block, rub it, make a selfish wish that you’d never tell anyone, remove the cork, and release the genie that’s waiting inside to grant you that selfish wish.

Would you like to hear the story about how I discovered this wine? Of course you would!

I’d walked past this wine for months at Esquin, my favorite wine shop in Seattle. I’d see the label and stop and stare. What could possibly be in this bottle with the stark, white, label? About half Syrah, some Grenache Noir (you don’t see that grape in a red blend every day), Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon (very small amount – good!), and a splash of Viognier. Interesting blend. I’d look at the price of $37.00 and wonder if this South African red blend could really be worth the price of admission. It’s not that I’m a cheap-ass. I’m really not. I really don’t mind spending a few extra dollars once in a while for a special wine. I wasn’t ready to commit yet. I’d never talked to anyone who tried this one and the name, The Chocolate Block, implies that this wine might be too - something.

I was at a wine tasting last summer with friends and after tasting at a large wine shop, Pete’s, in Bellevue, we went to a very small wine shop, Seattle Wine Company (it’s in Bellevue so I haven’t figured out why it’s called Seattle Wine Company) for another tasting. What? Two wine tastings in a row? Hedonist! No, it was summer and the days are very long here in the summer. Shut up! Anywho, I was perusing the wine shop and came across The Chocolate Block and I performed the usual ritual. I stopped and stared at the label. I looked at the price. Hey! This one was $32.00! That’ll work. I took the plunge and bought a bottle. The clerk in the wine shop told me to open it at least an hour before drinking to let it breathe. I took the bottle home and tucked it away. I opened it a few months later at a red wine blending party I had at my place. I know. This one was already a red blend. I decided to open it to share it with friends thinking it would be too – something – for me to drink alone.

I opened that first bottle early in the day, around 2:30. The party wouldn’t start for another 4 hours. I let the genie out of the bottle. And the genie granted my wish. This wine was everything I had hoped for and much, much more. It was dark red - the color of blood. I stuck my nose inside the glass and inhaled deeply. It smelled delicious like cherries but it wasn't open enough yet to smell much. I tasted it and smelled it once an hour for hours. I was rewarded with aromas of dark chocolate covered cherries, leather, bacon fat, and flowers. The genie grew larger and more powerful as time went on. I tasted dark cherries, a hint of dark chocolate, spice, smoke, pepper. This genie wasn’t just another pretty face granting wishes willy-nilly. This genie was complex, muscular but balanced, juicy, beautiful blood-like in color, fragrant, earthy, and definitely worth the price of admission.

I opened my second bottle of The Chocolate Block a couple of nights ago and shared it with a wino friend. I invited my friend over for a dinner of lamb chops and saffron rice. The wine and the lamb chops were a wonderful match. The genie came out again and granted me my wish. Open a bottle of The Chocolate Block when you have plenty of time to enjoy the amazing transformation this wine goes through and be prepared to have the genie grant your most selfish wish.

The Stats:

What: Dry red wine – The Chocolate Block
Producer: Boekenhoutskloof
Vintage: 2006, 324 Barrels
Varietals: Syrah 55%, Grenache Noir 17%, Cinsault 15%, Cabernet Sauvignon 9%, Viognier 4%
Alcohol by volume: 14.5%
Location: Franschhoek, South Africa
Cost: $38.00
Location purchased: Esquin Wine Merchants, http://www.esquin.com/, Seattle, WA