One of my co-workers is going to be sworn in as a US Citizen later this month. She’s a French national and lives here with her husband and son. She is simply an amazing human being and several of us in the office are interested in giving her a gift. One of the items in the gift basket should be a great American wine(s).
Bubbles would be fun
Cabernet likely more representative
I don’t know our domestic bubbles very well and the first Cabernets that come to mind would be:
Ridge Monte Bello
Heitz Martha’s
and a few more of the common Napa names.
But, anyone have any suggestions on what we may want to consider? The budget is very good. We have 10 folks chipping in. There are a few other gifts to get but if the answer was a $500.00 of wine, we’re not concerned about that.
You’ll get as many answers as there are wines, but I’d give her a Napa Cab. Assuming she has a bit of a French palate, something like Corison would be great. And why not a Ridge Zin? They don’t grow it in France and it’s seen as a pretty American grape.
Good for her! Very thoughtful gesture. I always think of Zinfandel as the quintessential American wine. It also benefits by having no French version for comparison.
Congratulations!! I would suggest a search for a magnum or larger of Ridge Geyserville with a few years or more of age on it. You’ll have a lot of money left over for other items in the gift bag and a big bottle is always more festive.
You could show her the American interpretation of a Bordeaux blend like Virage, Phelps Insignia, or Mark Ryan Dead Horse. 2011 would be a decent vintage if you want her to taste as close to a European version as possible, or 2012 if you want her to experience a more ripe style. Either vintage is drinking well now and should be fairly easy to source.
Birth year of a classic cab would be fun if you know it and it aligns with a decent vintage. Alternatively, while I normally wouldn’t push Opus ahead of many other alternatives, the French/American partnership is interesting. I can say definitively that in your shoes I’d spend way too much time trying to pick the perfect bottle!
And while I am not a huge fan of American oak, Draper’s committment to making an American product using American oak, has a relatable story here.
Ridge Monte Bello is by far the easy choice. En Magnum.
The only other choice I would consider, and oh boy it would cost serious cash and take time to put together, but would be very cool, would be a line-up of the American wines that beat France in the Judgment of Paris:
Why not Dominus? It seems appropriate that it’s the brainchild of a Frenchman who fell in love with Napa. 2006 is a recent vintage that is drinking really well and rather underrated (or you could look around for 1991 if you wanted to get something ridiculous)
No idea what kind of wine she likes, but if you want to go on the more Burgundian side I’d opt for one of the Patricia Green Cellars single vineyards. “Mysterious” is just fantastic, but I think it’s wine club only; Etzel Block is on the same level and Dijon 115 or Pommard (both Freedom Hill) are very close behind, as is Durant Madrone. After all, tous les chemins mènent à la Bourgogne!
That was the first one that came to mind.
then Opus
then Martha’s
If someone gave me a French wine to celebrate me getting French citizenship, I think a 1st growth Bordeaux would make sense, like those famous American labels do, even though there are “better” Napa cabs these days.