19 October 2007 - How do you grade an emotion?

I had an extremely busy day of wine tasting on Monday -- took notes on sixt-two; didn't bother noting another handfull of truly awful specimens. I tasted some terrific new stuff, purchased six of them for immediate arrival. But one wine -- Tenuta della Terre Nere Rosso '05 Guardiola, Etna, Sicily -- stood out. Guardiola is a vineyard situated between 800-900 meters up the northern slope of Mount Etna, planted with 105 year-old Nerello Mascalese vines. The estate is owned by the Italian wine importer Marc de Grazia. I was floored by this wine -- with a store full of sales reps waiting their turn, time stood still. I immediately sent the sales rep to the warehouse (fortunately only a ten minute drive away) to pick up a case so that I'd be able to take a bottle home for dinner that night.

What was it about this wine? I'm tempted to say "on any objective scale..." but what does "objective" have to do with it? Sure, it's a well-balanced, technically well-made wine, but I'm not a scientist. I'm in the business of pleasure, and this bottle (and the bottle I drank Monday night) brought me immense pleasure. It never entered my mind to give it some kind of grade. I have wondered, however, when I will have a chance to taste another wine (this was my first) from this estate. Could the next one possibly live up to the expectations created by the first?