2005 Rubaiyat - Cakebread Cellars

Jamie and I signed onto the Cakebread Cellarswine club after a visit to their winery during an October 2005 trip to Napa Valley, and have thoroughly enjoyed their wines ever since.  It's by far Jamie's favorite chardonnay, and she can tolerate the reds (which is saying a lot - she can't stand red wine).  I actually love the reds, but tolerate the whites, but haven't enjoyed any as much as much as a bottle of the 2005 Rubaiyat, which we got last month.  I opened one of the bottles last week, and am finishing the last glass this evening.  It's a red wine blend (66% pinot, 24% zin & 10% syrah) with a really warm oak-y taste that I particularly like.  I try not to drink the good stuff alone, but I had to this past week when Jamie was gone with her friends to Mackinac Island, and it turned out to be a really good decision!  I had the first half-glass sitting on the front porch one evening watching Collin & Parker play, and decided that was what I'd been doing wrong - the wine really does taste better outside looking at the scenery.  I'm sure it has something to do with one's mood, but that definitely makes a difference!