We interrupt this Okanagan trip report to bring you a very special news bulletin.

OK not a news bulletin at all, but a very special bottle of wine.

Last night was the start of a new chapter of our lives. Don't ask me to elaborate, I'm not going to go into details, but we are turning something quite negative into something completely positive. In celebration, we decided to crack open one of the big boys.....something that I had given my wife for Christmas last year. Nothing like giving the wife a present that I get to enjoy too :-)

The first scents of this wine are almost overpowering. Something like this:

You just have to use your imagination to replace the fish with the aromas of a beautiful bottle of red wine.

For dinner, I cooked up one of my favorites, prime rib with a red wine and thyme au jus. And no, I didn't use THIS red wine in the au jus, that would have been a tragedy (although I'm sure the jus would have been exemplary). So here it is:

Robert Mondavi 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($150)

As I mentioned above, the powerful aromas hypnotize your senses. Blackberry, black cherry, cedar, vanilla and slight notes of violets all come through to varying degrees. On the palate the black fruits are joined by a touch of minerality and earthiness. This wine is huge and will only improve with more time. To think, this would have probably improved for another DECADE, maybe more, in the bottle, if we had that kind of patience. Well, I'm gonna go get another bottle and we'll find out. This is a tour-de-force in winemaking and worth every penny. 96.