oh my goodness.

Rob just did something blog-worthy: He opened a bottle of 1997 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Oh, my.

We've just poured into our ginormous red wine glasses and are waiting for it to open up and settle before taking a sip.

Dinner tonight definitely merits this killer bottle: Grilled steaks over sliced tomatoes, sauteed green beans from the garden, crusty bread. Not to mention the unparalleled company of my two boys.

Years ago, when Mondavi was still an independent, publicly traded company (before it the family squabbled, sold the business and watched it lose some of its luster), we bought Mondavi stock. It was a fairly minor investment -- basically, just enough to score us a wicked discount at the winery and access to their VIP tasting room (which poured a hundred bucks worth of wines, easy, just at the tasting). We bought this bottle at the winery and stashed it away for a special occasion. Like an otherwise ordinary Saturday night @ 645.

The first sip: Unbelievable. It's brick red. Huge. Full-bodied, still a bit punchy on the tongue but smooth on the finish.

Oh my.