As 2024 comes to a close, I have much to be grateful for. As many of you know, I became a new parent in May. Embracing this completely novel and incredible role has also, in a wonderful twist, coincided with discovering a re-invigorated passion for my career and the work that I do here at Leland Little. As I reflect on what I’ve learned and how my worldview has shifted over the last twelve months, there is one particular idea that I want to carry forward into the new year: it’s time to stop waiting for the right moment to embrace what we already have in front of us. Too often we hold on to special bottles of wine, or wait to tell someone how much we appreciate them, rushing through the day and always telling ourselves we’ll get around to those things tomorrow or next week.

I’ve had many occasions recently, while rocking a crying baby to sleep, to reflect on my own tendency towards impatience. It’s a work in progress, but I am trying hard to re-frame these frustrating moments as opportunities to pause and be present with my son as he is now. It turns out that all the cliches about becoming a parent and how quickly your child grows are true. At the risk of throwing one more cliche on the pile, I want to encourage you to take the time today, or this week, or at some point before 2025 arrives on our doorstep, to do the thing that you’ve been waiting for the right occasion to do. There might never be a perfect moment to open that bottle or hand-write a card to the person you love, but there is this moment.

Below are two bottles from our shop that I’ve been waiting for the right time to highlight. They are pricey and a little bit extravagant, but they’re also truly great and - without a doubt - special. The special bottle you open does not by any means need to look like either of these, but if you’d like a little help embracing the ‘carpe diem’ spirit, might I recommend:

2004 Dom Perignon 'Plenitude 2' $618

‘Patiently elevated to a new summit of expression,’ the Plenitude 2 is aged for 15 years before release, bringing extra layers of complexity, depth, and elegance to an already superb wine. The 2004 release has received top scores across the board, including 95 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, who wrote: “...Forward and giving, there’s no obvious reason to defer gratification.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

2018 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $665

A paragon of Napa Valley Cabernet, Eisele Vineyard has continually produced world class wines for over five decades, and the 2018 bottling stands as a pinnacle of that success. Both Wine Advocate and James Suckling awarded it 99 points, highlighting its elegance, power, and refinement matched with complex notes of dark fruit and cocoa and a superb, extraordinarily long finish.

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