Over the holidays, we lifted our glasses in a special toast to Ken and Robin Nydam, even though we’ve never met them. The reason for the toast was sad, unfortunately – we were drinking 2006 Monolith from their recently closed winery, Arlington Road Cellars.

As I mentioned in early December, we stopped by their tasting room during St. Nick’s weekend and learned the doors were closing that weekend. What bad news! We purchased a couple of bottles of 2006 Monolith for only $25 — and now I wish we had even more.

In my opinion, the 2006 vintage surpassed the first release (2004), which received critical acclaim. This traditional Bordeaux-style wine blends Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), Merlot (21%), Cab Franc (11%) and Petit Verdot (2%).

So we once again toast Arlington Roads and wish Ken and Robin the best in the future.

Cheers!