Sometime last year, I was searching the Internet for dogs and wine. I can’t remember what I was looking for, but I found a photo of a wine label, which included George Rodrigue‘s Blue Dog. I  discovered Blue Dog when Rodrigue’s works of art were first displayed in an art gallery in SoHo many years ago. I then had the opportunity to view and ultimately purchase a lithograph at his New Orleans, LA studio, while on vacation in 1997. Seeing Blue Dog paired with wine, I was instantly in love with the label, and set about finding a way to acquire it.

It turned out that the wine was from Amuse Bouche, the Pomerol-style, Napa Valley Merlot blend wine from renowned winemaker, Heidi Barrett.  More specifically, it was their 2006 vintage, as they commission a new label from a recognized artist each year; the 2007 vintage sports artwork by LeRoy Neiman.

Produced in limited quantity, the wine is only available in a six-pack from the winery. However, I was too late; the 2006 vintage was sold out. After some detective work, I found the wine available from wine retailer, the Duke of Bourbon in California. While we could have purchased a single bottle of the wine, we chose to do the six-pack as it would include a signed lithograph of the label design.

The wine and lithograph arrived earlier this fall and we were so excited to receive it. We have not yet opened up any of the wine, but it is safely nestled in our cellar. The lithograph was taken to Jack’s Art Gallery, our local go-to framer, who did a fabulous job, as usual. The framed Blue Dog was appropriately hung in our dining room, just in time to host a small dinner party with friends.

It is truly a joy to look at the art and, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.