Wine for Christmas

Yup... forget Holidays.... Labor Day is a Holiday... Memorial Day is a Holiday... New Year's Day is a Holiday.... Christmas is Christmas....

Then again, I guess you could technically call any day that you get off work a Holiday...

Then again, any day can be an even better Holiday with some nice beverage... i.e. wine.

Over the last 5 months, I've written all kinds of posts to this blog and I don't think anyone is reading them. I may as well be writing in a little journal or diary and tucking it neatly into a night stand before crashing each evening.

Oh, well... doesn't matter. I think this is my first post in about 7-8 weeks. And it's all about getting pleasantly toasted for Christmas.

Perhaps this is because I've had a nice 22oz bottle of my home-brewed IPA tonight and 3 glasses of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - one of my favorites. Or maybe it's because I found a bottle of 2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz for $4.99 at Target this afternoon. Or maybe it's because my Rosenblum Red Rangers shipment arrived last week. Or maybe it's because I've been expounding all year long about the merits of buying Columbia Crest wines only to watch its' 2005 Reserve Cabernet top Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2009.... or maybe it's just because I like to drink.

It doesn't matter, does it? I mean, whatever is your liking, enjoy it. Whether it's a Holiday or Christmas or both.... all I know is that Jesus turned water to wine... and in the movie "Bottle Shock", it is quoted that wine is the perfect blend of sunlight and water... or something like that... I was drinking when I watched that, too.

Well, in these recessive times... to hell with all of you who think that a $500 bottle of wine is better than a $27 dollar bottle just because it's really cool to brag to all of your Lexus-driving friends that you can match your monthly lease payment on grape juice.... to hell with you. Why? Because if it tastes good, the rating doesn't freaking matter. If it tastes good, raise your glass and say.... with a big healthy intoxicated smile across your beaming mug....

Cheers!

I remember that!

It's been about 6 weeks since I last contributed to this little series of wine exploits... somewhat because I'm a bit discouraged. I have no idea how to market this or what to even do with it! I love wine and think it would be fun to work around it in some capacity. However, the only credentials I have are pretty much self-learned or gleaned from the expertise of friends. Truly, some of these friends are very knowledgeable about wine and hold fairly high level positions in the wine industry. I've learned alot from them. But, I also pretty much "wing it" when it comes to my wine selections.

Oh, I do the basic stuff like red wine and red meat, white wine with white meat, etc... then I go off and have red wine with a burger or fish, or white wine with tacos or hot wings, then have another red wine to finish things off. It's fun to experiment and I really don't have any boundaries for this. Once we drank a Petite Sirah with sushi! Did the stuff match? Not at all. But the wine tasted good and the food tasted good and that's all I cared about.

Recently, we opened a bottle of 2001 Justin Isosceles at the Melting Pot in Santa Barbara. It worked great. Of course we tasted all kinds of different things... fish, chicken, beef, cheese, bread, veggies, etc... so, the food was all over the place - not to mention the spices and sauces. The wine held up fine. In fact, after sitting out and breathing for about 30 minutes, it softened up into a phenomenally smooth wine but still had the structure to maintain its elegance in spite of the onslaught of flavors circulating the table.

Other wine I've tasted over the last month include the 2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet (needs to sit for a while... it's far gentler than the robust 2005)... 2006 3-rings Barossa Shiraz, 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah, 2006 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel... heck, can't really remember them all.

No matter. I'm not really sure what the purpose to this blog is at all, except perhaps a casual journal that I might look upon one day and say... Hey... I remember that!

Cheers!

2 glasses of wine....

Last night, I did some music at JT Schmids in Anaheim in the open air patio.... during the evening, I decided to try some wine by the glass.

The first was an Acacia Chardonnay... filled with oak, some nice pear and peach nuances... it was served in an appropriately tall glass with about 7oz of drink. It was also served chilled. This gave the wine a slightly harshness that dissipated as the wine warmed up.... then the rough edges smoothed out and it was really delicious!

The 2nd was the 337 Cabernet from Lodi.... ordinarily, I'm not big on this wine, but, last night - served in the same type of glass as the Chardonnay (a non-crystal glass about the size of the average Bordeaux glass from Reidel)... this wine tasted quite good. Perhaps it was because I followed the oaky Chardonnay, but the 337 had some nice berry fruit with a bit of tobacco and coffee notes on the finish... yeah, the finish was relatively short, but it was not unpleasant at all.

Bottom line? Sometimes it's just nice to get a glass of wine and not overly intellectualize it... just drink it.

After all, it's still grape juice!

Cheers :)

Miscellaneous Wine and Beer Stuff

It's been about a month since I last posted something here and there's a good reason for it. I've had nothing to say.

Yeah, I've enjoyed some nice wines during that time... the 2006 Justin Cabernet, the 2007 Concha Y Toro Cabernet, 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah, 2007 Mollydooker Syrah... and I've tasted some good beer.... Bear Republic's Racer 5, Stone's Arrogant Bastard, and Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA....

And I've come to a conclusion. I'm currently bored with wine. There's nothing really exciting to me right now in terms of tasting something that gives me the sensation of WOW! In other words, in my budget... say... $7 - $30 per bottle, I've probably spent around $30,000 in the last 7-8 years...

So, I've tasted a lot of wine. And - nothing blows me away anymore. Yeah, there's some good tasting stuff and rarely do I taste something that I simply do not like - however simple the wine is.... but, really.... it's still just grape juice.

I've actually been navigating over to beer.... the problem is it's so freaking filling and I'm not a sipper when it comes to beer... I like to DRINK it! So, it goes quickly and sits on my waistline. Not good.

But my taste buds say different. My taste buds don't care about my waistline or my budget or my opinion. And I've found that, at least for now, beer is more interesting than wine.

Wine notes from the road....

Let's start with a visit to Barnes And Nobles in Chico, CA... walking around during a rare visit with mom... not because mom and I aren't close, but because of geography... I find the Twinkies Cookbook. Something is very wrong here!Anyway, later that evening, I visited my dad... and we grilled up some rib-eye steaks - purchased at Costco for the bold price of only $7.99/lb. I've not found better meat at a lower price anywhere.

The wine we enjoyed was the 2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet. I really like this wine and wanted to turn my dad onto it as he's a big fan of Australian Shiraz - the cheap stuff - because it's good and cheap. The Mollydooker is bold and full of flavor... dark berries, licorice, mocha, and holds up very well rib-eye steaks. Oh, did I mention that we cooked over oak and manzaneta?

Well, my journey had a few other detours as well. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting The Wine Room in Paradise, CA. This is a charming little boutique with quite an inventory of gifts, cards, and various trinkets that my wife might be more familiar with than I am.... but they have a very nice little wine inventory.... in fact, I found the magnificent 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet here and bought one.... I think they have 3 or 4 left. It paired very nicely with grilled slightly Cajun-spiced salmon - again cooked over oak.
Of course no visit to the Chico/Paradise area is complete without a stop by the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Dad and I enjoyed a nice lunch - a nice hoppy Torpedo IPA - and a small tour of the facility. If you're ever in town, visit the Sierra Nevada brewery. The food is great, the building is beautiful, the people are honestly friendly, and the concert hall deserves a peek as well. Oh, the tour area smells like fresh hops!

After leaving Paradise, I made my way down to Moss Beach to visit family and enjoy more wine and food. The Seal Cove Inn is a wonderfully charming chateau located within walking distance from the ocean, a bunch of seals, and a fantastic sunset! Looking over this while enjoying the 2006 Rosenblum Lyons Reserve Zinfandel from Napa Valley is a pleasure all by itself.

Well, two days at Moss Beach and we were back on the road, stopping in Paso Robles at the Denner Winery to check out their new member facility. It's beautiful. The view is sensational. The people are very nice. The wines are great. Enough said.

The trip culminated with a visit to friends in our local area to enjoy some homemade pizza and a nice bottle of 2004 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Reserve. Well, we also opened a bottle of 2005 Turnbull Cabernet and a bottle of 2006 Provenance Cabernet and.... needless to say, we slept very well that night.

When all is said and done, a couple of nights ago, an old friend visited and we duplicated menu items from the Morton's Steak Bible - bacon-wrapped scallops, Cajun rib-eye steaks (I'm a big fan of rib-eye)... their signature spinach salad (in the cook book but no longer on their regular menu)... and washed it all down with a bottle of 2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir and a 2006 Justin Isosceles.
It's been a great month... a tasty month.... and one filled with good food, tasty wine, and, most of all, great friends and close family. It doesn't get much better than this.

2005 Rosenblum Sonoma County Hillside Vineyard Syrah

I love finding new wines... new for me, I mean. Of course, I have varietals that I love more often than others.... Syrah being one of my favorites.

Last night I opened a bottle of the 2005 Rosenblum Sonoma County Hillside Vineyard Syrah and enjoyed two glasses with a Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger.... no ketchup or mustard... just lettuce, a thin slice of tomato... that's it.

And, damn, if this wine didn't just hold up but the flavor just kept coming and coming... hints of dried cherries, blackberry pie, mocha, and the unmistakable finish laced with soft tannins and white pepper.

This is a wine that just keeps on giving.

Enjoy.... Cost Plus World Market currently has a great deal on this wine. One of the best deals around on any wine in this price range!

Cheers!

Concha Y Toro 2007 Cabernet

2 nights ago, we had a few friend over for dinner.... grilled some steaks, salmon, made a salad, and dined. Unusually, there weren't very many wine drinkers among us this time so I made margaritas for those who still wanted something to drink.

Me, I opened a bottle of Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha 2007 Cabernet. It paired very nicely with my grilled Rib Eye steak. The wine was still young, however and - although I should have decanted, I opened the bottle after the steaks were done and we were seated. So, there wasn't much time.

I had a couple of glasses and re corked the bottle, only to open it up again last night. NOW the wine had softened a bit... I could taste yummy notes of dark chocolate and mocha or cocoa powder and there was a nice cedar and spice note to the nose.

Keep in mind, this wine is still just a baby... it needs to cellar for a while... I'm going to pick up a few more bottles - love those $14 prices at Costco - and lay 'em down... I think that, by late 2010 to mid 2011, this wine should be phenomenal and will probably only get more phenomenal as the years go by... probably good for 8-10 years.

Cheers!

Zaca Mesa Syrah

Last night, we had a couple of friends over for an impromptu dinner - grilled burgers seasoned in sea salt, whole wheat buns, avocado, grilled white onions, lettuce, tomato, and the rest of the usual burger suspects... oh, and some BBQ chips to round things out.

Since we had already finished our Racer 5 and Arrogant Bastard, we decided to open a bottle of 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah. Damn, I love this wine. It's the 3rd or 4th bottle I've tasted in the last 6 months and, today, I'm off to pick up some more - because it's delicious and that was my last bottle.

This wine is so smooth... so velvety, with soft white pepper on the finish, but not after being hit with wonderful blackberry, licorice, and mocha notes... very nice wine... love it.

And, it went well with the burgers!!!! Pickles and all. We held our glasses up to the sky, looked through the bottom of the glasses and, except for the edges, the wine was almost completely opaque. See the wine notes from Zaca Mesa: http://www.zacamesa.com/pdf/wineNotes_syrah2005.pdf.

I'm ready to see what this thing will do with a Cajun Rib Eye steak at Morton's Steakhouse.... salivating already.

Cheers!

We're only in it for the money...

There was a Frank Zappa album that came out in the late 60's called "We're Only In It For The Money" - a parody of the Beatles' Sgt Peppers album. Most of the record was filled with random sounds, musical instruments occasionally playing in time or harmony with each other... it was brilliant satire. It was also clearly as noncommercial as music could get - on an intentional level. That was the pitch, really - to say you're only in something for the money implies that you are going to create something that is very middle-of-the-road - something for the masses to easily grasp and enjoy. The irony is that the Zappa album was actually the opposite... hence the fun!

For me, wine is like music. White Zinfandel is a tasty little bugger - and there's simply not much difference between what each winery makes in this regard. It's fruity, food friendly, tasty when chilled, and appeals to a wide audience. I can't tell you how many times I've been in the grocery store and watched people buy White Zinfandel. It's like getting a kid an iTunes gift card. It's so generic that the kid will find something to love with it.

So the question for me is, do winemakers create wine for money or is there something more? It's probably both. I have a friend who makes amazing beer. I know it's amazing because I've tasted it. I've also tasted other folks homemade brews and, for the most part, they suck. I've taken my friends beers and shared them with other folks - 'serious' beer drinkers who can't stand Budweiser but love a nice robust Arrogant Bastard or Racer 5. These folks love my friend's beer. I asked him if he was interested in marketing it; making it for sale. His reply was no. He's not interested in making money - even though, if you are a beer drinker and tasted his brews, I'm certain you would also buy it at the market or order it at a restaurant. It's that good. But my friend is perfectly content making 5 gallons of very high quality brew for his own enjoyment and to share with friends. The end result is satisfaction enough.

I have another friend who loves wine as much as I do. He's a bit more knowledgeable about wine making than I am - he's growing his own grapes to make his own wine. He hasn't mentioned selling it. He only mentions how excited he is to make his own wine - and do everything he can to make a great wine! The rationale? If he can make a great Syrah or Zinfandel, then he doesn't need to pay someone else to do it. Bottles that might cost him $50 or more can be enjoyed in abundance in his own home... with the pride and satisfaction of knowing that he did it himself.

But, I wonder, what if my friend decides to sell a few bottles.... and people like it and ask for more... then, he has a problem. He either continues to make it for himself and forget the money-making possibilities, or he decides to take a chance on a new business endeavor: one that was born of a passion to make and enjoy great wine only to become a business filled with the technical and financial realities that come with having to produce, have quality control, sell, market, etc etc....

I just wonder when the passion dies and gives way to trying to compete. When does even enjoying a glass at home become a test marketing comparison as the mind starts seeing everything in a financial light? At what point is it time to either move on or just accept that what started as a passion and love of craft becomes just a job and daily quest for survival in a very tough industry?

Thinking of Frank Zappa again, I think Charles Shaw wines are mildly drinkable, most are awful, and some are just this side of good but not delicious by any stretch. However, many people buy this wine because they just want a wine that doesn't cost much. Last I heard, Mr. Shaw was making a ton of money on this wine. His challenge seems to be making wine that even the two-buck customer will appreciate and not be offended by. Mr. Zappa made an album that implied mass appeal but, as any Zappa fan of that time will tell you, the goal was never being in it for the money. It was about making great music. Just like my friends' goals of making great beer and great wine.

Someone once told me that, if what you do causes you to say fuck humans, then get out. Make loving those that you love the thing you are best at - above all else. I want to extend that into love of craft... if you do not love what you do, think about this: you're going to die. You will. We all will. And between here and there, do you want to leave behind a legacy of making money or making something memorable, lasting, and special? We will all forget how much money you made. But, pour out a great wine that you put your heart and soul into while we celebrate that special conversation with a friend or loved one, and we will never forget you.

Cheers!

Finding a good wine...

Some wines really taste great... some are okay... some are awful. Not everyone who makes wine does a good job of it and many must be in it for the money only because the quality is 'just enough to pass for wine but a nice ice tea would probably have more depth and complexity than these pretenders.

Conversely, some wines are a complete experience themselves.... these wines hit the taste buds and don't go away... and you really don't want them to. The wines are so delicious that you want to keep drinking... caution - intoxication on the way... it's still alcohol. But getting buzzed is merely a side effect to a really great bottle and, hopefully, some cool conversations with a fellow wine-lover.

Both of the above are somewhat rare - at least in my price range.... I don't buy $4 bottles of wine since a really great micro brew is a much better buy. Where most wines fall for me - in every price range - is that drinking them is a very subjective experience. It depends so much on what you've had to eat - that day or, even the day before - or what else you've had to drink.... do you have a cold (stuffy noses affect taste buds, dude - or dudette)... or maybe you're just looking for a particular flavor and the wine you open either matches that expectation or doesn't. This is not reflective on the quality of the wine but merely the situation.

When I first got into wine, I figured that the more I spent, the better the wine. Then, more recently, I started looking at the wine ratings from the vino rags, choosing the higher rated wines - a little better than just looking at price. Both of these assumptions are not grounded in experience but consumer gullibility. Even though, often, I find myself in agreement with the wine ratings, it comes back to the moment - because, when you drink the wine, that's the moment that the ratings count - not the ratings from the magazine or website, but YOUR ratings!

Bottom line, if you like the wine, then for you it's a good wine. Enjoy, drink up... don't drive... and be adventurous!

Cheers!

Nice family dinner.... with wine, of course

Last night, I decided to try something different.... BBQ spaghetti. Well, not entirely... I took a pound of extra lean hamburger, seasoned it up with lots of garlic salt, and put the whole slab on the BBQ. I turned the slab about every 2 minutes until it was cooked almost all the way through.... then I took it from the grill and moved it into a frying pan, chopped up the slab, and added some sliced spicy Italian sausage. I continued grilling the sausage and chopped beef and, as the sausage became dark around the edges, I added basil tomato sauce and some chopped onion. Then, I let the whole thing just simmer for about 20 minutes while I boiled the spaghetti noodles, heated up some bread, and tossed a baby green salad.

While I cooked, I enjoyed a nice cold bottle of Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA. Delicious beer.

With dinner, we opened a bottle of 2005 Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red... a deliciously mid-fruity and mildly spicy red blend that worked very nicely with the spicy spaghetti.

Final thought - doing the BBQ added nice flavor, but it also dried the meat out a bit. Oh well.... didn't matter. We enjoyed the dinner complete with the wine, and I crashed around 9:30 last night... game over.

Cheers!

Justin Malbec

I love the Justin wines, for the most part. The good stuff is really freaking good. I mean, world class good. The Isosceles is year by year one of the most consistently good wines I've ever had... and I've been drinking every vintage 9 years running.

Their reserve wines... especially the Savant (Cab/Syrah blend) and Cabernet, are simply wonderful, as is the Justification. If you know anything about Cheval Blanc, taste the Justification - Merlot/Cab Franc.... wonderful wine with amazing structure, tannin, and dark fruit.

The Justin white wines... well, I'm not going to focus on these... that's not what they really do best.

But the reds.... that brings me to the 2007 Malbec. We opened a bottle last night with some DiGiorno pepperoni pizza (I always add more cheese and pepperoni) along with a nice romaine salad... and the wine was perfect! It has luscious fruit - blackberry, boysenberry, with some nice cocoa power and mocha on the finish. Great wine - especially for the $20 that it's easily worth.

Congrats to Justin again for a job well done.

Cheers!

2007 Sea Smoke Southing

Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated our 21st Anniversary at Arnie Morton's Steakhouse in Los Angeles.... for lunch!

We love this particular location - not only because the food is as good as any we've tasted, but because the folks there are some of the friendliest people we've met at any restaurant - bar none. From management all the way through the ranks, we are greeted with smiles, treated warmly, and provided with an experience - every time - that gives use one more great memory of Morton's.

Yesterday, we brought our own wine... a brand new bottle of 2007 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir. As soon as I dropped my nose into the glass, I could tell this was a winner. The semi-sweet raspberries and cranberry aromas were soft and... well... were kind of like foreplay. The wine tasted.... incredible. This is a very BOLD.... BOLD Pinot. It's got the kind of structure one would expect from a Cabernet or Syrah (Please don't tell me that Syrah is added to this wine)... and the finish has incredible acidity and minerality...

Enter our food - I had the Morton's Cheeseburger.... with grilled onions, mushrooms, horseradish cheddar, and fries.... my wife had the Rib eye and mashed potatoes....

And the 2007 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir handled the whole thing!!!!! The wine didn't weaken or faint once... in other words, if the food was the stage, this wine pole-danced all around it... naked and alluring, sultry, full of style and substance....

Okay... when is the last time you heard of a wine being compared to a stripper?

Take the cork out of this one and drink up... but save 1 or 2 for aging... this wine will last 3-5 years easily.... on my scale... it's a bold 95 points.... but, then again, with wine this freaking good, who's counting?

Cheers!

Santa Ema

I opened this bottle of 2005 Santa Ema Reserve Cabernet from Maipo Valley in Chile about 6 days ago. It paired very nicely with the Cajun Rib Eye my wife and I shared but was still a bit over the top on the fruit... medium berries overwhelmed the tannins... so, I corked it and put it in the fridge.

Yup... the fridge.

Then I opened it again 2 nights ago and WOW! Thinking back, I probably should have decanted this thing... what a wonderful dark and rich Cabernet this turned out to be. For fun, I corked it one more time and put it back into the fridge until last night... damned if the wine wasn't even more balanced! This after 6 days... 6 days!!!!

Now - before you assume that I drank it too cold, I didn't. I let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before pouring. There was no chilling-green effect. The wine was simply delicious.... and all for $9.99 at Cost Plus World Market.

Cheers!!!!!

I can't say enough about Columbia Crest wines

The title says it all. I'm looking and cannot find a wine under $10 that I like as much (let alone more) than the Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines.... especially the Cabernet and Merlot. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages of these wines are up to the task of many wines I've spent over $20 on over the years. In fact, in many cases, it's not even close.

For example, the 2005 Beaulieu Rutherford Cabernet sells for between $18 (costco) to around $30 (markets) and starts nicely out of the glass but finishes thin and weak. By contrast, the 2005 Grand Estates Cabernet is a bit softer up front, but finishes with nice tanin and structure to pair well with grilled meats that are rubbed and spiced up.

In fact, in a test that I recently did, I opened the BV and the Columbia Crest, and drank both over a 3 day period. I ended up pouring out the BV on day 3 and finishing the Columbia Crest. The temperature conditions and timing of bottle opening were virtually identical. But, after 3 days, the Columbia Crest was still drinking heartily and full of dark fruit flavors.

As for the Columbia Crest Merlot.... the 2004 was incredible. The 2005 is a bit more earthy and darker but has a bit more body than the 2004. The 2006 is much like the 2004 and I'm anxious to find out how it holds up into 2010 and 2011.

These days, value is important. There are many overpriced products out there, products that are priced according to reputation and name value. But I don't care about name value. I care about taste... I care about flavor... and I care about getting the best wine for the least amount of money.

Columbia Crest wines kick ass. Whatever is going on up there in the state of Washington is a fine benchmark for others to follow. Create a great product, don't insult the customer's wallet, and keep 'em coming back for more.

Cheers!

Central Coast Musical Road Trip

Okay, I can't visit the Central Coast of California without thinking about wine. Everywhere I go, drive, walk, stay, there are reminders of the rich winemaking that exists all up and down highways 101 and 1 - extending from Santa Barbara up to Paso Robles and everywher in between. Hotel lobbies are full of brochures on wine trails and vineyards that one can visit. There are simply too many to catch in one day... or one week.... I estimate it would take 2-3 years for a serious wine lover to vist all of the wineries in this area.... over 500 of them.

Thing is, we weren't there for the wine... we were there for the music. My daughter, Jamie and I perform as The Beckers - a Rockin' Family Friendly Father Daughter Musical Duo. We performed at Bernadette's on July 4, Last Stage West on July 5, and returned to Los Angeles for a show that happened to be cancelled at the last minute. This didn't matter... we had a great trip, met some really cool people, and tasted some good food! Also, thanks to Hotwire and Priceline, we were able to get some semi-premium lodging at rock-bottom prices.

Along the way, however, I did manage to have some wine. We stopped in the Olive Garden in Santa Maria on Sunday night and I had a glass of the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot... 2006, I think - anyway, this is a great wine. After two days of bbq food, burgers, ribs, etc, I settled on their breadsticks and salad bowl. My daughter (who is only 14) had the Poratabella Mushroom Ravioli.... she shared a bite with me and I washed it down with the merlot.... very nice!

This stop was after a 3 hour show at the Last Stage West in Atascadero... if you're ever in the area, stop by, have some incredible slow-cooked baby back ribs and say hello to Tom. The folks there are more hospitable than many that I've seen at fancier places, and the food is simply fantastic! Tom also has a small wine selection from local vineyards in Paso Robles - diverse enough to please anyone who likes wine with bbq.

On Monday morning, we drove down Highway 1 through Lompoc and stopped at the warehouse at 333 Highway 246 to pick up my 2007 Sea Smoke purchase. I can hardly wait to open one of these bottles. It's one of my favorite wines a few years running and I've no reason to believe that the 2007 will dissapoint. Although I believe there's been some personnel changes at Sea Smoke, the location of their vineyards and the high expectations will make the production of top notch Pinot a mere link in a very successful chain of great Pinot from Sea Smoke.

Well, I realize this is a bit incoherrent, but I don't really care. It was a great weekend.... some wine, lots of music, and good times with Jamie and my wife, Eva. Heck, even Michelle and Kristna joined us from UCSB on Saturday at Bernadette's.

Cheers!

The schedule....

For the next several days, I'll be immersed in music for The Beckers! This is the band I have with my 14 year old daughter, Jamie.... we've got tons of stuff going on! I've added the calendar to my page in case you're interests. Looking to make a Temecula wine trip next week and have some new pics and wine blogs.... meanwhile.... Cheers!

Two great beers...

Forget the wine today.... I want to talk about Bear Republic Racer 5 and Stone Arrogant Bastard.

These beers eclipse the mainstream stuff. Heck, just two years ago, a cold Sam Adams was amazing to me... so was the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale... they seemed so flavorful with nice sweet and spicy aromas....

WRONG. It's about the evolving tastes... once you have something really good, it's hard to go back.

Yesterday, we opened a bottle of Racer 5... this beer was like having a snack... it was full, robust, sweet but not fruity... nicely balanced with pine-scented hops... talk about a delicious beer!

After some music rehearsal, we opened a bottle of Arrogant Bastard... DAMN! I've had it before but in the 90 degree heat poured into cold mugs, it was not only refreshing, but the flavors were so rich and full - the finish like candy - it only left me craving more.

Alas, that's all we had - so we opened a bottle of Rosenblum Rockpile Zinfandel and dove into a pizza....

Cheers!

California Road Trip

I've been saying that being an unemployed musician who loves wine has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time! While taking my job for granted - assuming it would always be there - I began to develop some fear about not working... or at least not working at the job I'd become so used to. Interestingly enough, so many great things have happened since then, I wouldn't go back. Time is more valuable than money.



With that, on Sunday Morning (June 21), I left with my daughter to drive her back to Berkeley... she actually has a job... and help her into her new apartment. Our time together is precious and, not possible on the level it has been had I been in the precarious position of asking someone (i.e. a 'boss') for 'permission' to leave for such an important endeavor. Again - time over money.

After moving into the apartment (thanks for your help, Jacob) - we digressed toward Moss Beach to hang out at the Seal Cove Inn with family. This is a beautiful bed and breakfast that I highly recommend to anyone who has an affinity for the coast of California.

That evening, we promptly opened a bottle of 2006 Denner Ditch Digger while my brother-in-law, Ray, grilled some redskin potatos and tri-tip marinated in some Basque Norte sauce. The Ditch Digger - a GSM from Paso Robles, was so delicious and refreshing. It's a very flavorful wine that is like a vocalist with a 3octave range.... nice acidity, great structure, and a fantastic finish. But, that was just the warm-up!

During our meal, we opened the 2006 Fetish Watcher Barossa Shiraz. I love this wine. It's just delicious - and, being a big fan of black licorice, well - talk about a terrific pairing with the tri-tip!

Of course, we ran out of wine just as dinner was finished. There's only one solution when that happens - get more wine! So, we drove across the street (PCH to be exact) and picked up a bottle of 2006 Rosenblum Heritage Clones Petite Sirah. Because our wine consumption progressed from gentle to bold, we thought we'd just crash and burn like Led Zeppelin and down the Rosenblum - think Kashmir on 10!!!! This wine rocks.... a lot of bang for the buck.

After watching Bottle Shock (see it!) while enjoying our Rosenblum, the evening ended with a very nice crash on the sofa.

Monday began early with driving my daughter back to Berkeley so that she could go to work, and running some errands for her before her noon lunch break. We spent lunch at Crepes a GoGo on University Avenue in Berkeley. This place does a great job on their Crepes... and the variety pretty much can cover all three meals - Breakfast, Lunch, and - if you like - Dinner!

After lunch, I took her back to work and got on the freeway... North to the 101 toward Healdsburg. I had no plan in mind except to check out this little town. No exit strategy... just running on gasoline, ambition, and curiosity.

I arrived in Healdsburg around 3:00 p.m., parking on the street in the downtown area near the very charming and quaint tree-lined park in the center of the city. My goal was to first visit Murphy Goode.... very easy to find. In fact, finding places to eat or taste wine in downtown Healdsburg is so easy, for someone like me, it's tempting to never leave. I was 5 minutes into my visit and ready to call my wife and tell her to rent a u-haul, empty out the house, and come up. The people in this town are not only friendly, they are warm and hospitable to the point where I felt immediately like I was among old friends.

At Murphy Goode, Kim welcomed me with that Healdsburg warmth and, of course I immediately agreed to the $5 tasting fee. Never tasting their wines before, I was pleasantly surprised and the variety of tastes I encountered. Buying a couple of cases would have been easy but it was warm outside and I would be doing much driving for a couple of days. Not wanting to cook an investment in wine, I opted for a single bottle of the 2004 Adams Knoll Cabernet. This is such a soft and balanced cab, I'm looking forward to some fillet Mignon or grilled salmon to pair with it.


During our conversation, Kim and I arrived at a mutual taste for Syrah. At this point, she immediately recommended that I walk to the opposite corner of the 'square' and visit Topel.

I was greeted by Ryan - not only a genuinely friendly chap but, I found out, a fellow musician. Check out his stuff here: http://www.myspace.com/livingamongtrialsmusic. Anyway, Ryan explained that Topel was known for its' Cabernet, but we opened the tasting experience with their 2007 Serendipity Monterey Pinot Noir. This wine tastes in two waves... the first filled with soft fruit, then 2nd wave with the spicy characteristics that give it enough structure to be diversely food friendly.

I enjoyed all of the wines that I tasted at Topel... and, yes, the Syrah was very good! Kim and I do share the same tastes in Syrah. Alas, however, I bought the Pinot. I was unique enough to stay with me throughout the other wines.... but I'll definitely be back to buy some of the others when the weather is cooler.

I left Topel and walked across the street to.... Rosenblum! I immediately called Ray at the Seal Cove Inn and told him where I was - at which we both had a good laugh because of our encounter with the Petite Sirah the previous evening. Anyway, I was once again warmly and heartily greeted, this time by Sean who invited me to taste the Rosenblum reserve wines.

I'm a fan. I love Zinfandel and Syrah and Rosenblum is not short on either, although Zin is their specialty. They even had 4 displays of spices and aromas matched with 4 of the wines that I tasted - this was a great idea! It enabled me to more definitively identify some of the characteristics of their wine and appreciate their subtlety even more. What I was most impressed with was Rosenblum's ability to create wines that are typically fruit bombs, but do so in a subtle and complex way. These are wonderful wines and for one winery to produce such a large number of great tasting varietals - not to mention the numerous Zinfandels - all of which stand on their own unique character is profoundly impressive!

I left Rosenblum with more wine and decided it would be good to eat before driving to a cousins' house in Santa Rosa. Ryan recommended the Bear Republic Brewing Company for it's great selection of micro brews and their fantastic burgers.

I agree. They have great micro brews and fantastic burgers. I had Racer X and a bacon cheeseburger with garlic fries. How's that for ending an excursion?


The next day began with a road trip south... across the golden gate bridge, through San Francisco (what a beautiful city), and back to Berkeley to once again enjoy lunch with my daughter before heading back home.


I left Berkeley around 1:30 and, after gassing up in Gilroy, I headed down the 101 merrily... excited about my road trip. Just south of Gonzalez, I saw the Blackstone Winery and decided to stop in. I tasted 4 wines - 2 Pinot Noir's, 1 Zinfandel, and 1 Syrah. C'mon Blackstone - you can do better than this. Don't blend your Pinot with Syrah or anything else.... your Zin is okay and the Syrah is typical middle of the road Syrah with some nice peppery spice to round it out but, you're the only game within miles of Gonzalez.... take your time. You could be a great place to stop - but folks are not going to come back to taste if the competition north and south of you continue to make far better wines.


I left Blackstone and drove south... south... south, stopping in Buellton to consider perhaps staying for the night... it was now almost 7:00 and I was a bit tired. I also had my Sea Smoke order to pick up in Lompoc.... but I was ready to go home and didn't feel like staying alone in a hotel room... even for $59 via hotwire.

I got home at around 10:30 p.m. and my wife asked "More Wine????" I said yup... and loaded up the vinotemps with my new familial additions. I grabbed a beer, sat down and watched some mindless TV, and went to sleep.

Cheers!

My unedited Murphy Goode Video...

Personally, I'm not sure that I even have a shot... that said, even long shots must be taken to keep hope alive.... you never know... anyway, I had to edit the original video (shot by my 14-year old daughter Jamie on her little Canon camera - the best we have in our household) down to 1 minute for the application... however, I figured I'd put the whole 2+ minute video here... it's nothing fancy, but it's honest.

Denner Syrah.... Ruth's Chris Anaheim...

What a combination... last night, one of our daughters flew in from Berkeley to be with her sisters for the youngest 8th grade graduation.... upon leaving the airport, we stopped at Ruth's Chris in Anaheim....

And I just 'happened' to have a bottle of 2006 Denner Syrah with me.... go figure!!!

First off, high compliments to the folks at Ruth's Chris.... we arrived at 8:30 p.m. and didn't leave until almost 10:30.... and, amidst what was obviously a very busy evening at the restaurant, the level of service and hospitality bestowed on us was top notch all the way. Not to mention the wonderful food.... shoestring potatoes, grilled ahi tuna, new york steak, stuffed mushrooms... and on and on... the flavors were incredible....

... and the 2006 Denner Syrah went perfectly with the meal. It's such a big jammy wine that, at first, one might wonder if there's anything but an over the top fruit bomb... but the finesse is exemplary... the finish just keeps on giving... delicious!

Kudos to both Ruth's Chris and Denner Vineyards for contributing to a wonderful evening out for our family.

Cheers!

Bring your own bottle... find out who has the best corkage policies!

GoBYO--Quick-Find Restaurant Finder

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A darn good dinner at home....

Last night we had an amazing home-cooked meal... with some fantastic wine. I'll make it short.

I grilled some salmon that was glazed in lemon olive oil and Cajun spices... right on the grill... grill marks and everything :)

With that we had a baby greens salad and some baked potato.

The wine? 2005 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir.

Enough said.

More on Murphy Goode...

I've been looking at the videos from folks trying to get their feet in the door at Murphy Goode... (www.areallygoodejob.com) and I have to say.... some of the videos are flat out overwhelmingly good. I'm not sure I can compete with these.

I heard about the position and thought I'd put something together - I guess I still have until this Friday to do so.... in preparation, I visited the website and reviewed about 50-60 videos... and saw the same recurring themes: I Love Wine, I have media experience, I love nature, I'm the one you want, etc etc....

The thing is, only one of the many folks applying is really 'the one'. I'm not sure what they are looking for but, if it's someone with extensive media experience who has already worked in a winery or for a major magazine or whatever, then I don't stand a chance - neither do 95% of the other applicants. Hell, some of these folks are so darn good looking that I forgot what they were talking about!!!!

That said, this is not a glamour job - it's a tough (interesting and fun - at times, I'm sure) and intense job - companies don't just pay $10,000 per month plus housing for someone to kick back and drink wine all day. This is a serious position for the right person with the time and effort to drop everything else in their life and focus on Murphy Goode for 6 months.

And then walk away.

Cheers!

Mark West Pinot....

I love cheap Pinot... not cheap tasting... cheap price tag. So many Pinot's are simply overpriced. Although Pinot can sometimes become my favorite wine... i.e. the 2003 Fort Ross Symposium - mentioned in an earlier blog or 2.... but many are simply disappointing... not because they are bad wines... no! Many are really good.... but not worth even $50.

For example.... on New Years Eve, we opened a bottle of 2005 Archery Summit Red Hill - $80. It was good... very nice wine. Worth $80? Hell no. If I had paid about $25, I'd have been happy - good bang for the buck at that price level. By contrast, about 10 days ago, we opened a bottle of 2005 Torii Mor.... about $44.... much more depth and balance than the Red Hill... at about half the price.

This is where the cheap Pinot comes in.... I love Pinot from Carmel Road, Mark West, some of the Castle Rock, etc. Do they blow my mind? No. But I love the way they taste - simple, slightly elegant, and food friendly with many dishes... most have just enough acidity to provide balance at dinnertime - and enough fruit on the nose to round things out.

Yeah, I know some of these have just a bit of Syrah and I mention this in one of my earlier blogs - that Syrah should be listed on the label much the same way that Shiraz/Viognier is labeled. That said, I just assume that the cheap pinot may have a bit of syrah, give up my need for self-congratulating wine snobbery, and just pour the darn thing into a glass and enjoy it.

Cheers!

Some more good wines....

Here are 4 delicous Pinots.... From left to right... Patz and Hall 2006 Sonoma Coast, 2005 Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee, 2006 Sea Smoke Southing, and 2006 Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast...

Below, in the 2nd photo, are 3 really good wines from Mollydooker... The 2007 Two Left Feet.... the 2007 Boxer Shiraz.... and the 2007 The Maitre 'D" Cabernet.

Justin and Denner...

Hi. Just for fun, I thought I'd take a couple of pictures for this post.... a 6 year vertical of Justin Isosceles - 2001-2006.... and 4 of my favorite wines from Denner... The Dirt Worshipper, Ditch Digger, Syrah, and Zinfandel...

Murphy Goode... A Really Goode Job

Today a friend calls me and says that the Murphy Goode Winery is looking for some to help with their outreach on the web... i.e. Twitter, Blogs, etc. and that it pays $10K per month for 6 months.

Sounds like my kind of job! I called the winery to make sure this was for real and they confirmed it. The job is based in Healdsburg, CA and the application process requires a video posting on a website designed for this purpose: http://www.areallygoodejob.com/.

I think this is a really cool idea. Video has opened up an entirely new arena in the job application process - employers can screen credentials, personality, and communication skills before even inviting people into the door. The only bummer is if you're a good presenter but camera shy; or not fully adept at speaking into a lens as if it were another human being sitting across from you.

That said, I've never tasted Murphy Goode wines... but I'm about to.

Cheers!

Barrel tasting...

I love opening a bottle of wine... tearing away the material over the top of the bottle... unveiling the cork... easing the corkscrew in... pulling the cork out.... seeing the first coloration of the cork by the wine... is it light? dark? To me it doesn't matter; I just like to see it.

Then... seeing the liquid hit the bottom of the glass and swish and swirl as the desired amount is poured out... setting the bottle down .... and lifting the glass to my nose.... smelling the wine... sometimes just enjoying it - other times trying to pick out various scents.... then drinking...

Okay, okay... sounds a bit like wine foreplay, doesn't it?

Sometimes, it's fun just to drink the wine - enough of the romantic nuances that easily surround the experience. Enter - barrel tasting!

There's something pure about pulling a stopper out of the barrel and dropping a turkey baster into the barrel, squeezing the plastic top and sucking the wine from the barrel.... dropping it into a glass..... and drinking it.

It's a pure experience - the wine hasn't been in a truck, grocery shelf or stocking cart... it's like listening to a master recording before it becomes a CD. You get to experience it before anyone else.

Cool, huh?

Cheers!

FIFE....

This will be short blog. Two weeks ago, our local Trader Joe's was selling FIFE wines for $6.99 each. Most were 4-6 years old.

Cautiously, I bought a bottle of the 2003 Napa Valley Zinfandel.

We opened it last night and it was really good. The wine was a bit lighter in color than I expected but the flavor was all raspberries and cinnamon with a slight floral character on the nose.... damn thing smelled like spicy flowers!

We washed down some smoked salmon and BBQ chicken and the bottle was gone before we knew it.

I'm going back for more.

Cheers!

Oregon Pinot... overrated?

The first time I visited Willamette Valley, I was stunned and blown away. I visited Ponzi, Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, White Rose.... I think there were a few others as well.

I couldn't believe the diversity in Pinot that I tasted that day... and, as usual when tasting a lot of wine in one day, the wines just keep getting better and better. It also helped that it was a beautiful May day and everything was so green... much greener than in most of Southern California, where I live.

I singed up for all kinds of wine clubs... I couldn't wait to tell everyone I knew that was into wine how this new discovery had opened my eyes. Within the next 4-6 weeks, a UPS truck was at our house at least 2 times a week delivering more of this wonderful wine. At that point, I looked at my AMEX bill and decided it was time to quit the wine clubs.

But now I had a lot of Pinot! Pinot! Pinot!

It's all gone now... along with a bunch of other Pinot that I've had over the last 2 years while comparing wineries, vintages, and regions... you can add Sea Smoke, Williams Selyem, Sanford, Castle Rock, Carmel Road, Domaine Alfred, Flowers.... a whole bunch of Pinot People to the list...

And, my favorite so far?

The 2003 Fort Ross Sonoma Coast Symposium... about $30. I like it better than all of the above. Too bad I only bought one bottle.

Cheers!

My self education in wine...

I was just thinking... I don't have any wine-education degrees... nothing in agriculture, nothing in the culinary arts, no experience working in a wine store, wine warehouse, picking grapes (except at my Grandma's house)... I have helped a friend make beer....

No. Instead I've spent a small fortune (fortune meaning a lot of money for a middle-class guy who's now unemployed for the moment...) on exploring wines.... making lots of mistakes along the way, finding some amazing fermented grape juice, acting like I knew what I was doing, trying to impress friends, etc etc...

Now, I've just come to the conclusion that there are two credentials that qualifies me to speak intelligently about wine - I like the stuff and I've enjoyed enough wine over the last 20 years to have a good conversation about wine with just about anyone with any degree of wine 'knowledge' and continually learn in the process.

I've also decided that as much as me or anyone else 'knows' about wine, like I've mentioned in many earlier blogs, wine knowledge is very subjective... wine appreciation is personal, and wine consumption is fun and over consumption can get you buzzed and dry your tongue out to the point where you can't tell what you're tasting anyway.

Cheers!

Cost Plus World Market

I love this store. There's one within walking distance of my home and, whenever I'm nearby, I stop in - even just to browse the wines. Usually, there's a great deal on something going on and I unexpectedly surprise myself with a buy on something unanticipated.

For instance, two days ago, I stopped in and found the 2007 R Wines Luchador Shiraz. I love this wine - being a fan of big bold Australian reds... darn thing only cost $15. I like that.

Next to the Luchador was the 2006 3 Rings Shiraz for $18. If I didn't already have 2 bottles at home, I'd have bought a couple of these as well.

Then, I found a Santa Ema Cabernet - WS 90 - for only $11. Yup. Bought it.

What I like most about Cost Plus World Market is that their wine selection contains many that cannot be found in the local supermarkets - all of which seem to have the same wine buyer... Yes, I like BV, Sterling, Kendall Jackson, Mondavi, and Yellow Tail... but COME ON! It's nice to find wines from Waterbrook, Heitz, Yalumba, Four Vines, and Marquis Philips in my neighborhood.

Cheers!

Because it's my Birthday...

I'm 48 today... Yup. I love it.

Got up this morning to a great breakfast made by my wife, Eva and, as our youngest daughter, Jamie, joined us, we enjoyed omelets, bacon, coffee, orange juice, blueberry muffins, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and bananas.... anyway...

Meandered through the morning and decided to treat myself to a great lunch... at Arnie Morton's on Figueroa in Los Angeles... not only a great steakhouse but, you REALLY NEED TO TRY THEIR MORTON'S CHEESEBURGER!!!!!

Of course, add a bottle of 2006 Isosceles, some Beefsteak tomatoes, and carrot cake dessert... not to mention the after lunch drinks... and... well, my near abstaining wife drove us home safely.

Oh, and the Justin Isosceles.. paired with the Tomatoes, and the Cheeseburger - topped with mushrooms and grilled onions, didn't miss a step. This is a serious freaking wine... serious... worth every penny and as versatile as anything I've ever had.

Happy birthday to ME... and cheers!

Free dinner and a bag of pasta????

About a week ago, I got this white paper bag from Carino's restaurant (www.carinos.com) that provided for one free create-your-own pasta dinner (value $9.99) and the restaurant would fill the bag with one pound of uncooked pasta. Not a bad deal.

So, I went to the local Carino's here in Whittier and - yeah - brought my own bottle - a 2007 Justin Cabernet. I've been wanting to sample the wine anyway and figured a pasta dinner would be a good pairing.

I was right. I ordered bow tie pasta with a spicy marinara sauce and meatballs. Simple.

First off, the food was actually quite good. There was just enough spice to give the dish a kick; the pasta was cooked just the way I like it - slightly firm... and the meatballs were yummy.

The Cab was very nice; the 2007 Justin Cab is a bit more... dare I say it... 'refined' than some of the prior vintages... I like this one... it's not a fruity beast as many Paso Robles cabs tend to be. Instead, it's got lots of medium berry fruit with almost a dusty cocoa powder finish, all wrapped neatly in soft tannins...

No, didn't finish the whole bottle... or the whole meal, for that matter. Got leftovers! Besides, I want to see how the cab tastes tonight after being open for 24 hours...

That's my story.

Cheers!

Great tunes with 'wine' in 'em

I was thinking, what songs go good with wine? Then, I thought, what songs actually mention wine in their lyrics or title? Here you go:

Spill the Wine - Eric Burdon and War
Sweet Virgina - The Rolling Stones (... thank you for your wine, California)
Red Red Wine - UB40
Champagne Supernova - Oasis
God Of Wine - Third Eye Blind
Elderberry Wine - Elton John
Bottle of Red Wine - Eric Clapton
Bitter Wine - L7
Champagne and Reefer - The Rolling Stones and Buddy Guy
Little Ole Wine Drinker Me - Merle Haggard
Old Red Wine - The Who
You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones (... a glass of wine in her hand)
Hotel California - The Eagles (... pink champagne on ice)

I know there are many more.... but, I thought this was a good start. Now, for your convenienced, I've added a link to an iMIX that I created on iTUNES with all of the above tunes. It's an easy way to download these songs, open your favorite bottle, and rock out!

Click Here For the iTUNES Wine Mix







Cheers!

Too much wine...

I'm not a doctor - let's be clear. I'm not a medical professional and I've still developed my own opinions about personal health. So, if anything I suggest here doesn't work for you, don't go off and say "well, I read it at 976wine and Beckerjim said...". Following anyone's advice is still your responsibility. Do your own research. Come to your own conclusions. Own your decisions!

Is it possible? Can someone who really loves wine - the flavors, the romanticism, the food pairings, etc, overdo it? Is it possible to enjoy it so much that... well it stops being enjoyable?

I wonder about this from time to time. Alcoholism is serious business. When one's body is unable to metabolize alcohol, the effects are simply deadly.

So, I look to what I've heard and learned from alcoholic friends what to look for; and I turn those insights inward.

For example, I'm told that alcoholics, once they start drinking, cannot stop until they're too drunk to drink. I always make it a point to stop - intentionally to make sure that I CAN stop!

I'm also told that alcoholics, because of their inability to properly metabolize alcohol, get wasted very rapidly... okay - so, I check to see if I'm getting really buzzed on one or two glasses.... and NO, I don't keep drinking until I find my buzzed threshold... (disclaimer - yeah, I've been drunk before - it's no fun... even worse the next day.)

Finally, what's the quality of life outside alcohol? Does alcohol have to be part of every activity? To me, there's a thin line here - for example, I enjoy wine every evening with dinner. It's part of the meal. Conversely, it's very rare (one-two times annually) that I'll have wine with lunch, although it can sometimes work nicely.

Can you just give up drinking for a few days and give your body a break? It can't hurt. Let's say you drink 2 glasses of wine each day. If you go 2 days without wine (i.e. Monday and Tuesday), you've cut your consumption by 28%! If you go 4 days, you've cut consumption by 56% - imagine only having wine on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday....

Or, here's another perspective. Let's say you have 3 glasses every day and cut to 2.... that's a 33% cut.

Then again, it tastes so damn good! Moderation is the key. When moderation becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, try some of the methods I use to start: cut back - replace the wine with a nice glass of ice water or even tea or coffee. If you are able to do this without going through some kind of anxious withdrawal, you're probably okay. If not, well, you may need help.

Finally, get your blood checked now and then - if the liver is functioning normally, that's a positive sign. If it's not...

Like Mr. Eastwood said "A man's gotta know his limits".

Cheers!

Denner Zinfandel.... boom!

I opened the 2007 Denner Zinfandel 2 nights ago. The nose, smell, aroma, whatever... was sweet and spicy... nutmeg? cinnamon? not sure.. but it was very pleasant.

I swirled my glass a bit... and the wine coated the inside of the glass like lacquer... paint...

I tasted it.

I digress here: this wine is 16% alcohol. 16%. It's freaking HUGE! And here I was trying to drink it without any food pairing....

I've had port wines before... liked 'em. The Denner Zinfandel needs food... or 99% Cacao. So, I broke out the darkest chocolate I could find.

.........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah..... much better.

This wine is not for the faint of heart. It's bold, fruity, spicy, and it will get you freaking wasted if you sit down and drink the whole bottle. It's good that it's such a full-bodied bold and fruit-forward wine... you don't need much... a glass or two will do it.

I'm thinking it's a nice wine to pair with the Arnie Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake... but that's just my opinion.

Not what I expected but, delicious all the same!

Cheers!

Damn good deal on Columbia Crest at Ralph's....

Okay. Right now... until the end of today (I think), Ralph's Grocery is selling all Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines for $7.99 per bottle.... the Two Vines and Vineyard 10 are only $5.49. If you buy 6, you get an additional 10% off.

By taking advantage of this (which I did this morning), you can buy highly rated wines for a great price:

2006 Grand Estates Cabernet - WS - 89 points
2005 or 2006 Grand Estates Merlot - WS - 88 points
2006 Two Vines Cabernet - WS - 87 points
2006 Grand Estates Chardonnay - WS - 90 points
2005 Vineyard 10 Red - WS - 88 points

I challenge you to find a better deal on better wines.

Cheers!

I like screw tops but I SAVE CORKS

There. I said it. I like screw tops. I like cork, too. Actually, it's the stuff in the bottle that I like the most.... funny thing though - the wine doesn't last, the screw top - along with the bottle get tossed.... but, I SAVE CORKS!!!

My goal is to make a coffee table with a sheet of glass over the corks - neatly arranged with the winery name facing up... I don't know if this is bragging about all of the different wines I've tasted or if it's confessing to how much alcohol I've consumed.

The timeline for my cork collection is not up for discussion.

That said, I like corks - I like the way they look - I'm still trying to figure out how those little logos get printed on them and why some corks are harder to put back into the bottle than others.... before drinking wine, I thought cork was cork.

Now, after this little discourse on how much I like cork.... unscrewing a cap, although not with the same kind of romantic element of anticipation as a cork, is simple and the wine gets out of the bottle faster.

Cheers!

Location, Location, Location

Why are wine grapes grown in amazingly beautiful areas? Is it the grapes over rolling hills that create the majesty or are the vineyards merely an enhancement to a beauty that is already there?

One of my favorite things to do is drive the back roads at Paso Robles, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, or Sonoma County. Although Napa certainly is beautiful, the other areas I mention are predominately made up of winding roads through hills and valleys... sharp turns... actually, quite fun... and beautiful.

For me, this adds so much to the romanticism that I associate with enjoying fine wine or even just tasting... it's almost like disappearing into another time and space.

You see, I grew up in a town called Paradise, CA... a place with rivers, trees, and - you got it - winding roads... roads that don't even have yellow or white lines dividing opposing traffic. However, for the last 25 years, I've lived in Los Angeles. Living in the city has given me a perspective on the areas where what I call the blood of the earth grows.

We keep saying that, someday, we're going to live in one of these areas... or nearby. That hope and dream is still alive and I give it over to timing as several family schedules and educational/graduational events need to coincide for the timing to be right. But, when those planets collide, we're there.

The wine is wonderful. The locations are beautiful. The experience is unforgettable.

Paso Robles.... quick trip...

Okay. Visited Denner Vineyards on Wednesday. I had much driving to do so I decided that one wine-tasting visit was all that was appropriate... stopped at Denner and tasted their 2007 Zinfandel, 2005 Syrah, and 2006 Ditch Digger.

Damn, these guys do a nice job! The Zinfandel is phenomenal... just wildly spicy and filled with wild berry flavors... and the finish hung around like someone in line for ride a Disneyland. Exciting wine!

From there, I dropped off a couple of bottles (from my cellar) as a gift to a friend, and continued my journey to Berkeley to pick up my daughter.

That's it. I love what they are doing at Denner; if you're in the Paso area, check 'em out.

Cheers!

Passing through Paso...

This week I drive up to Berkeley to pick up my daughter.... this is always a joyful occasion as we are a very close family and we're looking forward to a few days together. Meanwhile, driving from Los Angeles to the Bay Area also presents another opportunity... to cruise on up the 101...

This charts a course through Santa Barbara and Paso Robles... certainly presenting opportunities to stop in and see what's going on at some of the local wineries...

On this trip, I will most likely stop at Denner and Justin... two of my favorite wineries. The folks there are as hospitable as can be and the wines are always fun and tasty. It's also possible that I'll make a stop in Los Olivos... perhaps taste some Andrew Murray (in the words of Miles from Sideways, "Well Okay").

The highlight, of course, is picking up my daughter. But along the way, stopping by wineries is much more fun than just cruising non-stop on the freeway.... maybe I'll check hotwire.com or priceline.com and book a room - turn the whole thing into a mini-vacation.

Cheers!

More on wine shopping....

In a recent post, I listed several wine stores that I frequently shop at. Most were large warehouses that typically have large inventories or buy such large quantities of wine that they are able to discount prices significantly... this is great, especially when I'm looking to buy a few cases of the stuff.

However, I don't want to discount (pun intended) the local small wine stores. There's something very cool and personal with the little neighborhood wine store. For one, they are usually a bit nicer and friendly than the folks moving large amounts of merchandise. Second, they tend to make honest attempts at stocking wines that can't easily be found elsewhere... they are especially good places to avoid all of the big name popular brands that are typically found in every major supermarket. (Side note - ever notice how Ralph's, Von's, Safeway, Albertson's, etc all have the same wines?)

One of my favorite local stores is Vinatero in Whittier, CA. Lisa and Ernie are two of the kindest and hospitable folks you're likely to meet. They also have a passion for wine and even a greater passion for helping their customers enjoy their wine experience to its' fullest. They have a very nice inventory - diverse both in varietals and in price. For instance, you can find wines from Kosta Browne, Justin, and Sea Smoke as well as wines from Mollydooker, R Wines, and Poppy. It's a fun place for good conversation, a nice tasting menu, and good tunes piped into the store.

Perhaps you have a store near you like Vinatero... I'd like to hear about it. Cheers!

I don't care about the Lakers

What does this have to do with wine, you might ask? Everything, of course!

Today, a good friend who happens to be trucking across the country will be rolling into town today. Omar also happens to be a drummer in my band, The Barnburners of Los Angeles (look us up on iTUNES and myspace). When he arrives, we're going to visit for a bit then head out to the garage-studio to jam - me on guitar and vocals, Omar on drums, and maybe my daughter Jamie on vocals as well. It's really a great way to spend the afternoon....

As you can guess, the Laker game will be happening at the same time... a game 7... whoopee do! I don't care. It's irrelevant.

Instead, we're going to make really loud rock'n roll. When we're done, we're going to fire up the barbecue and grill some burgers with sea salt and cheddar... maybe some bacon... and open up a bottle of Four Vines Zinfandel. When that is done, we'll open another bottle yet to be determined.

And we will not care what the Lakers did.