2010 Roadblock

Sounds like the name of a wine, but it's not.  It's the result of my lack of interest in much of anything, or perhaps my interest in so many things that I became incapable of doing much more than just dabble in a bunch of stuff.  Over the year I brewed 13 new homemade beers, mostly IPA's.  I wrote 17 new songs, 12 of which are going on my new album.  (Yes, it's a new album - even for those of you who didn't know that I had ANY albums at all.)  I began school again - yes, again.  I guess I needed to get out of my head and open myself up to new ideas, even old ones that I'd not considered. 

And I tasted some really good wine.

And I got pretty cynical about wine in general.  At what point does it really matter?  I mean, we have our individual taste buds and some of us like one thing while some of us like the other.  Take note: taste buds don't know that you have a credit card.  They can't read tasting notes.  They can't distinguish between wine of the year awards and those that are never mentioned. 

But taste buds can tell the difference between the things you've decided that you like and don't like. 

Personally, I care as much about what I don't like as what I like.  The dichotomy of these polar opposites give me perspective and reference points.  So, when I opened a bottle of Penfolds bin 128 Shiraz that I paid $18 for and find out that I like it less than the $6 Pillar Box Red, I take note of both. 

That said, my favorite wine for 2010 - the one that resonated with me the most - is the 2008 Pali Riviera Pinot Noir.  I like the price and the 'big-ness' of this otherwise delicate pinot stunned me.  It's flat out delicious. 

So is the 2008 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet - tastes like chocolate.  I love chocolate.

The 2006 and 2007 Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Syrah's are both magnificent.  As is the 2008 Marquis Philips Shiraz and the 2009 Mollydooker Boxer and Two Left Feet. 

The 2009 Santa Barbara County Syrah from Jaffurs in, um, Santa Barbara is a wonderful treat.   My daughter, Michelle, and I joined them early September to help with bottling.  The kind folks at Jaffurs served up a tasty Mexican lunch with many different wines before we jumped to the mobile bottling assembly line.  A very fun day!

I drank some Sea Smoke, some Williams Selyem, Mondavi, Justin, Yellow Tail, Layer Cake... found something enjoyable in all of them.

Love what Rosenblum has been doing over the last couple of years, especially in the Zinfandel area - they know what they're doing, in my opinion.

And this is all my opinion.  That's it.  Tonight I'm going to cook a steak and open a bottle of something; I don't know what yet.  I'll let the moment decide.  Meanwhile, have a great Christmas season and I'll catch you next year.

Thanks for reading.

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!

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!

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!