Honig Cabernet Sauvignon

2008
NAPA Valley
Can be enjoyed now or cellared through 2016


The day we opened the Honig was a GREAT day. It was just one of those pivotal "happy" days. My brother David was here and we had no where to go, Christmas had just been the day before, we were both off from work and enjoying the Christmas tree and the fireplace and cheese and crackers and wine and music. We had some great wines that week, but the Honig Cabernet was by far our favorite. It just made us smile on first sip and we had a really nice quiet time just sipping and smiling. This had milk chocolate silkiness and flavor intermingled with black fruits and vanilla and wood spice with a lingering, great finish.

Of course, after we had enjoyed a glass or two, we were in such a good mood we decided on some mischief. The Guy was out and the girls were shopping with my mother-in-law. David decided we needed to go get one of the old big stuffed lions my girls had given me to discard of upon cleaning out their rooms. The animals were all in the garage in a bag waiting for removal. David saw the lion and decided we should go put it in a tree in the backyard so that either one of the girls and/or The Guy would be surprised when taking the dog out to do his duty. We went to great lengths. I dragged out the big ladder and we propped it up against the tree and David strategically placed "Goliath" in the branches overhead the dog's "walking" area. We were in absolute hysterics the entire time imitating what we thought The Guy would be like, or one of the girls, out waiting for the dog to do his business just standing there looking around.

For DD

From the bedroom closet, we lifted shoes; one by one we placed them in a box. She was unbelievably strong, set in her task, as she handed me one pair after the other: a pair of well worn black leather slippers, some heavy brown dress shoes.

Boat shoes, and loafers in many leather shades, I ran my hands over them and looked at your smiling face from one of many pictures on the dresser, Charlie’s picture next to you, and Heath’s bridal portrait hangs on the wall. You and your first bride, and me here on Earth with your other bride, Charlie’s first.

Next came the knitted island shoes, two pairs, one obviously favored more by you than the other; she held those out for a moment and hesitated, smiled dreamily, and quietly said how you loved those shoes.

Then she gave me your wool blazers, and suits, each well-made and classically styled; she handed them off to me to hang on the cart we would use to roll them away. I thought of the many times I’d seen you dressed in them, always with a welcoming, happy smile, accompanied by a kiss.

To the next closet, where we gathered your ties: Lobsters, sailboats, Santa Claus, crabs, Easter eggs, whales, Christmas trees, pastel flowers and red hearts. Your life map unfolded with each one – sailor, beach lover, Christian, sense of humor, a life filled with beauty, adventure and love.

All packed up, we rolled the luggage dollie out of the bedroom and into the hallway, opened the door and out into the main hall we went, down to the elevator and into the basement. It was emotional for me, though unspoken. Your things being rolled away to the basement – there they joined the remnants of the lives of others: crystal chandeliers in storage, dresses from eras gone by, sun hats and record players, and suitcases that have been around the world. But it has to be this way.

I miss you in that place, by my grandmother’s side, surrounded by your needlepoint wall hangings and pillows, sunshine on the porch, where you sat the last day I ever spent with you, determined to beat those cancerous brain lesions that rendered you speechless, as you raised your weights over your head and lifted your legs one by one, demonstrating your strength and your resolve to not give up without a fight. But it was out of your hands - six days later you were gone.

It feels to me like you are still there, you, and my grandfather, and Heath, all watching over your fourth companion – as she sits on the sun porch, quietly waving as I drive away.

8.5 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
$32/750 ml. bottle

Markham Merlot

2006
NAPA Valley (St. Helena, CA)




Epiphany: I thoroughly enjoy talking about wine with others.

Well - here I am on a Wednesday, drinking a not-so-everyday wine (for us anyway), eating a not-so-everyday meal. That is what life is like when you have THREE daughters (two who are in high school). You realize you need your weekend "vacation" to come mid-week sometimes.

This is a 2006. The last Markham was 2007. Believe it or not, the 2007 is more expensive and is given a higher rating than the 2006. When I consult my Kevin Zraly Windows on the World book I see that he has an asterisk by the 2007 which denotes it is an especially good year for California Merlot. I think of my brother with happiness as I slurp the wine into my mouth, forming a whistle with my lips, aerating it, and then close my mouth and breathe out through my nose, allowing the flavor and scent to consume my olfactory lobes. My poor brother endured much laughter by the Guy and I for his very serious wine tasting slurp in the past. Now I find it most useful. Screw how silly I may look and sound! My personal reflections are that this wine is JUST AS GOOD as the 2007. Big cherry flavor, heat, slight vanilla, spicy pepper, some herbal notes and a really nice warm finish.

I owe tonight's meal and wine enjoyment to three key people: first, my friend John B. who provided the wine (and his very generous wife who shared yet another bottle from her favorite vineyard because, though she likes it a lot, she and John really prefer beer - lucky me), and second, my Brazilian friend and co-worker RS who tells me every bad day I have to pick my chin up and go home and create a tasty meal and enjoy a glass of good wine and "forget about what's troubling you", and last but not least, my dear brother.

My buttons are constantly being pushed, and the waters always tested by my eldest lately (whom I LOVE with all my heart and soul BTW!!!!) and today was no exception. I ran into my dear Brazilian friend in the hall at work who struck up our normal type conversation and reminder after seeing I was troubled. He, like me, has surrounded his work area with pictures of food and wine - his, very Mediterranean (he has one dreamy pic in particular that I like to visit of an elongated table loaded with fresh seafood and wine, situated outside on a rocky ledge overlooking the Mediterranean), and mine with my own pics from my dining room (ah - no comparison there!). I asked him what his favorite meal was and what his favorite wine was. He told me he just loves a great big steak with shrimp or fish on the side and a nice Pinot Noir. I was surprised that Pinot Noir was his preference. He said that he used to prefer Cabernet Sauvignon but doesn't like the higher sugar content? I haven't looked into that. However, Pinot is his preference. He put the "steak" in my head.

As I drove home I thought about dinner, and how I had nothing great to serve. I started thinking about my earlier conversation and decided on steak, which we rarely have. That made me think about my other Markham Merlot at home from my friend John, but I put it out of my head because I decided I was formulating a "weekend" meal, not a busy, weeknight dish. Regardless, I needed to stop at the market to get whatever I was making. As I sat in the parking lot trying to figure out what I was going to do for sure, my dear brother sent me a text thanking me for his Christmas gift. I had given him a bottle of Kistler Pinot Noir that our FANTASTIC uncle had bestowed upon me. He decided to open it tonight with an aged cheddar he had. He wrote that he was thoroughly happy and that the wine was awesome, and that he was cooking a special, rocking chicken dish while eating the cheese and drinking the wine. THEN he decided he would like to try the wine with chocolate. But the only chocolate he had was dark m & m's he'd received for Christmas, and he added a "LOL" as he knew he was drinking a special wine and considering what m & m's might add or delete from it! I thought at that moment how much I enjoy hearing about others' wine experiences. :) It makes me happy. I also thought: Well, dammit! I am buying a grass-fed piece of juicy beef and some Shitakes and opening John B.'s Merlot!!!!!!! Yay! I decided. Life is good. I know and I am grateful for this day and what I have that makes it even better.

Here is a very sad reality. Check out the picture below. Do you see how much (or how LITTLE) wine is in the glass? THAT is all a woman is allowed to have per day without risking her health!!!!! Men, on the other hand, can enjoy two full glasses of wine. Women are allowed one 4 ounce glass of wine per evening for heart health, more than that is detrimental to the breasts and blood pressure. Well, I have risked my health this evening. My blood pressure must be way up and God only knows what's happening to my breasts. The Markham was worth it.


Once in a while we might pass on the street
We nod and we smile and we shuffle our feet
Making small talk standing face to face
Hands in our pockets 'cause we feel so out of place

Our paths may cross again in some crowded bar
We feel a little lost 'cause we've drifted away so far
Hoping to find the right words to say
We joke a little and then go on our way

We are so out of touch, yeah
We are so out of touch, yeah

--Lucinda Williams, Out of Touch--

8.25 out of 10
13.8% Alc. by Vol.
$15 - $20 / 750 ml. bottle

Dead Canyon

2009
Horse Heaven Hills
Cabernet Sauvignon

I haven't had a really tasty wine in awhile - one that makes me take notice. Tonight we celebrated my mom's birthday and she brought a wine that someone had given her as a gift. It was Dead Canyon and it was extremely good and it made me take notice. Especially for a Washington State wine. Wine Out West. Loved it alot. I liked it best on its own. It had herb undertones, peppery heat, vanilla oak, a healthy dose of earth and a lasting 1 minute finish. As I knew my mother was bringing this wine for before dinner, I went through my recipe books and found an appetizer to accompany a hearty cabernet. It was Ricotta and Mushroom Crostini out of my Food & Wine 2011 Annual Cookbook and the two were a great pairing together. The spiciness and heat of the wine came out with the appetizer, but the more herbal and earthy tones of the wine were more evident prior to any food. Very good either way.

I feel I've lost my creative edge all the way around. I follow the same pattern of: go to work, come home make dinner, help with homework, attend school meetings, go to bed, get up and do it all over again. I have no time to take drawing classes like I was, I am too tired to take pictures, I rarely feel inspired. There just isn't enough time in the day. However, I devoted all of today to making a meal for my mother's special dinner. I made a gourmet meal for the first time in awhile. I haven't put any effort into dinners in a long time for a lot of reasons. But today I felt like making it my mission for the day. So we had the ricotta mushroom crostini for our appetizer and a spicy rosemary lemon marinated pork loin for the main meal, accompanied by Boston lettuce with cranberries, feta and roasted walnuts, roasted rosemary and thyme baby potatoes, homemade organic applesauce (and all three of my children assisted with each phase: washing, peeling, coring and cutting of apples), South Beach Diet Mashed Potatoes (cauliflower mashed with butter and half and half), and a tomato and scallion warm salad with ricotta and lime. Aside from the tomato and scallion salad being warmer than I wanted, the rest was pretty darn good and it felt nice to make a decent meal again.



Water is my eye, most faithful mirror, fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire of a confession
Fearless on my breath most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath

Teardrop on the fire, fearless on my breath
Stumbling a little, stumbling a little

Teardrop
by Massive Attack





8.25 out of 10
13.9% alc. by vol
$18 / 750 ml. bottle

Vitiano Umbria

2009
Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese & Merlot Blend


This was an improvement over Big House red, which I am beginning to think I over-rated. I don't like that I have to cool it to keep it - which means I have to pour it an hour or so before I want a sip so that it comes to room temp. And then it tastes so different. It would probably come to room temp sooner if I didn't keep our house temp at only 60 (Brrrrrrr!) to save $$ on oil! However, that said, it never really "warms" up the way I like my reds.

Anyway, this isn't about Big House at all, it is about Vitiano. And Vitiano is a really good vanilla-oak-cherry dry wine with thyme essence.

I enjoyed this on its own, but it was very good with fettucine and broccoli rabe, chicken sausage, mushrooms, Gouda and some crushed red pepper with a little grape seed oil. I highly recommend this "Super Tuscan" category wine.


So, I am a Steve Poltz fan. He played for awhile on the road with Jewel and they have co-written songs together. But my absolute favorite song of his is from the soundtrack of the movie Notting Hill. The song from the actual soundtrack is electrified and has bagpipes, whereas other versions do not. This, for me, is the sexiest song ever written. Word is that he wrote it for Jewel, though they have not been romantically linked, but whoever it was he had in mind, is the luckiest girl in the world to have someone seeing her in this manner.

I love everything about you
I love the way you comb your hair
And I love the way you sachet in the room
Your perfume lingers in the air
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you

I love the way you lick your lips, dear
You got fireworks in your head
And I love the way you bring me water
When I'm thirsty in your bed
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you

You were surely kissed by angels
Look at the freckles on your face
You got the devil in your eyes
You disappear without a trace

I love sneaking up behind you
When you're looking in the mirror
The way your eyes lock into mine, dear
Without guilt, without fear
I love everything about you, whoa-oh, about you


8.25 out of 10
$12 / 750 ml. bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.

Big House Red

2010
BLEND: Petite Syrah, Syrah, Petite Verdot, Carignane, Mourvedre, Barbera, Zinfandel, Tannat, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Grenache.

So I do believe I've gotten away from the whole point of this blog. To recommend "budget" wines for those with less who still want to enjoy the finer things in life. Let me make amends tonight.

I noticed a friend MONTHS ago had several Black Box Merlot and Shiraz and other Blackstone boxed wines on her counter. When I asked her how she liked them, she said she loved them. She was expecting over (20) family members for a family party and she said it was the most cost-effective way to go without sacrificing a lot of flavor. I barely made a mental note of it because, a boxed wine was still "a boxed wine".

If we are going to talk about having on hand an everday wine for one to enjoy after a hard day's work, then we need to seriously consider the boxed wines that are out there. This is the first one I am reviewing tonight. I hope to do a series of boxed wine reviews in the coming months.

Another friend, who happens to enjoy some of the more expensive and finer wines, loves Big House for her every day on-hand wine (though she buys it in a bottle). I have listened to her mention it numerous times over the last year. I was in the package store the other day, looking for something new to try, and saw a whole "boxed" section. I went right to the Big House. She happens to really like the Big House White, but I thought I'd try the red. I know she likes the red almost as much as the white, but she tends to drink more white than red - hence her preference.

I brought it home and poured a glass. It was very fruity, tasted medium-bodied, and had a slight vanilla cherry finish. I was rather impressed. I mean, I just brought home basically 4 bottles of wine for $21 including tax and I actually enjoyed my glass. I baked a Berkshire pork loin roast with garlic and baked some organic sweet potatoes. The wine was delicious with the meal. Both, I felt, enhanced the other. Tonight, I had another glass after work while cooking dinner and finished my glass with my dinner: baked salmon with lemon and fresh ginger, risotto, and organic mixed peas, carrots, green beans and corn. Another delicious match. Could this be too good to be true? Not so far.

Just so you understand, I am not touting this as a velvety, rich, full-bodied gem. But as an every day, ENJOYABLE, glass of wine for casual meals or alone, this is it. It also tasted good with a handful of white cheddar Cheez-its by the way. Now, I will tell you, when I purchased this box I found myself looking over my shoulder and making sure the parking lot was clear before making a run to my car. I was actually self-conscious that I'd run in to someone I know who might laugh that I was the owner of a box of wine. Also, I must tell you, the Guy was not as enthusiastic about my purchase. He said it tasted: "grapey". BUT - he then added: "with a finish (surprisingly)". I politely disagree with him. It is more berry than grapey to me, and it does have a pleasant low-key finish. It is not thin, it is not metallic, it is not watery. It's got something. Something that is way worth the price and amount.

So, I texted my friend today that I bought her Big House and enjoyed it. I also mentioned that I bought a box of it. Her response? You had such a bad day that you bought a boxed wine???? It completely didn't matter to her that I bought her favorite stand by. She only paid attention to the "box" part. My first reaction to her response? "It's the same wine you dingleberry." No matter what, it seems to be the initial response to hearing the wine is in a "box". Well, guess what? It's 4 bottles for less than the price of 1. Oh, and it's vacuum sealed so it stays fresh. Oh, and it will keep for 4 to 6 weeks. Oh, if it actually lasts that long before I drink it.

8.0 out of 10
13.5% alc. by vol.
Such a DEAL!!!! $19.99 / 3 L ***** That's (4) bottles for under $5 each

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

2008
Red Dry Wine
Italia

This is a highly enjoyable wine to have with Italian fare. Great with pizza and/or such Italiano spices as oregano and garlic. This was my birthday bottle at a restaurant. It was enjoyed with prosciutto and arugula pizza. I liked it so much I gave it as Christmas gifts. Word is that the wooden piece that comes attached to each bottle (not seen in this image) is attached by students at a deaf school near the vineyard.

Tonight we had it with spaghetti with oregano and sauteed garlic and organic turkey and roasted garlic crushed tomatoes topped with a four-cheese combo of fontina, provolone, asiago, and parmesan. It was just as good as it was the night of my birthday with the pizza.

Nothing like beginning your day with a speculum and an anal probe. My doc laughed at me and told me he wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of my face. Good thing I happen to like him. I even thanked him after it was all over - isn't that worse than thanking a police officer for giving you a speeding ticket??? Anyway, that's how my day started and it never got much better. So I decided to purchase a bottle of this after leaving the doctor's office. It was a no-brainer. Hmmmm, how do I erase the bad memories of this morning's wake-up call? I fantasized about wine as I drove away and decided: Lets just end the day with a vanilla-cherry chocolate bomb the likes of a full-bodied red zin.

I sat in the waiting room surrounded by pregnant women. I waited in line to check out with pregnant women in front of me and pregnant women behind me. I should have been happy for them all. But I selfishly felt old and sad that my own were growing up and I have had my day. I am menstruating again for the third time this month. That is after having not menstruated at all for two and a half months. And that is following a month of feeling extremely warm when I am always cold and a month of extreme emotions. Yes, I am losing my child-bearing years. I am also being gross for any male readers out there. But this is my reality. I am beginning a new phase of life and it is not easy to grasp. I miss the spit up, and drool, and gummy smiles, and beautiful-smelling bald heads of yesteryear and I wish I could spend my life surrounded by them. Life goes incredibly fast. That's why we all need our own personal cantina!















I count the cars out on the highway
I think about you now and then
The stars are out and no one knows me
Til I'm home again

The sun breaks across the water
A warm reminder on the wind
The days are sweet but what I want is to be home again
To be home again

HEM -Home Again


8.0 out of 10
13% alc. by vol.
$12 - $15 / 750 bottle

Montecillo Crianza

2007
Rioja
Spain

This was our Christmas main meal wine served with honey baked ham, creamy parmesan mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans and peasant bread. As consumed with the ham, I found this wine very good. Made from Tempranillo grapes, this was a burst of cherry-vanilla flavor with a bit of musty earthiness mixed in. It reminded my brother too much of a French red due to the earthiness and he did not like it - one bad night of too much Beaujolais - he opted for pinot noir. However, the Guy and I enjoyed it.

It just didn't feel like Christmas. I guess I was not alone as almost everyone I have spoken with since Christmas Day has concurred. Everything just felt different for some reason. I never felt "in the spirit" no matter how hard I tried. I listened to my favorite carols and appreciated the beauty of my tree and the gathering of family. I attended Christmas Eve candlelight service. Nothing brought it to the forefront. This was a hard year for my family. We lost three very important people. And life has changed as a result. But it seems, it is not just my family feeling off this year.

Christmas night I went in to check E-mail and saw the horribly sad headlines of the Badger family fire. I became immersed in the story and have felt incredible sorrow ever since. I don't know how Madonna Badger's life will ever feel right again. Christmas is forever sad for her and Matthew Badger. The firefighters on scene will never be the same either. It seemed like it was so close to being preventable - that each child and their grandparents were SO close to almost escaping. And everyone did the best they could to save them, yet it just wasn't enough.

Be thankful for each day you've got with your family and hug the children in your life.

8.0 out of 10
13.5% alc. by vol.
$14 / 750 ml. bottle

Merry Christmas

My brother is here and we went shopping for our Christmas weekend wine enjoyment. :) Not included here is our champagne we will be having with our brunch, as of yet an undecided label but it won't be anything special - just good quality for mimosas. We will be having Pinot Noir with our Christmas Ham and it is also an unknown label as it is to be brought by others.

For our appetizers and afternoons/evenings enjoyment as we see fit, we have got Hess Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvee, 2006; Honig Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008; and Stag's Leap Karia Chardonnay, 2007.

Reviews to hopefully follow in a later post.



So I was at my husband's Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, and I found myself wondering in horror whether or not I had become a wine snob. I was not happy with the selection offered and didn't want to have any of what was out on the table. I had spent the day driving and had a headache and was tired and hadn't seen my children all day and I really didn't want to go to the party. A friend of mine said she would go if I would go, and my husband told me that I had to go because "they" had purchased special wine just for me. So, I decided to go. My friend never showed up and the wine was Forest Glen.

Isn't it my prerogative to decide that I don't like a certain wine? Am I a snob for not drinking it when everyone there knows I enjoy wine? I made that mistake at a wedding over the summer - I drank the only wine they had so as not to appear rude and ended up with a monster headache. So, when I was asked at this party why I wasn't drinking any wine, I stated I did not want to have Forest Glen. So, a bottle of Bogle Phantom emerged just for me. That was a much better choice, and I DID enjoy it, but I found myself still disappointed and I possibly slightly portrayed that emotion on my face and/or in my tone without thinking. On the way home that night, I had to analyze whether or not it made me a snob and I had to think about it logically. I determined I was not a wine snob. To reach this conclusion, I started with the following:

1. SNOB (as defined by Merriam-Webster): one who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors. (This is so NOT me.)

2. I then analyzed who "they" were (the ones who were supposed to have wine especially for my enjoyment): two wine cellar owners with good taste and a vast supply to the different wines they drink. Therefore, my expectations were set higher in anticipation of the wine to be offered.

3. The fact that I had already had a long day and was tired and didn't really want to be there to begin with and was basically only going because a "nice" wine was supposedly purchased on my behalf and to not show would have been plain rude.

There you have it. I was just tired and thought there was something special purchased on my behalf other than wine I am already familiar with. In retrospect, I realize that my husband may have misquoted what was actually said as well, adding to my expectations versus reality. It was just an off night and I should have paid attention to my gut instincts and kept me and my tone home.

Then again, if I had to ask if I was being a snob, maybe there was a slight truth to it?!!!

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours. I wish you peace and comfort and an enjoyable wine experience with friends and loved ones and the magic of the season.

Markham Merlot

2007
NAPA


Vanilla oak, heat, blackberry, pepper ~ worth it


THANKSGIVING 2011

The room was so quiet

Not like when you were in it

The walls weren’t echoing your laughter

The wine glasses emptied

Without you here to refill them

We go on because we must

But life just isn’t at the level you brought it to

Your grandson is just learning to walk, he was lucky, though he may never remember

You held him, you spoke to him

You’ve got a grand-daughter on the way

She should have heard your voice, your laugh, your off-key notes, your poems, your songs

Still, we must be thankful for the times we had

For you rarely turned down an opportunity

You made the most of the life you had

You knew how to live and embrace life

You were a burning star to be followed

And though we can no longer see your brightness burning

We can remember the light of your presence and bask in the remnants of its warmth

$24 / 750 ml. bottle
8.25 out of 10
14.2 % alc. by vol.

Kistler Pinot Noir

2007
Sonoma Coast
Sebastopol, CA
Bottle #00319

Not a budget wine. Sorry again. But it was our anniversary. A berry good wine - this is very fruit forward with a hint of minerality and wood. It tasted even better with French goat cheese, smoked gouda and aged cheddar and each tasted equally as good with the wine.

I wanted to go out to eat tonight - we never do that anymore. I didn't want any of the super expensive places, just a place that's worth the money: da Capo - my favorite italian ristorante. But it just wasn't meant to be.

So I went to the local grocery and bought various cheeses I thought would accompany a Pinot Noir well. We had the smoked gouda, aged cheddar, and French goat cheese which I baked for a bit drizzled with olive oil and thyme and spread over heated ciabatta. We also bought Sopresseta and red and green pears. It was a pretty good "at home" feast.

Upon our return, we discovered our house could have burned down. We left our kids home while we went 2 minutes to the store (16, 14 and 10 - old enough to be OK for less than half an hour). When we pulled in the driveway, our eldest was opening windows and doors. I immediately asked what was wrong. She announced that the oven wasn't "acting right" and had smoke billowing from it for no reason. She was correct -I'd turned it OFF before we left. I put pumpkin bread in it to keep it warm from when the oven was previously on an hour before. I walked into the smoke-filled kitchen to find the oven was still OFF but smoke was indeed billowing forth. I opened the door and found the pumpkin bread was BURNED black and smoking. It looked as though it had been on fire. The oven was indeed OFF, yet the temperature setting was registering at 500 degrees!!!! So, it's (4) days before Thanksgiving and I have no choice but to go get a new oven. I just finished getting my SEARS credit card down below $250 and now I have to throw an oven on there! One step forward, two steps behind.

Anyway, the wine was indeed NOT lost on me this evening. I just sucked it up and put together an appetizer plate for me and the Guy and we sat and ate and sipped in the haze of charred pumpkin bread with the distant sound of an upstairs fire alarm still beeping.

This wine was a gift my aunt brought to me from dear and late Uncle Bob's cellar. As Thanksgiving is nearing, and that is the holiday I will always remember him at, I felt it apropos to have on my husband and my eighteenth anniversary. A deeply felt thank you once again to my uncle for providing me with some of my greatest wine experiences - we miss him so incredibly so and can't believe he is no longer in our lives.

8.5 out of 10
$95 / 750 ml bottle
14.1 % alc by vol.

the Dreaming Tree; Crush

2009
Red Wine
North Coast, California


A blend of Merlot and Zin, this was not what I was hoping it would be. A collaboration of winemaker Steve Reeder and Dave Matthews, Dave should maybe stick with his songwriting and singing. It was not bad - it's just, for the price, I expected more. I've had better for less.

The description on the bottle hints there is some smoky berry-ness, but it just isn't as dream-worthy as the label makes it out to be. There is definite berry and slight smokiness, which means there is potential, but it was a bit flat, a bit thin, and lacking general ooomph. I would have priced this at $8.99/750 ml. bottle. But, it appears to be a designer label alone.

Honestly, I think it just needs a little more of what we all need: TIME. How long, I'm not sure.

So, my eldest daughter told me awhile ago that there is this new song that a few people have told her reminds them of her, but she didn't know the specifics of it other than she keeps hearing it and it is about someone dying young and it was making her nervous that so many thought of her. Shortly after our conversation, I kept hearing a song that I liked a lot, and it reminded me of her, though I didn't really listen to the words until one day when I did and it suddenly clicked that the song I kept hearing must be the same song that reminds others of her. The lyrics now slay me whenever I hear it and my eyes spill over. However, I believe that because my daughter is 16, and pretty, and just starting out having met someone special, and she sings beautifully, and dresses up a lot, and she writes, sings, and plays love songs on her guitar, and she isn't sure of her belief in God but she knows its my greatest hope for her, there really is no question why we think of her with this song.

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had, just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time

And I'll be wearing white when I come into Your Kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,
I've never known the loving of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand
there's a boy here in town says that he'll love me forever
Whoever thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life oh Well,
I've had just enough time

...So put on your best boys,
and I'll wear my pearls . . .

--The Band Perry--

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM

7.5 out of 10
$14.99/750 ml bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.
DreamingTreeWines.com

Old Vine Red Lot Number 50

OLD VINE RED #50
MARIETTA CELLARS
CALIFORNIA


I had Lot #42 in April of 2007. I gave it an 8.0 at the time and I concur that this one is around the same. It is nice to know the Lots are consistent, but I was excited to try this and I was hoping it would be even better than Lot #42. Lot #50 is peppery with floral notes and fruit bomb remnants. It is another blend based off of Zin. I had it with grass-fed beef and asparagus, but it was really good with a piece of home-made fudge.


Tugged the moon into the ground

Turn this bedroom upside down tonight

Took my faith and I breathed it out

Walked right through a cloud of flashing lights

Bright lights

Pain takes my heart's place

The love we made we can't erase it

Don't wanna face it

Erin McCarley, Pitter-Pat

8.0 OUT OF 10

$12.99/750 ML. BOTTLE

13.5% ALC. BY VOLUME