Kistler Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

2006
Sonoma Coast
No. 09774

So - I'm at it again. It is not another "budget" wine being reviewed here. It is another pick from my late Uncle's cellar. This one I brought home for my dear friend & walking partner ("M") who is a Chardonnay Freak like me. :)

Kistler is never a disappointment, but what is so interesting about this particular bottle (& indeed it is a particular bottle, as it is numbered) is that it's drinkability supposedly expired in 2013. I am very happy to report that it's flavor continues to be absolutely full-bodied-delicious with butter & toast nuances mingled with lemon & beautiful minerality - my favorite attribute.

M always puts out an AMAZING spread in seconds flat & this night was no exception. My personal opinion is that she should be a chef instead of a Real Estate mogul. LOL. She presents delicious & colorful presentations - very creative & tasty. She was concerned about what we should have to accompany our Kistler, & yet, as I told her, Kistler just IS. It is amazing on its own & can be even more enjoyable with food. And it was. Especially with the thyme chevre she served. It alone was the perfect accompaniment.

Spent the day today with one of my two art student college children. One of her charcoal portraits was chosen to hang in the campus Art Gallery. She happened to mention it to me only in passing as we returned from getting some groceries. She is so silly. She just doesn't understand how very proud I am of her & how I love to see her work, though I do tell her often. I try to tell all three of my children how much their hard work & determination mean to me. We do seem to get a lot of flack about our older two children being in Art schools & it really gets very tiring. I want them to choose paths that give them joy & allow them to express themselves creatively. I think that being able to express one's creativity is the ultimate  key to open doors, even if the majority of the world doesn't agree. I know only too well how the rest of one's abilities suffer, falter & can ultimately extinguish altogether if the creative fire within is not allowed to flourish.

The stones from my enemies
These wounds will mend
But I cannot survive
The roses from my friends

When the last word has been spoken
And we've bared witness to the final setting sun
All that shall remain is a token
Of what we've said and done

Roses from My Friend
--Ben Harper
(Just an aside, I am in love with Ben Harper)

BTW - If you're looking for one heck of a Book Ride, read Paul Hawkins "The Girl on the Train". I took it out of the library Friday night after work & I finished it in 24 hours. COULD NOT put it down!

$80 - $107/750 ml. bottle with $92 being the average current going rate if you can find it
9.5 out of 10
14.1% alc. by vol.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin

2013
Lodi Zinfandel
Manteca, CA

The opposite of my last post, this wine is definitely budget material. Wine Enthusiast supposedly gave this a 90 point review for its flavor versus price. I have to agree based on what I paid locally for this wine. It had dark fruit flavors with a hint of smoke, oak & vanilla. Pretty good on its own, I did enjoy it more added to a Paleo-friendly stew I made & with the meal (recipe follows below).

 

I went North to Vermont this weekend with my youngest, as if -12 degrees predicted for my hometown wasn't cold enough. On Saturday night, with the wind chill, we reached -35 degrees. A new record was set. It was a nice weekend spent indoors reading books & playing board games & watching movies & finishing a challenging puzzle that was begun last year!!! All with breath-taking mountain views.

Driving home today, we plugged in my daughter's I-pod Nano & she chose the musical format. There was a lot of Cold Play during our 2-1/2 hour journey as she knows I am a Chris Martin fan. We had a nice time together & now we are watching the Grammy's!

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I came here to talk
I hope you understand 
Green eyes, yeah the spotlight, shines upon you
And how could, anybody, deny you
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I met you

Green Eyes, Cold Play

*Side note: my all-time favorite line I think: "I came here with a load and it feels so much lighter now I met you".

Paleo-Friendly Chicken & Cauliflower Stew (adapted from Robb Wolf's the Paleo Solution)

Ingredients:
3 T Olive Oil
2-1/2 lbs. Chicken Breasts (boneless) or Thighs
2 heads of Cauliflower, chopped
32 oz. Crushed Tomatoes (San Marzano are the best!)
1 or 2 Red Peppers, chopped
3 t Cumin
3 t Thyme
1-1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 c Red wine or to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet or big soup pot. Add chicken & brown on all sides. Add chopped Cauliflower & then add all remaining ingredients & reduce heat to low & simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until everything is tender. Serve with an old vine zin!

8.0 out of 10.0

14.5% alc. by vol.

$9/750 ml. bottle locally, but $12.99 on various internet wine stores

Pahlmeyer 2007

Pahlmeyer 2007

Napa Valley Red Wine

Wow. I can't believe it's been over two years since I've posted here. And I apologize that the wine I am about to review is not at all a budget one.

I've just spent a wonderful weekend with my aunt, reminding me of the ultimate importance of just being with family, and I was therefore inspired to write again. She and I walked at the awesome Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex in Short Hills, NJ, went to Giorgio's Ristorante in South Orange, and saw the really moving, emotionally-wrought, at times raw, "Motherhood Out Loud" play put on by interACT Theatre Productions, which really hit home for me. With virtually no props, this play was amazing. There was a line toward the end that really struck me and I can't recall it verbatim now. But it had to do with your child thinking you're a pain in the ass because you are always right there checking and double-checking that they are on the right path and yet you see it as just caring so much for the life you brought into this world, knowing it can be taken out of this world at any time. You were there as they took their first breath and you want so much to be sure they keep on breathing, well beyond the baby years. If you have not seen this production, go see it if it comes to a town near you. 

So, we went to Giorgio's Ristorante and the food was fantastic and the atmosphere likewise, peaceful, calmly-lit with soothing music playing as we gazed out the window by our table to the large, white-light lit tree in front. It was BYOB. My aunt gave me free reign to choose whatever wine I wanted from my late uncle's wine cellar to bring to dinner. Her only wish was this it be red as she was having veal. With hundreds of bottles to choose from, it was overwhelming for me to try to decide. She eventually came downstairs to check on me because I was taking so long! I ultimately chose a Pahlmeyer proprietary red because my uncle had many bottles and vintages of this label. I figured it must be good for him to have stockpiled so many.

This wonderful wine was big on heated vanilla, toasted oak and dark berry flavors that were lush and heavy bodied. The flavor was enunciated when I ate my capellini with salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and portabella mushrooms. I savored the flavor for two days as we only ate half of our dinners, saving the remainder for lunch the next day. We each had two small glasses with dinner and I brought the rest of the bottle home to revel in today. After having been opened last night, I felt the taste the next day was even more flavorful without any added food.

After I got home, I looked up the recommended drinking period of this vintage and found it is from 2012 through 2032! Had I known, I would have grabbed a 2005 or 2003 which my uncle had several of. Those vintages are up sooner. The vintage I chose will continue to just taste better and better with each passing year. So if you can splurge and get your hands on a bottle, grab it and cellar it for the next decade. It won't disappoint whenever you choose to enjoy it.

For the crown you've placed upon my head feels too heavy now
and I don't know what to say to you but I'll smile anyhow
and all the time I'm thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
want to see the world alone again
to take a chance on life again
so let me go. 

-HUNTER, DIDO

9.0 out of 10 (with 10 being "del-ish")
15.2% alc. by vol.
$160/750 ml. (YIKES!)