Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay

2008

Grand Reserve

55% Monterey and 45% Santa Barbara County

California

I've got a real simple description: EXCELLENT. Mineral notes, hint of vanilla, big time pear and oak. My current chardonnay favorite for the year. Reminds me greatly of the 2006 Clos du Bois chardonnay.

Fantastic alone and very good with homemade organic chicken soup. All around total SOUL FOOD evening.

Off to do some yoga. Ciao.

well it wasn't me says the boy with the gun

sure i pulled the trigger but it needed to be done

because life's been killing me ever since it begun

you can't blame me cause I'm too young

you cant blame me sure the killer was my son

but I didn't teach him to pull the trigger of the gun

it's the killing on this TV screen

you can't blame me it's those images he's seen

well you can't blame me says the media man

well I wasn't the one who came up with the plan

and I just point my camera at what the people wanna see

man it's a two way mirror and you can't blame me

you can't blame me says the singer of the song

or the maker of the movie which he based his life on

it's only entertainment and as anyone can see

it's smoke machines and make up man you can't fool me
it was you, it was me, it was every man we've all got the blood on our hands we only receive what we demand and if we want hell then hell's what we'll have

COOKIE JAR, Jack Johnson

8.5 out of 10

13.5% alc. by vol.

$18.99 / 750 ml. bottle

Chamarre Grande Reserve Pinot Noir

2006

France

Will drink again.

(FYI - There should be an accent mark over the last "e" in Chamarre but I can't manage it here - pronunciation therefore is "sha-ma-ray".)

Chamarre, en Francais, means "bursting with colors - bursting with flavor". This was a nice Pinot Noir. Black cherry, vanilla, slight oak and licorice. The finish was slightly peppery. Very enjoyable. I have found most Pinot Noir wines I've had to be "light" or "weak". This was not - it had a lot of flavor and was full bodied. As it was only $9.99, it was a really good deal in my opinion.

What is better than to sit at the end of the day and drink wine with friends, or substitutes for friends?

---James Joyce

8.0 out of 10
$9.99 / 750 ml
12% alc. by vol.

http://www.chamarre.com/