Primal Roots

2011 
Red Blend (Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel) 
California

Maria - This post is for you. Because I'm tired & I can't motivate myself to write. Because I'm worried about my "Big Trip" coming up next week to take my first born off to her new life. Because I'm emotional about EVERYTHING. Because I'm downtrodden. Because I have to be at work at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday to prepare for my "time off" next week while still making my youngest daughter's soccer game. Because I'm uncertain. Because I never got to go to my favorite escape this summer overlooking the Sound. Because I still hope to go before it turns too cold - I long to look over the ocean, & read, & kayak.

So, the joke is that this wine has been kicking around since May. My husband received it as a gift with another slightly more expensive wine. He kept telling me we could not open either unless I made a "special meal", which I never got around to having the time or means for this summer. He finally opened the other more expensive wine on his own with an unworthy meal of something the likes of hot dogs! I did not have a glass. He drank a glass or two then left it on the counter during the most humid, hot week of the year. I placed it in the fridge, he went away to "football camp" & I enjoyed a thawed glass one evening on my own, but never reviewed it. Though I did enjoy it, I didn't recall anything specific enough to sit down & write about.

This wine, Primal Roots, sat around all summer. It was finally opened by me last week with my husband's permission. After it not being opened all summer, waiting for an extremely "special meal" per my husband's directions, I finally ran across it in a liquor store. It was $8.99. I went home & stated that we were not going to be saving this wine for any special meal. We would drink it whenever we next felt like it, food or not!

So, weeks went by & I kept making statements like: "Should we serve my $15 wine tonight, or your $9 wine with our 'occasion'?" It became a joke. Finally, we opened it this past week & the joke was on me as I really enjoyed this wine. I think this is a great buy for the $.  I am going to purchase another bottle this weekend to "be sure"! This was really good alone & with food - chicken (organic) & melted Swiss cheese, mashed potatoes & green beans (both organic). I love a good BLEND. This is one of those. It is full-bodied (my preferred choice!) with slight vanilla notes, some wood & earth & baking spice. This is a CHEAP wine that tastes more expensive. Buy it with confidence. Give it to a friend. Bring it to a party.

Maria - I know you said you were thinking about dropping a bottle of wine off in my mailbox to "make me write again", but, seriously, if you try a wine you like, send me a note & I will buy it too & try it & review it. I LOVE getting recommendations from people (I may not like it the same - but everybody's tastes are very different). Meanwhile, get back to writing yourself! You are someone I admire & you are very smart & talented. Keep it going. Even when you don't feel like it. Like me! Fake it 'til you make it. Smile when you feel like crying. All that jazz. :)

Well, I watched your black tied family
Rise up from graves near cemeteries
That I have not been to since your goodbye

And I drank another simile . . .

"I Can Feel Your Pain" by Manchester Orchestra

8.25 out of 10
$8.99/750 ml. bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.

Shannon Ridge Wrangler Red

2010
Lake County California
High Elevation Edition
Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre & Grenache

Vanilla, oak, pepper spice, & dark cherry flavors were the main flavor players in this medium bodied multi-varied blend. I was pretty happy about the blend layers. This wine is very good. I just don't know that I would pay $19 for it. Maybe $14. I was hoping for a longer finish and more depth. I would like to try it again with grilled steak and mushrooms. It is recommended  to serve with red meat and barbecued pork. I had it with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage & Kale & Spinach Ravioli sauteed with garlic. I preferred it with the meal more than on its own.

Today I was driving in the beautiful sunshine with the sun roof completely open listening to Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" and thinking about the associations I have with almost every piece of music I hear. I can remember hearing this song for the very first time as it came on the radio and my brother and I were riding in the backseat of our old black Dodge Rambler going to get our Christmas tree. My mom was driving and my dad was riding shotgun which was unusual as he usually drove. This song came on and I just loved the beginning where Carly whispers: "Son of a Gun" before she begins singing. My mom told my dad about some couple they knew who was getting divorced and how the wife played this song for the husband and had told her husband how it reminded her of him. 

For quite awhile after that Christmas I would hear the song. It became my favorite that year. I remember telling my neighborhood friend about it and asking her if she knew it. She said: "Is that the song about the clouds in the coffee cup?" I said it was and she said: "I hate that song. It's so stupid. What does it even mean to have clouds in your coffee?" Mind you, we were both like 7 or 8 as we sat evaluating its meaning. I remember shrugging and thinking it was her loss that she didn't get it. What's funny is I knew at my young age that it was just a metaphor, but I didn't truly grasp it other than I figured it was adult speak for describing something deeper. I couldn't make my friend get it. Listening to it today, those memories came back and I smiled. Especially as, since growing up, I love getting to know meanings behind songs and reading autobiographies of artists, etc. 

Long before Adele wrote about her first love gone bad, or Taylor Swift hung John Mayer, Carly Simon wrote about her previous beau, Warren Beatty. In classic self-assured pride, Beatty reportedly thanked her for writing the song. Carly has said it was actually about a combination of men. The apricot scarf was reportedly for Nick Nolte. The cheating boyfriend was reportedly about Mick Jagger's preoccupation with David Bowie's wife. I just love how much she set the entertainment world abuzz with vain speculation with that piece of music! 

Anyway, I have always loved the lyrics, and the "clouds in the coffee" reference I interpret now as foreshadowing in an otherwise simple, happy life - like finding that the morning comfort of drinking warm, soul-filling coffee while sitting in the sun suddenly portrays the presence of clouds overhead as if providing warning to an unseen emotional storm dead set ahead. It's one of those awesome self-discovery items like poetry, open to great self-interpretation. 

You had me several years ago,

when I was still quite naive.

Well you said that we made such a pretty pair,

and that you would never leave.

But you gave away the things you loved,

and one of them was me . . .

I've had some dreams there were clouds in my coffee,

clouds in my coffee and . . .

You're so vain . . .

--Carly Simon (with, incidentally, Mick Jagger on backup!)

8.0 out of 10

$19 / 750 ml. bottle

14.5% alc. by vol.

Dragon's Tooth Blend

2008
NAPA Valley Red
56% Malbec, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot

*Please note that this is not a "budget" wine as our title suggests. From time to time I will review more expensive wines when given the opportunity to indulge. This is one of those times.


--Dark berry fruit flavors, smooth, baking spice oak finish--

My brother is here for Christmas - yay! He brought (4) bottles of red blends with him. We went through two bottles of this tonight with family and friends. I made a big pot of chili and we had a mish-mosh of appetizers that my mom brought left over from a gathering she had at her house the night before. As my brother said, pretty much everything we ate with this tasted better. We had spicy chicken wings which, followed by a sip of wine, the pepper really kicked into gear. We had aged Canadian Cheddar, meatballs, Carr's Wheat Crackers and Cheddar Melts, 5-layer Mexican dip, and finally, the chili. It all tasted good together. My favorite was a Hershey's kiss followed by a sip of wine. The milk chocolate flavor popped back into focus following a sip of the wine.

My brother purchased this wine for $44. However, we have since discovered on the internet, that this vintage is sold out. The price to purchase was in the $70's on average. He is thinking he is going to grab a few more bottles when he gets back to his state where he purchased these from.

It has been tough to feel like blogging. It has been tough to feel the Christmas Spirit. It has been tough to feel any seasonal joy. Every day I have the town of Newtown on my mind. There is so much raw emotion right there on the forefront of my thinking every day. I wake up daily feeling like it is a "normal" day for about one millisecond and then I remember that life has changed. I have connections through family and otherwise to (3) of the adults that were killed, and a second cousin is a neighbor to one of the little girls killed. Even if I didn't have any ties to any of the victims, this is a heart-wrenching event. Everywhere I go, I find people need to mention it, or talk about it. I have vendors at work from across the country who ask me when I talk to them how "we" are doing in our neck of the woods. I work two towns over from Newtown and pass through Newtown on my way to work. But many of my vendors do not know that. They just know I am in the same state and want me and others to know that they are thinking of us all.

We will never be able to make sense of what happened. There was really nothing that could have been done to stop it. Dawn Hochsprung had a good security system in place. It just wasn't capable of keeping out someone who really wanted to do harm. I still believe that good WILL triumph over evil in the end and we must not ever lose faith. Those children and teachers must not die in vain. We have to do our best to forge ahead, remembering them always, while paying closer attention to those children who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

I am a traditional Christmas song lover. I don't like anything that sounds like today's pop or has been given a mod  uptempo. I rarely listen to "new" Christmas music, with a few exceptions. Sting's "If on a Winter's Night" CD, Harry Connick Jr.'s song "When My Heart Finds Christmas", and Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" CD. I am a Gordon Lightfoot fan, and his 1967 song covered by both Sting and Sarah, "If on a Winter's Night" has always been one of my favorites. This year it has taken on new meaning. I can't help but think of the families who are missing their children when I listen to some of the lyrics.

I do believe that those teachers who perished are with the children who perished too. And I believe families will one day be reunited with their precious little lost loves. And for every act of evil, I believe there are way more acts of good. Wishing you all comfort and peace this Christmas, and hold close those who mean the world to you.

The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim
The shades of night are lifting
The morning light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are drifting
If I could only have you near, to breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
And to be once again with you
On this winter night with you 

--If on a Winter's Night by Gordon Lightfoot

This wine was given a rating of 94 by Wine Enthusiast.

8.5 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
*$44 -$76 (depending on where you buy it) / 750 ml. bottle

Red Truck

2005
Sonoma, California
Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Mourvedre Blend

Will probably drink again.


So, my co-worker "Deb" (who doesn't drink), gave me an article she'd printed out of her Sunday paper about a woman who reviews wines for a living. She did a brief article on the best "grocery store" variety wines for your buck. Deb said to me, "You should review the reviewer." I thought it was a pretty good idea, brought it home to The Guy, and he agreed. Only thing is I then lost the article (but I'm sure it will turn up again soon). Anyway, this was one of the wines she reviewed. Two of her other wines we actually did previously review here but I have to find the article to remember which ones (one was the Banrock Station Chardonnay I believe).

I honestly wasn't looking forward to trying this one. Especially when I smelled the cork and it smelled like red wine vinegar, I almost passed. However, I plodded on and it was good for it's price. It had a blackberry, slight worcestershire taste. It was better on it's own before any food. (The flavor became "cheap" following turkey, sweet potatoes and salad.) I would say it's medium bodied with somewhat of a finish and worth it's price.

Are you gone and onto someone new?
. . . Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You'd die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
Your trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
I've got another confession my friend
I'm no fool

Best of You - Foo Fighters

7.75 - 8.0 out of 10 (undecided)
$9 / 750 ml. bottle
13.5% alc. by vol.

Quarterback 2005, McLaren Vale Red Wine

Quarterback
2005
McLaren Vale Red Wine
Australia

Winemaker: Tony De Lisio

Will drink again.

30% Shiraz, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 22%, Grenache 21%

I bought this wine for The Guy for Christmas simply because of it's name. However, it is a McLaren Vale and it is a blend, so I did use a little discretion.

This wine was very (subtly) alluring. The Guy and I enjoyed it more the second night – though the first night was good. Big fruit aroma – smells like it will pack a punch. It is a “quiet”, mellow yet full, cherry flavor-packed, woodsy wine up front. The finish is very subtle and just goes away gently.

This has got to be my favorite wine quote ever from The Guy: He said "When you put the Quarterback in your mouth, you get a burst of taste." (Oh, I'm thinking Matt Cassel or Tom Brady.) He insists he was talking about the wine, but I still think all these months and years of watching those tight ends run around have certainly had quite the effect on him.

The recommendation is to drink over the next 6- 10 years.

The Wine Advocate gave it a 90-92 rating.

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part . . .
. . .When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The giving up is the hardest part

---John Mayer
Dreaming With a Broken Heart

8.5 out of 10
$22 / 750 ml bottle
15% alc. by vol.
http://www.epicureanwines.com/


The Guy: Yeah so... like ... um... The loss from words is due to an inherent inability to keep up with the quick wit of the gal. All I know is that I'm not the one fawning over these pics (1, 2, 3, 4) from camp. Odd name for a wine, but heck, if it is half as good as the team I follow, then why the heck not give it a shot?