EARTHQUAKE CAB

2003
LODI Appellation
California

Not a budget wine - Holiday SPLURGE.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS - OR AT LEAST A MOVING REVELATION

Check out my Christmas wine list on the left. My dear brother is home for Christmas and we went wine shopping tonight. It was so incredibly fun to go into a wine store and, each of us with our baskets, load up. We perused each aisle carefully, commenting to one another from across the room, occasionally asking advice of the "salesman", weighing our options, the menu, the days ahead and selecting. A cherished memory for the back of my mind. :)

The Bro purchased Earthquake Cab for tonight and we decided, as it was late, to just buy hors d'oeuvres for dinner. We had spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese in phyllo), beef wrapped in bacon and scallops wrapped in bacon. I tried each, but stuck with the spanakopita as the scallops were not good accompanied by the wine, and beef isn't my thing, and bacon is just TROUBLE. The Earthquake was good with the beef, and the spanakopita. As may have been guessed, the scallops were not good with the wine.

On it's own, the wine's scent was intoxicating for me. I could have hovered over it forever in bliss. Upon initial tasting, I immediately tasted eucalyptus. It later tasted smokey, jammy and peppery (more peppery with the beef). I enjoyed it immensely.



$32 / 750 bottle
8.25 out of 10
15.5% alc. by vol.

Passing Clouds

2004
Reserve Shiraz
Bendigo
Australia

This is just a real quick recommendation based on this wine I brought home tonight. It was really, really good. But I think it will be awesome with some brief cellar time. It is recommended to drink now through 2010-2012, with it most likely being magnificent in the latter range.

I was very excited to taste my first mint experience in a red. Passing Clouds has a wonderful smoky scent. It is a full-bodied multi-berry, woodsy-oak, with hints of vanilla and mint. It's a bit tart on the finish, which is where I think the most improvement will be with a couple more years. I think its potential finish will be velvet.

Although it is not a budget wine, the flavor is there and I truly believe if you purchase it now and save it a bit, it will be a great buy in the short-term long run (when the price goes up and you've already got it unopened and only improving with age).

Very good on its own, it is recommended as an accompaniment to red meat.

Robert Parker gave this a 91 rating.

I end with a favorite song excerpt from one of my very favorite adult alternative voices, Joshua Radin.

. . . But I look at you, warm in your dream
While your mobile dances above
And I think to myself
It's a beautiful night
And I know everything
Is gonna be alright
Yes now I know
It'll be alright

Joshua Radin
Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0cSev4R5rs&feature=related

8.5 out of 10
15% alc. by vol.
$24 / 750 ml bottle

Turley Zinfandel

2003
LODI
California

I am shocked to learn that I never reviewed this wine last year! Uncle Bob has brought it for Thanksgiving for the last few years and I thought I'd reviewed it previously. I LOVE it with turkey and the vast other accompaniments we have with our main course. It is rich in flavor and deep in color and rather distinct in its smokey cherry-ness.

We have a varying menu that breaks all starch rules - we have rice, and potatoes and stuffing, AND bread! This year's menu was a wonderfully roasted organic turkey (gift from my boss), mashed sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, wild rice salad with cranberries and walnuts, sauteed green beans with garlic, butter lettuce with pignolia nuts and cranberries and celery, pumpkin muffins, sausage stuffing, parsnips and carrots, and pumpkin, apple, chocolate cream and peanut butter pies, and organic vanilla bean ice cream!!!!! Quite a varying degree of flavors.

However, for the main menu flavors, I just love the Turley Zin. Thank you so much to my beloved uncle. :)

Last night was a night well-spent at a local craft center, surrounded by creativity, at yet another wine and food pairing event put on by my favorite artisan food shoppe! The Guy and I accompanied my boss and his wife to yet another fun event. I've got pics and notes to post in a few days.

"We are all unique.
Special.
One of a kind.

With your light, pure soul
Eyes bluer than the sea.
Hair richer than the finest chocolate.

Kind.
Gentle.
Compassionate,
beautiful in every way.

Like an angel,
born of stardust.
Heaven sent.
One of a kind."

(Written by my eldest for me.)

8.5 out of 10
15.6% alc. by vol
$59 / 750 ml

Field Stone Vintage Port

2000
Field Stone
Staten Family Reserve
Alexander Valley
California

It is a thoroughly enjoyable, deeply tasty berry port and I love it. It is not as sweet as other ports I’ve had. Uncle Bob brought it for Thanksgiving and it of course tastes best with his leftover pumpkin pie - which, by the way, is the best (Bon Appetite, 1970!!!!!!).


Tonight I reflect on Thanksgiving and Uncle Bob. He loves to sing. We now have a “new” tradition at the end of our Thanksgiving meal where we all go into the living room and my middle child plays Christmas Carols on the piano. Uncle Bob sings to her music (and the rest of us sing along less zealously). This year was no exception. But also this year, Uncle Bob sang our Thanksgiving meal blessing. I can’t fit everyone around the dining room table, so I inevitably have to place six others in the kitchen. But before the meal we all gather in the dining room and say grace or some sort of Thanksgiving blessing. This year, Uncle Bob broke into song – “We Gather Together” was the song he sang. We all did our best with the words of the first verse, but half of us dropped off with the second. And my aunt and cousin tried to tell my uncle one verse was good enough. He kept going. At the end of the second verse they tried to say “Thank You” and “That was good” “OK now”, etc. Bob kept going for verse three. I love to hear him sing and he gets much joy from it and it really warms my soul. Well, I didn’t mind him continuing and was laughing a bit at the others trying to coax him to stop. But then, I looked at my beloved grandmother.

She is 91 and life has been harder for her. Group gatherings tend to confuse her, especially a lot of people. We so want her to be with us, but we hate to have her feel confused. She does all right for the most part. My brother sat by her side and gave her wine and hors d’ouevres and reminded her who was who. She smiles and does her best to recognize and remember and hear and see. But lately, there’s a bit of a loss of recognition in her eyes and a distant look has begun to emerge. I’ve lived long enough now to know that look and start to recognize it as a sign of the years coming to and end. Each time I am with her is a blessing and I am thankful I got one more visit. I always wonder upon leaving her, was this the last one? When I glanced at her during Uncle Bob’s singing, she had a big smile, eyes were intently focused on him and she was leaning forward to hear every word of the song. She was singing too. She knows the song well. It is one of her favorites. My heart leapt as I saw not just recognition in her face, but joy. I thought: please do not let the song end!!!! My grandmother was back for those wonderful minutes.And being together, all of us, singing that awesome song, was all that mattered at that moment. And it created for me a memory to last forever.

Later, my mom and I drove her home (she has lived in a wonderful community for over the last 20 years where she and my grandfather retired to). She has just recently been moved into the Nursing Home part of the community. This was hard for us to do as she is mentally with it and mobile. But she has fallen too many times lately and shouldn’t be left in her own apartment as a result. It is difficult to bring her back to her room where most of the other people are in wheelchairs and appear catatonic. They are withdrawn into their own little worlds and most seem oblivious to visitors.

I have had an emotional time coming to grips with this phase of my grandmother’s journey. This is the woman who taught me water ballet and how to jackknife off the diving board of her swimming pool. She read me Uncle Rhemus stories under crisp, cool, ironed cotton sheets (Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby was my favorite). She confidently sang hymns as I stood by her side in church. She grew glorious flower beds. She bought me things I needed. She told me I was loveable and capable. She told me I was special, and I believed her.

When my mom and I brought her into her room, we sat her on her bed. The nurse’s aide had laid out her pretty floral PJ’s and my mom and I kissed her and started to say goodbye. With a sleepy look on her face, she raised her arms over her head for us to take her shirt off. In that moment, I saw my littlest child at the end of a long day, just wanting me to help her get ready for bed. So my mom and I undressed her and put her PJ’s on. Then she hugged us both and brought our heads down to her shoulders. As I wrapped my arms around her, she began to cry. And I cried too. We held each other, silently shaking with our sobs. It was all unspoken, but I knew what she was feeling. Life has changed again. A new phase has begun, come what may.

I can’t confide in her anymore. I can’t tell her what worries me or hurts me because it causes her too much pain to not be able to be make things better for me. She loves me so much that divulging my secret troubles to her would cause her strife. And I love her too much to attempt it. So I suppose I am beginning to realize that my days with my eldest unconditional mentor are running out. And I am frightened. And I am looking to friends that I’ve somehow lost. I am wondering who can fill that void for me. I suppose I am being selfish, trying to protect a very fragile psyche that she has always been there to nurture. I am embarking soon on unchartered territory.

On my way home from work last night I felt as if I were driving in a trance. I usually listen intently to NPR. I found myself hearing the words but none of the meaning. I hit traffic on the highway and pulled off to take the back roads - only to get stuck behind a policeman who had stopped his car in the middle of the road. I was vaguely aware of a mess of sorts on the road but hadn’t paid real close attention. Waiting for him to do whatever it was he was doing, I glanced out my window to the road beneath my car. There, to my left, right by my door, was a big, exposed bloody heart. All by itself. It had belonged to a deer. It had been hit hard and fast and was in pieces everywhere. The cop dragged what was left of its head and front legs across the road in front of me to the grass. He then got in his car and drove off. I felt like I stared at that heart forever. I remember thinking: that’s my heart, naked and exposed, out in the cold, separate from my body. I need to get back in touch with it. I need to move on. I need to do the best I can to pick myself up and dust myself off and forge onward. That’s what my grandmother would say to me if she knew how I felt. She’d encourage me not to wallow. She’d encourage me to shine, even if my shine isn’t that new anymore. She’d encourage me to do the best I can with what I’ve got to work with.

As my mom and I left my grandmother's room Thanksgiving night, I noticed just outside her room, hanging on the wall, the song we had sung before dinner. There it was – all that’s important in life: We Gather Together. An affirmation just for me. Awesome.


$40 / 750 ml.
8.25 out of 10
19% alc. by vol.

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon

2006
Paso Robles
California



The Guy and I attended a Holiday wine, beer and food pairing event with my boss and his wife at the same place I wrote about in my October post below.

We had many pairings, but the wine we loved the most was the very smooth and distinct Justin Vineyards Cabernet. Ironically, it was a wine used to show that none of the foods served went well with it. But it was awesome on its own. I served it pre-food on Thanksgiving and it was a hit (the Justin cab is shown here on the right - Ommegang Ale is on the left.)

FYI - out of the two beers we tried, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Ommegang Abbey Ale, it was the Ommegang we brought home ($5.99 / pint). This Belgian-style sweet brew accompanied hard pretzels and spicy Chipotle Honey Mustard nicely. It also accompanied our sausage and buffalo mozzarella pizza well too.

We had a Gewurztraminer, a Crus Beaujolais, a Muscat, a Port, and a Rose Brut as well. Each was paired with various food items including whole grain bread and salami with rosemary infused olive oil, bruschetta, pears and bleu cheese (which the Muscat was awesome with - Bealieu Vineyards - $8.99), brie and cranberry, and dark mexican chocolate (paired well with Fonseca 10-year Tawny Port - $32.99). But the Cabernet was where it was at for me. I couldn't get it's flavor and scent off my mind. I knew as soon as I put it to my nose that I was going to enjoy it. And, after all pairings were complete, it was what I asked to have a refill of to end my night. It was very smooth, slightly sweet with vanilla and spice but nicely balanced with herbal, mushroom flavors.

Not exactly a budget wine at $25 a bottle, but nice for special occasions.








8.5 out of 10
14.5% alc. by vol.
$25 / 750 ml. bottle
JUSTINwine.com

Wine and Cheese Pairings

I realize I have been absent. Since June I have been afflicted with a painful, undiagnosed illness that affects my ear and neck and/or carotid artery. I lived with it all summer and tried to keep posting and keep my chin up. But I'm going on month five now, and many co-payments and specialists, and x-rays and MRI's and prescriptions (and still no answers) have left me broke, fatigued, still in pain, fearful, impatient and depressed. I have not even had my usual zest for wine tasting - that alone is enough to make me depressed. While this strange pain I have affects me daily, I am lucky enough that it leaves me for anywhere from 4 - 8 hours at some point during the day or evening. My boss gave me his seat tonight at a wine and cheese pairing event that I accompanied his wife to. The stars lined up for me and my pain left me at 5:00 p.m. I have just returned from a wonderful reprieve of an evening pairing exquisite artisan cheeses with five wines. There is a new store in a local town that sells fresh, unbelieveable creamy goat, sheep and cow cheeses, as well as fine chocolates and artisan breads. The owner and his wife ran the event this evening. I was thrilled to meet the owner's wife who is a sommelier who trained under Kevin Zraly at "Windows of The World" in NYC.

As my zest for photo taking has left me as well, there are no photos of the evenings' pairings, but following are my two top favorite pairings of the evening.

I have tasted and reviewed both of the following wines previously (so if you want label info, look in the archives here). Both wines were unparalelled when paired with these cheeses this evening.

Drylands Estate, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($17.99) paired with Brigid's Abbey Cato Corner Farm cow cheese. The cheese being extra creamy and FAT, the citrus fruit of the Drylands was a perfect match.

7 Deadly Zins, 2006 Red Zinfandel ($17.99) paired with Timberdoodle Woodcock Farm Vermont cow cheese. The Timberdoodle cheese is very strong and complex on its own and the other wines we tried with it just petered out. But the 7 Deadly Zins was power packed full of flavor to match the cheese. The result was a fantastic smoke flavored finish of both cheese and wine. (This combo I hope to be able to serve as Thanksgiving appetizers.)

I can't promise I'll be posting again soon, but I am going to think positive and tell you when I have a good day, and a good wine experience, I will pass it along, even if just brief. Mid-November, this store is having a special holiday pairing. Focal points will be Chocolate and Cabernet and Port and Bleu Cheese. I am hoping the stars will align for me once again and I will forward my experiences on to you. :)

Palazzo Della Torre Veronese

2004
Allegrini
Italy

Will definitely drink this very smooth wine again. Buy now to drink and/or cellar for a few years.

70% Corvina Veronese
25% Rondinella
5% Sangiovese

I thoroughly enjoyed this very smooth, full-bodied red. Deep velvety red in color, it was very fruit forward in scent and initial mouth full. Had a big blackberry scent and flavor up front for me. It 's finish was pleasant, not as long as I might have liked, but enjoyable. It was good all on its very own - no food influences. It wasn't as distinct in flavor once the addition of food was made (black bean and roasted garlic stew).







8.25 out of 10 (The Guy gives it a 9.0 without the addition of food. 8.5 with tonight's dinner)
13.5% alc. by vol
$20 / 750 ml bottle

Two Hands Angels Share Shiraz

2004
McLaren Vale
Australia

Loved this wine - would love to drink again.

(I was unable to snatch the bottle to get a pic before it was thrown away, however, the fab image to the right is found on the bottle.)

I reviewed Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz on New Year's Eve, 2007. See the review here: http://whattodrink.blogspot.com/2007/12/two-hands-gnarly-dudes.html.

Although the Gnarly Dudes had a slight edge over Angels Share, they are pretty darn close. The Guy and I went to his work picnic a few weeks ago and we were lucky enough to be given a choice of not-the-average-run-of-the-mill wine selections by his very nice and generous boss. Prior to our delicious main meal, we enjoyed this wine on its own. I also had it with home-made Clam Chowder (and shrimp cocktail) and still enjoyed it just as much.

This was a beautiful "dark ink" color and had that awesome McLaren Vale-specific taste to it. The Barossa and McLaren Vale are definitely two of my favorite Australian Shiraz regions. I found it to be smokey-mocha-oak-earth cherry in flavor and loved it. I highly recommend it, though it's not the average budget material :{

Tonight's reflection is yet another song that hits me personally (most that I post do in some way). It's my absolute favorite by "O.A.R". I hope it doesn't get overkilled on the radio (I fear it's starting to), but nevertheless it speaks volumes to me right now. I feel it represents Classic Co-dependency and wish I couldn't identify with it so. (And, as a side note, for my friend in the Netherlands who worries about my "broken hearts" poems and song choices - this is cathartic for me and it's who I am - but I am OK and so very grateful you care.)

. . .Stumble out, in the night
From the pouring rain
Made the block, sat and thought
There's more I need
It's always back to you

But I'm good without ya
Yeah, I'm good without you
Yeah, yeah, yeah . . .

. . .How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can't define what I'm after
I always turn the car around
All that I feel is the realness I'm faking
Taking my time but it's time that I'm wasting
Always turn the car around

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can't define what I'm after
I always turn the car around

Don't wanna turn that car around
I gotta turn this thing around

O.A.R. - "Shattered"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzwAXlWkk3Y
(P.S. - It helps to turn this up nicely and belt it out with a look of anguish on your face)
(P.S.S. - while I enjoy YouTube for it's quick link videos, I ignore the comments and bad language by too many derelicts that tend to follow a music video - I suggest you do the same and don't read the comments - they are usually in no way a reflection of my personal tastes and I tend to find the majority either stupid or offensive or both)

(Robert Parker gave this a 95 if you're interested.)

8.5 out of 10
$29 / 750 ml. bottle
14% alc. by vol. (?)

Burgans Albarino

2007
Rias Baixas
Spain

Will drink again.

Having been craving an Albarino for a few weeks, I purchased the only one a local wine shop had a lot of. This was it. I enjoyed it, though not quite as much as the Nora Albarino I reviewed here in November 2007. But I would still recommend this.

A friend from another planet recommended Albarino to me last year following a business-related trip he'd made. He loved it. I'd never heard of it. Months later, in 2007, I tried a Nora Albarino at a restaurant with my tuna entree and loved it. I haven't had one since, though I've read it is THE wine to have with shell fish and/or paella. So, tonight I was stir-frying shrimp and figured I'd try to locate one. We had shrimp with ginger, garlic risotto and spinach and this Albarino accompanied it perfectly. I am in love with the lemon and mineral notes I seem to pick up in the only two Albarinos I've ever had.

Though this one was more floral and citrus-y, and much lighter in color than the Nora, I still enjoyed it. It reminds me of a cross between a lemony Sauvignon Blanc and a woodsy Chardonnay. Nice. I may not be a connoisseur, or have big bucks to spend, so you may choose to believe I'm just blowing words out my ass, but this wine goes especially well with sea fish and shell fish. Trust me.

Josiah
Seven years old
AK-47 forced into your little hands
The weight of it causing you to lose balance and fall over
Forced into battle against the "rebels"
You never survived your first RPG experience
Your one and only day in battle
Crying out for your long ago separated mother
Your life ends
And my faith once again mocks me
Where was the God I trust?

(I've been reading the true and heart-wrenching Ishmael Beah's "a long way gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" of his life in Sierra Leone. Josiah's story struck me especially hard as he was the same age as my youngest and I can't imagine a child having to experience these horrors at any age, yet so many have, are, and still will until the hatred and violence ends. But first, help must come from elsewhere. UNICEF saved Ishmael.) PAIX / سَلام / paz / 平和 / pace / ειρήνη / 和平 / 평화(의) / damai / мир / rahu / der Frieden / friður / PEACE

http://www.unicef.org/

Robert Parker gave this Albarino a 90.

$13 / 750ml. bottle
8.0 out of 10
12.5% alc. by vol.

Terre di tufi

2003
Super White Tuscan
San Gimignano, Italia

Will definitely drink again.

A wonderful blend of:
Vernaccia - 80%
Chardonnay - 7%
Malvasia - 7%
Vermentino - 6%

Sad to say, but I can't for the life of me remember what I served with this deletable little number Labor Day weekend. All I know is, The Bro and I really loved it. The Guy doesn't remember it. :0 Doh! He must have enjoyed it a little too much.

Called a "cult wine", this wonderful Tuscan white had a really nice texture and finish, and a wonderful taste combo of creamy, vanilla spice with a nice acid balance.







8.0 out of 10
13% alc. by vol.
$22 / 750 ml bottle

Hayman Hill

2005
Cabernet Sauvignon
NAPA VALLEY
Reserve Selection No. 27

Would love to drink again, and again.

9/20/08 - Update: Had again with lunch - tostadas with black beans, kidney beans, garlic, tomato sauce, Greek plain yogurt and Chipotle topping. Very, very good together.

I still have (3) wines that The Bro brought Labor Day weekend to review, and (3) new reds from a picnic yesterday. But tonight, we had one of our own and this was it. I enjoyed it a LOT. It was good alone and with turkey meatballs, roasted garlic marinara and fresh basil from my kitchen garden, spinach and fresh parmesean. Especially excellent following a bite of the meatball. Scent of a meaty olive, the taste was pleasant blackberry with a little oak and vanilla with a lingering finish.

Quote of the Day - I told The Guy (who, in case you didn't know, writes for Comcast and Scout on the internet about the New England Patriots) with regard to the Patriots' Tom Brady replacement: "He makes me wish I was twenty years old again, and a New England Patriot cheerleader."

He quoted me, wryly, on his report: newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/wickedgoodsports/patriots/week-2-cassel-vs-the-hated-jets/


8.25 out of 10
13.5% alc. by vol.
$12.00 / 750 ml. bottle

Valckenberg Gewurztraminer

2006
Germany

Would drink again.

The Bro was here for Labor Day weekend and birthday celebrations. He came with (4) reds and (4) whites. He is not a white wine lover, but he went out on a limb and gave them his best attention. He did not leave a white wine lover, but we did have fun.

I really enjoyed this Gewurztraminer though he did not, nor did The Guy. The Bro's biggest complaint was that he likes a wine he can enjoy on its own without requiring food to enhance the flavor. This wine was on the sweeter side, which was no surprise to me, but it didn't go over well with The Bro or The Guy. We had it with grilled marinated chicken breast, roasted garlic and pecan grains, and broccoli and carrot slaw. I thought it accompanied the tangy flavors of the meal well. And I felt the meal brought out the best in the wine.

Nutmeg, peach and an undisclosed floral scent and flavor. This was my first floral wine experience and I liked it. This wine is flavorful and right on with the budget. Low in alcohol content, it's enjoyable well-chilled on a warm summer day, especially following a LONG hike and you won't get hammered after a couple of glasses.


8.0 out of 10
$10 / 750 ml bottle
10.5% alc. by vol.


Rain it on down.
What else can you throw at me I haven't heard before?
And tear me on down.
I am unforgivable.

So why don't you just tell me
What you really think of me?
And scream me on down
I am so forgettable
Yes, I know.

And shoot me on down
Don't you think this isn't killing me?
But it's no more than I deserve.

I don't care what you call me.
Because it won't hurt any more.

David Ford / I Don't Care What You Call Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybt26QmzZ6U