Michael Lopenzo was charged with disorderly conduct for falsely reporting great white sightings on Martha’s Vineyard. According to WLOS, “He had warned swimmers to get out of the water after saying he’d seen two sharks about 22 feet long and 3,000 pounds each.”
The Associated Press reported that investigators determined the “man was lying [because] [...]
Paso Robles Vineyard 6.5 x 10.5 Watercolor on Canson Bristol paperAvailable for sale here.SoldFrom old photos taken in Paso Robles, California. Early morning mist creeping down the hillsides. Winsor Newton watercolor & gouache layered on plate finish bristol.
This photo was taken from the wonderful little town of Château-Chalon in Jura (region of Franche-Compté, France) which has an amazing setting on the hill overlooking this plain... The vineyards of the Jura are spread over 1 850 hectares, spread over four geographical Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée (Arbois, Côtes du Jura, l'Etoile, Château-Chalon). Château Chalon is the oldest and most fam
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Because of its many high-profile residents, movie stars, politicians, writers and artists also band together with residents in fundraisers and benefits to raise awareness for the fragile ecosystem of the Vineyard and to support community organizations and services. The la
The Marimar Estate 2005 Dona Margarita Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir just got rave reviews from Wine Enthusiast, 96 point, and seeing it in my local wine store for "only" $35.99 I had to bring it with me home. Said and done, excited about this "gem" we tasted it that very evening.It has a dark, clear, intense, garnet color in the glass.On the nose it shows black cherry, dark raspberry, currant,
Victoria Beckham recieved a vineyard as a birthday present from her husband David, when she turned 34 on the 17th of April.
David Beckham unveiled the gift to Victoria by presenting her with a bottle with her name on the label while on holiday in the area last month.
After being pictured at various basketball games [...]
If you are one of those wine tasters who love to try out new types of the drink, then you are about to be treated to something truly posh, as David Beckham has purchased a vineyard for his wife Victoria. So get ready all you wine drinkers, but I reckon that you will be left [...]
Firstly I must write about the name Bourgogne, it has to be pronounced as Burgundy. Guide mimicked about how english speaking people tried prounce the Bourgogne with a weird funny pronounce as usual we all do to read any french word.As we started off from the tourism office for the wine tour they sky was getting more clear as per the weather report it was suppose to be cloudy and brief showers wer
Robert Kamen came into Crush one day on a workwith and since then we have become friends. Yes, I know, he is a California vineyard owner, but he is a good guy and we also share an interest in film and old world wines. He has always been bugging me to visit his vineyard and am glad I did as it is stunning as the pictures show. I have carried the wine at Crush and Chambers Street Wines and we are in
Waltzing Bear Winery is an artisan winery where owner and winemaker Brad Lowman focuses on producing small lots of ultra premium wines.The Waltzing Bear 2003 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir is made from the first fruit of a new block planted and grown by James Ontiveros in the southern end of Santa Maria Valley, near Bien Nacido Vineyard. Only 74 cases made.The wine has a
If you travel to Martha's Vineyard this summer and develop a thirst, don't stop in Tisbury.Residents of the Massachusetts town voted to remain dry by a count of 692 to 690. The April 15 ballot had carried a proposal to allow restaurants to sell beer and wine. On election night, it appeared the vote had been a tie based on an automated counting of ballots. After a hand count of all of the ballots it was discovered that two which were previously believed to be blank were actually votes against lifting Prohibition in the community on the island off Cape Cod.The vote was authorized after the issue had bubbled for more than three years.
Dollar down, Euro up, tourists arriveMartha’s Vineyard Times, MA - 19 minutes agoAt Coldwell Banker Landmarks Real Estate, rental department manager Carol Shore said weekly vacation rentals are very strong compared to last year, …
Original post by nathaniel
1. Step one: Choose a scene.
I often head out to the Virginia mountains to do some plein air painting, and on a morning last week I visited Veritas Vineyards in Afton Virginia. This is a beautiful...
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Foxen makes some of our favorite Central Coast Pinot Noirs. We opened a bottle of their 2003 Bien Nacido Vineyard - Block Eight Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir a few night ago, and got to enjoy it close to, or at, its peak.The grapes are 100% destemmed prior to enjoying five days of cold soak. They then go through whole berry fermentation before being aged in 65% new French oak for 16 months. Finally it is bottled unfined and unfiltered.The result is a Pinot with a clear, dark, ruby red/purple color in the glass.On the nose; dark raspberry, cherry, vanilla, and earthy components.On the plate the wine shows of raspberry, cherry, and plum with a hint of spice and vanilla. It is a harmonic, balanced, and concentrated, medium to full bodied Pinot, that receives a lift from the fresh acidity and
I finished a final estimate of the losses we incurred due to the insane cold snap this weekend. It came out to exactly 20%.
3.4 acres of Rebecca’s vineyard were hit and hit hard by the sub 30’s temps this past Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Below you can see the temp data from our RanchSystems weather [...]
Although we didn’t bring any of our five children nor our one grandchild with us when we visited The Winnetu Resort here on South Beach (also called Katama Beach), almost as soon as we arrived, we wished we had. The first hint that this is not only an elegant hideaway for adult couples but a heavenly place for children as well was the 1941 Ford fire truck that goes back and forth the three miles from the resort into town, almost always filled with laughing children. The second were the small Adirondack chairs placed on the huge front lawn of the Winnetu that overlooks the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. They’re about the perfect size for a 3-year-old.Lots of resorts now feature some sort of children’s program with activities for the little ones while Mom and Dad (and perhaps Grandma an
Now we’re getting into the serious Cabernet Sauvignons.
Merryvale is one of my favorite California wineries, based on its consistently good quality, well-valued Starmont line. Because their “entry level” bottlings are enjoyable, it would stand to reason that their high-end wines would be even better. Merryvale’s Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyards “Vineyard X” Oakville proves the point.
online [...]
Paul Hobbs 2002 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir has a dark dense garnet color in the glass.The nose shows vibrant dark raspberry, cherry, and vanilla.The first thing that hits you on the palate is ripe, deep, blackberry, supported by cherry, spice, and a nice vanilla/oak component. The acidity is still going strong and the tannins are smooth and well integrated. The balanced medium to long finish has beautiful, elegant, dark fruit and berries, with a trace of pencil lead at the very end.I bought this wine in a local wine store, Capitol Cellars, about 3 years ago for $60. After some research at the Internet I come to the conclusion that this wine is hard to get a hold of. I could not find a single store/website that carries it.It really drinks beautifully at this point and if you can get
Now we’re getting into the serious Cabernet Sauvignons.
Merryvale is one of my favorite California wineries, based on its consistently good quality, well-valued Starmont line. Because their “entry level” bottlings are enjoyable, it would stand to reason that their high-end wines would be even better. Merryvale’s Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyards “Vineyard X” Oakville proves the point.
It’s [...]
This is great news for the food and beverage industry. Cornell’s superlative hospitality program is lauded all over the world. Expanding its hospitality offerings to enology is the next logical step to keep Cornell on top.
From the Cornell Sun:
On April 2, Susan A. Henry, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, announced that [...]
At Rosenblum Cellars we make about 25 different Zinfandels, from all over the state, each one different. One of my absolute favorites is the one from the Planchon Vineyard. This bottling is classified under the San Francisco Bay appellation, as the fruit is from Contra Costa County (near Oakley). This wine is [...]
Made of 100-percent cotton, the set is fully quilted with patches in shades of peach, green, purple and white. Grape and grape leaf appliques are incorporated into the quilts pattern. Choose from twin, full/queen or king-size sets. For your convenience, these sets are machine washable.
Strolling through Winecask Wine Store in Santa Barbara we saw a bottle of the Stone Corral Vineyard 2005 Edna Valley Pinot Noir produced by Talley Vineyards. We have enjoyed several vintages of their Rincon Vineyard and Rosemary Vineyard Pinot Noir, and having heard about the newer Stone Corral Vineyard, but never tasted it, we just had to give it a try. At $55 a bottle we saved it for enjoyment with a Saturday night dinner.This wine has a clear, dark garnet color in the glass.The nose shows floral notes, raspberry, and subtle round oak.The palate displaying raspberry, restrained cherry, spice and notes of green tea. The fruit persistant and showing throughout the whole palate. Relatively high acidity and tight tannins with a “green” finish.We really liked this complex, still refined p
I’m always fascinated with the idea of having a vineyard. Not for alcohol-related business but more into grapes business. I’m a Muslim and alcohol is a big no-no.
I was surfing the web for various vineyards history when I stumbled upon this website. This small, family-owned vineyard certainly has a unique way to [...]
Last night we opened and old favorite of a new vintage, the Walter Hansel 2005 South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. The apperance in the glass; a light, clear, garnet red color.The nose showing raspberry, red cherry, slight hint of strawberry, herbal tea, and touch of basil at the end.The palate tasting of fresh raspberry, cherry, earth, and pencil shavings at the very finish. This pinot has great acidity and young but relatively soft tannins.A beautiful elegant style Pinot Noir with bright red fruit and good structure. We really enjoyed it , as we have earlier vintages of this wine, and at $ 33.99 I dare to say that it is good value for the buck at this level of quality.Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $33.99.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top
Central California Vineyard 9 x 3 Monotype with Watercolor & Colored Pencil(Process shots start at the bottom)The monotype pulled from the copper plate after a trip through the press. Under all the pressure from the press, the ink releases neatly from the plate and transfers to the soaked & blotted paper, keeping most of the textures I scraped into the pigment. There was enough ink left on the plate to pull a very light ghost print, which I'll save for another version of this scene later.I'm using an india ink sketch as a reference in the sketch pad at the top left corner. I used a brayer to roll an even layer of Daniel Smith oil based etching ink on a thin 9 x 3 inch copper plate. In this image, I've begun scraping & removing levels of ink in a subtractive process with paper towels, q-tip
Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Melville fruit from their Los Alamos Estate. Aged in 20% new French oak.The wine has a ruby red color in the glass with slight cloudiness.The nose shows ripe lush raspberry, strawberry, sweet red cherry, sweet floral, and a hint of baked rhubarb.The palate displays raspberry, cherry, and red fruit with spice. Soft and round on the palate with young tannins matching the fruit, good acidity and a long savory finish.The wine is medium bodied, fruity, and was really nice with salmon, or great just to sip on it's own.Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $19.99, a great price for this very enjoyable wine.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
Lorca Wines is located in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and produces Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with grapes from Monterey County, Pinot Noir form French-clone vines of Gary Pisoni and Gary Francione of Santa Lucia Highlands, and an old vine Petite Syrah from Napa Valley.The Lorca 2001 Gary's Vineyard Monterey County Pinot Noir has a dark ruby red color in the glass with a hint of purple. The nose is pretty intense and complex with dark cherry, raspberry, dried herbs, earth with a hint of smoke, vanilla, and a trace of liquorice.The palate is less intense with more dusty earth accenting the black cherry and dark raspberry, all with a touch of spice. The tannins are somewhat smooth but still has a "wood" quality to them. We are not talking splinters in the mouth but still a notable amount. Modera
Saturday evening was a busy one in my wine world. Not only was it the last Saturday of February and therefore this year’s Open That Bottle Night - the ninth annual - but it was also the night my friend Vindu brought me a case of Juice Crew Red.
Vindu wasn’t due to arrive until much [...]
The organizers of Coachella, Goldenvoice/AEG Live, announced a few weeks ago the formation of a new east coast major music festival, dubbed “Coachella East”.The festival, now officially the All Points West Festival (Aug. 8-10), just released the lineup - including Radiohead , Underworld, Cat Power, Jack Johnson, Black Kids, CSS, Animal Collective (shown below), Andrew Bird, Metric, The Go! Team, Rodrigo Y Gabriel, The New Pornographers, Kings of Leon and many others. Animal Collective - Fireworks Jack Johnson - Flake Andrew Bird - Dark Matter Kings of Leon - Knocked Up(Notice a theme in the song selection? Subscribe to the IRC Feed, use the Comments section to guess the theme and win a chance to win free iTunes downloads!)Some festival fans in the New York City metro area (which inclu
"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp has gifted his long time French girlfriend Vanessa Paradis a vineyard to celebrate the release of her new album and for working hard for months. The 44-year-old actor bought the vineyard near the villa in Plan de la Tour, France, where he lives with his family, contactmusic.com reported. Depp also owns a 45-acre island in the Bahamas where he holidays quite often. He has lived in France for almost 10 years but denies any plans to marry again. Depp was earlier married to Lori Anne Allison whom he divorced in 1985.
The Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has been a favorite of mine for years, and for Valentine's dinner it was time to try the Larkmead Vineyard.The Ramey 2005 Larkmead Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon consists of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petite Verdot, and 1% Malbec.It has a beautiful dark red/purple garnet color in the glass.The nose shows dark fruit and berries, spice, oak, and toasted brioche.On the palate cherry, plum, black currant, and oak, with earthy mushrooms and elegant fruit on the finish. The tannins are well integrated, but still has that tart edge that you would expect for its youth.We really enjoyed this fruity, earthy cab with good spice and oak, showing of its elegant side on the finish. Jericho Canyon Vineyard is still a noch up for me but
We went to check out the newly opened Total Wine and More (an all beverage super maket) in Roseville last Sunday, and after spending more than 40 minutes walking through the seemingly endless ailes of wine and other alcoholic beverages, we left with three bottles of wine.We opened the first one, the Pessagno 2005 Lucia Highlands Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir, a couple of nights ago for a glass of wine before dinner. It showed a dark garnet color in the glass. The nose had red ripe berries and fruit with massive cherry, red currant, light strawberry, and dried herbs/grass. On the palate the cherry dominated, with blueberry and ripe currant backing it up with some smokey and grassy notes. This wine has a round mouthfeel with a spicy, hot quality to the finish. Good acidity and
Sunday night we had dinner with good friends and had two bottles of really good wine.We started of with a bottle of Pahlmeyer 2003 Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine. Winemaker Erin Green made this from 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot, and 0.5% Malbec.This wine shows a dark garnet color in the glass.On the nose, dark fruit and berries with oak and a smokey note.The palate exudes dark plum, black cherry, black currant, and again notes of smoke. The wine is surprisingly smooth for being relatively young. Rich in fruit and full bodied, with good acidity, and velvety well integrated tannins. All this and a long beautiful finish make this a great bottle of wine.Next up was Vineyard 29 2005 Cru Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were sourced from si
Located only minutes from both downtown Phoenix, Amber Ridge Heights truly offers the best of both worlds. Relax in your beautiful Montalbano home while keeping pace with one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. Come home to a small town, family orientated community after enjoying all that Phoenix has to offer. Shopping, cultural events and business growth are only moments away, yet Amber Ridge Heights offers a refuge from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Amber Ridge Heights is everything that living in Arizona is meant to be.
The Community That Matches Your Life Style
It is not very often that I buy a Merlot but when I saw the Trecini 2005 Vicini Vineyard Russian River Valley Merlot as a half bottle I had to give it a try.Trecini Cellars was founded in 1999 by John and Cathy Vicini and their son David. Originally from Tuscany, Italy, John comes from a long tradition of wine, actually around 150 years. In 1994 the family started growing grapes in Russian River Valley and after that it was only a natural step for them to start their own winery. They are offering five varietals at this point, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Merlot Rose, Zinfandel, and Syrah.This Merlot shows an intense ruby red color in the glass.The nose offers ripe red fruit, herbal notes and rather heavy vanilla with creme brulee character.On the palate, bright fruit with slight tartness, blac
We ordered half a case of the August West 2005 Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir after a restaurant visit this summer and having a bottle with dinner. We are now down to our last bottle and I thought I better review it before it is all gone!It has a beautiful dark, clear, ruby red color in the glass. The lush nose reveals raspberry, ripe cherry, sweet vanilla, and notes of herbs. The palate follows with black raspberry, cherry and spice. The fruit carries nicely all the way through the long finish, with a hint of red liquorice at the very end. The acidity is sufficient, and the tannins are well integrated and matches the ripe fruit nicely. Medium to full bodied, this wine is sure to not disappoint. We have not been as you can see, with only one out of six bottles remaining, although I planned to cellar a few... Oh well, very enjoyable right now.Find it at WineZap.com from $45.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
I've only been to Martha's Vineyard twice. The first time was for a Kentucky Derby party that a client had. She has a very nice house out there, and I had a wonderful time. Barbaro won that year. The second time, my family was in town so we all went over to do a more touristy tour of Martha's Vineyard. Coming up this weekend, a reason to head over a third time: The Martha's Vineyard Annual Harvest. From October 12th to October 14th brace yourself for a schedule of great food and great wine.The Martha's Vineyard Annual Harvest Festival will celebrate a cornucopia of food and wine, promoting local farms and seafood as well as wineries from all over the world and chefs from both on-island and off, extending Martha’s Vineyard’s vibrant fall season. The Martha’s Vineyard Museum will be the primary charitable affiliation of this non-profit festival.Click (here) for the official schedule of events. Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email
Saturday night and we are revisiting an old friend of ours, the Bonaccorsi 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills. I had this bottle for the first time in Dec-06 in Las Vegas (after which I had to get some for home), could not wait and opened one in January this year. Time for a new taste tonight, and then there is only one bottle left in my stack for future enjoyment.The color in the glass is a dark ruby red with a slight purple shade. The nose is still bursting of bright fruit and berries, with dark cherries, dark raspberry, plum and for the first time I am noticing an herbaceous note. On the palate the dark cherry rules again with dark raspberry, and oak notes. The acidity is mouth watering and the tannins are well integrated and have mellowed down a bit from last time I had this wine, at that point I remember them being firm with an edge. The edge is gone...Hard to get a hold of I found just a fews site online where you can order it, Wine-Searcher.com for $54.99.
This is Pahlmeyer's second label Jayson's first vintage of Pinot Noir. They also made a first vintage of Pinot Noir that is to be released in October this year under the Pahlmeyer label.The Jayson Wayfarer Vineyard Sonoma Coast 2005 Pinot Noir has a dark, ruby red color in the glass and is slightly cloudy. On the nose it shows cherry, dark raspberry, blackberry and notes of fresh cut hay. This Pinot is huge on the palate with ripe dark raspberry, notes of cherry, tobacco and coffee. Big and chewy, this medium to full bodied Pinot has good acidity and rather big tannins, with a slightly elegant note to them. 14.9% alcohol. This was a pricey Pinot Noir at $64.95 per bottle. Loving their Proprietary Red I just had to try their Pinot to see if it had the same high quality. I would definitely not hesitate to have this wine again but I would definitely put it away for a couple of years as it is very young at this point and will drink even better in the years to come with the big fruit give
We picked up a new Pinot Noir today at Selland's Market while getting some of their unbelievable carnitas to bring home for dinner. Selland's has a small but extremely well chosen selection of wine, thanks to Josh, and there is always a new small production winery among all the other options every time you go there. Today's choice for us was the A.P. Vin 2004 Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Having had wine from several producers from this vineyard before I was expecting a wine that I would enjoy. This wine was aged in French oak for 11 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 50 cases made. In the glass a dense, slightly cloudy, dark garnet color. The nose promise me great things to come with black raspberry, blackberry, some floral, thyme, and wet stone. I take my first sip and can't help but smile. This is gooood..... Dark berries dominate the palate again with some dark cherry and light notes of earthiness. The oak is there but does not stand out, just
One of the icons of the Finger Lakes wine scene, Hermann J. Wiemer, has sold his winery to his winemaker, Frederick Merwath.Wiemer Riesling is recognized among the best in North America and the 65-year-old German-born vintner is credited with playing a major part in building the worldwide reputation of Finger Lakes wine. Merwarth, 29, takes over the 15,000-case winery that was started in 1979 at a time when most wines in the region were made from Niagara, Cayuga and other non-vinifera grapes. He has worked with Wiemer for the last six years.My wife, Sandy, and I were lucky enough to meet Hermann Wiemer during one of our first visits to the Finger Lakes in the 1980s. We were impressed by the quality of his wines, along with his commitment to building a presence for Finger Lakes wines on a world level. His winery is still the most orderly and clean winery, distillery or brewery that I have ever toured.Besides riesling, Wiemer makes some pretty solid gewurztraminer, pinot noir and sparkli
Hiding from the media all of the time has become an effort for celebrities, but when you have two celebrities in one relationship, then its double the trouble.
So Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have decided to up sticks from the States and head off to Europe where the world moves at a slightly slower pace. Mind you they just bought the Chateau Val Joanis in France, which is set in the middle of a 1,000 acre, 2,000 year old eco friendly vineyard.
The vineyard has been using a sustainable system of agriculture for sometime now, using only natural products, which keep the vineyard organic.
Source [Ecorazzi]
All Natural, celebrities, conservation, Eco Friendly, Organic, relationship, sustainability, UK and Europe
The grapes for the Demetria 2005 Sta. Rita Hills are from Gaia Vineyard (as the label suggest). What you might not know is that Gaia Vineyard is the former Ashley's Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. 600 cases was produced of this wine. The estate owner, John Zahoudanis, has hired Michael Roth as winemaker. Micheal Roth has previously made wine in Napa Valley, Sonoma County and at Koehler in Santa Ynez Valley. This wine shows pale straw color in the glass. Sticking your nose into the glass citrus, tropical fruit, and bread yeast stands out, with a hint of oaky vanilla. On the palate, pronounced citrus, ripe apple, wrapped up in a round mouth feel. Towards the end mineral steps in with high acidity which balances the slightly creamy, round palate perfectly. It all makes this wine medium to full-bodied with a refreshing lingering finish.I really liked this Chardonnay as it showed some round creaminess and oak, but to my taste it was immediately complemented and balanced by re
A vineyard in South Africa has become the first in region and only the third in the whole world to become carbon neutral; this is a remarkable feat for the Backsberg wine estate, in Stellabosch.
This allows the vine yard to have a “Carbon Neutral Approved” sticker on its bottles, the vine yard has had its carbon footprint measured and has taken steps to offest it by taking advice on how to change the amount carbon that the farm uses.
This is a great example of how commercial farming can change to being an eco friendly industry.
Source [BBC News]
africa, carbon neutral, carbon neutral, Eco Friendly, Food, south africa, wine estate
This Chardonnay from Byron was aged 10 months in 25% new and 75%older French oak. 93% of the grapes are from Nielson Vineyard and 7% from Sierra Madre, vines being between 29-39 years old. The growing season here is one of the longest in California.The color in the glass is a golden, medium yellow, straw. Sticking my nose in the glass citrus, ripe Golden Delicious apple, tropical fruit, and white floral meets me with oak notes. Tasting, it shows a pretty heavy texture with, again, the citrus, tropical fruit, and oak. Medium acidity and medium length finish. This is a slightly more heavy white then I expected and I suspect it might be due to it being past prime. I have had the Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay from Byron several times in the past of different vintages and it never seemed this heavy to me. It has always been more refreshing with great acidity and more light fruit. I suspect that was what the 2003 had to offer a year or more ago...I do not recommend buying the 2003 vintage, a
The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah has an incredibly dense, dark red/purple color in the glass, promising me serious fruit.On the nose it displays blackberry and hint of oak and a floral note I would describe as violet. I expected more heavy fruit on the nose but at this stage I get the feeling that we are dealing with a Syrah made in a slightly more elegant style.Blackberry, dark cherry, and spice shows beautifully on the palate with some smokey wood at the very finish. Great acidity and perfectly firm, well integrated, tannins gives this medium to full-bodied wine a great balanced feel in the mouth and a long lingering finish. At this point I can confirm that even though is shows plenty of fruit on the palate they are of the slightly more soft and restrained type as this wine turns out to be made in a more elegant style.This wine was perfect to sip with a few pieces of dark chocolate in front of the movie we watched Sunday night. I wish I had anothe
Yeah... Tonight we popped open a bottle of Pinot Noir from one of my favorite wineries in Santa Ynez Valley, Foxen. I only purchased 2 bottles to start with and the first one we consumed back in December of 2004, and we were semi impressed and decided that it seemed like it would improve with age. Tonight it was time for bottle number 2, and what an improvement it was!The Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115 Pinot Noir was aged in 70% new French Oak for 16 months prior to bottling, unfined and unfiltered. 230 cases made.It has a beautiful dark red/purple color in the glass. On the nose a complex array of amazing red and black cherry with blackberry, raspberry, and a touch of tobacco hits you. Taking your first whiff and then tasting it the wine express red cherry, dark raspberry and nice touch of spice on the palate. The acidity is plentiful and the tannins are soft with that nice edge to it to make sure you notice it's presence. For being aged in 70% new
Bighorn Cellars was founded by Bill Hill in the 1970's and his mission is to produce wines from exceptional vineyards in the best growing regions for each varietal. The Chardonnay is therefor grown in Carneros while other varietals are grown in other areas. Pinot Noir for example is grown in Willamette Valley and Sonoma Coast. The 2004 Los Carneros Camelback Vineyard was barrel fermented in 100%, 1 to 2 year old, French Oak. After that allowed to go through secondary malolactic fermentation. Then bottled without filtration and aged in the bottle until release.It has a golden, light straw color in the glass. Initially on the nose, buttery oak overshadows everything else, but letting it sit in the glass for 5 minutes very different aromas appear. This time soft floral and citrus steps in with the oak and leaves a more balanced impression. Tasting the wine, ripe apple and pear, with citrus and some tropical fruit shows up. The mouth feel is round and soft with creamy oak that doesn't st
After having the Capiaux 2005 Chimera Pinot Noir a while back I had to try the "one step up" pinot noir from them as well. They have several of the these and I picked the Garys' Vineyard having had many pinots , from other wineries, from this appellation before and always enjoying them.This wine shows a slightly cloudy, dark ruby red/purple color in the glass. Aromas of dark and red cherry, raspberry, perfumy floral, and smoke, hits you on the nose. Tasting it, black currant, red cherries, and smokey oak, shows up. This is a medium to full-bodied wine with supple acidity and relatively smooth tannins with a long beautiful, complex, finish.This is a really good pinot that I hope to enjoy many more times in the future. It is a great pinot if you do not like some of the "fruit bomb pinots" that are being made out there. It is very well balanced with great structure. Give it a try!I bought this at a local wine store for $55. You can find it for as low as $40 at Vinfolio.com. I know it is
Tonight I had a shrimp and broccoli fettuccine for dinner and paired it with the Clos Pegase 2005 Mitsuko's Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay.This wine has a clear, medium straw color in the glass. Sticking your nose in the glass you pick up citrus and white peach with light floral notes, and a hint of almond. Sipping it ripe pear, citrus, and again, the white peach, coats the palate. It has soft a creaminess with some buttery oak, balanced out by medium firm acidity giving this white a clean fresh finish, with metallic minerals leaving it's mark at the very end.It paired very well with dinner and having 90 degrees+ up here today a chilled, not to oaky chardonnay was exactly what I needed. I got this at Safeway on sale for $22.99, but you can find it at Wine-Searcher.com for as low as $19.99.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
We bought this wine when visiting Rideau Vineyard last summer. I pulled it from the wine fridge tonight anticipating a good match with the BBQ flank steak and Santa Maria style salsa I was preparing.This wine has a dense, dark, inky purple color in the glass. Looking at the color you expect massive dark fruit and berries, and it sure delivers. Greeting you is a big punch of black pepper, dark berries and black currant. Sipping it, the ripe, dark fruit hits you again with a hint of vanilla. Big, soft tannins and black berries finishes this wine.This is a voluptuous, big, maybe even huge, naught, naught syrah. But oh so good!It worked to a certain extent with our meal. The pepper and big body was perfect, but it was a bit to ripe and fruity. Still, we had a great meal and a great wine. Perfect match or not....Robert Parker gave this wine 90 points. I bought it for $58 at the winery. Searching the web I could not find it for sale. If you do run across it, grab a bottle or two. It is worth
Bonaccorsi rocks! I've said it before and I'll say it again... (Review here, here, and here.)The Bonaccorsi 2002 Melville Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir has a dark, dense reddish purple color in the glass. The very first moment you pour it in the glass and inhale, you get a whiff of strong cinnamon. That wears of almost immediately and after that I can not quite detect it again. Dark, ripe, cherries and fruit shows on the nose, with the dark cherries following the wine to the palate, accentuated by dark berries and pleasantly neutral, but very much existing, acidity, and firm tannins. This all wraps up in a nice clean finish with a trace of spice. This is a fruity but very much structured Pinot Noir with the pleasant fruit and berries that are not to overwhelmingly fruity or jammy. It has that nice fruit you are longing for in a slightly more elegant style...Only 200 cases was made of this wine and the only place I can find it online today is at RaedersWines.com for $57.99. Pri
Going wine tasting this afternoon in our local wine store we picked up a bottle of the Samsara 2005 Ampelos Vinyard Pinot Noir ($48.95) from the Pinot Noir section to try something new.Samsara was founded in 2002 by proprietors Chad and Mary Melville. Chad is also assistant winemaker and vineyard manager at his dad's (Ron Melville) winery, Melville, since 1997. Deciding to start his own venture as well, Samsara was created. A little philosophy behind this name to give some thought: Samsara is sanskrit for the eternal cycle of life, the world we live in now, one of passion, oneness, harmony. It talks about each individual human being longing to be in control of every aspect of life. When it comes to farming, as so many other things in life, you can not control everything, no matter how hard you try, and the final result is a harmony of the power of nature, things beyond our control, and the human desire to reach perfection. This will ultimately result in the expressions of the finished
I just love Foxen Vineyard from Santa Ynez Valley. They truly make some outstanding wines and tonight I had the 2004 Julia's Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir. I have reviewed the 2003 earlier. Read more about it here.The 2004 has a bright, medium dark, ruby red color in the glass and shows incredible dark cherries and dark berries on the nose. On the palate, again, that intense dark cherry comes through, with a hint of red licorice, and little else being able to shine trough. Despite of that, it's rich, broad, intense and complex. Medium high acidity and smooth tannins gives this full-bodied wine good balance (tipping toward the ripe cherries). Long fruit driven finish. Still a tad young though. Lay it down for a couple of years and I think that the ripe fruit will mellow out and give this wine even better balance.This wine is shipped from the winery to members only. Only 300 cases produced. Looking for it online the only bottle I could find was a magnum (1.5 liters) for $109 a
6x8 inchesgold frameacrylic on panel300.00Purchase HEREPainters TipDrawing Makes Good PaintingHow many of you painters make it a habit of drawing each day? If you are not, you should be. Drawing is fundamental to all good art in my opinion. Drawing teaches you about edge work, form, value, light, proportion and composition just to name a few of it's benefits.Get into the habit of drawing for even five minutes a day and your painting will improve. Whenever you come up with an idea for a painting, do the composition and value study in pencil first. Make a series of thumbnail drawings for your composition and pick the best two out of the bunch. Use those sketches to make your painting composition and it will be better than anything you would have thrown on the canvas. Drawing can also help you overcome fears about painting subjects. Because it is just a cheap piece of paper and a pencil, you won't mind messing it up and making mistakes. Some people have real hang ups about wasting paint
The story about Calera Wine Company and Josh Jensen starts back in 1975 when he planted his first grapes on one of the highest and coolest vineyard properties in California. Since then he has expanded his vineyard properties and now owns a state of the art wine making facility. Read more about the history of Calera here.Mills Vineyard was planted in 1984 and is 14.4 acres of Pinot Noir. It sits at 2,200-2,300 feet above sea level on a south sloping hillside.The Calera 2002 Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir has a clear, dark ruby color in the glass. Intense dark plum and black cherries on the nose with a hint of vanilla from aging in oak. Softer dark fruit and berries on the palate with some spice to it. Moderate, well integrated tannins and good acidity. A really good Pinot!We got this wine from friends and I will certainly have to get a couple of more bottles. Get it from the winery for $43 or from Wine-Searcher.com for as low as $33.97. Rated 89 by Robert Parker and 92 by Wine Ent
The Twin Vines vineyard has had its winter makeover. Our seven-year-olds describe this as the vines having their toenails clipped--grown ups, however, use serious technical terms such as pruning.Pruning even a small vineyard can be very painful work unless you've built up a fair amount of strength in your hands. When we first started out, we would prune the entire Twin Vines vineyard ourselves, and consequently suffer for days afterward. These days we call in the professionals!Twin Vines is now four years old, and we're hoping to harvest about four tons of fruit from it this year for a Bordeaux-style field blend we've been planning for some time. It'll be an interesting and fun experiment, and we'll keep you posted as harvest time draws nearer. That's provided the huge wild pig Star chased out of the vineyard a few days ago keeps a healthy distance--time to keep those gates shut tight! And speaking of wild things, here's a picture of a couple of small bucks we recently found wan
Today I have a short review, and I have no idea as to it's accuracy. I've got a cold... I opened this wine yesterday and realized that I could not really asses the wine, nor enjoy it. Hoping to feel better today I vacuum pumped to continue the tasting. Unfortunately today is worse and I am not even attempting to try... This is what I what I got out of my notes from yesterday, take it with a grain of salt...The Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Sonoma County Fume Blanc is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and cold fermented in stainless steel tanks to be able to really showcase the grape without any interference from oak.On the nose crisp apple and tropical fruit with some pineapple. Medium bodied on the palate with tropical fruit, citrus, a hint of minerals, and high acidity. Overall a very crisp, clean and refreshing wine.You can find it at Wine-Searcher.com and Winezap.com from $9.99 and that is a good price for a good wine. I can see myself revisiting this wine this summer when I am craving so
What a spot to relax...
Adirondack chairs overlook the scenic ocean marshland near the Edgartown Lighthouse in Edgartown on the island of Martha's Vineyard off of the Massachusetts coast. A tripod mounted Nikon Coolpix 8800 digital camera and a Tiffen soft fx3 diffusion filter were used for this photograph in June 26, 2006.
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There's a certain hometown feel of years past here...
The Island Theater ticket booth in Oak Bluffs on the island of Martha's Vineyard off of the Massachusetts coast. Photographed in June of 2006 with my tripod mounted Nikon 8800 digital camera.
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Another recent repeating dream detail is that of "bleachers". I didn't mention it before, but in the dream about The House On The Corner, right at the very end, as I was awaking, I had the "backvision" (I didn't really "see" it, but I "knew" it) of some "teenage guy" telling my "teenage daughter" (nukvah) under the "bleachers" that he had planned to make her his prisoner but her couldn't since she was already somebody else's prisoner. She stood there and resisted saying anything in response to his taunt."Bleachers" are rows of seats. I've read before about "sitting in rows"- of the vineyard [1]:R. Simeon continues with a description of the situation of the kabbalists: "And they are at the edges (beshulei; or alternatively, beshurei - in the rows) of the vineyard." The expression "the edges of the vineyard" which has no parallel anywhere else, is somewhat obscure. I think the variant reading, "rows", is to be preferred. It alludes more clearly to the gathering at Yavne referred to
Rideau Vineyard Tasting RoomDuring our weekend in Santa Barbara we took a little trip up to Santa Ynez Valley to do some wine tasting. Our favorite during this tour was Rideau Vineyard which was founded in 1997 by New Orleans native, Iris Rideau (at photo to the left). The tasting room is a historical 2 story Adobe built in 1884. Through the years it has served as stagecoach stop, a famous inn, a guest ranch, and a working ranch. Iris Rideau bought it in 1995, after the property had sat abandoned for 10 years, and restored it to it's current condition.The estate grows exclusively Rhone varietals and we decided to do the Reserve tasting at a $15 cost per person.The first pour was the 2006 Estate Viognier. It has not been bottled yet so this was a futures sample. Cloudy due to coming straight from the barrel this was a nice Viognier but a little bit to fruity and sweet for my taste. After this we got to taste the 2005 Estate Viognier. A year in the bottle makes a huge difference and th
A new tasting and review of a Pinot Noir from Santa Ynez Valley, the Longoria 2003 Fe Ciega Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir . Do not miss this one!Episode 9: Tasting of Longoria 2003 Fe Ciega Vineyard Pinot NoirVote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopYou can vote once every 24 hours!
This wine has a bright, clear, dark, red color, with a hint of purple, in the glass. Promising on the nose with pleasant raspberry, a floral note, and slightly herbaceous (tarragon). On the palate though, it disappoints. Still some raspberry, tart berries, medium acidity and smooth tannins. This might not sound to bad, but it does miss any kind of punch, and comes across as thin, a little week, and has a short finish. I love Long Meadow Ranch and I am a LMR Corral Club member since several years, and always look forward to their shipments. I really enjoy their Cabernet Sauvignon, and it hurts me to say that this Sangiovese is not worth the $29 it retails for.I would love to hear from you if you are of another opinion.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopDid you know that you can vote once every 24 hours?!
