Friday, July 31, 2009

Special Occasion




So with the impending doom that is Amy leaving for Texas….Jesus, Texas of all places…we have decided to destroy both our little wine fridges, drink everything before she goes, then start all over again. Buying new things and tucking them away to share with one another on visits and when, (notice I didn’t say if) she comes home. I was so down for this idea, at first because her little fridge is far better stocked than mine, I just got mine, and because I save these wines for just these occasions, sharing them with people that love them, that I love and that love me. Sure I had all these fantasies about fancy meals, the hottest new restaurants…I’m all about absolute indulgence but something about this plan…seemed even more so.

The idea occurred to us, well her, the night we had a real talk about her leaving. We had been boozing it up all evening and went back to her place to feed the dogs, that’s when she said it, “I’m going to open that Dagueneau Silex in my little cellar” I tried to stop her, “Dude don’t, you’re all buzzy, we’re all pretty lit, save it” she looked at me with that face of hers and said, “Save it for what?” I didn’t have an answer for her. We sucked back the Silex and she returned to the fridge to grab a bottle of Dagueneau Pur Sang, really tried to stop her this time, but she wasn’t hearing it, we were to drink that wine, that night, after all that we had already consumed…her answer to each protest, “Who else am I going to drink these with?”…Good point.




So that night after a meal of chicken wings, French dip sandwiches, Gin & Tonics, Martinis and shots of some kind of Irish Whisky we drank a bottle of Dagueneau Silex and half a bottle of Pur Sang, the only occasion being our love of remarkable wines and one another. What I first saw as, “wasting” I now saw as the way it should be…an appreciation and celebration of friendship, wine and how one brought us the other, perfect.

So last night was “date night” and this time our Merzie, (Merritt, the adorable girl in the middle of the Sam and Amy sandwich at the beginning of my last post) was able to join us. When we first started our little ritual she was always there, but a second job keeps her tied up on Thursday nights so last night, well it was a rare treat. We were heading to a favorite Chinese place in Monterey Park, a place we all love and has been rotation for years. I grabbed some Rose before I left the shop, tossed them in the fridge and waited for the girls to close the shop and head on over. I poured myself a glass of Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, ($8.99) appreciating it for its simplicity, soft, plump almost sweet fruit and a clean finish, not complex and not trying to be…love it for that. I started thinking about how much I freaking love this less than noble grape and of course from there my mind shifted to the Loire, from there to Didier Dagueneau, how I wished I had gotten the chance to know him a little better….Sauvignon Blanc, friendship, Loire, Dagueneau…cellar!



I dug around, (dug around makes me sound like I have a bunch of wine in there….so not true, I basically I “picked” over my 12 or something bottles) and found a bottle of 2002 Dagueneau Buisson Renard, ($...no idea, it was a gift but the last vintage was around $75.00) and popped it in the fridge with the Roses I had intended to take to dinner. Returned to the couch and my glass of Pomelo, feeling even more excited about date night. The girls were on their way, I had Sauvignon Blanc in my glass, the hubby was beaming…he loves it when he has his 3 girls, makes him feel all pimpy, Dagueneau in the fridge, now this….this was an occasion, an occasion worth pulling out the very best.

I was feeling genuinely happy for the first time in days, just then my unbearably cute neighbor came out to play. He was sitting on his stoop, big red fire truck at his side, chatting at his Mom with the big voice of his…sigh, slapped a little more happy on me. I went out to talk to him, got to hear all his trip to the fair, the rides, the games, the fish he won….melt, melt, melt. Amy and Merritt had arrived and were making their way back to our apartment, (we live way in the back) so I had just enough time to conspire with my cutie pie neighbor, I wanted him to give Amy a very specific greeting, he agreed to help. As the girls rounded the corner their faces lit up, they adore him too, and I said to Tyler, “Tyler, what did you want to tell Amy” he stood there, looking coy at first, “oh no! He’s not going to do it” I thought but he turned to Amy, big blue eyes directed at her, he opened his little mouth and in his biggest Tyler voice said, “Texas Stinks!” ….awesome.



We made our way inside and chatted over a glass of 2008 Zaca Mesa Z Gris, ($15.99) we thought it was lovely. Delicate, restrained, and pretty elegant. We drink almost exclusively French Rose, all three of us find the domestic versions a tad too fruity for our palates and I’m sorry, but I don’t find any minerals in the domestic offerings. I’m not saying the French ones are better mind you, I just like them better, so we were quite pleased with this little wine…very balanced. We finished our glasses, grabbed the wines from the fridge and headed out to dinner.




When we pulled up to our beloved restaurant my heart sank, a big NOTICE sign on the front door, shit. We walked to the door and saw that their liquor license had been suspended, indefinitely; we were so bummed, both for our dinner plans and for them. We walked in anyway and asked the little guy at the front, “Are you not able to serve wine?” he looked at us, (he had seen us hundreds of times) and said, “Yes, for you we can” and led us to a table off the main dining room. I felt really funny about it, I didn’t want them to get in any trouble, we kept telling him it was fine, not a big deal, we would still have dinner but he insisted and brought us wine glasses. “You know, people drink tea in these glasses too” he said with a grin, he asked me to give him the bottle we wanted opened, I handed over the Dagueneau, he hid it with his tray and took it in the back to open it. He returned with the wine in an ice bucket, covered with a napkin, the whole scene just felt so cool in that Speakeasy kind of way.

The Dagueneau was f’ing brilliant, intensely floral, gentle spicing, it had picked up more weight and texture as it rested, so it spread across the palate like a white Burgundy. It kept evolving in the glass, picking up notes of quince, guava, lime rind and flint…it was sublime, absolutely perfect wine. We didn’t want to pound it and to be honest it was NOT the best match for the food so we asked to have one of the bottles of Rose opened. We sat there, in a semi-private room of one of our favorite joints, glasses of Dagueneau, teacups of Rose, picking at platters of glazed veggies, fried rice, kimchee, and sauced shrimp, an occasion.



We were stuffed the restaurant was now empty, the wine almost gone, basking in the glow of yet another great date, our little wine smuggling friend appeared with two teacups full of water. We were confused, they had never brought fingerbowls or anything before, but as he placed the bowls in front of us he said, “We know you smoke, please stay, enjoy the rest of your wine with a cigarette” jaw dropping. We refused a number of times but he just kept saying, “The sign is off, we’re closed, please stay and really finish your meal”. It was surreal, felt so strange but something about it was just….well, it was just perfect…an occasion.



I sat there, smoking….inside, and finished the last bit of Dagueneau surrounded by three of the greatest people I know, I was glowing, just glowing. Our little buddy brought us glasses of plum wine and went back to enjoying his staff meal and playing cards, we finally had to ask for a check, we tipped HUGE, thanked them profusely and piled in the car. I didn’t want the night to end, how best to avoid that? “So you guys wanna go for a drink?” works every time.



We ended up heading to a bar, a bar where we know the bartender….he’s my little neighbor’s Dad, we walked in, he shook his head, looked at Amy and said, “Texas sucks!” could not have asked for a better ending.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Funny The Way It Is

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I was just on facebook and a “friend” asked the question, “What inspires you?”thing is, this friend and I had a "falling out" years ago, so calling us friends is bit of a stretch. She is a friend of my husbands, they were college buddies, I did not quite fit and in true, "Sam Style" I just chalked it up to, "we don't get each other" and ended the whole thing, which is why I was stunned to find her friend request on faceboook. I accepted and her words tonight, the question, "What inspires you?"...they make me think I might have acted too quickly.

I instinctively hit the “comment” button but found myself hovering over the tiny blank box…what could I say that might not offend her, shock her or damage an already fragile situation? Thing was….I loved the question and found a little spark of, “Maybe she does want to know me…or we have more in common than I thought” so I replied with a long silly list of things that inspire me;

Love
Friends
Family
Fries
Snorting Laughter
A Hit of Pot
Dave Matthews (Yes I am currently obsessed)
Writers
Trust
Feet Pounding on a Dance Floor
Champagne
Gooey Cheeses
Knowing That My Son Loves & Trusts Me



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Bunch of other junk but once I hit the little blue comment button I started to feel sad, real sad. The reason…I had just spent all afternoon with one of my greatest inspirations, Amy…and she is moving, sigh.

Long time readers know my little monster well, she is that little voice in my head that says, “Go for it Sam, who deserves it more than you?” and I fold like a cheap Spanish fan, I would walk through burning glass for that girl. We spend almost all our free time together, she has been my muse, she makes me laugh harder than anyone ever has, her sparkling face can brighten my day…and scare the shit out of me, at the same time, that big, white, toothy grin has some naughty attached to it…through burning glass, still.

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Amy’s hubby, Sexy Bitch has been promoted, a big one…one you don’t pass up, if you know what I’m saying, the catch….they have to move to Dallas for a few years, a big fucking, heartbreaking catch for us, for all of us. I met Amy at The Wine Country, she was a longtime friend of our then, French wine buyer Kelly. I had heard all about Amy, like years before I had ever met her, felt like I knew her….I didn’t.

We hung out a bit, not too much at first but I think we both knew…just this spark between women, you just know your people when you meet them….well that and after one of the first “wild” nights her “didn’t see anything” look let me know, this girl gets me. She began working at The Wine Country after Kelly told us that she really wanted to help out, be a part of the French wine department. I was down, she was cool, worked her ass off and has a passion for French wine, food and Champagne like no one I knew, why wouldn’t I want that?!

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So fast forward a couple years, Kelly moved on to pursue a teaching career, I took over France and Amy was still on board to help out, she conducted all the French and bubble classes, (I am stricken with stage fright and she is a professor in her real job) and I provided all the “comedic” flair and interjections, our “brand” was a huge hit….classes sold out in record time, and somewhere in there…we, well we found each other.

Turns out, everything cool I wanted to do, I wanted to do with her, dinners, tastings, classes, Sunday meals, football days, the thought would pop into my head and I swear the next thought was, “I wonder if Amy and Sexy Bitch are up to it?” they always were. Now what? I sit here, cigarettes burning, ipod blaring in my ears, glass of Champagne in my hand, fingers flying across a keyboard…a good night for me in every way, but there is this thing…this thing hanging there, my Amy, my best friend, my muse….she’s leaving….cannot hide the fact that I am completely broken, and lost just thinking about being without that, big, toothy, white, scary, day-making grin.

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My inspiration? Love, true love. You know, you look at your life, all the things that make you, you…all of it, shity and glorious, they all add layers, layers to the immensely textured people that we all are, kind of beautiful if it didn’t suck at times like these, Amy, well she is part of me, so deeply buried in my heart that right this second, I don’t know who I was before I met her…hope to never find out who I am without her.

So I guess I find myself writing another love letter of sorts, (So funny, right this second the song growling in my ears just said, “Momma told me someday that girl is going to take your mind, never knew before, but I know now” perfect) this time to my girl, my Amy…I love you girlie.


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Amy,

I write this letter to you, here on my blog because we are far too cool to like share our real feelings and stuff, but there are a few things you need to pack away in those boxes headed for Texas…one of them is my heart, you have it, it will never be the same without you in it. My days will not be the same without the hope that you might stop in after your ass kicking at the gym across the street, my text messages from the severely text challenged, emails that are always subject lined, “Hi”.

You my sweet sensitive beast, have forever changed me, could never be that Sam I was before you, don’t wish to be. You have taught me to love myself, do you have ANY idea what that means to me? You probably don’t, which is another reason this had to be written…your love of the written word and vehement support of mine…could not let this wretched, but understandable moment pass without telling you just how much you have changed me….forever, you Amy have been responsible for more happiness and love than I can ever show you with my meager verbage.

Jesus, this is hard….pile of snot rags are growing beside me darlin’…I just need you to know, know that you Amy…are one of the most amazing, (shut up Sexy Bitch) women I have ever met, your love and friendship are things that I hold as tight to my chest as I possibly can, they make me the woman I am, and make me beam with pride. There is nothing I can think of to give you that can top that, but I promise to write you all the time, keep clean sheets on the guest bed and I will love you FOREVER, no matter where you live…hope you can pack that too.

You know better than anyone that my heart is not an easy place to get into, not bragging…kind of a flaw of mine truthfully…but that grin, that, “C’mon Sam” grin, and I’m done, I’m in and down for whatever your adventure filled mind has working. None of that will change love, I will still walk through burning glass…or to the nearest bar with and for you, You and Me Girlie, we can do anything….and we will.


I so love you
I will so miss you
I will look forward to your visits
I cannot thank you enough
I know I have met one of my great loves
I won’t be letting her go
Your Best Friend,
Sam

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PS...Wanna make a run for it?!

I love you...I really do, forever Aims...you're stuck with me forever.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Bubbles Deserve Better




I woke this morning after another night of not enough sleep, oh don’t think of feeling any pangs of, “Awe poor Sam” I do this to myself. It’s not that I can’t sleep most of the time, it’s that I can’t sleep in, so if I say….went to bed before 2 am I might get more sleep, just another flaw in my silly design. I woke this morning both excited and already annoyed, the reason….going to a trade tasting.

I avoid these events like Sarah Palin avoids reality, just wont or don’t go to the sixty or so I am invited to each year, tastings, panels, winemaker dinners..nope, nope, no thanks. I know that people outside of the trade think this is just crazy talk, hell…some of my peers think it’s crazy talk too, two members of my staff seem to spend just as much time at these events as they do at the shop. Sure there are some good parts, first of all it shortens your work day, (which is my guess as to why those fellow Wine Country staffers leap all over these events) when we have a trade event to attend we never schedule that person to close the store, maybe open, work a couple of hours, then shoot up to LA for the tasting, then you are free for the rest of the day…drunkards not so much good with the counting of change required for end of the day duties. The other upside is of course the wines, but sometimes that can reason enough not to go too, “Jadot and Duboeuf tasting? Nah, think I’m good thanks”.



I go to about 3 or 4, usually two of those are for Beaune Imports, dig Michael Sullivan and think he has the best French book in our area, (yes there are others I like too, Kermit, Martines, Veritas…people like that) so I never miss one of those events. I have been known to attend a North Berkeley tasting or two and I used to make it a point to go to the annual Terry Theise Champagne tastings but after the west coast distributor and I had a beef a couple of years ago, (Long story but I had a conflict on the date of his SoCal tasting, thought it was important that I attend so I came up with what I thought was brilliant plan, spend the weekend with the hubby in San Francisco and hit up the NoCal tasting on Monday. Bought the tickets, got the time off, made hotel reservations and then was told, “Don’t you think you could focus better without your husband peering over your shoulder?”…um, okay. They would rather I had him wandering around outside waiting for me to finish tasting like 75 Champagnes…guess they don’t really think it all that important for me to come to their tasting, so now I don’t. Still support those wines, hell I love them…anyone that has seen my tattoo knows my love for Pierre Peters, but I simply wont go to the tasting, petty? Maybe but that’s how I roll.) that one has been removed from the, “must go” list. The other one that I try not to miss is the one today, Becky Wasserman Champagnes.



So what could I possibly be annoyed about while drinking, Camille Saves, Godme, and Jose Dhondt? The format for one, cannot tell you how much I hate the swirl, sniff, taste and spit deal when it comes to Champagne. First of all I don’t swish bubbles much…kind of just gets bigger in your mouth and starts to burn the ol’ palate after a bit, spitting is also an issue, the spit buckets at these events look like someone has been whipping egg whites in them…gag much?! But the worst, well aside from those other idiot attendees, the ones that wear perfume/cologne, park in front of the wines and have the nerve to glare at you when you try and squeeze your glass past them….argh….the whole scene just kind of makes me sad, sad for the Champagnes.



Everyone standing around, sip, scribble and spit, no love…no inspiration, no letting those flavors move you, no marveling in the way those tiny spheres dance across your palate and deliver that warm hum that starts in your head then rolls down your spine. No appreciation for the way the flavors stain your palate, relishing in the caramel, apples, flowers, oyster shell…no, just spit and, “Next”…so not how they were intended. I for one will NOT be a table hog, I will get my pour and move as far away from the herd as I can, let myself love them, let them make me hum and I will let them do what they were meant to….inspire me.



Picked my outfit, going a little saucy today…and I have a bottle of 2000 Camille Saves in the fridge awaiting my return, that bottle will get the respect and love it deserves, shit…day is already better knowing that is at the end of it
.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Scenes From DMB Big Whiskey & The Groo Grux



Shake Me Like A Monkey


The thing I like most about you
Is the way you
Do that thing I like about you.
I I I can’t stop thinking bout you
Yeah yeah yeah
Why would I want to.
I like my coffee with toast and jelly
But I’d rather be licking from your back to your belly
I I I think I’m going to
.



Spaceman

Probably get it wrong much as I get it right
But I got it right woman
When I caught your eye.
What I remember most about that night is
I love the way you move.
I love the way you love me
I love the way you move.




Seven


Baby when I think about you
All I wanna do
Is be by your side…take a little ride.
Woman please please
I’m in your possession
Wanna drink it wanna drink it
Let me go let me go
Down down down down.
Woman I am your possession
And you are my obsession
Reel me in
Reel me in
Dark little place
She lets me go.




Damn Mr. Dave Matthews….damn, so diggin the new CD. If I were a weaker woman it might even make me feel all funny in my girly bits, but I'm all bad ass and shit, so...um, purrrrr.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Don't You Hate....



Dontcha hate it when you wake up naked and have no idea where your purse is?

Never happened to you?

Um, me either....

Friday, July 24, 2009

Stuff I Love



I’ve been spending a fair amount of time posting about what pisses me off, what I think is stoopid or crap I want to veto, well aside from the gushing, “I love you guys” post so I thought in the interest of balance it might be time to post about the stuff I love, the things that geek me out and the things that bring me the most pleasure.

Friends, family and sharing my time, my meals and my laughs with them…that is a no-brainer and I won’t bother wasting anyone’s time, (well shit, more than I do know) by explaining a “No Der”.

Hearing my adorable neighbor laugh…melts me like butta.



Tomato sandwiches, only in the summer, on white bread, with too much mayo.



Love letters




A salty piece of rare steak, rib eye or hanger is preferred.



Day 2 of a trip to Europe, I’m a cranky, befuddled baby the first day. Day 2 and I am full of life, excitement and exploration…like a kid, feels exhilarating.



Changing into my jammies after a long day, in the dark of my bedroom….removing the bra, (Now most women will attest that this is a glorious moment in the day, the freeing of the breasts. Come to think of it, husbands might be rather fond of this as well) and standing in front of the fan, the only sound I can hear is the soft purring as it sways back and forth blowing cool air on my freshly freed skin.



Writing something that makes people laugh, or think….or both.


Photo Credit: © www.laboutiquedebacchus.com

Pommard with at least 10 years on it, one of the sexiest smells I can think of.




Finding that perfect, crispy French fry.



Dave Matthew’s voice, (rawr) and lyrics, man drives me insane.



A rare moment of complete silence, being able to hear the air entering and leaving my chest.



Fingertips on my skin.

Wines that thrill me so much that I buy them for everyone I know, like I cannot wait to share this freaking amazing new thing with them…..whadda dork right?! Well yesterday I had two wines that did just that, flipped my lid and shit howdy I’m fixin to tell you all, (thought better of using y’all, too country for this LA girl) about them!




2008 Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris Rose, ($16.99) Looking at the faintly pink color one might assume the wine is made from Pinot Noir, not that big a stretch seeing as it is from the Loire Valley but while most Pinot Gris is made into white wine, it does have dark skin and this wine gets its color from contact with that skin. Such delicate aromatics, a bit of peach and fennel with flint and limestone creeping up in the back. Elegant and refined on the palate, gentle fruit, more minerals and an airy delicacy on the finish. Gentle, regal, pretty…yum.




2008 Domaine Salvard Cheverny Rose, ($12.99) I tasted both these wines, one right after the other and this wine tasted more like home to me, when long time customer, friend and sometimes poster, Vicki tasted it she said, “Well no wonder you like this one better, it taste the way you are…kind of wild and full of acid”…that was cool by the way…but there is a wild nature to this little Rose, less pretty…more sexy, tangy, tart, full of herbs, fresh cut grass and lime rind. I dig it and brought another home with me last night, we spent the night together this wine and I…we are in love.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Dude.....

More shit we don't need.

From the website http://www.thebeerbelly.com/




The Winerack every girls best friend!Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks.We developed The Winerack to “Fill Out” our product line if you will. The picture shown here is of our good friend Drea, who is NOT, no offense Drea, Well Endowed. Sporting the Winerack and Voila’ Drea’s giving Pamela Anderson a run for the money.Take a bottle of wine, a mixed drink or even a fifth of your favorite hard stuff to the movies, concerts, ball games, even PTA meetings. Sporting a rack that will turn heads and serving a beverage that will have guys standing in line for a sip of your secret stash!With simple blow into the tube it's easy to keep that full look even as you drink from your secret stash.

Features
Very comfortable sports bra available in versitile black.
Polyurathane bladder holds over 750ml or 25oz. of your favorite beverage.
Drinking tube long enought to route as you wish.
Easy to use on/off valve to control the flow.
Small Size best for 32A thru 34B. See
Tech Specs for sizing chart.
Design optimized for smaller cup sizes



& For Him




The Beerbelly Deluxe

The BeerBelly + One Step Cleanser + Pleasure Extender (Hot/Cold Pack)

Makes the Perfect Gift!!

The Beerbelly brings Freedom to the Beverage! Now you can drink WHAT you want, WHEN you want, WHERE you want, with no hassles and for less money! What more could you ask for? Now you can drink your favorite beverage at the movies, the ballgame, on the plane, anywhere, YOU DECIDE!

Features
Deluxe Kit Includes the BeerBelly, 1 Step Cleanser, and Pleasure Extender Hot/Cold Pack (Specifically designed for The BeerBelly).
Pays for itself in less than 2 uses! Now you can take up to 80oz. of your favorite beverage wherever you go... Even where "they" don't want you to! The bladder is held in an insulated pouch in the sling which is worn under your clothing for concealment. When worn, it looks just like a beerbelly, and stays cold for hours!



For Both

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

On Board With Gamay




“Sam, come here and try these two wines” it was Randy calling me from the tasting room where he was sitting with an importer. He was wearing that Randy grin….the one I had seen a thousand times before, the one that meant one of two things, he was either really excited about the wines or he was trying to test my palate. This was years ago, long before I was the French wine buyer at The Wine Country, but I did have a love for all things French….except for one.

I tasted both wines the importer poured for me, one I loved, a Cabernet Franc from the Loire, the other I hated, also from Loire but made from Gamay. Randy was trying to trick me, it drove him mad that I hated Gamay, he thought it was all in my head, like I didn’t think it was noble or fancy, which I didn’t but the fact of the matter was, they simply tasted like poo to me and I hated them. We would go round and round every Thanksgiving, he telling me it was the best match for the meal and me telling him that I didn’t give a crap because I wasn’t drinking any stoopid Gamay with my meal, no matter how well it paired. We drove each other bonkers for years about this one thing, like he saw this a some giant character flaw or snobby thing about me and I was annoyed that he would not just give up and let me hate them.



On my first trip to France we stayed in Beaujolais for a night, quite frankly it was the dumpiest, nastiest little hovel of a hotel I had ever stayed in, (now that coveted title belongs to the hotel where I stayed in St Emillion….gross) and to top it off, when I opened my window there was a beehive just below it….fantastic, go from drinking Burgundy for six days to a crap hole of a hotel in Beaujolais, where there are bees hunting me AND I have to drink Beaujolais. Let’s just say, that trip did nothing to change my mind.

I was not until last year that I opened up to Beaujolais, we had been in Burgundy for 4 days, tasting nothing but way too young, (2006/2007) Burgundy, it was a grueling schedule, up to 19 appointments in one day. My palate was fried, my teeth were stinging and I had reached my breaking point on super rich food. Never thought I would say it but I was ready to get the hell outta Beaune. Well all that and I was drinking the hotel out of Billecart-Salmon Rose so it was time to move on…..poor little dude at the bar was convinced that I was gonna barf one of those nights, silly man.




We arrived in Beaujolais early in the afternoon, the sun was out but it was still quite chilly, (January) our little troop of tasters filed into the sunroom of the estate we were visiting, and all took a seat. I was less than thrilled but really digging the company, those dudes in Beaujolais like to party. They brought out platter after platter of house cured pork products, and started pouring us their wines, the whole while poking fun at one another and drinking a fair bit themselves, it all just felt so comfortable and convivial. I took a few slabs of Jambon Persille, (Ham and parsley terrine) some saucisson and some bread and prepared myself to taste….the dreaded Gamay.

Those wines, with that food, after days of palate burning young Burgundy, they just made sense, they tasted so fresh, no vibrant and simply delicious. Took me 13 years to get on board but now I find myself even craving a little Beaujolais from time to time, still won’t touch the Nouveau crap, don’t care how festive it is, it’s vile and I aint doin it! Especially when it’s as hot as it is right now, a lightly chilled bottle of Beaujolais or Anjou Gamay with whatever off the grill….heaven.



2005 Pierre-Bise Anjou Gamay ($17.99) More densely packed than Beaujolais this wine leans more towards black fruit with a compelling earthy component, black pepper and flint. The palate is rather full for Gamay and there are a fair amount of grippy tannins on the finish…red meat, think red meat.



2007 Lapierre Morgon ($21.99) Hands-down my favorite Beaujolais almost every year, even back when I didn’t like em’! Wild strawberries, cranberries and spice. Light in the mouth, ultra refreshing with a snappy, crisp, nervy finish. Pretty enough to pair nicely with everything from meat to fish…or you can do as I do, just suck it up.



2005 Olivier Merlin Fleurie ($24.99) Such a delicate Beaujolais, loaded with violets and spice, the palate has pretty, tart, red fruit and more spice but the finish is floral as all get out. My go to wine for summer sipping along with thin slices of cured meat and gooey, pungent cheeses.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Do We Really Need These? Slow Sunday At The Store Post




So it’s slow as hell at The Wine Country this Sunday, Janna and I are staring at each other, popping onto facebook, drinking……we ate tomato sandwiches, cheese and dill pickle flavored potato chips. We handled some serious shit but still there are 2 hours left in the work day, there are NO people here and Janna is now playing a video game where you can make the characters from South Park beat each other up….while the Eric Cartman Fire Fart is compelling it can only keep my interest for so long, so here I sit, glass of 2008 Muga Rioja Rose, ($12.99) in my hand, well hell, maybe I could write this up before I go on my little rant.



2008 Muga Rioja Rose, um let’s see….it’s imported by Henry Wine Group, it contains sulfites, 13% alcohol, and the government thinks there are all kinda things we ought not do while using this product….oh crap, do you think heavy machinery includes a scanner and cash register? Shit…I might be in some trouble here folks, well I’m not pregnant…you think this stuff will get me that way…dammit! I see this globe looking thing, kinda round and it has an arrow on it, sort of like a penis globe, so um….Muga thinks it’s a man’s world? This back label crap is confusing, so maybe I should just taste the wine huh?!



The nose, well the nose smells like Rose, watermelon, wet concrete maybe a bit of quince, on the palate the wine is round, silky and full of melon, more honeydew than watermelon, it’s clean, refreshing and utterly gulpable. Just as it should be, nothing more and nothing less, so lovely in it’s “it-ness” exactly what I love about Rose…..now Tempier, that’s a whole nuther thang.

So to keep myself from losing my freaking mind, cleaning the drain sink, watching Mr. Garrison kick some 4th grade South Park ass, or getting plastered I started making a list of shit I think we really don’t need…might have to throw the back label of that Muga Rose on the list!



Bondage Bears? How come?! Kind of skeeves me out



Dude, get a blow up doll and get over it. You have a small penis, we all know, you are not fooling anyone...sit next to the comb-over guy. Just for the record, as a girl, if you think you are impressing ANYONE with this rad ass ride....you might just be gay.


Just drink it already!



Might I interest you in a Hummer with spinners?



Stupid is as stupid does....she is that magical combination of both




Take a pill




There is nothing in here you need....nothing


He was cooler when he was a druggie but still a douchebag




Don't gotta say nuttin'



Just fuck already