Where is the Instruction Manual?!!!!

Since the SF Giants are so terrible, I thought I would move from reality to virtual reality and play the new baseball game that my wife bought me for my birthday. But it turns out that virtual reality is just as frustrating as real life, and I spent most of my afternoon swinging my Wii remote wildly through the air with no positive results. The real kicker is that MLB 2K8 has a three page instruction manual even though the game is more complex than filing your taxes.

What the heck does this have to do with wine? I'm not sure but I think it has something to do with playing video games drunk. Which is also related to the whole family coming over this weekend and me living it up. Because there is only one good restaurant in Tracy (which I think I have mentioned a million times), my wife had a redo of the dinner party we threw about a month ago. So now I have a whole new slew of wines to talk about. For now however I only have time to talk about one wine:

And that wine is the Domaine Robert Chevillon 2005 Bourgogne Passetoutgrain ($23). I would give it a B+, A-, and if this is any indicator of a typical 2005 from Burgundy, I think it's time to start doing donuts on the neighbors lawn (only if they don't drink Burgundy of course). The wine had an incredibly intense aroma of dark cherries, raspberries and strawberry, the last one probably related to it's composition of some Gamay blended in with Pinot Noir. It's dark hue would fool most people into thinking it was Syrah, but the acidity definitely suggested Pinot. Either way it was a very unique wine experience to have those two varietals blended together on purpose and I would suggest drinking it with a hearty meal, not salad like I had suggested to my wife. I'm definitely going to fail the wine pairing section of the WSET Diploma.

New Job in Wine

So there have been a lot of changes since my last post. I figured since so many people are reading the blog, I would explain those changes here so I don't have to do it over and over again. On June 1st I will no longer be a stay at home dad :(. The good news is that I found the perfect job, so even though finances have sent me back to work, at least I will be happy about it. The other great news is that the job will directly apply to this Blog.

How is that you say? Well I'm going to go manage a new retail wine shop in Danville, California, so I will be tasting a significant amount of wine. No longer will you have to read about me rating the same old producers from the same old places. I will give you more updates as the shop is about to open.

As far as wine goes, the daycare search has gotten in the way. However at the Bachelor party we did some wine damage at dinner and I will gladly rate one of the best California wines I think I have ever tasted courteous of Big T (he always brings the good stuff). It was the Arrowood 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon, and as I mentioned before it should get an A, A+. At time of purchase I think it was a measly $40. A lot of 1997s went right over the hill not long after they were released, but good vintners that kept the acidity balanced on their wines have been rewarded with some stunning bottle bouquet. That is definitely what happened with the Arrowood. The fine tannins were still noticeable (just barely) and drinking the wine was so pleasurable I almost forgot about the 22 ounces of steak in front of me. The impressively complex aroma consisted of a collection of black fruits, toasted oak, a hint of leather with caramel, and cigar box on the taste. This wine is what California Cabernet Sauvignon should strive to be. No one is ever going to get tired of drinking this wine.

Kim Crawford

April 27th? That was my last post? I'm a real slacker. Well I had to plan my best friend's bachelor party so wine consumption took a back seat. In fact it took a back seat to Gin Fizzes, Jack and Cokes and a whole lot of Fat Tire. Luckily I drove most of the weekend otherwise I might need a liver transplant right about now.

Tonight my wife and I spent the evening watching the Democratic Primary and drinking Kim Crawford 2006 Central Otago Pinot Noir. At first I was a little disappointed with the wine, but then after Obama looked like he was going close the gap in Indiana, the wine really opened up. It has a beautiful red cherry, crushed rose petal, and raspberry pie nose. The one fault of the wine is that it may be too acidic in the palate. But I think if I had actually aged it that acidity would be an asset. Overall I would give it a A-, A-, but I couldn't find the price so I think it may be $40. Either way it's pretty complex at around that price.