Pre-election come back edition

I do not care about the election.  This is an utterly false statement, of course, but I am truly tired of all of the posts and other nonsense that has bombarded my brain over the past several months, that I truly just cannot wait to receive the outcome and move forward.  If  you need some assistance in moving to the same mindset, let me recommend an amazing wine that I had the pleasure of devouring this past weekend.

I had an epic weekend.  I had a glorious run in perfect weather on Saturday morning.  13 miles of pep in my step!  When that happens, you know its going to be a good day.  Little did I know how good, until I opened a bottle of Killibinbin Seduction Cabernet Sauvignon.  I opened the bottle while I was getting ready to go on a date with Jeff.  It's always nice to a have a little pre-drink before your dinner and drinks...right?

This is an amazing Cabernet from Langhorne Creek, in South Australia.  And its really, really good.  Forget the fun and quirky label...while it is what drew me to the bottle, it definitely is what was inside that will bring me back.  From Brothers In Arms, the focus is on full-bodied wines true to the region.  I have to admit this is now one of my new favorites.  I think I purchased this one at Vino Garage off of North Main Street.  I hate to admit, I can't quite remember if that is the case.  But, I will go back and check, because I need a few more bottles of this in my life!  Enjoy!!

Traveling Pants

Having a 14 year old son is tough.  Cheering from the sidelines at his basketball games has taken on a whole new level.  I will be the first to admit I am not the perfect spectator.  I cannot be like Roger Federer's wife in the stands.  Believe me, I wish I could. But that's never going to be me.  I am like Nadal's ENTIRE family at one time during any given situation.

I've been told I can be loud.  I even bought a white noise machine for my office at work just to appease the folks that have to sit near me.  It has helped.  They tolerate me a little more now...

So this past weekend we traveled to Aiken, SC for a little AAU Basketball tournament.  Not a long trek, but we decided to make a weekend out of it.  Friday night I arrived at the AMAZING cottage I found on airbnb.com.  I made my way to the first game of the night at 8:30 and took in what was my first AAU event.

These are 14 year old boys.  Parents are SO not cool.  I got an ear-full once I got my son and his friend in the car after the game.  Mom...quit yelling during the game!  Don't call me "P".  (Patrick is a mouthful when you are excited!!) Don't take any pictures of me!  If you posted any pictures of me,  you better delete them.  Ugh.  Kids.

What's a mom to do???  Have a glass of wine.  The carriage house we stayed in had it all.  A cute little patio off of the front complete with a tiny bistro table for me to relax at and enjoy a glass of red.  Friday night was a late night so I opted for an oldie but goodie in the Trader Joe's Owl's Lair Mendocino County Red Wine.  If you have not picked up this little treasure, you really should!  At $8.99 a bottle you really get a very good wine.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.  Made for a very nice evening on the patio.

Saturday morning offered up more instruction from the kids about how/when to cheer and volume levels.  Unfortunately, there was not much to cheer about so I made it off the hook fairly easily.  We were back at the cottage before noon and I decided to do a bit of exploring.  Aiken is a very cute town known for its equestrian history.  I was able to walk from our cottage through the city proper and was able to determine where we would go for dinner later.  Dinner consisted of another new wine find for me.  The Arsonist Red Blend.  As I have mentioned before you put the work spice in the description and I am going to have a hard time passing it up.  A blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this blend does bring the spice.  From Matchbook Wine Company located in Zamora, CA, they celebrate varietals that thrive out in the warm Dunnigan Hills climate.  Hmmm.  Definitely worth taking another look!

Looking forward to our next excursion!  Sip on my friends!

Insurrection

Shame on me.  I was scolded following my last blog post from some of my work co-horts.  Not because of their lack of like for my selection; but for the mere fact that I had given praise to a label we personally do not distribute.  Hey, I am equal opportunity baby.  If I receive a bottle worthy of a post...you are going to know about it.  That being said, I was presented almost immediately with a bottle that was sure to wow me.  Let's see how it went...

Another cool bottle!  2013 Insurrection, Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon from SE Australia was quite a treat!  Very big, bold flavor of spice and berries with a long, smooth finish.  Oh my, I want another bottle ASAP!  This bottle runs about $17.00 and comes in with a rating of 91 points.  It is also a Gold Medal winner of the World Wine Championships.  This one will be on my go-to list going forward.  Thank you, Mr. Rutledge.

This wine was sourced from cool climate vineyards in two regions in SE Australia:  Padthaway and Langhorne Creek.  In these environments, the grapes need thick skins to withstand extreme temperature swings.  The warm days develop intense aromas and flavors and cool nights maintain the robust character of the grapes.  Insurrection fruit was left on the vine as long as possible to concentrate those flavors.  It was night harvested to maintain freshness and rotary fermented to enhance its power.  It is aged for 9 months in French and American oak to contribute to the spice.  Alcohol logs in at 15.5%...making a very serious statement!

For more information on Insurrection, visit:  www.insurrectionwines.com

19 Crimes

I'm a sucker for a cool bottle.  I'm an even bigger sucker for a cool story that goes along with a cool bottle.  19 Crimes is such a find.  And, even better, a great red blend.  The men featured on the wine labels are not those of fiction.  They were flesh and blood!  Criminals, artists and scholars.  In history they share the bond of receiving "punishment by transportation" for violation of one of 19 crimes and becoming the first settlers of a new nation. Thousands of people were exiled from England to Australia during the 18th and 19th Century for these crimes. The first ship of mainly petty theifs and political prisoners arrived to serve their time at this far away penal colony.  These criminals went on to found the first settlement, called Sydney, and then later Adelaide.  About the time that Brittain stopped this practice, vines were planted not far from Adelaide in the Barossa Valley.  Knowing the history, the label of the wine makes more sense, referring to the 19 offenses that got people a one way trip Down Under.   (Check it out...19crimes.com)

I purchased this 2014 Red Blend from my local World Market.  Love the aroma of strong vanilla and spice.  Smooth and deep.  We are looking at a beautiful blend of Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Yummy! Under $10 a bottle for this find.  I have to add this to my new favorites list.

Do yourself a favor and try this one out.  I do not think you will be disappointed if you are a lover of red blends.  Sip on!

Welcome Back (to me)!

I have a confession to make.  I am tired of being criticized for who I am.  I have been put down a lot over the past year and I have decided that I am just going to keep on doing what I do and not worry about the haters.  OK, so I do worry and it hurts my feelings, but I honestly don't think I can change my personality if I tried at this point...so, let's talk about wine instead!!

I just celebrated my 43rd birthday.  I don't know how that happened, but I am willing to embrace it.  What other choice do I have!!??  I was at the playground with Chase when an e-mail came through...World Market...additional 15% off coupon (INCLUDING WINE!!!).  This is on top of the 20% discount when you buy 4 or more bottles.  I'm in!  Happy happy birthday to me!!  I was in need of a stock up!

The one thing I love about World Market is the wine sales and discounts.  If you are not a World Market Explorer member and you like wine, do it now.  The variety and the prices are wonderful.  I have found some of my favorite wines at this place.  This was going to be a great day knowing that i was going to save 35% off of a case!  

After the stock up and the savings, I decided to enjoy my birthday evening with a little home-made pizza and what else...wine!  I opted for Locations E.  Locations is a group of 5 distinct wines from 5 separate locations:  E (Spain), F (France), I (Italy), CA (California), and AR (Argentina).  The concept behind Locations is to make the best possible wine from a given country or location.  I have had E in the past and I tend to return to this blend again and again due to its gorgeous taste.  

Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja, and Ribera del Duero are among the most noble growing regions on the Iberian Peninsula and purposely chosen for this amazing Spanish Red Wine.  This wine is a blend of Grenache, Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Carignan/Carinena at 14.5% alcohol volume.  Of course, as with all of my favorites, you will notice the exotic spice notes in this blend.  Crimson and deep red in color, with an intense dark cherry and spice aroma!  Beautiful! 

This retails for about $18-$20/bottle; but with the discounts and Explorer membership, I think it was under $14.  You cannot beat that for this bottle.  

Drink on my friends.  And be who you wanna be!

Celebration

I have been eagerly awaiting this week!  This is the week I was to find out if I would be released to return to running.  I had the PRP injection in my foot 4 weeks ago.  At that point I had not run for 5 weeks.  Closing in on this 9th week, I was anxious to hear some good news.  I want to run!!!

So, I tend to get a little antsy at times.  I actually decided to take matters in to my own hands and test out the foot maybe a little before the actual appointment.  The good news with that was that I was able to run SLOWLY, but without pain.  That to me is reason to celebrate.

I scored a beautiful bottle of Pinot Noir by luck.  By accident.  I was minding my own business at work when I went to fill up my water bottle and was beckoned to grab this particular bottle.  All I was told was "it's good".

Two Sisters Pinot Noir (2009) is named in honor of vintner, Bill Foley's daughters, Lindsay and Courtney.  Sweet!  This Pinot Noir hails from the prime vineyards in the cool Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County in California.  Perfect spicy accents , layers of berry and vanilla.  I was in love.  This wine truly was the perfect way to celebrate my slow but happy short run around my neighborhood.

In reading about this wine, I have discovered, unfortunately, that this is a limited production line intended to showcase the best Pinot Noir blocks within Foley's Rancho Las Hermanas Estate in the Santa Rita Hills.  Darn.  But, at least I was lucky enough to snag this bottle!!

The appointment yesterday proved to be the good news I was waiting for.  I am able to start running again as long as I remain pain-free.  Yippee!  Sounds to me like another reason to celebrate!

 

Looking for a Treat?

Meiomi Pinot Noir is FANTASTIC.  If you have not yet tried this wine, you are truly missing out on a great experience.  I actually have had this several times, but stumbled upon it again when it appeared in the local Trader Joe's for $19.99.  I am telling you, this wine tastes like it should cost a lot more.  It is well worth the $20 you are going to toss down.  I would encourage you to stock up.  This is definitely a favorite of mine.  It is a spicy little number, but not too.  It is the perfect blend of smooth and bold.  Not too much of either.

Meiomi is a blending of vines from Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Counties in California.  This is unusual for the traditional Pinot Noir.  This Pinot Noir is a blend of multiple vineyards stretching along the California coast.  Each unique area yields fruit that is distinct in character and style.  The name Meiomi means "coast" in the language of the native, coastal dwelling Wappo and Yuki tribes.

One of the best aspects of this Pinot is that is truly pairs with such a variety of foods!  Cheese, Lamb Chops, Salmon! Pork, Pizza, on its own!

Do your self a favor and go find yourself a bottle!