Tastes of Life

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Ella Dining Room and Bar, Sacramento
2007-09-23 22:14:00
The much anticipated, official Grand Opening of Ella Dining Room and Bar took place last night. If you live in the Sacramento area I am sure you are familiar with, and maybe have been to, The Kitchen Restaurant or Selland's Market-Cafe, both run by the Selland family. This is their newest venture and the restaurant is named after Randell Selland's grand daughter Ella.Located at the corner of 12th St. and K St. in the Cathedral Building, a sleek, light wood entry meets you as you step in through the door. The large open restaurant with a big, square bar in the middle of the room, with plenty of seating, has hundreds of Hungarian window shutters decorating the ceiling and part of walls, giving the space a very rustic feel. The seating is a smart mix of smaller contemporary tables with upholstered chairs, and rustic large wood tables and wood chairs for eating community style. Behind the bar sits a large wine room enclosed only by dark glass walls. A lounge area with more bar stool s...
More About: Pinot Noir

Cosentino Winery 2003 The Poet Meritage Napa Valley
2007-09-22 23:44:00
This meritage consists of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Merlot. Each lot was aged separately in French oak for 30 months, then blended and bottled unfined.The color in the glass is a very dark, clear, ruby red, whispering of intense fruit. Dark floral and tons of black liquorice greets you on the nose with black tea, blackberry and black currant. On the palate, more blackberry, black currant, cherry, oak, and semi firm, well integrated tannins that balances out the intense fruit well. I thought this was a great full bodied blend that is big and intense but still well balanced and never goes out of hand on the fruit. Will age well for many years to come. I got it in a wine club shipment a while back at the cost of $65. You can find it at the wineries website at that price, or at Wine-Searcher.com from $39.99.Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top 10 on The Blog Top! No longer any need to help me stay in top 10. I need your help to reach top 10 again! Been...
More About: Meritage , Poet , Valley , Napa , Napa Valley

Duck Pond Fries' Family Cellars 2005 Oregon Pinot Noir
2007-09-19 04:54:00
The Duck Pond 2005 Oregon Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown in the Willamette Valley, with 91% from the south Salem Hills and 9% from the Red Hills. The soil in these vineyards are primarily "Jory" soil, a week volcanic ash and rock type that promotes a low-yielding crop, giving the wine special characteristics.It shows a clear ruby/purple color in the glass. The nose offers soft fruit and berries with red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, and obvious smokey tobacco aromas.In your mouth it continues on the more elegant fruit notes with red cherry, raspberry, and here the tobacco and especially the smoke stands out and lingers, way past the fruit is gone, on the palate. It is definitely of the more elegant style with lighter red fruit and berries. I wish this medium bodied wine was a little bit more complex on fruit/berries, which are on the thin side, to stand up better to the smokey aspect of it.Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $17.49.Vote for my blog here and help me stay ...
More About: Family

A Taste of Sacramento
2007-09-18 04:08:00
Friday night we went to a food, wine, and beer event in Sacramento , A Taste of Sacramento, a benefit for Easter Seals. It featured over 70 local wineries, breweries and restaurants who showcased their wine, beer and food to ticket holders. As you understand there was not enough time, nor room in my stomach to tasted everything at the event but I did want to share a few thoughts with you on some of the participants that I particularly enjoyed (or not).Let's start with the food. Best BBQ in town was served up by J.R.'s Texas Bar-B-Que who plated mesquite smoked brisket and baked beans. This is what BBQ should taste like. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse had sliced steak with mashed potatoes. Yummy. Rubio's flavorful, juicy and tender carnitas in flour tortilla with guacamole was surprisingly good considering it being a chain restaurant. Someone was serving a good mahi mahi taco roll as well, but I can't recall who it was... I also had shrimp with a great cocktail sauce that I think it mig...
More About: Syrah , Mourvedre , Pinot Noir , Viognier

Jayson 2005 Wayfarer Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2007-09-17 01:33:00
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 Sono ma 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 g...

Foley Estates 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir
2007-09-15 21:49:00
A couple of nights ago we popped a bottle of the Foley 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir . We used to drink a lot of Foley and Lincourt (same owner and wine maker) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but for some reason it has been a while since last time we had one. Opening a bottle tonight I immediately, at the first whiff and first sip, recognized the style, and it felt like seeing an old friend...This wine was fermented in open top fermentation tanks and had its cap punched down three times per day, then aged in 30% new and 70% used French oak for 12 months in small barrels.It shows a dark garnet color in the glass. The nose is vibrant with red and black cherry, dark raspberry, black tea, and earth. On the palate, red and black cherry, blackberry, good acidity, and firm but integrated tannins. Rich, fruity, and medium to full bodied. Not bad at all... I really enjoyed this wine. You can taste and feel that maritime influence in this wine. It is fruity and voluptous but on t...
More About: Santa Rita Hills

Del Posto, New York
2007-09-13 03:14:00
Another chef's food I have been longing to try, while in New York , is Mario Batali's. He has a total of eight restaurants + one wine shop in New York (as far as I know). Choosing one was not easy but I ended up deciding to go to Del Posto. It is located next door to CraftSteak, were we had been the night before (I will review it later in another posting), at 85 Tenth Avenue.The restaurant is very elegantly decorated but still welcoming with a lot of dark wood and warm colors in the textiles. On to the dining. We were seated promptly and after being handed the menu and wine list a basket filled with a varietal of still warm bread arrived. The olive foccacia was my favorite... After that four small plates with amuse bouche were presented, Shrimp "Puff" (awesome!), Green Tomato with Jalapeno Cream Sauce, Tuna and Artichoke Tea Sandwich, and a Vegetable Broth Soup with Fresh Herbs. All very good!For starter we shared the Porcini Mushroom, Arugula Risotto. This risotto was one of the b...
More About: Travel , Restaurant , New-York

Gordon Ramsay at The London, New York
2007-09-12 03:45:00
We just spent a week in New York during US Open. While my husbands biggest pleasure during the trip is the tennis, mine is researching, selecting and finally eating at restaurants with (supposedly) fabulous food and wine. This years trip we started with a night at Gordon Ramsay at The London . My cousin had dinner there earlier this spring and have been raving about the exceptional service, food, and ambiance. A must try for us after all the praise, plus the fact that we had not been to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant before.Upon arrival we were sent to the bar as our table was not quite ready yet. 35 minutes later we were finally seated in a half empty dining room. The dining room is made up of one single rectangular room, elegantly decorated, and with high ceilings. It might seem intimate to some, having a limited number of tables, but to us it felt like we were at a wedding party. I like when a restaurant has something to break it up. Be it partition walls, pillars, or booths to create...
More About: Travel , Restaurant

Plumpjack Estate 1999 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
2007-09-08 23:30:00
We got half a case of the Plumpjack Estate 1999 Oakville Cabe rnet Sauvignon at their winery in Napa Valley when it was first released, and after drinking all of them but one bottle during the first two years it was now time to have the last bottle. We were expecting pretty good stuff and were not disappointed...Dark cherry, dark raspberry, black currant and pencil lead on the nose made for a good beginning. On the palate, black currant, spice, and earthy mushrooms. It still has nice dark fruit and berries, and surprisingly high in tannins. I would have expected it to have mellowed out a little by now, but it is still going strong and drinks really well right now. Will definitely aged well for several more years to come...If you want to give it a try you can find it online at Winezap.com from $ 95.99.Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top 10 on The Blog Top! No longer any need to help me stay in top 10. I need your help to reach top 10 again! Been bumped down to number 11... G...
More About: Ville

Ely Winebar, Dublin
2007-09-07 03:31:00
I just came home from a week in New York and I have so much to tell you about the great food and wine we had, but before I go there I wanted to wrap up our England/Ireland trip by writing about a great place in Dublin .Ely Winebar opened in 1999 and immediately turned into a hot spot, and two other location in Dublin has been opened since. They serve simple, delicious food, made with meat from an organic farm and the produce sourced from local suppliers.We got seated promptly upon arriving and started of by ordering a bottle of Felton Road 2003 Central Otago Pinot Noir . A great Pinot from New Zealand packed with red cherry, dark raspberry, slight spice, all well balanced with moderate acidity and slightly firm tannins.For starter I had the Cucumber and Crab with Mango Sauce. Cucumber wrapped around a light crab salad topped with the mango sauce, set around a baby lettuce salad. Subtle flavors marrying beautifully.The entree of Pea, Mint and Lemon Essence Risotto with baby spinach and...
More About: Travel

A.P. Vin 2004 Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-08-26 03:42:00
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, j...
More About: Santa Rita Hills

Matchbook 2005 Dunnigan Hills Chardonnay
2007-08-25 03:04:00
This is the second wine I review from the Crew Wine Co, John and Lane Giguiere. Read more about the Mossback Pinot Noir I reviewed not to long ago here.On to the Matchbook 2005 Dunnigan Hills Char donnay . This wine consists of 86% Dunnigan Hills fruit, a warm weather climate, and 14% Russian River Valley fruit, that has the coastal influence and adds structure and intensity to the wine. Aged in french oak for seven months.I got white floral, apple, pear, a hint of pineapple and toasty oak on the nose. This wine has weight in the mouth with a round, creamy body of apple, citrus and vanilla oak. Doesn't sound to bad, but it is (to me)... The heavy weight and creaminess stayed with me much to long and leaved a cloying feeling in my mouth after swallowing, despite the relatively good acidity and tannins. This was not so much the case at first when it was really cold, but as it moved toward room temperature the viscosity level increased significantly. Not my cup of tea...Maybe I am just ...
More About: Donna

MWC 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2007-08-24 03:47:00
MWC stands for Margerum Wine Company and is a small winery run and owned by Dough Margerum. Margerum wines are produced in a 240 sq ft space behind Brander Vineyards facility in Los Olivos. All wines are hand crafted by Dough and he strives for individuality and to make wine he himself wants to drink.The 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir shows a vivid, clear, ruby red color in the glass. On the nose slightly perfumey with raspberry, red cherry, earth, vanilla and a hint of herbs. In the mouth this wine shows bright, soft, red fruit/berries with earthy notes. This is not a power house pinot but more elegant and velvety with good acidity, and moderately firm, young tannins. For $24.95 at our local wine shop, Capitol Cellars, I honestly can say that this is a really good wine for the price.Looking online I can only find this wine on one site, Los Olivos Wine Merchant (a great wine shop in the center of Santa Ynez wine country with the perfect lunch cafe), for $28. Find it and try it...
More About: Santa Barbara County

The Chocolate Society, London
2007-08-19 21:26:00
Running into a chocolate shop when in London I could not resist but had to try their creations.Hiding on 32-34 Shepherd Market in London The Chocolat e Society offers bars, truffles, cooking chocolate and a full counter of a wide variety of handmade chocolates. It also had a small cafe with hot chocolate, ice cream, brownies and more. I picked up a few of the chocolates to give them a try.Dark Chocolate Truffle: Velvety, creamy ganache covered in a shell of dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. Pure, high quality chocolate. Great with the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I had with it...Tarte Tatin: The interior of this treat was a vanilla caramel mixed with an apple jam with flavor of cinnamon. The jam gave it a slight odd texture, but never the less it was really good and tasted like apple pie covered in milk chocolate.Creme Caramel: This vanilla caramel had a more sugary texture then chewy. I prefer the chewy... It did however have a really nice buttery caramel flavor and was co...
More About: Travel

M2 Wines
2007-08-16 02:39:00
Last Saturday we went to a wine tasting at our local wine store, featuring M2 Wines . I was not familiar with this winery and excited to try something new. Chris Matheny, owner and winemaker, did all the pouring and was very informative and loved to talk about his passion, and wine in general. Needless to say, I had a great time. Chris Matheny and Layne MontgomeryM2 Wines got it's name from the first letter in two gentlemen last name, Layne Montgomery and Chris Matheny. The two of them met in 1999 and in 2000 they started making wine as amateurs. In 2004 it was time to go commercial and since 2006 they have their own winery in Lodi. M2 does not own their own vineyards but buys grapes from premium vineyards throughout California. That way they can source the different varietals from the areas where they express the best characteristics.Chris explained to me that their goal as winemakers are to intervene as little as possible to let the vineyards and grapes express themselves in the w...

Atrium, Edinburgh Scotland
2007-08-12 22:09:00
Atrium was established in 1993 by Andrew and Lisa Radford and is located in the Usher Hall with the Traverse and Lyceum Theatres. They have had a consistent reputation throughout the years of being one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh , having won several awards, and they use only premium ingredients sourced from local suppliers. This small, candle lit, restaurant served us the best meal we had during our 2 1/2 week long trip through England, Scotland and Ireland. We were promptly seated upon arrival and after ordering wine and food an amuse bouche was served and this particular night we were treated to a Carrot Soup with Sesame Oil. Subtle flavors and great taste of summer through the baby carrots the soup was made from.We went from there to sharing two starters. The Scallops with Tomato Risotto was exactly just that: small, sweet, tender scallops served on a bed of very creamy, rich, risotto with diced tomatoes. This was absolutely delicious and the perfect starter as it would ...
More About: Travel , New Zealand , Restaurant

Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2007-08-11 19:18:00
The Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is composed of grapes from seven vineyards, Abbott, Baranoff, Clay, Koos, Leepin, Nunes and Zephyr Vineyards. It spent 20 months in oak barrels, 50% being new French Oak.This was my first time having a wine from this winery and it was thanks to my husband who brought it home after finding it at BevMo and thought it looked like it was worth a try. BevMo's price was $54 for this bottle and the only other place I can find it online to purchase is at the winery's website for $60.On to the actual tasting. A big, dark ruby red color greats me in the glass just before discovering dark cherry, dark raspberry, blueberry and an earthy quality with some grass/herb nuances, on the nose. I am very excited at this point can't wait to take a sip. Again the black cherry is there with some involvement of red cherry as well. Dark berries makes an impact as well with some oak notes at the end. The acidity is definitley there in the right amoun...
More About: Sonoma County

Theo Randall at The Intercontinental, London
2007-08-06 22:25:00
We just came back after spending 2 1/2 week in London , Scotland and Ireland and I have a few places that I would like to share with you. Today I am starting with Theo Randall at The Intercontinental Park Lane in London. Theo Randall just opened his first own restaurant in fall of 2006 at the Intercontinental after 17 years at The River Cafe in London. The restaurant has a sleek, contemporary interior design with extensive wood flooring and wood paneling on the walls, and accessories in brown and green colors. The food is Italian with Theo's personal twist, and both the ingredients and presentation are simple with stunning results.My husband started with the Insalata Mista with greens, big chunks of sun ripe tomatoes, and Pecorino cheese. With great quality green and intensely flavored tomatoes this was a simple but delicious light start to the meal. I had to try the Scottish Scallop with Lentils. Beautiful sweet scallops with a salty and spicy component as it was topped with capers...
More About: Travel , Restaurant , Conti

Demetria 2005 Gaia Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
2007-08-05 02:00:00
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...

Artesa 2001 Elements Red Table Wine
2007-07-31 11:45:00
The Artesa 2001 Element s Red Table Wine is a blend of predominantly red Bordeaux varietals with 79% of the grapes coming from Sonoma County and 21% from Napa County. It was aged for two years in 50% new and 50% used French oak.This wine shows a dark red ruby color with a purple nuance. There are tons of ripe, heavy, dark fruit on the nose with earthiness, an aroma of salty ocean, and vanilla.On the palate the ripe fruit follows through with dark cherry, plum, black currant accompanied by firm tannins and firm acidity. Both of them crucial to balance this very plush and ripe wine. All in all nothing to write home about but neither is it a bad wine. Big and ripe with ok balance, but lacks in complexity.Find this wine at WineZap.com from $ 17.69. For a decent, California-style, easy-to-drink, Bordeaux blend: not to shabby.Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top 10 on The Blog Top! I have finally reached top 10 and I am now striving to reach top 5!

Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
2007-07-27 11:40:00
We had the Rusack Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it , so when I saw the Chardonnay the other day in the store, I just had to grab it to give it a try.The grapes for the 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from Bien Nacido and Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley , and Huber Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa in Santa Rita Hills. Both are cool climate appellations with maritime influence. It went through partial malolactic fermentation (70%) and was aged 9 months prior to bottling, in 32% new and 68% older French oak.This wine has a golden straw color in the glass. On the nose ripe apple, citrus and pronounced oak. Tasting it, the apple and citrus steps out again with some light tropical fruit and the buttery creaminess from the malolactic fermentation and oak. It has a round soft mouth feel, and moderate acidity. I wish it had some more to stand up to the buttery creaminess. Our neighbor on the other hand who prefers her Chardonnay in this style thought it was v...
More About: Santa Barbara County

Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
2007-07-24 17:00:00
I thought we would try a, to us, new winery tonight. The 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir from Kenneth Volk Vineyards seemed like a good candidate on the shelf in the grocery store.This wine is a blend from several vineyards from Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills . It was aged in 60% new, 20% one year old, and 20% three to four year old French oak using barrels from several different coopers.A clear dark ruby color with a touch of purple reflects in the glass. On the nose, red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, light strawberry and traces of oak. Moving to the palate blackberry and cherry are the main components, with raspberry and oak in the background. This Pinot has good acidity and firm tannins, that together with the pronounced fruit makes for a great balanced wine with very decent complexity and a medium body.I got this at my local "natural food" market for $ 23.99 and I think that was a good price for this very nice wine. Finding it online for only $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.c...

L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen in Sacramento
2007-07-15 21:30:00
The L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen on 1801 L Street in Sacramento opened about two months ago and finally last Friday we got to try it out.The owners Marcus and Kolea Marquez has opted for a very chic, contemporary design of the space that fit the new complex it is located in. The space consists of a wine bar, tables for dining at two levels and an outdoor patio area for summer nights. We sat at the patio to enjoy the courtyard and it's sleek architecture.The wine list is relatively short but well composed and the menu is set up of an array of small plates to match and share. I love this kind of eating as you get to try so may things from the menu. The chef is Ame Harrington, formerly at The Kitchen, and she has done a great job selecting items for the menu.We started of with the Three Cheese Plate. A goat cheese, a hard cows milk, and a soft cows milk was accompanied by olives, Marcona almonds, peach slices, dates, fig cake, preserved whole walnut (interesting item that I have ne...
More About: Restaurant , Pinot Noir

Byron Vineyard and Winery 2003 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay
2007-07-15 03:13:00
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 Sant a 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...
More About: Santa Maria Valley

Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2007-07-12 06:43:00
The Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from the Cameron and Balletto Vineyards and consists of 95% Pinot Noir and 5% Syrah.It has a beautiful, clear, garnet color in the glass, and displays big perfume on the nose upfront. With it black cherry, dark raspberry, pronounced oak with a slightly smokey quality, earth, and a hint of thyme shows nicely. Swirling it in my mouth the big, soft black cherry and dark raspberry sticks out. In the back ground again the oak and a medium spicy quality. This is a overly smooth, soft Pinot Noir with moderate plus acidity and plush tannins with a slight edge. The finish has a slightly spicy bite at the end mingling with oak and soft, lingering fruit.Overall this does not really have the true characteristics to a Pinot Noir, to me, although it is a nice, decent wine... It is more like a Syrah without the spiciness and bite a Syrah brings...I found this at my local grocery store for $24.99, which I realize was a good deal ...
More About: Russian River Valley

Pied Violet 2002 Central Coast Merlot
2007-07-10 16:05:00
Pied Violet literally means "purple foot" in French and refers to the old tradition on stomping grapes for the crush.This 2002 Central Coast Merlot shows a dark red/purple color in the glass. On the nose dark cherry and plum with a whiff of spicy oak leaves an impression. Taking my first sip red and dark cherries with plum, spice and a touch of cranberry, hits me. Moderate acidity and soft, smooth tannins makes this wine extremely accessible and drinkable. Great on its own or pair it with some summer BBQ, like a pork tenderloin, not to spicy sausage, or a flank steak.We received this wine as a gift (thanks Mindy!) and there is only one site online where I could find it available, WineShopAtHome.com. You can find it there for $15.50. When taking price into account I think this is a great soft/smooth, easy-to-drink, summer red, no greater complexity to it but not in any way to thin, that will prove to be a great crowd pleaser at any event.Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top ...

The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah
2007-07-09 15:35:00
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 ano...

Foxen 2002 Foothills Reserve Santa Ynez Valley
2007-07-06 03:03:00
The Foxen 2002 Foot hills Reserve Sant a Ynez Valley is a Bordeaux style, red table wine, made from 44% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.It has a deep, dark, red/purple color in the glass and provides dark cherries and currant with spice on the nose. On the palate, dark cherries, prune, black currant, and a hint of lingonberry and peppery spice shows off. Moderate acidity and firm tannins carries the dark fruit and berries into a long finish. It shows great fruit throughout but also has a nice structure.A good effort from Foxen! I had this bottle with friends and we all enjoyed it. I thought it would be hard to get a hold of but there are several web sites that carries it. Best deal was at Wine-Searcher.com from $31.05.Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top 10 on The Blog Top! I have finally reached top 10 and I am now striving to reach top 5!
More About: Santa Ynez Valley

The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara
2007-07-05 00:26:00
Last time we were down in Santa Barbara me and Anki, my cousin who lives there, went out to dinner at The Hungry Cat. They specialize in handcrafted cocktails, and a seafood and raw bar menu. We had been there once before for a short stop to try a drink and appetizer. We were really impressed by the hand crafted drinks and the fresh seafood and decided to soon come back for dinner. So said and done, here we were again.We started with sharing the Tuna Tartare ($14) that consisted of fresh tuna, cilantro, preserved lemon peel, olives, black pepper and a side of water crass, red onion and flaky crackers. Super fresh, light and delicious!I had the Scallop with Braised Oxtail topped with Almond, Italian Parsley, surrounded by Red Wine Poached Cauliflower in a Curry Beef Broth ($24). The scallop was incredibly fresh and tender and all the other ingredients worked in perfect harmony with it. A new take on scallop that work out very well.Anki had the Home Made Papardelle with Spring Onion, ...
More About: Travel , Restaurant , Santa Barbara

Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115, Santa Rita H
2007-07-04 05:29:00
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% n...
More About: Santa Rita Hills