Wine Review: 2001 Private Reserve, Columbia Valley (Meritage), Walter Clore

Bought from wine club, $16.95 [My Rating, 9 ], Red Wine: 2001 Private Reserve, Columbia Valley (Meritage), Walter Clore

Very nice, wonderful nose. A very pleasant Meritage blend, deep color a very easy wine to drink. List $35

Wine Spectator 92 - Firm, with a lovely bead of ripe currant, blueberry and sweet spice flavor coursing through a long, lively finish. Tannins are nicely polished and the fruit prevails against oaky character on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2006 through 2012. 5,000 cases made. (HS)

We went to get more and they were sold out!

Wine Review: Cline Red Truck 2003

Bought during Sonora Trip 2004 [My Rating, 7], What were we thinking? I liked it when we were at the winery. When I opened the second bottle it was not nearly as good.

According to Cline: Medium-bodied and complex, flavors of chocolate, berries, cherries and licorice abound. The black pepper finish settles with smooth tannins. You can drink red truck anywhere, anytime (it pairs well with pizza and tomato based dishes). And for you die-hard Cline fans, take it for a spin and floor it baby, metaphorically speakingof course!

My family blog is now on Blogger!

I have left Radio Userland and moved my last blog to Blogger. I did this for a number of reasons:

1. Radio has too much complexity for what I do with a blog.
2. Why buy the cow when the milk is so cheap? Blogger is free, Radio Userland is $80 a year. It is kind of the same reason I quit paying Netscape $35 for a browser when IE was free!
3. I would rather blog than have to figure out how to run a Blogging Suite. 
4. Now when I figure out how to do something in Blogger I don't have to waste energy trying to figure out how to accomplish the same task in Radio Userland.
5. This was my personal blog, so I don't care about loosing Google Juice.
6. Now when somebody looks at my profile in one of my Blogger blogs, they see all my blogs.
7. My Radio Userland quit working after my last computer broke. I was able to move my Radio Userland to another computer, but that only worked for a couple of postings. Blogger is web-based so that is simply not an issue.
8. Now Google worries about backing up my blog, I don't!

My old family blog will be on the Internet as long as Radio Userland lets it be. But, they are not getting any more of my money! Please feel invited to visit my new family blog!

Three Wine Reviews

Wine Review: Castoro Cellars Zinfandel: Paso Robles 2002 [My Rating, 8] Solid 8 - A very nice and easy to drink Zin. This pared well with food and was not a real monster Zin, as folks expect from Paso Robles.

Wine Review: Zinfandel: Burrell School, 2002 Ryan Oaks Vineyard, Amador County [My Rating, 8] 8 - Surprisingly good, not a monster Zin as in the Paso Zins. A nice wine to drink.

Wine Review: Terrabianca 2001 [My Rating, 8.5] Campaccio, a Super Tuscan Blend, 70% Sangiovese 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. According to Wine Spectator:

Spectator 91 Pts:  "Wonderful aromas of plums, berries and vanilla. Medium- to full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a pretty toasted oak and vanilla aftertaste. Very smoky finish. Always outstanding. Best after 2006. 14,330 cases made."
- James Suckling, Wine Spectator, 10/15/04

Almost too smoky for our tastes. It was good, and different, but not one of our favorites. All of what Suckling said is true. It was a great tasting experience.