Laraine, Gerber Vineyards, Sierra Foothills, Syrah 2004
Dark inky black color, very big fruit and intense flavor mark this Sierra Foothills Rhone. This Gerber Vineyards Syrah is big enough to stand up to meatloaf. It's also yummy. At over 15% alcohol it is a bit alcoholic. It has flavors of coffee and dark cherry cola. It has a long lingering finish and I like it.
My Rating; 89
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A Great Domestic Super Tuscan
You do not have to go all the way to Tuscany to get a good Super-Tuscan. One of Hook and Ladder's (Cecil DeLoach's) other Labels is Tuscan Ridge. The 2003 Tuscan Ridge Tre Colline is very pleasant domestic Super Tuscan. According to the wine maker, "Just 1600 cases of this amazing single-vineyard "super-Tuscan" blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot was made from the Los Amigos Ranch in the Chalk Hill sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley. A pleasing dark ruby-red color in the glass, the wine exhibits complex aromas of black cherry, leather, toasty oak, dried herbs, intense cedar and cocoa powder, followed by full bold flavors of smooth rich cherry cobbler, stone fruit, and vanilla with oak spice. The finish is lingering, integrated and symmetrically complex." They are right, at $20 this is a good value and an excellent pairing with lighter pasta and salad. I would recommend this to anybody wanting a pleasant and not pretentious wine. A nice change. I hope more wineries start making domestic Super-Tuscans.
My Rating; 89
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Paraiso Springs Pinot Noir, 2005, Santa Lucia Highlands
Very nice. A plesant wine to drink. Gentle on the palatte, notes of red fruit like cherries plum flavors with hints of spice, smoke, and toasty oak, cedar well structured tannins and balanced acidity. This is a pleasant pinot at a good price point.
My Rating; 89
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Lets not be too hard on Paris and Britney
Let's face it, it is hard being young. I mean that sincerely. For those of us "over the hill" imagine the stupid things you did when you were young, then imagine you had throngs of people telling you you were beautiful, telling you you could do no wrong, people who almost worshiped you and, oh yea, imagine you had enough money to do anything you wanted. Think of the stupid things you might have done then! Imagine being under a constant spot light. I shudder to think what I might have done. Young people need to face the consequences for their mistakes. I am all for that. But, they also need to be given an opportunity after to be brought back in without shame. Nobody should delight in their lessons hard learned. I think that is wrong. I think it is a bit cruel.
Technorati Tags: Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, ssloansjca
Technorati Tags: Wine Reviews, Reininger, ssloansjca
Burrell School CV Zinfandel/Mataro Blend, 2003
This bold and exotic blend has a Wonderful Nose. It greets the nose with odors of oak and dark earthy fruit. This wine is big and extracted without being overbearing. It has a long and lingering finish and a rich velvety mouth feel. It has hints of raisens and fig. This is a 50-50 blend of Old Vine Zinfandel and Motaro and I really liked it. CV is the Roman Numeral for 105, the vines the Zin fruit came from are 105 years old.
My "new scale" rating [Link] 91.
Received Wine Club Aug 05.
Winmaker Notes
Vineyard Information: Leona's Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley. These vines date back to an original planting circa 1898. Three acres are still under cultivation, yielding small amounts of concentrated flavors.
Tasting Characteristics: Bright cherry flavors, a nose of blackberry fragrance and notes of cocoa and chocolate are the signature of this small production, exclusive blend. Soft tannins and bright fruit are indicators of a wine ready to be enjoyed now.
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Camera Phone Post: Pig with a Lexus
I went to Kaiser this morning. It is always hard to park there. The lot was jammed packed and this pig took two spaces! It took me a long time to get a space. What an arrogant jerk! It was two compact spaces too. This is another example of an ugly American.
Londer Vineyards, 2004 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
I have tasted great Anderson Valley Pinots before from Williams Selyem and Arista, but this is the first I bought. This wine was rated 91 by Wine Spectator and at $30 it is a good value. I found it big, but not jammy. I am definitely checking out Londer Vineyards more. It started with layers of Vanilla spice, strawberry and light cedar. It lingered on the palate finishing with hints of cola, cranberries and blue berries. We have been drinking a lot of Russian River and Santa Barbara County Pinots. This is a very different expression of the grape with the different cool climate clones and terroir of this appellation. We enjoyed it a lot. My "new scale" rating [Link] 90.
Wine makers Notes:
2004 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: Moderately dark in color with typical Anderson Valley spice and red fruit in the nose. Cherry and strawberry follow with vanilla in the mouth. After opened for a few minutes, black cherry, plum, and blackberry start to predominate. A very long balanced berry finish follows. 1949 cases bottled Alcohol—14.2% pH—3.59 RS—0.08%
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Overall
I am done with my ride and I am recovering today. I slept until about mid-day and my body is still in recovery.
The Good
It was a lovely ride through some of the best the state has to offer. I saw some incredible scenery I have never seen before and met some really nice people. The staff was fantastic and worked hard to make the ride pleasant. We had fun and people were generally very happy.
The Bad
The ride has tried historically to offer something for all levels of riders. Cyclists on the Sierra-to-the-Sea range from bike riding Grandparents (like myself) to hard core, very driven and competitive cyclists. The folks who plan the event have historically tried to make everybody happy, which is simply not possible. The hard core "racer" type riders have historically not been happy and some have complained in the past that the ride is too easy. This year the ride management seemed to want to make the ride more of a challenge, they seemed to me to be more aggressive in route selection.
In my opinion, on the first day they ran into a perfect storm of too much heat, too many climbs and very bad roads that, in (again) my opinion, threatened rider safety and the ability of both riders and support staff to cope with riding conditions on the first day. We were lucky to have gotten through that day without serious injury (again in my opinion.)
The Ugly
Arguing between and amongst event staff and clients was too public to be ignored. There were more incidents of conflict this year than I ever remember.
My rating of this ride
My "new scale" rating [Link] 85.
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Andrew Rich 2004 Pinot Noir Cuvee B Willamette Valley
Wow, an excellent value. Not as big as the 03, more nuanced. I like it better. Pleasant nose, light fruit elegant on the palatte. Gentle with a long lingering finish. This is a wine that evolves over an evening but does not empty your checkbook. It is comfortable. A pleasure for when you have the time to sit, sip and enjoy with a good friend or a good book. My "new scale" rating [Link] 91.
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Some people seem to be able to control and turn their feelings on and off like a light switch. In my opinion, what they are doing might be repression. I know, whom am I to know how they are able to manage to just shut off their feelings? I just know I can't. In my experience feelings are feelings. Speaking for myself: you can try to control them, or you can let go and let God, but there is no point in denying them because you really do feel them. It is our choice in how we respond to feelings. Of course, we are responsible, and accountable for our actions.
Feelings, speaking for myself I can not will them. But, they do not control me. Like all of us I may not always be free to act on my feelings, like anger for example. I take responsibility for my actions, but I am, we all are, entitled to have whatever feelings I/we have about whomever/whatever we have them about. In my opinion we are entitled to love, hate, like, dislike, be attracted to, be not attracted to or feel angry or sad over the loss of whomever/whatever we feel those feelings for. Some folks think it is a sign of weakness to cry over the loss of a pet for example. But, we are accountable for how we react, or fail to react sometimes, to feelings, or even the lack of feelings.
If you feel sorrow over the loss of a friend, pet, relationship, (or a potential relationship) you might of had, that is your right. You have a right to grieve. But, it is to great credit if you see when the outcome of acting on your feelings toward the object of your feelings is not what you want. So, despite our feelings we sometimes need to let go. In my opinion that is an act of strength, not weakness.
In my opinion we are entitled to our feelings and responsible for our actions.
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Taco Del Mar
5353 Almaden Expwy, H-50, San Jose, CA 95118
Great burritos, good value, wonderful attitude. Posan Yang is the manager and this guy always makes you feel happy you are doing business here. You get your ticket punched for every burrito you buy there. Ten punches is a free burrito! Double punches on Monday. Great stuff! This place is becoming a favorite of Susie and mine. My "new scale" rating [Link] 89.
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Tony Soprano's (Revisited)
87 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95113
I previously reviewed this restaurant [Link]. Since then I have gone there and been twice disappointed. I met one of the co-owner's, Terry Thompson, and he is a really nice guy. Today, though, Thompson was nowhere to be found and the service stank. The food was not nearly as good as the first times.
Revised Rating
Tony Soprano's is one new place that showed a lot of promise. But, it is not living up to that promise. My "new scale" rating [Link] 64.
Technorati Tags: restaurant review, San Jose State University, San Jose, ssloansjca
