mmm.

Rob just opened a bottle of Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de la Tour Private Reserve Napa Cabernet 2001. Oh. No. He. Din't.

speaking of terrific (and fitting) poems.

Our friends Doug & Sandy shared this one:

The Good Nights
by Joseph Mills

On the good nights
when the bottle's empty
we always want
just a little more,
half a glass,
a few sips,
a taste.
We know
this desire
can be dangerous
to pursue,
that it can make
mornings difficult,
so usually we
brush our teeth
let the dog in,
lock the doors,
but sometimes,
even as we say
We really should
get ready for bed,
instead of loading
the dishwasher
we will search
for the corkscrew,
all the while
shaking our heads
in wonder
at this willingness
to ignore the clocks
and the fact we have
to work tomorrow,
this irresponsibility,
this evidence
even after all these years
of the unquenchable desire
for each other's company.

tasting notes.

Friday evening, we went to the Cincinnati Wine Festival, an event that we missed the past two springs (although we did hit a smaller but comparable event in Madison, NJ). I scribbled a few tasting notes about some new wines and a couple we've previously had:

Whites
Stag's Leap Karia Chardonnay: bright and fruity
Mondavi Chardonnay: rounder and softer than the Karia; oaky, but not too
Zaca Mesa Rousanne and Zaca Mesa Viognier: both incredibly drinkable, lovely

Reds
Clos du Val Cabernet: dark fruit and leather
Pine Ridge Stag's Leap Cabernet: soft, big and full of dark, ripe fruit (blueberries)
Pine Ridge Oakville Cabernet: interestingly different from the Stag's Leap; brighter, with more fresh, red fruit (raspberries)
St. Clement Oroppa Cabernet: SGS (seriously good sh*t)
Titus Zinfandel: SGS
Provenance Rutherford Cabernet: SGS