Friday Odds and Ends

Friday, September 25, 2009

Just a few things for today:

  • This week, I had a chance to meet with Jonathan Newman from Newman Wines. If you'll recall I featured their 2006 Mockingbird Hill Petite Sirah as a value alert. They've got more more value plays in their line-up, and I had a chance to try their 2005 Crauford Cabernet Sauvignon. Phenomenal- and available for less than $25 retail. I'll probably be writing more about their wines in the future, but for now I'd definitely recommend you check out their portfolio.
  • I started taking some formal wine education courses. I'm doing the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Intermediate Certificate course at the Boston Center for Adult Education. It's just like college classes except you get to try 12 different wines each week. Good times!
  • Boston.com (The Boston Globe's website) featured my interview with Paul Sequeira from Red Car Wine Company on their front page. Man, for as much as people say newspapers are dead that site drives some traffic. Even for a tiny little text link at the bottom of their page it leads to hundreds of visitors.
  • I submitted a piece that was published on TwiTip yesterday. TwiTip is a side project from ProBlogger that helps people be more effective with their use of Twitter. I considered publishing the piece on this site, since the tips are useful to my wine friends getting started on Twitter. However, I thought it would reach a wider audience on TwiTip so I published it there. Check it out- I hope you find it helpful:
    A Concise Guide to Understanding Replies, Mentions, and Direct Messages on Twitter
  • Two Boston-area events for this weekend, the 4th Annual Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival and Wine Riot II. I'm planning on attending the Newport Mansions event on Sunday but I can't make it to Wine Riot unfortunately.
I had reason to crack open some nicer bottles recently. Here are some quick-fire notes:
  • 2007 Red Car Heaven & Earth La Boheme Pinot Noir
    Utterly enjoyable for its vibrant, fresh strawberry flavors and spicy aromas. Classic California Pinot Noir. Falls short of being the best Pinot Noir I've ever had. Not surprisingly, I couldn't taste the 97 points Wine Spectator gave this one. I'll let the other bottle rest a year or two to give it some time for secondary characteristics to develop.
    Around $60.
    93 WWP/Outstanding
  • 2004 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir
    The first Sea Smoke I've ever had, and it didn't disappoint. Really enjoyed the balance this wine presented. It's a big wine, don't get me wrong, but it balanced earth with fruit and tons of flavor without being jammy. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine and looking forward to a bottle of 2006 Sea Smoke Ten.
    Around $55.
    95 WWP/Oustanding
  • 2005 Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
    I love a big, dense, Napa Cab but at this point in time I feel this one is over the top. Even for me. Dark purple- nearly pitch black. A little hot with alcohol. Needs time to calm down.
    Around $65.
    88 WWP/Very Good
Let me know if you have any thoughts on these items. I hope you enjoy a great first weekend in autumn!

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