Monday was another jam-packed day. So I was looking forward to having a quick drink with a friend and then veg’ing for the rest of the evening. However, the quick drink turned into dinner and a bottle of wine. And, I’m happy that it did, because the wine was fantastic! We drank a 2005 Château La Vieille Cure. This Red Bordeaux blend was an intense purple color. It had more earth than fruit on the nose. Dark cherry, spice and rich loam filled the palate. Over the course of two hours, the wine continued to open with flavors of licorice, dark berries and a hint of cocoa. Dark cherry and chocolate lingered in my mouth for a long finish. This full-bodied wine was good to the last drop! http://www.la-vieille-cure.com I must get back to work now!
Happy Tuesday! Cheers! Penina The weekend flew by and I’m bracing myself for a wild week ahead. So much going on and my head is spinning! Last night I tasted a very nice Chardonnay from CA. It was a 2008 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. The wine is from the Santa Lucia Highlands on the Central Coast. It had a vibrant yellow color with tropical fruits and a hint of floral on the nose. The palate offered more tropical notes, peach, vanilla and a hint of oak. The finish was medium with pear and vanilla lingering. I will definitely add this to my spring and summer menus. http://www.talbottvineyards.com Have a great Monday!
Cheers! Penina Wow! The sun is actually shining! Hopefully, it will melt the inch of snow we got last night. I am so ready for spring. It has been a busy but productive few days. I uncovered several spring/summer tops that I designed and knit over the last few years. I’m hoping that I can add to the collection soon! Not enough hours in the day of late. Here is a peek at a few of the tops. Click on the image for a closer look. It was an interesting Saturday evening. We gathered to watch the NY Rangers vs. Bruins game that had been taped from the afternoon telecast. Unfortunately, there was no suspense since someone inadvertently announced who won prior to the game start. The Bruins took it, but we had fun watching anyway! A potpourri of food and drinks were served. I opted for Grey Goose on the rocks and passed on the wine and beer. The hockey game segued into upbeat music, a little dancing and a great evening. Thanks for your comments on yesterday’s post.
I’m heading out for a power walk! Enjoy your Sunday! Cheers! Penina While drinking coffee Thursday morning with an old friend, we had a discussion about truth, lies and omissions. I said that it is better to hurt someone with the truth, than to comfort them with self-serving lies. He didn’t agree. It was a futile dialog, because a tiger never changes his stripes and sadly, neither will my friend. It is a pitiful testimony to his relationships, but in the long run…not my problem. So, I’ll end this paragraph with a quote from Confucious. "Three things cannot be long hidden...the sun, the moon and the truth". Anyone want to weigh in with his or her opinions? The rest of my day and evening were blissful. I spent several hours with 3-month-old twins, one in each arm! My heart melted with their sweet cooing and smiles. I loved singing to them and I was amazed at how many lullabies I remembered. The evening brought it’s own set of smiles. Friends and I gathered to watch the NY Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators while dining on wine and pizza. The Rangers won, the wine and pizza were good and the company was priceless! We drank 2010 Nautilus Estate Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand. The color was dark ruby with aromas of cherries, spice and a hint of herbs. On the palate, the cherries continued with licorice, spice and a taste of earth. Smooth tannins and a long finish added to a very nice wine experience. https://www.nautilusestate.com Saturday evening we will all meet again to watch the NY Rangers vs. Bruins game that was taped earlier in the day. It should be a very entertaining evening. Happy Friday!
Cheers! Penina After a grueling day, I was rewarded last evening with a very special bottle of wine from a friend’s cellar. Thankfully, I had made a great dinner to complement the wine! It was a 1997 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Fourteen hundred cases were produced and I am so happy that one of the bottles graced my dinner table! The wine was made from 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and was heavenly! The color was deep purple with an earthy aroma that also included hints of dark jams, black cherry and spice. The aromas carried over to the palate and as the evening progressed, the characteristics of the wine became more pronounced with spice, dark fruit and a hint of chocolate. Soft tannins and a long finish were the added bonus. This was a full bodied, rich and delicious wine! Yum! http://www.seaveyvineyard.com Only one more day until the weekend starts. What will you be uncorking? Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina I’m immersed in another marathon day and trying to slow it down…but no luck! This busy day will spill over into early evening and I’m hoping to end it with a nice glass of wine. Last evening’s festivities began with Belvedere martinis and ended with Belvedere martinis! My friend’s expertise in making the perfect martini was impressive. He certainly can “shake” with the best of them! Alas, I have no wine to talk about today. This is short and sweet. I must get back to work!
Happy Wednesday! Cheers! Penina It’s a “marathon” kind of day…working with clients in the morning and then office time this afternoon. And in between it all I’m squeezing in a quick post. As some of you have noticed, I have abandoned my knitting for the last few months due to a number of distractions in my life. Every time I’ve headed for the yarn and knitting needles, other matters have pulled me away. However, I am hoping that “things” will settle down in the next week or so and I can put together some pretty cotton artwear for spring. A few nights ago, I had a very nice Sauvignon Blanc. It was a 2009 Cade from Napa valley made from 93% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Sémillon, and 1% Viognier. It was a light straw color with lovely aromas of tropical fruits and honeysuckle. The fruit continued on the palate with citrus, peach and a hint of marmalade that extended into a long finish. This was a very refreshing wine that I hope to drink again while watching a summer sunset! http://www.cadewinery.com Happy Tuesday!
Cheers! Penina Friday and Saturday slipped through my fingers and I’m trying to catch up. Between the snowstorm on Friday and a non-stop day yesterday, I was ready for a night out! So, last evening a friend and I joined a few people for a beautifully prepared meal at their home. We dined on Vichyssoise Soup, miniature crab cakes, grilled halibut and assorted vegetables. It was scrumptious! We drank 2011 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, a perfect accompaniment to the food. This ruby colored Cab is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec and aged for 18 months in French oak. It had aromas of dark plum, cherry, spices and cocoa. It was a beautiful balance of flavors and silky tannins. We tasted black cherry, raspberry, herbs, a hint of pepper and cherry tobacco. It was a long finish and a sigh was heard from all. http://www.robertcraigwine.com The sun is shining today and I’m a happy camper! Enjoy your Sunday!
Cheers! Penina Happy Spring…or is it? We are expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow today! I guess this will be another afternoon of projects around the house. After a grueling day of work yesterday, I met a friend for a drink and conversation. We went to a boutique wine bar located in an early 19th century Victorian house. The wine menu was extensive as well as their unusual array of spirits. http://www.pourmtkisco.com. I will definitely go back to sample their wines, but I was in the mood for vodka last night! They only carry one brand, Brooklyn Republic Vodka. I was assured that if I like Grey Goose, I would enjoy this vodka. It was very good! BKR is 80 proof and distilled six times using a blend of wheat and corn. The process actually begins in Missouri where it is distilled (using organic upstate NY wheat) and then the distillate is shipped to Brooklyn for the filtering process using Brooklyn tap water. The vodka is smooth with a hint of vanilla that lingers on the palate for a satisfying finish. http://www.brooklynrepublicvodka.com Have a great Friday!
Cheers! Penina I’m sneaking in a moment of a rather crazy day to give a shout out…again, to a wine I had last evening. Although it was a stressful and long day, I managed to rustle together a lovely meal. As I flew around the kitchen, I gave my dinner guest carte blanche to my “wine cellar”. He came back with a wine that I reviewed on 1/29/15, Day 194. It was a 2008 D'Isanto & D'Isanto I Balzini White Label Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT. The wine is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Sangiovese. The last time I reviewed it, we had decanted the wine and let it sit for an hour. This time, we poured right from the bottle, let it sit in the glass for about 20 minutes and then enjoyed the experience. My review of the wine is the same as before. “The color was deep garnet with an incredible bouquet of dark fruits, earth and spices. It was rich in flavor with dark plum, blackberries, pepper and herbs. The finish was long and smooth.” Check out their website: http://www.ibalzini.it And now it’s back to work.
Happy Thursday! Cheers! Penina |
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