Napa Rose.

There are very few restaurants in life that have the ability to absolutely impress time and time again.  With a seasonally changing menu and an ever changing Prix fixe menu called the "The Vintners Table", the Napa Rose shows that impressive style of fresh and elegant cuisine that makes one say: "What will the come up with next?" Truly a classic in Souther California, I suggest that everyone make it a point to go at least once.

Just imagine 4 star quality service and at the Disney touch and one gets probably the most unforgeable dinning experience.  The knowledge of the staff is unquestionably superb and the the food is masterpiece of cuisine.  Of course, staying with the theme of this blog, they have a wine list that would make a novice wine lover fall off their chair.  Everything from $2,500  Bordeaux's to $30 bottles of great California wines populate this seemingly endless wine list.

The one great adventure of this resturant is "The Vintners Table", a  4 course prix fixe menu with the offer of wine pairings for each course.  This experience comes at a price, but be assured that it is well worth every penny.  The menu changes constantly so what we had a few nights ago might not be there again.  We have made the pilgrimage about a hadfull of times, and each new experience left us with the feeling of wanting to get back there ass soon as possible.

I hope everyone will go and share their experience with my on what i think is one of the finest restaurants in the Southern California area

The First Bordeaux. Château Lanessan 2005

Flying in blind is a difficult thing when it comes to wine.  I could do all the reading about appellations, the AOC, and other strange conventions and it still wouldn't bring me closer to understanding a Bordeaux.  So how does one pick a wine when on is still in a state of confusion over the whole concept.  Well one could walk into the wine store pick a region that sounds nice,  see a good price, and notice that the wine has a 90+ rating from a respected wine publication. So what does one come up with; the Château Lanessan 2005 Haut- Medoc.

I will be honest about this wine, it is everything it advertised.  A beautiful mellow red with some good complexity.  Very bold flavors and smooth tannins.  It shows what a little age does to a quality wine makes it a very pleasant experience.

I did wish that I could have also pick up the Bordeaux glasses from Reidel but couldn't quite aford them yet.  So keep watching for my experiment. Does a Bordeaux truly taste better in the Bordeaux glass? (Yes i know its been done before, but i just want to see for myself).

Wine Journey: Introduction.

From the humble beginnings of my blog, I have noticed my posts have lacked a focus that was it's original intent.  I am an armature in the wine world, only having tasted a few wines.  How am I to understand an rate wines if I haven't had the experience than many others have had?  How can I presume my opinion on wine is accurate with out trying a little wine from everywhere in the world? How do I go about trying wines from all around the world?  The answer is simple: Have a Focus.

My future posts will be a chronicle of my journey around the world.  Of course monetary constraints prohibit me from doing a lot of actual travel, I will make it mostly a virtual trip through the glory of wine.  It is said that good wines bring one the flavors and ideas of the regions that they are produced.  I hope to taste the essence of these wines and share what I discover.  It will be a long journey, but it will hopefully enlighten me on what is out there in wine. Maybe I will find some new favorites, maybe I will have the opportunity to try some of the finest wines every created, maybe I will only be able to afford the table wine genre from each region.  One fact that is certain, I will be drinking wine. 

I have decided to start the journey in a country that is synonymous with wine.  A country were the idea of fine wine became an undying legacy.  France.  I will be exploring the country by regions starting with one of the most famous; Bordeaux. 

Wine world here I come.  

Tuesday Night/Meatloaf Night ft. 2009 Lunacy Merlot

Continuing with a journey through some staff favorites from Barclay's Wine.  Even though the movie Sideways destroyed Merlot for many I decided not to blindly follow the ravings of an indie movie and try the Merlot.

This is a good, non assuming wine, that goes well with meat.  Rich fruit flavors dominate with a hint of spice.  Smooth, mild tannins and a fair finish.  This is excatcly what it says it is a good Merlot, and at less than $16 its a good value. 82pts

Best of the Wine Web: A "Cool" Tasting

I realize I can't fit the entire wine world into this little blog, so every now and again I will be bringing you the best of wine on the web.  This ongoing series will feture winery websites, articles, and videos from around the world of wine.

Now this first one is just plain fun. Check out this video of a wine tasting in Helsinki. (WARNING: There is some strong language.) : A "Cool" Tasting

Black Rock White Blend 2008

The First Wine of the New Year


So here we are again. Myself at home relaxing after a long day, and i decided to have the first wine of the new year.  I peered into our slowly dissipating wine closet, and found a wine from South Africa.  In my adventurous spirit I decided to give it a try.  The wine is a blend 55% Chenin Blanc 33% Chardonnay 11% Clairette Blanche 1% Viognier.  Most of the taste seems to be dominated by mineral flavor, which in small doses can be pleasant in wine but maybe to overpowering in this wine without making it undrinkable.  Not a bad wine, but might work better as part of a meal (for me fish with a cream sauce).

The Perils of Blind Ordering Wine


A lot of the wine that I have been trying recently has come from an order of a mixed case of 12 wines.  These were listed as staff favorites.  The wines themselves have not been bad, but the one thing i notice is that this set is totally random.  The wines are not tailored to my tastes or my interests.  Its a great starting point to learning about wines and regions I may not know about, but somethings might be better learned at local wine shop tastings.

My goal now is to partake of many of these tastings over the next year, and bring all my discoveries here to this blog.

A Brand New Year

The rush of the holiday's is finally over and I can now rededicate myself to this blog.  I want to wish my readers a Happy New Year.  I have made some blog resolutions, the main one being I will write about every single wine I taste this year, keep a more updated log of the wines I like, I will add a link to other wine blogs i read and hopefully a lot more.

I hope that everyone will stick with me this year as I take my first true years journey through the world of wine.