CLANG-CLANG-CLANG WENT THE TROLLEY

I had seen the classic vehicle on the streets of Temecula for the past six months, usually in Old Town or parked at a winery on Rancho California or De Portola.  I thought it was a cute rental vehicle for private parties and put it on my “maybe someday” list.  That was until I met Amy Brewen, the vehicle’s owner and event planning mastermind behind Brewen’s Empire Trolley.

Amy is a woman on a mission to fill up the valley’s social calendar with exceptionally fun events and take the stress out of attending them.  Mr. WINEormous and I caught up with her this past week and hopped aboard for the premiere “underground night on the trolley.”  Passengers gathered at the first destination which on this tour was Read more »

Billy Strayhorn wrote the lyrics to Lush Life when he was 17 years old. It’s one of many songs inspired by Paris. It’s one of the most inspirational places I have ever visited. My wife Laura requested a visit to Paris for her 60th birthday so that’s what we did. We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport on a Thursday mid morning. We gathered our luggage and weary travelers we, traveled by taxi to the Melia Royal Alma Boutique Hotel in the 8th Arrondissement. We dropped our bags at the hotel and Read more »

As you may have noticed, WINEormous has a brand new look. It’s not intentional. Hopefully we’ll back to our usual look and feel in short order. After some technical difficulties, I went in to attempt repairs. They didn’t work so well. Please bear with us while I try to get Wineormous back to its old self.

La Tour Eiffel We just got home from a fabulous week in Paris. Laura and I will both be sharing stories and pictures from this grand experience and our stop in Reims to visit Mumm and Veuve Cliquot. I also have other stories in the pipeline, including a three day wine cruise aboard the Schooner Stephen Taber out of Rockland, Maine. In the meantime, click the link for a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower at night.

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It was cold and rainy when we took off from Portland., which isn’t that unusual for June in New England. Our group boarded a stretch Cadillac Escalade limo for the just under two hour drive to Rockland. Jim Gamage is the owner and founder of All Aboard Trolley & Limousine and he did a great job keeping us informed and entertained along the way. We were hosted by the Historic Inns of Rockland and were dropped off at four different inns: the Berry Manor Inn, the Captain Lindsey House, Granite Inn and the Limerock Inn. I checked into the Limerock, visited with my hosts and now friends, PJ and Frank, grabbed my umbrella Read more »

The anticipation is building. Minutes from now we will be tasting 12 red wines, with 5 minutes per wine to learn about, taste and write about each one. The tasting will begin in moments. I hope you’ll check back.

We’re beginning with a blind tasting. Beautiful deep color, interesting nose, I pick up some chocolate. This wine is smoky, big, chewy and finishes well. AOC travel guides, an iPad and iPhone app. We still don’t know what it is, but the app looks interesting. We’ll be told later what the wine is. Hmmmmmm. Aha! An Italian Lagrein, 2005 Nusserhof Sudtirol, priced around $20.

Dana and Manfred have poured us a 2nd wine, 2008 Sunce Mourvedre from the Russian River. Nice balance, bright.

Lisa from Jordan is pouring a 2006 Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m a Cab fan and this one is hitting the right notes. A lingering finish, fruit forward, blended with Merlot, Petit Verdot and a splash of Malbec. You can probably find it for about $45. I would drink this wine again.

Here’s the first Washington Zinfandel I have seen. It’s Maryhill’s ’07 Columbia Valley Zin. Production is 3600 cases and this is priced at $14.95. Not a big nose, but it’s lovely on the tongue and I think an excellent value. Alcohol is 14.3, relatively low for a Zin.

Co Dinn is here from Hogue Cellars with their ’07 Genesis Meritage. It’s a blend of 49% Merlot, 44% Cab Sauv with a touch of Malbec and Cab Franc. The mouth feel is exceptional and at $16 I would jump all over this. A real winner!

Buty (pronounced “beauty”) Wines from Walla Walla is pouring the ’06 Rediviva Phinny Hill Vineyard blend. It’s 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Syrah. Case production is 3000. Great fruit on the nose and palate, with the Syrah really showing itself. $48.

Chad is here with Boomtown Cab with a little Syrah and Can Franc. This is Dusted Valley’s entry level wine priced at about $15. Not a lot of nose, but it sure tastes good and for the price you’d be hard priced to find a better value. I love fruit forward wines and this one works for me.

Katy has arrived from Gordon Brothers and is presenting their ’07 Merlot from Washington’s Columbia Valley. They’re the oldest estate fruit winery in Washington State. This state is producing some outstanding Merlots and I would rank this one as very good, especially at $20. They also grow cherries on their property. A family owned operation.

Nicholas Cole Cellars was founded in 2001 and is named for owner/winemaker Michael Neuffer’s children. The 2005 Camille is a Bordeaux blend with Merlot the primary grape. It’s a unique tasting blend, perhaps not my favorite, but I my be experiencing a bit of palate burn out. $35. This is a Walla Walla wine.

James Leigh Cellars’ Lynne Chamberlain has stopped by and is pouring her ’04 Cabernet Sauvignon. Another Walla Walla wine, Lynne is owner/viticulturist/winemaker. At $18.99, it’s a tasty wine. I want to visit her winery.

It’s time to visit Italy now and the ’07 Banfi “Balnero” Sangiovese blend. $35 +, alcohol content at between 13 and 14%. I like the nose, but this wine may be better suited for food. Not wild about it by itself.

New and exciting is what we’re promised for the final wine. Monthaven’s 2007 California Central Coast Cab comes in an octagonal silver 3 liter box and is priced at $24. The fruit comes from Paso Robles and Monterey. It’s not especially complex, but the price is right at about $6 per 750 liters.

Whew! We’re done. This is hard work!!!

I was looking for a graphic to add, but I decided just to share a few observations. Old  habits die hard. I’m learning a lot at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla. Being genuine is crucial. If you ever feel I’m not, call me on it. Please. This is all about passion. I like to tell people “if you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

Sometimes I question my palate. People often tell me I have a very good one, and I think I can usually spot a good wine, but I think there are a lot of mediocre wines out there and I think it’s a shame. I want WINEormous to be the best platform I am capable of producing. It will constantly evolve. I depend on you to help keep me honest. Thanks.

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