The delayed final part! Read part I here, and part II here.

On Sunday we got up, packed and went into Cambria to do some shopping.  When we go to Cambria we love checking out Artifacts Gallery, a really cool two part art gallery.  Cambria is known for art, and this place is really top notch.  Judy had been salivating over these really cool Mova ( Read more... )

Ok it's nearly a week late, but....


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Heading off on a wine trip this morning at 8:30 or so!  Looking forward to hitting the usual places, plus may also stop at Ballard Winery to see what they have.  We belong to four wineries in the Santa Ynez area, so free tastings for us and guests (and no, YOU can't come! :P ( Read more... )

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The Hollywood Bowl season started this week, and we took in two great shows and of course brought two great bottles of wine!

The first show was on the 7th, when we went to see some of Sergei Prokofiev's music, including Peter and the Wolf.  Prokofiev was a very gifted composer who fled Russia at the start of the October Revolution, but returned in ( Read more... )

I haven't done a wine shipment post in ages, and just this week I received TWO shipments of wine!

First, from Buttonwood Farm Winery, I received the following wines:

1.  2005 Cabernet Sauvignon --- I'm not a huge Cab drinker, but this is a really nice vintage, and Buttonwood's Cabs have sort of reformed my palate a bit toward them.  Dark, very cherry ( Read more... )

Yay, got my latest box of Zaca Mesa wine!  Let's have a look inside:

2007 Z Gris:  This 100% Grenache wine is one of my favorite "lower price" wines from Zaca (I pay $8 a bottle as a Cellar Club member).  A rather fruity wine, with notes of strawberry, melon, guava and tangerine, this is a great wine with fish and chicken.

2007 Cinsaut:  This is a ( Read more... )

Finals are over, I just have to put grades in and I'm done, for about two weeks of slack.  But before I do, up to the Santa Ynez Valley above Santa Barbara for a wine trip!  We'll be hitting my fave, Zaca Mesa, Firestone, Blackjack, Fess Parker, and a few others around there.  I don't have to drive, so I an enjoy the tastings!

Lunch and dinner will ( Read more... )

I forgot about this!  Before I left for Atlanta, the newest Zaca Mesa wine shipment came in!  Three bottles as usual:

1.  2006 Roussanne

This is a 100% Roussane, grown in Santa Ynez, and aged 10 months in French Oak casks.   "On the nose, aromas of apricots, figs, honey, and spice fill the glass."  Haven't tried it yet, but I think Thanksgiving will ( Read more... )

Last week I went to BevMo! (a great place for wine and spirits) and went ga-ga over the five cent wine sale.  Now, I didn't buy as much as I could have, since I really needed that bottle of Bombay Sapphire for $28, but I did get a couple I'd like to share:

Screaming Jack  '04 Syrah:  "87 PTS WILFRED WONG. Lots of good red and black fruit aromas and ( Read more... )