Augsburger

Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast.............Pinot. Kinda yummy.

It appears I just bought three cases of Kistler Chardonnay and Pinot and five bottles of Harlan Bond. I need to up my wine drinking or find another locker.

Happy Birthday! I am drinking your birthday wish right now, thanks!

Lamb penis is only on the lunch menu, silly guy! Reks is correct as usual. I am not sure how they did it but it appeared and tasted as if they used ground lamb with a type of coriander wrapped in filo dough. Kind of like Winston Churchill said--" ....a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma" only it tasted much better and went real well with the Cabernets consumed. 2005 Ojai Pinot Fe Ciega Vineyard.

congrats mike and son!

He types with an accent?? Well tonight we were fortunate enough to have another spectacular meal to go along with our young Napa Cabernet shootout. The contenders were a 100 point Schrader George III and a Lewis Cabernet. Richie the chef just steps out looks at the two wines and returns to the kitchen to whip out four courses that played off the Cabs nearly perfectly. We started with some braised for eight hours pork tacos with a Habanero chile sauce, then a pork belly that took three days to prepare served with a cherry compote then lamb cigars with a yogurt and some tempenade then a lamb loin with some wild sauce and horseradish mashed potato's. Interestingly enough as the wines opened up over the evening each new course seemed to adjust to the nuances of the wines aS they evolved. Perhaps it was psychological but so what the experience was damn good and one of the best.

For 909 Attention 909.

Believe it or not my Watanabe deba is 11.5mm at the spine, a bit overkill I think. Bought today one case of Ojai Pinot, one case of Kosta Browne Pinot and one case of Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast Pinot. Almost done with Pinot.

Williams Selyem Russian River Pinot, so good i bought a case today.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Well you don't have a cleaver yet so there is something to explore. You know what they say, a kitchen without a cleaver is like a Harley without the leather. Try to find one that is damascus or made with Cowry steel that will keep you busy for a while. The cleaver will serve as backup to the HC shovel come armageddon.

A Kalin 1998 Pinot Noir. Redolent of six years worth of pencil shavings peculating in stagnant pond water with a delicate hint of Musk Ox urine. When I track down that New York Times metro shill reporter who raved about this wine I am going to give him a habanero thong wedgy. Stay away from this stuff, it will make you wash your mouth out with embalming fluid.

Worse for me........................I didn't ride.

Make Me Poor Let me know when you buy a pair of these.

Well I am just recovering from our little visit to Younville, Oakville and Napa. As you can guess we bought wine. I have heard that the weak economy has taken it's toll on the wine producers everywhere and I think we witnessed it first hand. We were very fortunate to have all of our wine tasting fees comped and were treated very very well more like old friends rather than customers. Every wine we tasted was from fantastic to spectacular and we had private tastings in a number of wineries culminating in a private food matched tasting in Cardinale's collector's room with a spectacular view of Oakville and Mount Veeder. Pretty damn cool! one mixed case of Blackbird Merlot one and one half cases of Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Bordeaux style Cabernet Sauvignon one case of Valdez Pinot Noir One mixed case of Signorello Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pedrone Cabernet One half Case of Burgundy One case of La Jota Cabernet, One case of La Jota Merlot and One case of Cardinale One and a half mixed case of Kristine Ashe vineyards Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose

Dude, I hope thats for timetrialing and not the road. Around here, riding on any type of disc wheel will put you over the shoulder and into the canyon, even the flats around the lake have too much cross wind. Shelly, nice score on the Justin and Beaujalais. You like the Jadot?

I hear that's nice stuff! Shelly, you seem to be on an Argentina kick lately, nice move, so following Shelly's lead I am having a Brancaia Tuscan rosso. Ok, so it isn't from Argentina but it is red and it isn't from California.

My bad, the Yountville trip is with Mary to celebrate our wedding anniversary so that is why I couldn't go to MOA in February. We need to boogie up fast from OAK to Y'Ville to get in a quickie tasting then make our dinner reservation so that rules out a Thursday drive by in the Bay area hood. I just assumed Saturday would be too much for anyone to truck up north. Mea culpa..........

Made reservations at three pretty decent restaurants near where we will be staying and two winery tours. The restaurants are Ad Hoc, Brix and Auberge du soleil. should be a fun time drinkin' and eatin' and drinkin' and drinkin'. Our goal is to find some Yountville, Healdsburg, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena up and comers, win win either way me thinks.

Next time you are in the area Al, just give me a ringy dingy I am sure we can dig up something decent. " having a nice Brooklyn with Wild Turkey rye 101, Torani Amer, Dolin Blanc, and Luxardo Maraschino" That sounds mighty tasty, I haven't had Wild Turkey in ages, gonna try to remember to stop by this week and pick up a bottle. My cabinet is sadly lacking in any rye.

Kristine Ashe Sauvignon Blanc. Very very good, up there with Peter Michael and Helen Turley more like a Montrachet than a Cali Sauvignon blanc very long finish. Nectar of the chalky soil with a bumblebee finish I'd say.

If you can read this you need one more beer Happy birthday

Ojai Santa Rosa Valley Pinot.

Yeah, a balsa strop plus some more 3M lapping film are next up on my shopping list since I already have the .25 micron diamond compound. I can't wait, I can already put a pretty nice polish on my micro bevels which makes even the Henckels look pretty cool. Reks, if the diamond compound dosen't work out for you you can always use it to polish the scratches on your shovel. Shelly, let us know what you think of that Malbec, looks delsih.