I THINK this is a repeat and I
can see why.
It’s a PN that I can
just ENJOY.
No goofies.
No explanations.
No confusion.
Perhaps a bit “rich”.
Perhaps a bit “pruney”.
But totally ME.
As it turns out, IT
MAY NOT BE A REPEAT.
I can’t find a prior note
on it.
However, I did find it
on a May 2017 receipt.
I ALMOST missed making
a note on this one TWO
TIMES.
Horrible.
I found a previous email
which says basically what
I have discovered again here.
Bingo.
Hang in there.
(Pardon me for starting
this wine after that
low ALC Austrian rosé.)
I started the day with
good intentions and
actually accomplished
some things only
an option trader could
appreciate.
And then…
I unscrewed this puppy.
I’m not sure I want
to take the first sip.
This thing smells
SO GOOD.
It’s not because it
smells like something
I like.
It’s because I CAN’T
FIGURE IT OUT.
Will the first sip spoil
the allure?
Will it taste as good
as I imagine?
I DON’T KNOW.
I just keep smelling it.
I’m expecting a nutty
astringency like pecan
shells.
I knew it. I could “smell”
the alcohol!!! 14.5% is way
out of my comfort zone.
How did I get home with
this one?
It’s getting hard to
refrain from sipping.
Here goes…
A bit milkier than I like
and BAM.
Massive HEAT. I just
don’t like that.
We’ll see how this goes.
If it’s not Mrs. Paul’s…
This wine DOES have
CONSIDERABLE REDEEMING
QUALITIES, but I will
have trouble enjoying then.
How does PN get so HOT
in a cool growing environment?
100% sunshine perhaps.
Where’s the fog and low
hanging clouds when you
need them?
Obviously in my head.
No matter, I’ll play around
with lighting the air coming
out of my nostrils as I exhale.
Now that I’m having fun,
I might as well ENJOY the
wine.
It won’t take much of it
to change my mood.
St. Peter: How did you
enjoy your stay on Earth.
OTWN: The nights were
kind of cold.
SP: Didn’t you find
that Chilean PN we sent
you?
OTWN: Yeah, but I drank it in
August. In Kansas.
SP: Go stand in the corner.
OWTN: What? With all those
beer drinkers?
And then there is the
issue of this wine being
a “reserva”.
TO ME, this means that the
wine has been abused
for an excessively long
period of time as a
punishment for committing
SOME KIND of wine crime.
Judge: You have been charged
with becoming overly ripe.
How do you plead?
Chilean PN Grape: Guilty.
Judge: What do you have to
say for yourself.
CPNG: I couldn’t help it.
I was planted in full sun.
Judge: I sentence you to
six months in French oak.
And after that, a discounted
retail release in Siberia
as community service.
CPNG: Whew, thanks. I thought
you might make me move to
New Zealand.
Having made fun of this
wine until it’s intoxicating
effects took hold of me,
I now shift my attention
to ACTUALLY APPRECEIATING it.
The “aromatics” are STUNNING.
And maybe that French oak
gives the wine a bit of
smoothness to go with the
astringency.
If you can think of
a wine cellar as a
“correctional facility”,
then what does that say
about Gamay?
Tomorrow is going to be
a better day for this wine.
………
Day Two…
Hitting a brick wall always
feels better when you know
it’s coming.
Perhaps if I didn’t “detect”
the alcohol, and perhaps if
I couldn’t look at the REALLY
HUGE number on the bottle, then
MAYBE I would not have been
“put off”.
But I did detect it and the
bottle does declare it.
IT’S NOT MY FAULT.
Still, it looks like I’m
going to survive two days
of this one and will come
out of the experience with
an enhanced committment to
stay away from the fire breathers.
Day Three…
I didn’t survive.
I’m taking a day off.
Sheesh.
Hang in there.
God bless comprehensible
wine labels.
And God bless PN.
In reverse order, lest God
runs out of blessings before
we go wine shopping again.
How are blessings measured
any way?
What is the “unit of measure”?
Mother: God blessed us with
a baby girl.
OTWN: How big was it?
M: SHE’S six pounds,
eleven ounces.
OTWN: No, I mean the blessing.
How big was the blessing?
M: Gee, I don’t know.
On what scale?
OTWN: I don’t know.
Obviously not by the pound.
But, but, but, what about
the wine?
This wine is a BIG blessing.
Especially if you like
stinky tennies.
FOR REFERENCE…
I don’t mind stinky
tennies, especially if
they are worn by Gina
Carano or an Oregon PN.
I must have an unusual
“sensitivity” to SOMETHING.
No matter. I just think
of Gina and the wine tastes
great.
This particular PN TASTES
perfumy.
Dumbfounding. For me.
I’m impatiently struggling
to “appreciate” this wine
and THAT’S NOT GOOD.
Relax. Wait for it.
Appreciate it.
OK. I’m swilling the
wine around in the glass,
inhaling forcefully through
one nostril, trying to
create a “wine funnel” into
my brain.
THAT kind of patience wasn’t
particularly helpful.
Maybe, just maybe, I might
be tasting that cherry
cough drop flavor now.
Like dancing cherries sporting
Van Dykes.
I like the one on the left.
I just tasted something “milky”
but it is not associated with
the lactic acid “mouth feel”.
Just a flavor.
Due to its seductiveness,
this wine has flooded the
engine. I need to let the
old cylinder head dry out.
OR, just full choke it and
keep cranking.
It’s getting harder to decide.
So… There is some of that MLF
smoothness, but it is kept at
bay by the acididy.
Isn’t PN wonderful?
I was trying to determine the
“oak treatment” for this one.
No luck.
I did find this…
Click to access CL-PN-16-TECH.pdf
And God bless female
winemakers of the opposite
sex.
Can anybody tell which
eye she used to watch over
Cloudline?
This wine is now stoppered
and back in the fridge with
the lion’s share available
for tomorrow’s venture into
wine consumption bliss.
I’ll need sleeping pills
tonight or I’ll be up all
night waiting for lunch.
Day Two…
This is so nice.
Lunch was “de-formed” and
braised (in chicken broth)
Andres meatloaf over sticky
Thai rice.
This is “shovel ready” food.
It’s a good thing that food
goes with wine, or I would
starve to death.
With a full belly and several
sips of the wine down the hatch,
the wine and I are “mellowing”.
Fun Thing…
Start the day over with
this wine AND a bottle of
Barbaresco.
Pour into glasses and
“blind” them.
Enjoy during lunch and see
if I can tell which is which.
Repeat until proficiency is
obtained.
And embrace doltification.
Hang in there.
This is at least the
third time that I have had this one.
So comforting.
Totally seductive perfume.
Pale.
Low ALC.
Nuttily astringent.
Plenty tart.
Non-intrusive fruit.
(Say what?)
Wine Fruit: Hey, I saw the
light on. What are YOU
ALL drinking?
OTWN: PN. Go away.
WF: I won’t stay long.
I just smelled that awesome
perfume. Couldn’t resist.
OTWN: Let me help you.
WF: Oh well, my GF just
opened a Garnacha.
OTWN: Vaya con Dios.
If I told the casual
wine drinker that I
liked PN from “eastern
Europe”, I would get a
blank stare.
Luckily I’m not any more
self-conscious than the
average paranoid schizophrenic.
I’ll go with “middle east” PN
if I can find it.
What will it take for the
Georgians to start making
fine dry wines and sending them
to Kansas?
I DON’T KNOW, but time is
running out FOR ME.
Where’re the autocratic,
communist governments of
this world when you need them?
Burgundy, I presume.
What’s all this “global”
nonsense for anyway?
Socks?
I don’t mind going barefoot.
(Spring to Fall only please.
I’ll drink Rioja in the winter
with my socks and slippers on.)
Lest you think that I can
dream up this nonsense WITHOUT
FOOD, let me assure you that
I CANNOT.
Lunch menu…
Chili Cheese Corn Tortilla Stacks
(Requires imagination/nightmares.)
Take it or leave it.
The best stack was the one
that got forgotten in the oven
while I was “investigating”
a “blonde” that wrote an article
on corporate bonds.
The overdone stack (the food)
was good.
I didn’t read the article
because the deck was stacked
against me.
I think I need a …
from this BIG BOTTLE.
Day Two…
Actually, the bottle COULD
BE just a little bit bigger.
Hang in there.
I feel like a plurality of
prodigal sons.
My detour through the
“value case” has led me
back to my nanny as
I inspect the cooler
filled with HAND PICKED
wines.
(If I didn’t repeat
myself, I wouldn’t be
reliably consistent
over a predictable
time period.)
I collapse at her feet
as she pats my head and
waves the PN bottle cork
beneath my nose.
I’ll eschew the hairy flowers.
I wish to be flogged
with Alfredo noodles.
I’ll endure any kind of
gustatorial torture,
just give me some freaking Pinot Noir.
(Even computing machines
with dictionaries in memory
lose spelling bees.)
I’m remembering how
incredibly wonderful
this kind of wine can be.
Light and fresh.
Tart and acidic.
Sometimes a bit of oak.
Coy flavors that you
have to chase around
in the glass.
Earthiness that can
only be fully enjoyed
after one has been raptured.
I hope I don’t spend
TOO MUCH time in
WINE PURGATORY for
going so far astray.
But, but, but, what
about THIS WINE?
It appears to be one
I picked up in Paola
and is likely to be a
“repeat impressor”.
Since I can’t remember
anything, these notes are
written “without prejudice”.
It MAY BE a bit pruney.
I’m not saying that
it’s a BAD thing, it’s
just the THING that
I’m noticing above all
other THINGS.
Let’s call it REALLY
ripe plums so we can
be PC or whatever.
No matter, I’m enjoying
this “welcome home” in
a big way.
But don’t get any ideas.
She’s MY nanny.
Curiosity killed the
penitent cat.
Let’s read some more
about the California magic
triangle of PN wine.
Twelve Reasons You Should be Drinking Santa Barbara County Wines! #wine
Click to access Joel-Gott-2015-Santa-Barbara-County-Pinot-Noir-Fact-Sheet.pdf
I’ve already drunk
most of the bottle and
I’m still drooling.
Am I missing something,
or is this wine not just
simply WONDERFUL?
Towards the end of the
bottle, I’m picking up
more oak/tannins (GOOD)
and (interestingly) more
of the red/cherry fruit.
Who needs Europe?
Hang in there.
Since I get so bored
making these mindlessly
dull notes about boring
wine, I was going to
skip the notes on this
pick of the litter.
But, but, but,,,
This wine is SO GOOD.
If I was tired of it
I might shut up.
If the wine was nothing
less than Mmmmmmmmmmmm,
I might not ever buy it
again.
But I keep buying it,
and continue to be seduced.
Today I’m noticing that
the wine label DOES NOT
contain information about
inbred family member’s
love of knotty fence posts,
but rather contains some
PERTINENT INFORMATION
ABOUT THE WINE.
I’m pretty sure that
highly paid winemakers
marry outside
of their clan.
At the risk of
repeating myself,
this one is
“rich” without
ANY of the
defective baggage.
Not too hot.
Not too oaky.
Not too acidic.
Not too tannic.
Not too pruney.
What are the odds
of a winemaker making
a rich PN WITHOUT
delivering one of
these “faults”?
I DON’T KNOW.
I’m an option trader
Jim, not a statistics
professor.
I don’t have a PRECISE
idea what PH THIS or
TA THAT means but it is
nice to know that the
winemaker does not have
brain damage.
We should all
have goofy cousins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpR8grj1XCI&list=PLsxGHHZDolE-XXLy1THTcC9UOB58-x1IU&index=5
Hang in there.
Sometimes, there are days
when you NEED a drink
and the “notes” can just
WAIT.
Today isn’t one of those days.
Nevertheless, I (meaning
ME), decided to NOT take
notes RIGHT AWAY.
No first sip nonsense.
No aroma insanity.
No “mouth feel” superfluous
mumbo jumbo.
Then WHAT?
Just an “overall sensation”
after drinking HALF THE
FREAKING BOTTLE, and before
letting the world intrude.
GOOD.
GOOD WHAT? GOOD meaning
that it’s OK not to take
notes, or GOOD as an
indication that one might
like this wine?
YES.
Silliness Alert: The
author of this note has
ventured into a region
of silliness that 80%
of wine note authors
are unwilling to go.
Continued reading of
this note constitutes a
tacit recognition on
your part that you are
equally silly or more so..
Yes, this is the best
cinnamon PN that I can
REMEMBER drinking.
Have you (meaning ME
as I talk to myself)
ever had this one before?
I don’t remember.
Let’s consult the local
listings…
(Lemme say that there
is no FORMAL contraction
for “let me”, so I’m using
the US contraction
and hoping that you
and/or my imaginary
friends will join me as
I scan my old notes.)
Hmmm…
I HAVE HAD this one
before ON HALLOWEEN
and my prior notes were
“interesting” even to me,
AND even more so in hindsight.
Huh?
(I woke up this morning
with the overwhelming
urge to use a verb in the
present perfect tense.
I feel better now.)
Old note here.
Perhaps the first sip
TODAY put me into the
shut-up-and-enjoy mode.
All of a sudden, the
world is a peaceful and
wonderful place where
all things are
“as ordained” and
“in balance”.
Why aren’t WE ALL
drinking THIS stuff???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFeeJ6LSMc
You have to imagine the
sixteen year old
future Option Trader
singing this song in
the church choir.
WITHOUT WINE!!!
(Although we (the boys)
sought to consume
other forms of libation
whenever the opportunity
arose.)
As the musical key
changes, I can detect
fermented grapes
distributing joy to
the enlightened inhabitants
of our planet.
The problem is that this
is a…
So what then?
Obviously we need to GROW UP.
¿Hay voluntarios?
OK then, you first.
But, but, but…
What about the wine?
Just Enjoy.
In an inner child-forward manner.
Hang in there.
This one is too good
for MY words.
Beautiful, clear
presence in the glass.
Indiscernible yet
alluring perfume.
Taste bud seducing paleness.
Perfectly smooth tartness.
Redemptive second
voice flavors.
Silky tactile comfort.
I can ALMOST hear
this wine cooing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXTe3K7BllM
It is difficult to
enjoy the wine when
your knees, forehead,
and hands are planted
in the earth.
Rise my son and enjoy
the fullness of my
bounty.
Your homage is noted
but now is this the
time of celebration
and elation.
I have to take a
giant step back and
ask if Oregon PN can
compete with Borgogne
PN ON BALANCE.
I don’t know.
The question is whether
I would take an “average”
Oregon OR Borgogne PN
if BOTH were offered.
I DON’T KNOW.
Wait a minute…
Hang in there.
Whoosh.
And it’s gone…
Sometimes the wine just disappears.
Too soothing to analyze.
Too comforting to second guess.
Too “roundly on target” to cause
you to adjust your sights.
Bingo.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Extra play.
My favorite “flipper” machine was
“Lawman”.
How many dimes/quarters? did I pour into
this monster as I was was drinking $0.25
beers on Sunday nights?
Sheesh.
I haven’t found a video that
contains the WHACK sound when
you get an extra play.
The third video is REALLY INTERESTING.
What does this flipper machine
stuff have to do with “fine wine”.
Everything.
Something has to “ground you”
into your “current existence”.
We don’t always know what thing
is doing the grounding.
It is just “stuff” happening.
When we finally look up, we go
Ah, that’s what was happening.
I wish I had been more aware.
Sometimes we are aware,
sometimes not.
Today I’m aware of an
ocean of fine wine being
produced for my enjoyment.
What am I DOING ABOUT IT?
I’m flipping enjoying it.
I just need an extra play now.
I am NORMALLY put off by
“family stuff” on the back
of wine bottles, but I
will excuse this one because
IT IS GOOD.
Also, note that this
“approachable” wine
is from the “Central Valley”.
“Mars” would be a more
definitive AVA though it
may be less approachable.
You can observe the phenomenon here…
Click to access CA_WineMap_2011.pdf
Some of the grapes in this
one might be tan line free.
Who knows?
The daisies won’t tell.
I had to snort this
stuff when I was a
kid.
Hang in there.
This one is way off
my taste target.
Pruney.
Oaky.
BIG (14.5% ALC)
Soft.
That’s enough misses
for me.
But I don’t want to
give the impression that
the wine is anything other
than GOOD.
Let’s spin the description.
The fruit is rich like
raisins and super ripe
jammy plum preserves.
Throw in some blackberries
and boysenberries.
As a testament to the
barrel ageing treatment,
the wine exhibits an
overt oaky smoothness.
You can feel the ALC
heat on the first sip.
If that puts you off,
then chill the wine.
That will help.
This wine would be good
with smoked meats such
as turkey or pork.
Just nibbling on more
flavorful cheeses will
work too.
I’m trying the hot pepper
cheddar from Dean & Delucas.
(from a gift? BOX of
Vermont cheeses???)
Why is this wine so jammy?
Let’s look at the map…
We’ll assume that the wine
is from the Monterey AVA,
and not “the county”.
Look how close the boundary
comes to the water.
I can just imagine the
grapes…
Super ripe, bursting with
sugar.
As I continue my enjoyment
of this one it occurs to me
that it shouldn’t be too hard
to learn to love this style
of PN.
But, it’s like making the
transition from a tart
fruit pie to…
Now where can I find me
another fire breathing PN?
Australia maybe. Hmmm.
Hang in there.
Option Trader's Wine Notes 