Heineken Light

These are absolutely delicious. I know a light beer, are you mad?!?! Neel bought these a while back ago on a whim, cause they were most likely on sale, but they ended up being a such a winner that these are the only beers I will drink to help with my waistline. Unbelievably smooth, crispy and refreshing, you can down a six pack and not worry about being bloated. While regular Heinekens are a good beer, I can't drink too many due to the bitterness that develops, these Lights are the exception. Everything about it from the bottling to the advertisements say excellent beer, I don't know what took them so long to release them. Now if anybody knows how a human can easily drink 6 beers in half an hour but have trouble drinking the same amount of water in the same amount of time? Truly perplexing.

Double Up & Double Down

Two nights, four wines, one blog.

2005 The Show Cabernet - Neel really likes this wine, he says it's really complex while I thought it was good but a tad too smoky for my tastes.

2004 Hawk Crest Cabernet - This is the cheap off shoot label of Stag's Leap Cellars. Priced at a cool $8.99, I wouldn't pay more than $3.99. Now you know why they decided to unassociate themselves with such an inferior product. Smart move.

2004 Simi Landslide Alexander Valley - I am not down with the Alexander Valley. Every wine I've had has been fairly mediocre and overpriced. This one was no exception, priced much cheaper then usual at $29.99, there's a ton of other wines in that price range that would be preferred over it. Stick with Rutherford, Oakville and the Stag's Leap appellation.

2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet - This was fairly good, another Washington wine from the Columbia Valley, understandable smooth sh*t that murderer's move with. At $14.99, good value and we're all about value here.

Steller Wines for $10 - $15.

So we come to the conclusion that when you're kicking back multiple
bottles a week, you can't be ballin' too hard. Here are 4 wines under
15 dollars that will not see too often but can be found with some work
at Cost Plus or Bev Mo.

Liberty School Paso Robles Cab: Very well balanced wine. Very very

smooth, sweet and even. Good for a bottle to take over to a friends

for dinner where there is going to be a number of people drinking.

Will cater to a large audience. This wine does the things it does

very very good, and will be an instant hit. This is usually the first

wine I like to introduce to those that are occasional wine drinkers.

Always a winner.

Twenty Bench California Cab: Also very well balanced. A lot more bolder
then the Liberty School. This is the kind of wine you would graduate to
drinking for something like a Liberty School. Expect a bolder, heavier flavor.
Very good stuff.

Seriously Good Wine Co.Stag's Leap District Cab: A new wine that we

came across (as Rich mentioned before) Well balanced, but does take a
little time to open up. Finishes up with a strong flavor, and does

have a very slight bit. This wine will go over well with those wine

drinkers that are a little more experienced. Stag's Leap is a very
coveted wine region/appellation in Napa, and this is definitely the

best bang for your buck in that class. This wine is very Napa. This

wine will do well over time.

6th Sense Syrah. A totally different wine. Very deep and very

fruity. Very good wine to throw into the mix, especially with those

that like a deep wine with out much of the bark and bite that come

with most cabs. Very artisan, just look for the cheesy label.

The Show Cab: A very different cab. This is a good bottle for that

experienced wine snob, but still very cultish. Very complicated
flavors, lots of flavor with a nice oaky bite. Grapes from the central
and north coast of California, produced by 3 veteran winemakers. I
personally think this bottle will get a lot better over time. Can be

a little much at first, but I think there will be a lot of potential.

You can't go wrong with these wines. Guaranteed enjoyment.

Selecting a Good Year as they relate to Ageing

I dont usually write too many blogs, i usually let my amigo Rich
opinionate on my behalf, but I thought I should offer up some
advice/opinions of my own from time to time.

Rich does most of the heavy lifting when it comes down to individual
wines and such, I tend to keep my blogs more broad based. One blog
that I've been throwing around is selecting a good year and how to age

wines. So here is the breakdown, Napa/CA red wines (mainly cabs) are
very cyclical. I cant really speak on how to pick a good year, but I
can usually do a taste test and have some opinions based on that.
Wines that offer a sweeter taste tend to mature quicker and really get
as good as they are going to get after a certain period of time.

Wines that deliver an even flavor overall with some high notes tend to

do better with age. Peppery wines are usually pretty bad and wont do

well over time either. Then there's that oaky ass wine that Napa is

so famous for. These are the wines to keep your eye on. These are
your Silver Oaks, Caymus Cellars, Cakebeards that you find going for
such high prices everywhere. These are the ones that you can you put
away for a good 10 years and really get the full effect of the wine.
These wines are exactly what Napa is all about.

Most people are thinking, ok that's fine and great, but what years are
good? Well here's a breakdown of years and what i think of them.

2001: An excellent year for their ease of drinkability. These wines

are very even in flavor and offer a very full flavor. Remember, not

all wines from 2001 are going to be good (reference Rich's blog about
our older vintage disasters.) If the wine sucks when you try them,
it's gonna suck after 10 years.

FYI, many people consider the 01's to be an excellent vintage to put

away, lots of 90 point wines ranked in that class.

2002: Similar to the 01's, will do well with age. A little bit spicer
then 01 but still good.

2003: Spicer then the 02's, but still good. I think the 02 is a
better year, and may not do as well over time then the 02's.

2004: Sweeter wine and very even in flavor. I compare it to the 02's

and 01's, but not sure where they will fit in.

2005: Very well balanced wine and even flavor delivery. I also
compare this to the 02's and 01's as well, will be very interesting to
see how the later two years will play out. (editor's note: 2005 looks
to be another great vintage on par with 1997 a California El Nino
year)

In order to figure out what vintages will play out over time, I'm
doing a bench mark on a great bottle of wine: Groth Oakville Cab.
Easily my favorite bottle in the $50 range, and definietly in my top 5
over all. So far I have an 03, 04, and will be picking up an 05 next
time I hit up the Costco. Stay tuned for a report in the next 2-5
years on more thoughts.

Until we drink again.

I knew a girl named Edna.

The wine input has been pretty ridonkulous lately. I'll put back a few bottles with the holmes Neel and also drink a bottle with dinner with my parent's who seem to enjoy my selections. Probably not so much if they were a regular reader of the blog however. Sulfites are a bitch.

2005 Edna Valley Paso Robles Cabernet - $10.99 at Costco, like other wines from the central coast of Paso Robles near San luis Obispo, these wines are delicious and sweet. Wonderfully smooth and drinkable. Think Estancia, Liberty School & Justin.

My mom doesn't seem like she really cares but my pops does, so I'm more than down to try new bottles whenever i'm shopping at Costco or at the Korean supermarket. As long as the bottles are in that $8 to $15 range, I'm willing to experiment. They are really down with Washington State wines as they tend to be more subtle (there's a B in subtle?) and less in your face than napa cabs. Up next to bat sometime this week is a St. Francis Red Table wine, we'll see how that goes.

Side Note

As you all well know we like to drink...here at L-NRD we believe in alcohol and water. If its in there we'll drink it.

Many years ago my great friend Rich (also the biggest contributer to this blog) introduced me to a beer made from the same stuff the black noodle, aka soba is derived from...Buckwheat. He found this concoction at a Noodle shop called SobaYa located in Manhattan, NY.

Feeling like Rich hyped up this beer wayyy too much i decided that i needed to find out on my own how good this beer really is. I must warn you, it is not for everyone. I like to believe it wasn't because of the miles of walking in NY, the panging hunger pains, or the record breaking 26.9" snowfall (night of feb 12, 2006) that made the beer taste sooo good. I have since then searched high and low from my desk at work to find this beer.

All i can say is Rich has come through after numerous calls and emails to both Rogue Ales (the mfg. of this beer) and the actual restaurant itself, even with calls by yours truly, to find this magic elixir.

RICH IS DA MAN!!!!! stay tuned for a pic of the bottle from SobaYa

It's Super Official

From the outside looking in, it looks like a whole lot of wine. We call it research. Too bad it's not tax deductible. That would be pretty awesome. What are the logistics involved in calling yourself a WINE Think Tank? Doing 'research' etc and writing off the expenses involved in such a project? Anyways, here's the lowdown.

2002 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Cabernet ($13.99 at the super secret squirrel spot, you can find it much cheaper probably around for a Hamilton. It was relatively smooth yet slightly hollow. I've had much better Washington State wines then this one. But something different to try and report back on.)

2004 Barnwood '3200 Santa Barbara Cabernet (Neel's dad hooked up 5 bottles of this last year. 3 went down real good, I traded a St. Supery for one bottle and the last bottle went down yesterday night. Not too well, it definitely wasn't what we remembered. Let's hope the one last bottle measures up to the ones in the past.)

Snoqualmie

This might have been the 3rd of 4th Washington State wine i've had in the last few months and I have to say I am liking them. Granted they won't be in your face like a Napa cabernet but what they lack in full frontal assault on the palate, they more than make up for it in the smoothness department.

I picked up the 2004 Snoqualmie Rosebud Vineyards Cabernet for $9.99 and it was delicious. I honestly don't know the correct terms to use when describing wines and what I taste, so more often than not I probably sound like a drunken heathen. Besides telling you that a wine is well balanced, fruity, sweet, with bite or without bite and delicious or crap, I have nothing to offer you in terms of tannins, aromas or anything else. So until that refinement period comes, I hope you'll make due with my often lame descriptions. Ha!

I'm looking forward to some more wines from the Pacific Northwest, until then drink on.

Back on Track

After a short slump, it seems like we are back on track.

2003 Clos du Bois Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet ($19.99, found of course at my secret squirrel spot and it was delicious. Smooth, sweet and fruity.)

2005 Seriously Good Wine Stag's Leap Cabernet ($14.99, found at Cost Plus and recommended to us by Neel's dads friend, the same guy who recommended the 6th Sense Syrah. This was a 'press rewind if I haven't blown your mind' wine. Well balanced and smooth, at a fraction of the price that wines from that region usually go for. This will be thrown into rotation for sure. Find it immediately!)

The Stuff of Legends

2004 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet - This was really good. I mean really really good. Very well balanced. Priced at roughly $30, this could be in regular rotation for sure. Some call it a baby Monte Bello and at the price, compares very favorably to other wines more expensive. Neel wasn't as a big fan as i was/am, I'd rank this right along with my other favorite, the Ridgeline Cabernet.

2004 Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee - Mainly merlot based, I have no idea what a cuvee is but it was in the cabernet secction so i'm assuming it's like a red table wine. Either way it was a great second rounder, developing a myriad of flavors. Yes, I said a myriad. It changed up a lot during the course of drinking it. How pretentious is that.

2004 Merryvale Starmont Cabernet - Smooth and delicious. Easily found at Costco for $18.99, a very solid wine under $20.

Slumping

It's been pretty hit or miss at the LNRD Norcal division on the wine tip. We've had some badass bottles and some that failed to live up to the potential that we envisioned before corking. Two bottles that we had the other night that didn't leave us very satisfied or begging for more.

2001 Chateau Souverain Alexander Valley Cabernet (I bought this for $19.99 at my secret squirrel spot thinking that 2001 will knock our socks off, after nearly an hour of decanting it lacked real flavour and after a few more glasses the bite at the end of the finish was pretty strong. A bit disappointed along with the 2001 Geyser Peak Alexander Valley.)

2003 Penfolds Bin 407  (Honestly, I don't even remember the vintage or bin number, I'm pretty sure I got it right. Usually Australian wines should be like Paso Robles wines, sweet but this one came at us like it had a grudge. A vengeful attack on the palate. Think durian fruit. Surprising as Robert Parker the Wine Spectator gave this one a 90point score. Goes to show what that fool knows and what that fools insured palate is all about)

Bear's Lair vs. Stag's Leap.

I just had to try it. I saw it at Trader Joe's for $3.99 and at that price who cares if it tastes like ass. The label straight up looked like Stag's Leap, except it was some odd shade of yellow, it had the same font and for all I knew it could have been the same wine but labeled differently as to not water down the prestigious reputation that it has. A bear instead of a stag, it had all the makings of a winner. Too bad it was LOSER, a vinegary mess, I almost could not finish it and regretted not getting 2 bottles of the 2buck chuck. Lesson learned, if you see the bottle above, stay away.

Outside Napa

2001 Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I went outside of Napa for this one, heck I went outside of California too.

Found this one at my secret squirrel spot, I figure if 2001 was a good year for Napa, surely it should be good for the Washington region since we're all on the west coast anyways.

Priced at a cool $8.99 and an older vintage, I figure I'd roll the dice. Glad I did. Super smooth, well balanced and flavor neutral. Medium bodied, I'd compare it with a St. Supery cabernet but not as flavorful. Still a real nice drink considering the price point.

I don't know too much about wines from the Washington area but it is something that intrigues me as it seems they end up costing a lot less than the Napa ones.

Wine vs. Water

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't.

Ben Franklin said "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria."

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli)- bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking Wine & Beer or other liquors because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

So Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

All Night Long

Blog post barrage.

The rundown with ribeye steaks, medium rare.

Justin Paso Robles Cabernet ($21, fragrant, fruity but not as sweet as most other cabernets from the Paso Robles region)
Pine Ridge Merlot ($20, yes a freaking merlot and it was delicious)

Cameron Hughes Vindicated!

Seriously, I was beginning to lose faith in CH Wines especially after the whole Lot 34, 35 & 36 debacle. Those 3 bottles tasted like absolute ass, one of them was so bad that it was thrown out after a few glasses were poured, and if you know us, WE DO NOT WASTE WINE, from malbecs to Mad Dog's, no wine goes undrunk! No wine left behind.

Thank god for Lot 44, a 2005 Rutherford Cabernet for $12.99 at a very select number of Costco's. I actually found mine while in San Francisco. Anyways, the wine drank pretty well. Took a good half hour before it opened up, the tasting notes say it was medium to full bodied but I found it more along the lines of a light to medium body with a lot of fruit and balance but left me a bit hollow. A solid bottle to try if you see it but not worth going out of your way to find it unlike lot 28 which was pretty awesome.

More Bounce To The Ounce

After Danny told us he had the Cameron Hughes Lot 43 zinfandel with ribs, Neel and I also had to get down with the 'itis. We've been craving some hardcore bbq'ed ribs for some time now and Danny's post put it over the top. Along with grub we had the following...

2003 Chalk Hill Sonoma County Cabernet (took a bit of time to open up but when it did it was very well balanced however it could have used a tad bit more sugar)
2005 Twenty Bench (a freaking workhorse! Big Bold & Beautiful)