Christmas Dinner 2008

This is f*cking serious. Here's what we had:

Beef Sirloin Roast with Chipotle Cherry Glaze
Baked Ham with Maple Glaze
Twice Baked Potatoes with Sweet Potato Mole Filling
Steamed Vegetables with Butter
Savory Corn Pudding
Spinach Salad with Pears, Lime and Mint

The wine:

Three Saints Syrah 2005
(insanely good, very rich, half-and-half consistency with smoky, roasted blueberry)

And to top it all off:

Pumpkin Pie
Blueberry Pie
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Mango Peach Sorbet

Over that we drizzled Guatemalan pharmaceutical-grade chocolate sauce made in the dusty tombs of the last emperor of Tikal. Hallucinogenic! Amazing!

Merry Christmas to all!

Holiday Letter

A dream for 2008, now departing. Our little family spending the year in anticipation of changes not yet fully arrived, a long drawn out year of work and not enough money and worries and hope. The long hot summer one of the wettest, the plants dancing all around. Our summer party—everyone was invited—with kids running wild in the sprinklers and music in the air as friends and family gathered together waiting for the rain, which nearly arrived as winds lifted the umbrella and blew the blankets off old yard sale tables while Van Morrison played. And days later, when the rain finally fell: a steady soaking of the land that didn’t let up; the resulting lushness of the desert glorious to behold. And us getting out there as much as we could, to see it, feeling a renewed sense of place and connection, but still not sure, not fully arrived at our destination. Then buying a new/old truck that belonged to Matthew first and Crissi second (good pedigree, oil changes by hand and thousands of miles of honorable, righteous hauling) which we renamed ‘the adventure truck’ and drove to Lyle for a Thanksgiving of grilled turkey and drizzle and juniper smoke, the kids itching to walk through the tall, wet grass. And while reflecting we realized that the world had begun to improve—in spite of the doomy, gloomy forecast—for all of us (whether we believed it or not, agreed with it or not). Other things, smaller things of lesser concern: work going well for Tyler and Kariman; money being made; Aiden and Rowan happy and healthy; Aiden in kindergarten (a kinder garden?) at Second Street School and Rowan growing taller by the moment, already thinking he’s a preschooler. The cats doing fine, too. The house, basically livable with a new rain barrel mostly attached. And Tucson, our desert town, muddling forward as it always has, half-dreamed and forever undernourished, until all that is left is for us to thank all of you for being part of the story, because it is you who make everything possible, who replenish us and sustain us, as regular as rain, inspiring us to push upward through the recalcitrant soil toward the bright, bright sunlight of 2009.

Best wishes to you and those you hold dear!

-The Pierces

Juno Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2006

I really like this wine from South Africa. It has a wonderful nose of black currants, camphor, sour cherry and earth. In the mouth the wine is lightly tannic with excellent acidity and good length. A nice concentration of dark fruit, spices, savory herbs and a finish of dark chocolate. Overall this was an impressive wine at its price point, about $11. And the label is awesome! Available only at Catavinos.

My score: 87

A Dream for a Country

Another day, and I’m at home, my beautiful home, the place I’ve arrived at, after so many years. I say arrived, because there isn’t anywhere else to go. At thirty-seven, all I want is to sit with a glass of good red wine in the presence of people who have nothing left to prove. An oakwood fire doesn’t hurt, logs crackling in the fire pit, kids running loose in the back yard while the desert city begins its long slow journey into dreamland.

A sweet dream for a city. A sweet dream for these people who still care, who get up every day and go to work, knowing as they do that the plan is outdated, that the goals don’t fit any more, and that the whole damn situation is a far cry from where it ought to be.

A dream for a country, waking up from its dream.

The New America

After the inspired and deeply moving election of Barack Obama, I feel an unexpected sense of sadness. This sadness is coupled with a feeling of loss for an America I grew up with, an America embraced by my family, an America that was already on its last legs decades ago. With Obama’s election we turn the corner decisively on this old America, a place of cowboys and indians, good old boys and pickup trucks. These ‘good old’ Americans will wander in circles, dazed, not knowing what hit them. Did anyone get the number on that Prius? What the hell is a Prius, anyway? One thing is for certain: the old Americans are fading away. They do not understand, nor will they ever understand, what happened, and that is a tragedy. The worst of them will rail against Obama and waste their energy trying to tear him down. The best will look inward, perhaps with great discomfort, in an attempt to understand who or what they have become. They will begin to sense the reasons for their irrelevance, and how change must not only come to Obama’s America, but also to the America they believed in, an America that exists today only as a caricature of what it once was, for sale in cowboy magazines or discount furniture shops.

A note to all you so-called ‘new’ Americans out there:

Do not think unkindly of the old Americans and their conservative ways. Now more than ever they need someone to lift them up, someone to let them know how to move forward into this brave new America. It is your job, new American, to help them understand, and above all to help them see that the currency of this land isn’t money, but love--love for everyone--and that this love is unconditional. This unconditional love cannot be bought, sold or voted away. It is the promise of Obama’s America, a promise two hundred years in the making, and no matter what happens, nothing will ever be the same again.

Three Wines You Need to Try

These three wines are all under twenty bucks and are very good. They are also consistently very good from vintage to vintage.

Marquis Philips Shiraz
Adler Fels Gewurztraminer
Angeline Pinot Noir

Cheers!

Writing

I have tried to write many different stories over the last few years, but I can't seem to proceed with any of them. Something in the tone stops me from going any further. These stories seem--cynical, angry, sarcastic--qualities that certainly come from somewhere deep inside me. Have I grown too old, too abraded by life, to write anything truly wonderful? Perhaps. Perhaps I've become worn down by parenthood. Perhaps I can't tolerate coffee any more--it only makes me an irritated jerk, tightens my tendons into a spasm of pain, and leaves me unable to manage my life. I'm constantly overburdened. It's hard enough just to find time to paint. At least I can sell paintings. At least that's something.

But I'll tell you something. Writing is the holy grail. It is by far the greatest of all arts.

And I can't seem to do it any more.

Otto the Opportunist (at rest)

Guaranteed Bipartisan Support

Morgante Nero D'avola 2006

I'm always on the lookout for great wines that go well with food. Unfortunately, most American red wines are wonderful to drink on their own but not great with food. This has to do with the way they are made, usually in a very sweet or jammy style. The Europeans figured all of this out centuries ago. They tend to produce wines that go well with food simply because wine has always been a part of the family meal.

This modest Nero D'Avola from Morgante is an excellent example of a wine that is both very nice on its own and great with food. I tried it with red sauce (a litmus test, as it were, to see if your red wine will work with food) and it worked beautifully. I also tried it with chocolate (the other litmus test--most American red wines are killed by chocolate). Again the Morgante worked beautifully. This is because wines such as this one contain good acidity (for the acidic red sauce) and a more complex structure (to stand up to the tannins and volatile compounds in the chocolate). The first flavor to die in a red wine, when eating chocolate, is sugary fruit. If your wine has secondary flavors such as herbs, these flavors will then come to the fore. Since most American wines don't have much complexity, chocolate tends to kill the fruit and leave the taster with-- not much else. When I tasted the Morgante with chocolate, the fruit flavors diminished somewhat, and were replaced with wonderful herbal notes that provided an amazing counterpoint to the chocolate. Kudos to the Morgante!

How much for this wine? You can get it for around fifteen dollars at Sunflower Market.

My score? 88 points.

Incidently this wine regularly scores around 90 points with Wine Spectator and Robert Parker.

Try it, and don't go back to sweet, syrupy dreck.

Cheers!

Have a good day, friends. Feel proud that you are alive at the time of America's great awakening.

Stills from "Gold Spurs and Rusty Boots"

These are production stills from the cowboy western movie I produced with my disabled buddies.

Not Your Vice Presidential Running Mate

Page Springs Cellars Vino del Barrio 2005

I'm excited about Page Springs Cellars. I also think they are a little nuts. This wine is supposedly a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Carignan, Cabernet Pfeffer, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc. Yes, that's a little crazy. It is also pretty darn good. It strikes me as very Grenache driven with a number of fruity and floral overtones. Just a little bacon fat on the nose--Syrah? Hard to say. A solid effort by a winery in...

(drumroll)

Cornville, Arizona

My score: 88 points

The Dark Knight

Sure it's just another Batman movie designed to rake in millions of our hard-earned dollars.

Or is it?

Folks, this is the best movie I've seen in years. It has a few flaws, but only an extremely jaded person would cling to such distractions. If you care about the cynical world we live in, if you care about what it means to be a moral person, if you care about civilization, you must see The Dark Knight. It will take you where you need to go, and show you what you need to see. This movie is profoundly relevant to our current geopolitical situation, and the fact that so many average people are going to see it gives me hope for the future.

And by the way, Heath Ledger really was one of our greatest actors. His passing only serves to verify and magnify the meaning of his final, greatest performance. Forget about Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson and the rest. Heath was the real deal. He was able to take us on a journey into darkness and in the process give us back our souls. What a shame to lose him so soon.

I'm going to see The Dark Knight again, not for the entertainment, but for the feeling of hope that it gave me.

Crissi and Jason's Belated Wedding Gift

Trinchero Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

I've been snooping around, trying to find a Cabernet that retails for less than $15 that I actually like. Most of them, the American ones anyway, taste like Koolaid and might as well be a cheap Australian Shiraz--full of overdone, fruity dreck. This wine is not one of them. The Trinchero Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 is a low-alcohol (13.3%) wine of medium extraction with no signs of aging. The nose contains many of the classic Cabernet notes, along with a wonderful menthol component that immediately created an "ah ha" moment for me, since this is something I often notice in Bordeaux or even in some American Cabs like the amazing Three Saints, wines with greater complexity and balance. In the mouth the Trinchero has (drumroll here) surprising balance, with excellent acidity (good with food) and decent length. Nice dark fruit flavors predominate (black currant) with hints of leather, asphalt and some vegetal notes. Not as complex as a higher-priced wine, but still very compelling at $13. This wine is what I would like to see more of: a nice balance of Bordelais and New World style. So much better than the syrupy-sweet efforts (think McManis, Yellowtail) and worth trying on its own or with your next red meat meal.

My score: 87 points

First Rain

We had our first bit of rain this evening, which means the rainy season has arrived. Not that it won't be hot as hell for the next several months, but the arrival of moisture seems to provide immediate relief from the tension we've all been feeling. In many ways we think of this as the beginning of our Tucson year. It is a time of renewal, not only for the desert, but for the souls of those who live here.

The PRE-MONSOONAL

Yes folks, it's that time of year again. For all of you without the common sense to be somewhere else on June 21st, let me extend a warm invitation to our third annual PRE-MONSOONAL party. Those of you who are reading this blog have already been invited and are probably sick of hearing about it, but let me assure you that this year's event will be worth all the fuss. Last head count was somewhere around 100, which means things will be hopping, with plenty of people you already know and many more for the discovering. This party started as a reaction to getting fired from a certain job, on our wedding anniversary just three weeks before the birth of our second child. It is a celebration of life without limitations. What better way to justify a big back yard than to throw the biggest damn summer party you'll ever attend? And it will just get bigger with each passing year.

Can't wait to see you here!

Five Years Ago

Five years ago I was lying in a double bed with Kariman while she labored in the Hollywood Birth Center, trying to birth our first son, Aiden. Thanks to modern technology and the fierce efforts of our midwives, Aiden finally made it into the world early in the morning on June 5th, 2003.

We're lucky to be alive. We're lucky to have each other.

Z-tabs and Immortality

I’m sitting here, stuck at home, recovering from (a) some kind of sinus infection and (b) the antibiotic used to get rid of it. A word about azithromycin: it works great on the bad guys and then it goes after you! Ringing in the ears! Nausea! Diarrhea! Like being on pot brownies, but without the fun! So I’m home. I can’t work today because I’m too spaced out from the zythromax that I popped this morning, but at least my throat doesn’t hurt! I’m not taking any more. No more Z-tabs for me.

When this kind of thing happens, I’m reminded that human beings are both very strong and very fragile, that we can survive amazing difficulties but die suddenly and without warning. I know people who have lived through cancer. I also know people who have died young and suddenly. I guess we all have our weak point. Finding out what it is, without losing it all, is a tricky proposition.

Turn Me Red 2005

This wine smells exactly like the sweaty undies of a cocktail waitress wearing too much strawberry perfume—not exactly off putting, and maybe a little exciting if your mind is in the right place. In the mouth the wine is nicely balanced with excellent acidity-to-fruit. Flavors are almost classic Pinot Noir with something *else* providing a racey undertow. This wine is made from Zweigelt, an Austrian hybrid of Pinot Noir and Gamay. Really good, and a great value at $15.

My score: 88 points

My Brother-in-Law

It would take me many pages of rambling to describe Jon Zenz, his place in my life, and the important lessons I've learned from him. I guess it all comes down to courage. Jon is one of those guys on the cutting edge of life. He's out there, somewhere, keeping God guessing, which is all anyone can hope for.

Middle Forty Tall Wheat

This is one of the new acrylic paintings.

Chris Ortiz

These paintings were produced by Chris Ortiz, one of my people at ArtWorks. The brushwork and marks are all his, with very little intervention. I chose the colors and developed all the procedures that allow these images to come to life.

The Big Switcharoo

For the last several years I've been producing oil paintings on gallery-wrapped canvas. While lovely most of the time, this combination resulted in far too many quality control issues. As of a few days a ago, I've switched to mixed media (acrylic, watercolor and water-soluble crayon) on home-made panels in an effort to increase overall quality and provide myself with a larger number of creative options. Only time will tell if this was a smart decision. The resulting paintings should be quite different and hopefully better than anything I've done in the past. I'll post some images the moment they become available.

FUBAR in Prescott (again)

I sometimes remind myself that I am only average at ruining my life and the lives of those I love. My failures and missteps are at best ordinary and not worth mentioning. My brother N, on the other hand, is in the middle of another one of his addiction cycles and if things go badly the best he can hope for is a prison sentence. I don't want to talk about worst case scenarios, but anything is possible in the world of alocoholism, automobiles, firearms and knives. Things have gotten dark, very dark, in Prescott. A phone call could come at any moment, a call that could change everything. We sit here in Tucson, not knowing, not able to do anything. That's the way it is. It makes me want to reflect on my own life and the choices I've made. I am thankful that I can drink a glass of wine and go to work in the morning. My brother cannot. He must choose between sobriety or death and I'm not sure he even has a choice.

Gallery Openings, Art Sales and Other Silliness

I've been an artist for a long time and have been selling my work for several years. I have no idea why people buy art, or why they buy my art. Tonight I went to a gallery opening for Bill Dubin, a watercolorist and new addition to the Mo's Gallery art scene. We hit it off immediately (a fellow insane person, willing to paint using the world's least forgiving medium, watercolor). The show was great and very cohesive. Lots of lively pictures of trolleys, including the ones down on 4th Avenue here in Tucson. Most of the people who showed up were friends of Nathan (the manager) or other Mo's people and their affiliates. Reminds me of the show I had at Alliance Bank, where everyone who showed up was a friend or an acquaintance. Unless you're way up there in the art scene, it's hard to attract the kind of unknown buyers who will purchase a painting opening night. Paintings usually sell prior to the opening or afterward with the possible exception of a very strong piece where the buyer doesn't want to lose the piece to someone else. To make a long story short, Bill didn't sell anything. I hope he will, but the art market has been very flat lately (along with just about every sector in George Bush's economy). I haven't sold anything in quite a while.

Until tonight. That's right, I sold a little oil painting at Bill Dubin's show. Ridiculous. Absurd. Painfully unpredictable.

But that's how it goes in this business. You just never know.

2nd Street Tree House

This is one of the paintings I sold at the 2nd Street School auction. I made the school over $800! Cool.

Fajitas

My Neighbor, the Hedonist

Tom, my next door neighbor, has given up totally on physical health and prefers instead to bask in the glow of cigar smoke and very, very good wine. He has three bottles of Velvet Glove in his fridge and I am determined to share one with him, perhaps over the best f*cking ribeyes you’ve ever had. Tom is the operations manager for El Charro. He works six days a week, doesn’t keep up with his landscaping, and travels to California to taste wine with the likes of Doug Shafer who Tom says used to live in Tucson and who seems to know Tom and vice versa, allowing Tom to visit one of the finest wineries in Napa and try out past vintages of Hillside Select Cabernet. Needless to say, I’m very happy to know Tom, if only tangentially, over the cinder block wall of our shared back yards. I recently had the opportunity to trade him a bottle of Boarding Pass for a bottle of Molly Dooker, again through the chink in our shared wall, while sipping some Blue Moon Zinfandel from one of Tom’s Riedel glasses that he purchased at cost (the wine and the glass). He told me to set the glass on the wall when I was finished. That’s just the kind of guy Tom is: generous, and fatalistic. I love him. We have nothing in common but a shared interest in really awesome red wine, which apparently is more than enough.

I love my neighborhood.

Two More

Boarding Pass Shiraz 2005

I don't want to share this one with you, because I want all of this wine for myself. Here it is, people, the absolute best deal on Shiraz you will ever, ever, ever find. This one even beats Marquis Phillips, and that's saying something.

Wonderful dark, rich extraction with a nose of black fruit and smoky, toasty oak. In the mouth the wine is super smooth with profound mouthfeel. Powerful, balanced flavors of blueberry, cassis, smoke, pepper, you name it. Exactly like Mollydooker, but half the price. The best red wine deal on the planet. Seriously. Find it now.

My score: a solid 92 points.

The fact that you can get this for $15 is insane. It's worth $40 and would beat many $50 wines in a blind tasting.

The Paradox of Relationship

Amazing that we choose to be with people who cannot fulfill our most basic emotional needs, then wait around for them to change. An insane paradox, yet one which appears to be universal. Those who remain in relationship must overcome this paradox. They must realize that their partner cannot become the parent who failed them, and that no one else can, either. There is no relief to be found, here or elsewhere. With acceptance comes freedom, and the ability to grieve the losses of childhood.

Canelo Reverie

Three Saints Syrah 2005

Three Saints is my new favorite winery. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is to die for, so I decided to try their Syrah.

In the glass the wine is viscous and nearly opaque dark purple. The nose is explosive with black fruit, cherry jam and chocolate/espresso. Swirling the wine in the glass produces sluggish pools of extracted, resinous glycerin that slide slowly downward, hinting at the mouthfeel to follow. In the mouth the wine has the consistency of half and half, with smooth, integrated tannins that completely coat the palette. Flavors of blackberry jam and milk chocolate explode and then smolder for a very long time. Acids and sugars are in profound balance and the high alcohol content (15.1%) is thoroughly hidden beneath massively extracted fruit. This wine is very hedonistic and worth every penny. An amazingly rich wine and a perfect example of new world, fruit-bomb Syrah. I can't believe how decadent this wine is. Not for red wine newbies. A serious f*cking Syrah from Santa Ynez, made by seriously talented people.

My score: 91

Where I'm Coming From

One of the hardest things in life is to go on believing in yourself even though you know you're full of shit.

Chateau Recougne Bordeaux Superieur 2003

I recently attended a free Bordeaux tasting at Cata Vinos. It was an amazing experience, since I don't drink much Bordeaux and have been on the lookout for an affordable bottle that doesn't suck. Well, look no further, all you wanna-be French wine people. Here it is, the screaming deal.

Chateau Recougne Bordeaux Superieur 2003 is an absolutely classic example of red Bordeaux. I believe it is a roughly fifty-fifty blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, although this might change from year to year. On the nose the wine smells of dark fruit, earth, mushrooms and just a hint of barnyard. In the mouth I tasted dark fruit, leather, earth and savory spices with a nice balance of acidity and sweetness. Nicely integrated tannins, not harsh at all, and a modest finish without any bitterness. A commendable wine containing many of the components you might look for in a Bordeaux. Not an American Koolaid wine. This one brings the funk, but does so nicely.

You can get it for $15 at Cata Vinos.

My score: 87

Cheers!

I have found that, creatively speaking, the safe choice is always the wrong choice.

The Cata Vinos Crew

Sitting with Yvonne and Jo Ann late in the evening after tasting through a dozen Zinfandels, narrowing it all down to five decent wines for the shop, two of which I'll certainly be buying for myself, and thinking to myself that this is really cool, being part of a handful of people that Yvonne has taken in as her crew of confidants, people she trusts enough to help her pick the best of the best in the under-fifteen-dollar category. A great selection of Zins, all decent, but we found a couple we really liked. Can't wait to share some of them with you, dear reader, once Yvonne gets them in. One in particular, the Clos La Chance, was spectacular. We even tasted it against Valley of the Moon, which I've liked in the past, and found the Clos La Chance to be vastly superior. A $30 wine in a $15 bottle. Wow.

I'll write a full review of it soon.

-t

Marquis Philips Shiraz 2006

This amazing wine is all the more amazing since it clocks in around $15. Produced in the grand tradition of Mollydooker (in fact, originally produced by the same folks) this wine is the quintessential Aussie Shiraz. On the nose the wine is explosive with smoke, blackberry, blueberry, pepper and oak. In the mouth the wine is very smooth with integrated tannins. Flavors include blueberry pie, vanilla, blackberry and the kind of leather they used to use to wrap old wooden trunks bound for far away lands. Amazingly balanced, with profound mouthfeel. The shocking 15.5% alcohol is hidden behind perfectly extracted fruit flavors. Almost as good as Mollydooker Shiraz, and about $10 less. Amazing. Get some now!

My score: 91 (incidentally, Robert Parker rates this one a 92)

Did I say get some now?

The Retard You Signed Up For

Sometimes I don't know how we've survived. Without the continuing help of others, this little family would have blown apart years ago. I wish I could be a person who was wildly successful in the world. I've never been. It's amazing I've even got a wife and kids. It's amazing I'm not still stuck in some lonely reality, somewhere far, far from where I am.

I try to be generous of spirit, but sometimes I wonder who I am, or what I am doing. I spend my days taking care of retarded adults who have nothing. I get paid very little to do this. I am really, really good at it. My people love me. I am the leader of the freaks. It is the most unglamorous job a person could have, perhaps on the level of garbage man or janitor (although those jobs pay better).

I'm not complaining. I'm trying to tell you that I've arrived. This is the end of my long quest to make it in the world. This is it. I go to gatherings of other fathers who have real jobs with real responsibilities. They talk about things that sound respectable, things that sound important. Then they ask me what I do, and I tell them, and they stare at me blankly, not knowing what to say. What can they say? What do you say to someone who seems so intelligent and helpless? Certainly this weirdo is making poor choices. Certainly he is resisting some greater level of personal involvement in the world.

I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm more of a retarded person than a normal person. I have real deficiencies in my ability to relate to people. I used to hang out on the periphery of social events, afraid of participating. I used to regularly put my foot in my mouth, embarrassing myself or others. I never seemed to get it when someone liked me or wanted to be with me. I missed any number of opportunities for relationships with great women who simply couldn't get through to me. I preferred (and still do) the company of trees and rocks, and the internal monologue of my own restless mind. Does this make me an artist, or does this make me insane?

And nothing really changes, although my poor wife has tried for ten years to train me to become a reasonable person to be around. I'm still largely the same as I always was. Even when I'm relating to others, it's largely part of some creative process that starts and ends inside me.

The people who like me are able to put up with all the heaviness, the desire to go deep into disturbing conversations, the willingness to freak out and be crazy. Not just anyone can tolerate such bizarre behavior. Most people have better things to do, or they simply don't want relationships where real things get talked about, where the boundaries of safety are frequently crossed, where mistakes get made and laughed at, where every day is an attempt to simply rise above the desire to GET THE F*CK OUT OF HERE AND AWAY FROM YOU, anywhere but here, no offense, I'm just crazy.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for being my friend. I know it isn't easy.

Taft Street Pinot Noir 2006

Okay all you Pinot people, here is your screaming deal from the 2006 vintage. This modest wine from Sebastopol, California is hands down the only $15 Pinot Noir I've tried that allows for time travel the way a $50 Pinot might (minus some thunder, of course). The nose brings to mind mummified cherries from the Ming Dynasty with the dust and dirt of old trails long grown over. In the mouth the wine is fruit-forward with dried cranberries, strawberry jam and sour cherries wrapped around a core of dried leaf litter and old leather work gloves. Acidity and sweetness are in wonderful balance and the finish, while modest, comes back to haunt the palate with notes of nativity incense and well-worn wooden furniture. An altogether amazing achievement, considering the price. I catch myself thinking about this wine when I'm out of the house, which for me is a sure sign of the underlying subtlety and quality. Only Pinot does this, and only when the fruit and terrestrial components are in concert with one another. You can find this wine at Sunflower Market on Speedway. Avoid the 2005 vintage if possible, as it was a bit overdone.

My score: 88 (with another 4 invisible points for serious time travel)

Enjoy this wine with fatty, flavorful foods. Avoid heavy, sweet, acidic sauces and chocolate, all of which will dampen this wine. You want some fat in there to carry this wine to that secret 92 point rating.

Cheers!

Year of the Tooth

Well, barring any complications, the Year of the Tooth has ended. Kariman and I have spent roughly $5000 on dental work since last January. Today was part two of my slow motion bar fight. Dr. Steve removed all the mercury amalgams from the entire right side of my mouth and replaced them with composite fillings. All told, today's tally was five large cavities redone and one or two new ones. It took three-and-a-half hours and cost $1630.

But it's the end. No more. One ceramic crown and nine fillings later. Jeezus...

Brush and floss twice a day, kiddos. Twice a day.

Three Saints Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

I was lucky enough to buy two of these bottles at half price thanks to my affiliation with Cata Vinos and the lovely Yvonne who is always on the lookout for awesome deals. This particular Cabernet, from the Santa Ynez area of Central California, is one of the best I've ever had (and that includes pricier bottles like Shafer and Silver Oak). On the nose the wine was explosive with black currants, smoke, tar and mint. In the mouth the wine tasted strongly of cassis, licorice, mint, dark chocolate, smoke and cedar all cascading around each other. Tannins were modest, not as smooth as pricier wines, but perfectly tolerable. An amazing wine, at least in the 2003 vintage, and one which I'll watch closely in the future. I like it even better knowing that it's from Sideways country, an area usually known for Rhone varietals.

My score: 92

Cheers!

(yes, I know it's the 2004 label...)