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...)

The Path of Love

I choose the path of love. Pain and loss have taught me that nothing else matters and nothing else works. With humility I accept the charge that has been given: to love without exception along the long road of life, no matter where that road may lead.

Chris and Thomas

Finally the courage to produce beautiful music with powerful harmonies and sparse instrumentation. You can actually HEAR the lyrics! And what they say is transcendental, true, and not obscured by elitist pretense! A refreshing touch of warmth in a Coldplay world!

Can't wait for their next album, due some time next year. Until then, you've gotta get Land of Sea.

“Sottano” Malbec I. P. Mendoza 2004

I stopped in at Lloyd’s Liquors in Prescott on the way out to the ranch. While I was poking around, looking for a good Cabernet to go with the steaks we were cooking, the man behind the counter asked me if I like Malbec. He pointed me toward an $18 bottle that he and his friends had blind tasted against more pricey wines in the store. The price was right, so I went for it.

The 2004 Sottano Malbec is a dense ruby-purple in the glass with noticeable extraction and no visible signs of aging. Aromatics include bright red currants, cassis and cedar. Very expressive on the nose, a little like a good Zinfandel. In the mouth the wine is incredibly smooth with a lovely, mouth-coating texture. Flavors of red berries and savory herbs predominate with a characteristic roasted meat taste that I’ve come to associate with Malbec. Very harmonious and pure, and did I say smooth? Amazing stuff, really, at just under $20. I’m going to purchase four more of these, and share them with--you?

My score: 90

My New T-Shirt

By the way, this is a reference to an SNL sketch starring Will Ferrel and Christopher Walken.

The Truth of the Holidays

As the New Year descends upon us, we all feel the stress and strain of this uniquely American holiday season. Nowhere else does flagrant materialism collide so violently with forced introspection. Another way of putting it: we are compelled to focus heavily on meaningless material symbols while the spiritual nature of the season becomes commodified or covered over. The result is heightened tension within the collective psyche of all peoples. This tension bleeds over into many areas of life, forcing us to grow, or not grow, depending on our resistance to the truth.

So when you're feeling stressed out this Holiday season, remember that it's just the world asking you to give something up in order to gain the inner peace you didn't know you had.

-t

Wine Pour Geek

In an effort to stave off financial ruin (yeah, right) I have taken a part time job at Cata Vinos wine shop here in Tucson. My primary role is to host wine tastings at private parties, although occasionally I'll be in the shop helping Yvonne with public tastings. The best part, besides doing something really fun for money, is that I'll get to try tons of great wine for free.

I am now officially a wine pour geek.

Spiritual Realism

I’ve been working toward something in my paintings, something powerful. Until now I’ve dabbled using a variety of approaches, some more successful than others. Overall the paintings I like best have made use of realistic colors and simplified, realistic formal elements. This isn’t about reproducing a perfected scene from nature. This is about taking only those elements that are essential and reproducing them with full attention and power. The colors must be realistic. The formal aspects must be rendered with integrity. But the arrangements and geometries are intentionally simplified, reducing the image to its essence. Extraneous distractions are removed or pushed into mystery. The full range of light and shadow is employed, also in the service of essential truth and mystery. I call this approach “Spiritual Realism” and I believe it sums up my intentions toward painting, writing, and life in general.

I am a Spiritual Realist painter and writer (and for that matter, a cook). That is what I am here to do.

Whether this will matter to anyone is open to debate. Looking around me, I see a world largely rudderless and bereft of spiritual depth. I see people flailing, trying to fill themselves up. Can a simple artist point the way? Does anyone even care? Are we satisfied with our consumerism, our retreat into banality?

Or are we hungry?

I am reminded of Jackson Browne's amazing song "Looking East" and his very succinct way of describing our shared plight:

Looking East

Standing in the ocean with the sun burning low in the west
Like a fire in the cavernous darkness at the heart of the beast
With my beliefs and possessions, stopped at the frontier in my chest
At the edge of my country, my back to the sea, looking east

Where the search for the truth is conducted with a wink and a nod
And where power and position are equated with the grace of God
These times are famine for the soul while for the senses it's a feast
From the edge of my country, as far as you see, looking east

Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the mansion, hunger in the rented room
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And there's a God-sized hunger underneath the laughing and the rage
In the absence of light
And the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east

How long have I left my mind to the powers that be?
How long will it take to find the higher power moving in me?

Power in the insect
Power in the sea
Power in the snow falling silently
Power in the blossom
Power in the stone
Power in the song being sung alone
Power in the wheat field
Power in the rain
Power in the sunlight and the hurricane
Power in the silence
Power in the flame
Power in the sound of the lover's name
The power of the sunrise and the power of a prayer released
On the edge of my country, I pray for the ones with the least

Hunger in the midnight, hunger at the stroke of noon
Hunger in the banquet, hunger in the bride and groom
Hunger on the TV, hunger on the printed page
And there's a God-sized hunger underneath the questions of the age
And an absence of light
In the deepening night
Where I wait for the sun
Looking east

-----

I couldn't put it any better. Thanks again, Jackson, for summing it up.

70,000 words

I'm 1,500 words into my novel. Only about 68,500 words to go. Should take about a year, if I'm lucky.

McManis Family Vineyards Favorite Reds Taste-off 2006

Ever since the stunning McManis Petite Sirah 2004, I’ve come to look forward to the next vintage of red wines by this modest California winery. So, when they announced their 2006 vintage, including a brand new award-winning Pinot Noir, I became excited about the possibility of another great vintage. The 2005 vintage was all-around decent, though not as great as the previous one (with the possible exception of the 2005 Syrah). For this review I’ll give my impressions of the 2006 Cabernet, the 2006 Petite Sirah, and the new 2006 Pinot Noir (the 2006 Syrah will have to wait).

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon by McManis Family Vineyards is bright ruby red in the glass with fairly modest extraction for this varietal. The nose is expressive with red currants and floral notes accompanied by cedar and asphalt. In the mouth the wine is sappy and slightly watery with good acidity and a slightly fake fruity quality. Berries and red currants predominate, with a hind of tangerine and light vanilla. Very modest tannin and alcohol. A simple, flavorful wine, but not nearly as good as the prior two vintages. I’ve come to expect more from McManis and I’m unimpressed with this wine, although it is still quite enjoyable, and still better than f*cking Yellowtail. I won't buy it again.

My score: 82

The 2006 Pinot Noir (!) by McManis Family Vineyards is medium garnet in the glass with fairly decent extraction. The nose is very expressive, almost explosive, with penetrating blueberry and spicey black cherry notes. In the mouth the wine is very fruity and sappy, bordering on overdone, with hints of cherry cola, black cherries and cranberry-orange marmalade. Tannin is non-existent and the finish, while short, is wrapped around a core of creamy, oaky vanilla. Low alcohol and decent acidity save this wine from its fruity-ass self. A simple, flavorful wine that flirts with becoming a gagger. I think they can do better, but this one ain’t bad, if you like koolaid. I won't buy it again.

My score: 83

The 2006 Petite Sirah by McManis Family Vineyards is dark purple in the glass with good extraction. The nose is fairly closed at this point, revealing dark berry fruit and some floral notes, along with just a hint of bacon. In the mouth the wine is modestly tannic with a lovely loamy-blueberry aspect on the midpalate. Very nice, medium-bodied fruit, not overdone, with light vanilla on the finish. Better than the 2005, but not quite like the 2004. Perhaps this one will evolve, and if it does I expect it to be quite wonderful, maybe in about six months.

My score: 85

Overall I’d say that the 2006 vintage must have been a hot one. They probably over-watered their vines in order to deal with the heat, resulting in sweet, generic-tasting fruit with little structure or concentration. The only good thing is that sometimes (as in the case of the Pinot) you get wonderful, hedonistic flavors like cherry cola or citrus mixed in with the usual berry notes. The downside is that you also get a lot of fake-tasting, sappy qualities and a certain hollow aspect to the midpalate. An earlier harvest might have prevented some of this, but McManis isn’t in the business of restraining their wines, and this time they got themselves into trouble.

The Petite Sirah is a bit of a mystery. I can only assume that it is still a little closed. It also seems to be the best of the three, perhaps due to harvesting variations or the peculiarities of the varietal. I will buy more of this in a few months to see where it is going. I expect good things once it opens up and settles in.

Better luck next year, McManis.

An Inspired Life

It is easy, when faced with the perverse challenges of raising children with no money and few prospects, to begin to doubt everything that I am doing. Maybe if I hadn't done this or that thing, of maybe if we lived in another town, or maybe if I hadn't married you, or maybe if we only had one child, or maybe if...

This fear is bottomless, unending, and undeniable. It pervades every aspect of our lives. It paints itself with dollar signs. It smells of dental work and prepackaged food. It gathers dust in the corner, then spills over onto the floor, where we trip over it, cursing.

An inspired life is one that draws its strength from Spirit. In-Spiration. But so often we question a meaning greater than ourselves. So often we think that, if only we could just rework the numbers, maybe we'd get ahead.

But ahead of what? Our consumption patterns? Our debts? What are we trying to get ahead of? Each other? Our own physical destruction?

No. Enough of this getting ahead. Therein lies true madness. Therein lies the death that calls itself a life and raises two dead children, beholden to the tax collector and to the rapacious monstrosity that is this cancer-culture, this self-devouring miasm of greed and unsustainability, soul-less, without Spirit.

If we lose the Spirit, we're already dead, and the Spirit, however we may define it, is not a function of our rational, egoic mind.

That is why I paint. That is why I write. I do these things because they sustain my Spirit. I do these things in the hope that others might likewise be inspired. Hey, if Tyler can do it, then maybe I can, too. Maybe I can stop fearing. Maybe I can learn to breathe again.

I have felt the consequences of fear-based decisions. I will make choices based on courage, not fear. I will seek the inspiration in all that I do. I will not give in to the soul-less world. I will accept what comes, knowing that, in the end, I lived deep down in my soul, in my heart, in these fragile, breakable bones.

And I will teach my children to do the same.

Wild Sunset

My newest painting, now at Mo's.

Cata Vinos Article in the Arizona Daily Star

Way to go, Yvonne!

Here's the article, with a little help from Tim, Patty, and yours truly:

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/biz-topheadlines/207374