TN: D'Arenberg 'The Footbolt' Shiraz, McLaren Vale '03

Got home from training last night in a foul mood. Finished off this Argetinian Malbec-Syrah (nice GPR) and said 'Fuck it, i'm opening the Footbolt without Eric. It was under $25 and I know where to get it.' Fortunately my total lack of skill in the dojo last night didn't transfer over to my palate.

Distinctive McLaren nose; smoky and earthy. Deep garnet, almost purple in the glass. Great nose with mint, licorice, and what I can only describe as mulberries. Velvety mouthfeel, well-structured, spicy, with a solid finish. Blackberries, dark plum and cedar up front, followed by a burst of dark chocolate and cassis on the back end.

It's still on the wine rack right now, so we'll see how it changes over the next two days. If Court gets home before I finish it I may even let her try...

[As a side note, it turns out that the guy who I wrote the TNs for is a buyer for a wine store in Buenos Aires, Argentina. How scary is it to think that my palate may be responsible for other people drinking a specific wine? Awesome.]

You down with OCD? Yeah, you know me.

Things I really need to do today: Stop compulsively checking the Mark Squires Wine BBS.

It's addictive. Terribly, terribly addictive. I've stopped lurking and started posting.

Oh wine.. you are a harsh mistress.

Linky Goodness

Got a suitably mediocre bottle of Chard last night because I was in a grumpy mood and they didn't have precisely what I wanted (and I mean the year I wanted.. yes I was being whiny because I was sugar-crashing, having just left the gym ). To add insult to injury the bottle was corked. !!!!!!! The Salmon that Peter made was excellent but I was still grumpy for a while afterwards. (All I had left on the rack was red.. stupid winter drinking habits..)

I'm posting a bunch of links here because I got my Juice for the week.. day.. whatever..

For Derek and Eric to consider, 20-something Wine & Speed Dating .. that's an idea.. I don't really like it but I bet it's successful. Mildly considering checking it out for reserach purposes:
"Hi, I'm Abi. I'm not really in the market for a boyfriend but could you tell me your thoughts on this event and would you be interested in other types of singles and wine events?"
http://www.localwineevents.com/Washington-DC-Wine/event-81177.html

Again for the boys.. Lavandou and The Caucus Room, no corkage nights... http://www.localwineevents.com/Washington-DC-Wine/BYOB-restaurants.html

Also.. http://www.winespecialist.com/index.html wine store in DC I just found. They're doign a Napa tasting next Tuesday, might be worth hitting. They've got an extensive "cult wine" section that I'd be interested in checking out, but I'm not sure how exciting it is..

Finn & Porter is doing a Sequioa Grove wine pairing dinner next Tuesday as well... looks pretty darn awesome, and you know how I love my SG. http://www.localwineevents.com/Washington-DC-Wine/event-81368.html

Found out on DC Foodies that the last Monday of the month is 1/2 off bottles of wine at Chef Geoffs! http://www.chefgeoff.com/main/downtown_menu.asp?WineList Uh but then I read the wine list. Nevermind. I'll borrow Eric's word from Thursday, "uninspired."

And the DCFoodies Event list.. E you may find this interesting from a blog standpoint... http://www.dcfoodies.com/events/index.html