Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.
~Benjamin Franklin

Things have been a crazy here lately, so posts have taken a back seat.  They are always a little crazy… okay… a lot crazy, but this month has been a rough one.  I spent May with sick children, house guests, and purging for a charity garage sale.  I have spent June on pain meds, messing with Insurance companies, and trying to replace my totaled car after getting rear-ended.  This is my first car accident and what a mess. Thank God that my children were fine.  I can’t say the same for me, but I am getting there.  Needless to say, with all of those “tensions” I have needed a little “more tolerance.”  Here is a quick recap of some recent findings.

My husband had to do the grocery shopping the first weekend after the accident and he picked up some Bison Ribeyes.  They were delicious.  We paired them witha 2009 Gundlach Bundschu Tempranillo- a meatier Tempranillo with a big dark berries, a hint of spice and smoke, and a long sweet finish.  It paired really well with the earthiness of the grilled meat.  Super tasty.

June 16th would have been Robert Mondavi’s 99th Birthday and the fine folks at Folsom and Associates provided me with some of his wines to share in the live toast.  We opened the Riesling.  The toast was a poignant tribute to the man who helped put Napa Valley wines on the map.  I encourage you to read up on his story and his contributions to the wine world and the community.  The Riesling paired really nicely with the smoked cheddar.  Fuller in body and not as sweet as some, this wine had a very nice balance of fruit and floral.  A great Monday wine.

For Father’s Day, we went to the Farmer’s Market and picked up some Grass-Fed tenderloin, wax beans, and tomatoes.  What can I say?  My husband likes red meat.  I try to limit him to once a week max, and he makes sure he gets some on holidays.  We wanted something big enough to carry the beef, but not over power the vegetables.  We went with Wellington’s Grenache (2007).  They call it a “two-day wine” so I knew we had to aerate.  I poured it through the Vinturi (Thank you , Tony!) and into a decanter.  This was a gorgeous wine.  Cherry, red berries, a bit of tobacco and a super long finish.  About a minute after a sip, I got a ton of rhubarb.  I wish I had another bottle so I could see where it was going, but I don’t.  They are out of stock on it, too.  It was great while it lasted. 

We will have to open something special when I find a replacement for my poor “baby.”  I hope she was able to give her parts to a deserving Volvo wagon.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime, cheers to “fewer tensions”!