Google-ing 'Wine'

Try it. You will notice that the first thing to come up is a web retailer known as wine.com. Just to give you an idea of their business plan, here is an excerpt from their website:

"It starts with our wine list. Our sommeliers scour the globe to be able to present you with thousands of the highest quality wines representing all varietals and regions. A list we're particularly proud of is our 90+ point rated wines for under $20. This brings you the highest rated wines (according to independent wine critics such as Wine Spectator and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate) at affordable prices. Our sales figures tell us our customers appreciate this feature, which can be sorted by popularity based on our sales over the last 30 days, or by price, region or varietal. And for the real connoisseurs out there, we�ve got our list of 94+ point rated wines which can make impressive gifts or additions to your cellar."

You may notice the immediate importance placed on points, especially as it relates to the perceived value of the products wine.com wants to sell. Let me preface my next point by saying that I am opposed to describing wines via any point scale. Nonetheless, I truly think that this way of categorizing and selling wines will come to a gradual end within the next 10-15 years. As wine consumption grows internationally and more of a wine culture develops, peoples' tastes will become increasingly independent and less reliant on professional criticism. Sure, marketing will continue to play a role, as will a growing range of wine criticism. But the amount of influence a select few publications currently hold in the sales of wine is so incredibly disproportionate to other consumable goods. As the wine industry matures, points will become less important, which as far as I'm concerned is a very good thing.

Random Thoughts

on food - I ate some incredibly tasty sage cheddar from Bravo farms recently. The sage really added a whole new depth of flavor to what would have been a pretty darn good sharp cheddar. Remember not to overlook herb and spice enhanced cheeses!

on recorded music - 'Chores,' 'For Reverend Green,' and 'Fireworks,' or songs 3, 4 and 5 on Animal Collective's latest album Strawberry Jam, are my favorites on the record and maybe in their entire output as of yet. They really bring to mind the type of indie music the band must have been listening to in their high school years. Though these are very accessible pop songs, there is just enough AC weirdness (screams, unpredictable structural changes) intricate vocal harmony and strong sense of dynamics to mark them as AC tunes. Check it out.

on music videos at the gym - Please, please, Gold's club network programmers, stop playing those god awful hi-energy remixes of Message in a Bottle, Bam Bam (really you producers need to leave this track alone already, there's no improving on Sister Nancy and Tenor Saw's versions), and any other one-time hit song re-mixed in clubland. This whole corny club re-mix thing is like the very worst of disco; here's to a very sudden death to hi energy' music or whatever you want to call it.

on 'If I was a rich man' re-mixes - How does a song from the early 1900's Russia, yiddish inspired Fiddler on the Roof musical become a dancehall hit by Lady Saw, and later covered by Eve and Gwen Stefani? I'll tell you how - it's got a great little hook! If you want to earn lots of cash, then write some hooks and get yourself linked with some hip-hop and R&B artists. We need a fresh crop of hook writers out there - Kanye, Neptunes, Nate Dogg, etc. have all delivered in the past, but I think their proverbial hook well may be running dry. Once you have succeeded and are charging $1M per hook, just don't turn out like this guy. I'm deeply embarrassed for him.

on people I know in the military - I just saw one of my best friends from growing up, who recently finished basic training for officers. His rank is captain and he is an army psychologist. As such he is known as the 'head shrinker.' Definitely one of the few people I know who is serving in the military, in what I would say is a very personal, humanistic and noble type of service as army psychologist. You're parents aren't the only ones who are proud of you Breity! See you soon in Tacoma, or SF.

I love Tartine.

Some of the tastiest food I have yet eaten in San Francisco has been at this bakery in la Mission, at 18th and Guerrero to be precise. Though I have yet to thoroughly explore the sweets, the few that I have tried have been very tasty, particularly the delicate, slightly moist, melt-in-your mouth cocoa nib studded merengue.

As good as the pastry is, to me Tartine's greatest strength is its bread. It is the best bread I have ever eaten. Delicious, with a slightly chewy and crisp crust, very moist, large crumb interior, and excellent staying power for the next day (even when kept in a paper bag on the counter, there is no bread drawer in this house....)

On Tartine's killer bread, they fashion some of the best cheese sandwiches I have ever eaten. Idiazabal and membrillo; pecorino, almond and arugula with lemon and sage; and a three cheese sandwich featuring cheddar, idiazabal and Carmody. There are also ham sandwiches. Which reminds me, their croque Monsieur, and basically anything else they do with ham and gruyere on it, is a must try.

I can't wait to eat some more Tartine bread tomorrow!

Three from Chateau Musar

Here are 3 rather brief snapshots of three vintages of Musar. Given that these were tasted a few days after opening it's far from ideal to critique these wines formally. But I'm a pretty informal guy. And besides, I maintain that one can get a pretty good sense of most wines by tasting them on day 2, 3 or even day 4 as in my most recent tasting of Chateau Musar).

Chateau Musar 1999 - Mainly primary, bordering on sweet cherry flavors. It's balanced, slightly spicy, and the most brisk and fruit forward of this line-up. Well balanced, tasty Rhone-like Lebanese red that is more interesting and tastier (not too mention easier to drink at 13.5% alc) than many a CdP out there.

Chateau Musar 1998 - This one is showing a lot more secondary characteristics and appears to be aging quickly. At least that is what this particular bottle was showing me. Still delightful, though. More cinnamon, cocoa and pipe tobacco on the nose, as well as more advancement on the palate.

Chateau Musar 1995 - My favorite. This seems to have more weight and structure than the others with a darker fruit quality and all of the classic Musar cinnamon and exotic spice notes.

Interesting...though geographically the temptation is to equate this with Israeli wine, that of the intensely sunny, very warm, New World style, Chateau Musar really comes across stylistically as firmly in the old world. Or at least that is what the overall balance of nuanced aromas and flavors would suggest. Maybe it's the altitude (1000m), or the limestone based soil? Quite possibly both, combined with Serge Hochar's philosophy, as exemplified by his quote on the Chateau Musar website:

"I once produced a wine that was technically perfect but it lacked the charms of imperfection".

Souls of Mischief - '93 til infinity [good quality]

Another
OK, time to rep for the Bay Area. This is a classic record. Enjoy!

Phil Collins Friday

OK, I've generally railed against '80s pop music. Phil Collins would be a happy exception. Everything about this video is just so mid 1980's. Check the drum fill-in leading into the 2nd verse!

And now some ROCK! Phil and Philip

I never realized this was Philip Bailey! Now, in addition to the version of 'Reasons' off of the live EWF album Gratitude, I can think of this rocker as well as part of the catalogue of one of the greatest Falsettos of our time - Philip Bailey. Yes!