Stay Rad

I’m a wine blogger.

I also happen to be a teacher.

Last year, around this time, I wrote a post about how I feel about making the transition from summertime back to school.

You could read the post by clicking here, or you can just trust me…

The end of the Summer makes me sad.

That being said, last week was the first of the new school year, and my first back in the classroom.

It came and went… And I felt just fine.

This was quite possibly the smoothest transition back to school I’ve ever had.

I’ve been searching my memory banks as to why I don’t feel the same way I normally do, and I just couldn’t come up with any reason why it’s been so easy…

Then I took a peek at some of the pictures I took the week before school started.  They reminded me of the day when Kara and I decided to do a little weekday wine tasting at two of my favorite Santa Clara Valley wineries…

Our first stop was Clos La Chance, where I got to taste this bad boy…

Clos La Chance 2008 Lila’s Cuvee Rhone Blend

This is a beautiful Rhone style blend that consists of 36% Syrah, 34% Petite Sirah, 28% Grenache, 1% Mourvedre, and 1% Carignane.  It retails for $50.

Color: Inky dark red.

Nose: A really fun play between deep blueberry and chocolate with hints of graham crackers and mint.

Taste: Cranberry and raspberry fruit.  Cocoa powdery tannins, and mad tobacco flavor.

Score: This is a silky smooth wine that everybody can enjoy, but it’s got the kind of complexity that will make some of you geek out hard core.  This one is great!  91+

Later on, we hit up Sycamore Creek to try this one…

Sycamore Creek 2009 Flagship Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Sycamore Creek makes some really good Bordeaux style wines.  This Flagship Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has a touch of Petit Verdot.

Color: Dark burgundy red.

Nose: Plum and cassis fruits up front are rounded out by mint and tobacco.

Taste: Dark and dense plum and tobacco dominate this wine.  The mid-palate transitions from cocoa and mint to black pepper spice and coffee notes on the finish.

Score: This is a super solid and fun wine.  I would plant my flag on this wine too.  91+

I’m glad that Kara and I live so close to a bunch of really cool wineries…

And with juice like this, it’s hard to feel blue about going back to school.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags: Clos La Chacne 2008 Lila's Cuvee, Jeff, kara, Stay Rad, Sycamore Creek 2009 Flagship Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

This entry was posted on August 20, 2012 at 5:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.