Paul and I really enjoyed a bottle of 2005 Colgin IX Estate at Brix Wine Cellars in Houston last night. The 2005 IX Estate is the fourth release of this proprietary red blend.
The winemaker is Allison Tauziet and the vineyard manager is David Abreau who is considered the premier viticulturist for premium grapes in Napa Valley.
Well, I decide to hang with someone special tonight… My wife! So, we end up at Brix for steak night and end the night with a great wine from Ovid called Experiment no. K1.5. A red blend, this wine has a large percentage of Cabernet Franc, with various smaller allotments of petit verdot, merlot, and Cabernet sauvingnon. This little wine really packs a punch even though it I only 14.5% alcohol by volume.
If you can find this wine, give it some time to open up. It was a bit tight when we opened it up, but soon showed a great nose full of bright floral notes.
The nose continued it’s fruity component with some rasberry and blueberry filler. Some nice black pepper and spices round out a nice nose.
The mouthfeel is well balanced with nice acidity and dark fruits. The finish is also well balanced and long.
In my opinion only, this wine needs a few years to get there. While being well balanced, it is a long opener and needs some time. However, I really like it…
92+ Paul
Last night Paul and I had the 2005 Dancing Hares for about the third time since release. It is an exceptional wine, that can be enjoyed now with decanting or laid down for the next ten years. Andy Erickson is the winemaker of Dancing Hares as well as Leviathan, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Ovid, Staglin, and others. The rest of the accomplished team at Dancing Hares is consulting winemaker Michel Rolland who has extensive experience making wine in over 13 countries, and well known Vineyard Manager David Abreau who has grown fruit for Sloan, Colgin, Blankiet, Viader, and Harlan to name a few. Needless to say this is a very talented team.
Paul and I really enjoyed a magnum of this wonderful right bank Pomerol-style wine made by famous winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett. The name Amuse Bouche is a French noun meaning “amusement for the mouth”, and that it is 
The bottle artwork on the offerings is a conversation piece unto itself. The artwork on the 2004 was done by renowned Napa Valley artist Ira Yeager http://www.irayeager.com/.
Paul and I recently purchased three bottles of the 2003 Fleury Passionne at the Culture Shapers charity wine auction held in Houston, TX. Culture Shapers is a group of Houston-area businessmen and women who are dedicated to serving student artists in many ways, including unique visual and performing arts contests. If you attend High School in Harris, Waller, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend or Montgomery counties – you are eligible to compete for more than $100,000 in cash prizes! The Culture Shapers web page can be found at http://www.cultureshapers.com
Last night we went to Cellar17 and really enjoyed a bottle of highly allocated syrah from Cayuse. Cayuse was founded in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington in 1996 by Christophe Baron after spotting a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home.
Paul and I enjoyed the Aida recently with our better half’s at a new wine establishment in Houston TX called Brix. The owners are very friendly and are not just entrepreneurs, but are passionate and knowledgeable about their wine. Brix offers a warm and cozy ambiance with a very traditional wine cellar feel to it. Enjoy this wine slowly as it will unfold and change as you drink it.
Paul and I enjoyed this excellent inaugural release Cabernet from Down Under, Saturday at Ibiza restaurant in mid-town Houston. As I have mentioned before the wine list is special there and the pricing is very fair, and no Paul and I don’t get anything in return for all the free pub. The Benbournie region just north-west of Claire was settled in 1853 by German Catholic friends of a local priest. The original settlement was comprised of about 15 mud huts surrounding Father kranewitter’s Roman Catholic chapel.
I just got back to H-town from my trip to LA finishing up a large network and VoIP phone upgrade. The trip was quite enjoyable as I was able to spend some quality time with an old friend that I have known since first grade, and was once my wife’s boyfriend in sixth grade. My friend and i loaded his truck with two motorcycles, a Honda XR400, and a KTM 625 and went on an excursion across California. We spent time in the Mojave desert, Joshua Tree state park, The Sierra Nevada mountain range, and the Sequoia National forest. Those that know me well, expected that I would come back with something broken, and i did not disappoint them. I managed to break my Clavicle in several places, but did not go off the side of the mountain.
Last night everyone got together at Paul and Carol’s house to watch the last of the 2008 Presidential debates, and of course drink some good wine. The 1998 vintage of Williams Selyem was the first from winemaker Bob Cabral who is still making the wine for Williams Slyem today. Imagine the pressure he must have felt taking over as wine maker for a winery that already had a very strong cult following. Williams Selyem is one of the most sought after age worthy Pinot’s in all of America, and this wine was proof positive of it’s staying power, and it’s great following.
