Orlando Again, the Kingdom

We have been ultimate Disney people for 25 years. We have watched the changes over the years and are continually impressed.
With all of the tech advantages we have seen the parks become more efficient and overall customer friendly. This our 32 trip saw my wife  (the ultimate planner) booking and cancelling fast passes via her phone using the Disney wifi. Booking last minute reservations and checking ride times.
And of course disney beat apple watch with its new bands that keep all of your information stored on them.  Make no illusion though.  All of that information is being stored for a marketing team to learn all about you.
Over the years we have enjoyed fine dining and little known unadvertised tours
My wife literally spends on that planning each trip and each time we have a new experience.
Plan your trip and have fun

Visiting the Kingdom

Moving to Wordpress

This is the last post from this blog site, I am moving this blog to wordpress.  The new title will be, 
Overthewinebow.wordpress.com
Thanks for your support

"At Least You Could Wash My Back"

As most of you know, last week I had a stroke.  So while I am rehab and recovery mode I have had to suspend my wine reviews. (though the doctors have all commented on how clear my arteries are,  good red wine.)  That said, I am always looking for a new topic to write about, and low and behold look what the Lord gave me, not only a topic but a whole venue of experiences.  Lemons  and lemonade you know.
When you have a stroke you lose control of your body, Simple things like giving the finger just don't happen like they used to.  As a person who is always in control this has been extremely frustrating.  Though putting my life in others hands is also reassuring.  When the ambulance got me to the ER, it was reassuring to have a staff of people whose only job was to take care of me.  Rubbing my arm, apologizing for putting needles in my arms, asking me questions and just generally having interest in my condition.  If only it didn't take a stroke to be treated so well.
Once you have a catastrophic incident you have to deal with so many well wishers, but really dd you just say that?  In the hospital more than one person had to ask , " how are you doing"?  Now I know they really are trying  to be friendly , but really, ,,,,,"I have had better days....all in all this is pretty shitty."  A better question, "what about the weather..., always an easy starter... and who really cares what the answer is.
Losing control of your body is one thing, you can fight to get that back.  But, how many of you completely lose your privacy. Everyone knows everything about you.  You do not have a private conversation,  If you need a moment to just cry and be angry there is a horde of people wondering if your mental state is waning. Damnit  I just want to cry and be mad, get over yourselves.  If you see me picking up a knife just be glad that I can pick up the knife.  Your always saying "Look at the positive".  I have always been a private person, having someone watching you try to change and go toilet really rocks your emotion.  You try to pee when you have someone standing over you. Not to mention the showers, here you are stripped down  to nothing hoping for a nice relaxing warm shower.  The person standing in the shower with you says"don't worry honey its all face to me".  Boy, do I feel sorry for her going through life looking at all this face.  And please if you are going to shower with me..."at least you could wash my back".....

Stroke

Will be off line for awhile. Suffered a mild stroke and will be in rehab for a few weeks

Hole Mole ......New Belgium Cocoa Mole,,,,Lips of faith

New Belgium has re-released (is that a word) their Lips of faith cocoa mole. Oh I have seen the light. Talk about a heavenly body.  This heavy spicy beer is perfect for those who love the intriguing tastes that real craft brewers can produce.  9abv .  This porter is enhanced with my favorite flavors of cocoa and chilis.  What an addition to any Mexican meal. 
Oh enjoy

Happy Valentine Day

Happy Valentine's  Day everyone.  Tonight we celebrate Valentines day because I will have to work tomorrow. So this evening I pulled a little something special from the basement.  A 2010 Chateau La Papeterie.  Merlot based 70% and 30% cab franc.  This wonderful Bordeaux hails from St Emilion, an excellent appelation. The Estagers family has owned the property for four generations.
The nose erupts with berry. Blackberry, blueberry, rich ripe strawberry. The dark chocolate aroma  is great for a lead in for valentine dinner.
Oh and then you put the liquid to your mouth, wow what have you done.  You have just given yourself one of the best gifts ever. There is so much going on.  First the flavors.  Your mouth is hit with the  tantalizing flavors coming from this small bottle.  The berry comes first, black, blue, and cherry.  Then chocolate and tobacco. Oh so many flavors. The richness, full bodied exhilarating juice has coated your mouth and you cannot stop.  You have become addicted and you don't even know it.  A true testament to a fine wine, appelation and wine maker. 
It paired perfectly with the tenderloin I made for dinner.  I need seconds.  My wife caught me dancing in the kitchen, must have really enjoyed it...
Enjoy

Here we go, Happy Valentine Day

Looking good

It was wondeful, I used Barefoot Contessa  recipe 

To make the tenderlojn

Luma, luma, luma....Luma Carmenera Reserva 2012

Heading to the Southern Hemisphere Chile to be exact. Visiting the Luma winery, the Batuco  Estate in Valle Del Maule.  I really enjoy wines from South America. Malbec and Carmenere of course are what most people think of, but there are some fantastic merlot, cabs, torrontes, and chard creeping their way north. 
Tonight enjoying the Luma Carmenere. This bold red is dark, dark, dark in color. Garnet, but maybe even darker.
The nose exudes flavors of plum, dried floral notes and spice. 
Putting the glass to your lips you continue to recognize all of the fragrances that we were speaking of.  The flavor hits your tongue with a slap.  Wow, the intense flavors erupting.  Blueberry, strawberry, then you find the lingering taste of chocolate, then mint.  Finishing off the mouth are those earthy tones, leaves, and dirt.  I know, that does not sound so good, but wow it really goes together.  Balancing all of those flavors and tannins together you get such an extraordinary  wine. 
Enjoy.

Look at that beauty

Yep I already had some

ABC, Anything But Chardonnay, ,,,not in this case...River Road RRV

Now truth be told I am not a big Chardonnay drinker.  I do not like the wood that attaches itself to domestic chards.  Some are nice, but I  trend to the burgundy style, unoaked or lightly oaked in french barrels.  But, from time to time I find one that tantalizes.  That is what I found here.
River Road RRV reserve.
River Road is in Green Valley, a sub appellation of Russian River in Sonoma. Ron Rubin is the owner and Joe Freeman the winemaker.
The color is perfect, a yellow that is reminiscent of corn silk.  Bright but not sunshine bright. More like the soft yellow of a peach. 
The nose, hints of pear, vanilla and and yes that oak.  Not overpowering but there.
Now the mouth.  Fruit, fruit, fruit.  Pears, apples, oak and butter, hints of spice. The California buttery, okay Chardonnay.  This wine is delightful.  Fuller bodied, rich and creamy.  Well balanced,  a winemakers wine.  Yes, I know it goes against my judgement about chard. But, it is worth it.
I enjoyed this wine with a perfectly cooked salmon.
Enjoy

A perfectly cooked salmon. And yes I tore it up putting it on the plate

So get over it.  It was still great.

Look at that color. 

Take the Bull by the horns....Tesoro de Bullas Monastrell 2009

Did it again.  Found another winner for under 15.  The Tesoro de Bullas hits the mark.  It is a fine everyday table wine lots of fruit with a nice smooth finish. This treasure of Bullas is definitely  a rich find. Monastrell  is the grape variety used here (mouvedre) in the south of Spain.  This little municipality produces consistent smooth easy drinking table wines.
Starting with the color.  Dark, almost a garnet color.
The nose, blackberry, cinnamon, violets. The aromas ooze from the glass, not overpowering but definitely flush.
The mouth...first you are hit with dark fruits, blackberry,  plum, ripe blueberry.  After, you find lingering hints of oak and spice.  Tannins are firm but  not overpowering.
This wine will be great with grilled meats, cheese and oh that very very very good Spanish chorizo.  My mouth is watering like crazy just thinking about it.
Enjoy

Be true to the Zin.....Truett Hurst Old Vine 3 Vineyards

What a lucky person am I.  Last night I enjoyed one of the most spectacular zins, a 2012 Truett Hurst Old Vine 3 Vineyards. 
Have you heard of the color purple....just sayin.
The nose sent out aromas of dark cherry, plum, and very aromatic flowers...violets.
The mouth erupted with so many flavors...bursting on the scene first..cherry, followed quickly by raspberry, then plum.  All of that followed with bits of cedar?, then pepper and finally tannins that reach into the depths of your soul begging for more.
I enjoyed this immensely.  So much so that I was inspired to cook a perfect steak with a side of spinach.  The steak was perfectly broiled to a medium rare. The spinach was sautéed with onion, bacon, and garlic.  A little a jus poured over the top of all for that maximum flavor.
Mouthwatering good
Enjoy

Yes it was DELICIOUS

also mouthwatering 

Experience,....Ch Bel Air l'Esperance 2012

Always looking for a bargain? Well I am, and I found it.  Ch Bel Air l'Esperance  is quite the bargain.  Under 10 dollars and full of fruit.  This Bordeaux blend ,a striking combination of cabernet, merlot and cab franc, is quite the little gem. 
The nose gives off hues of violets and raspberry.  Putting the glass to your lips you get the overwhelming  sense of rich ripe fruit as the fragrance continues to hit your nose.
The mouth is nice and fruity.  Not a lot of structure but a decent well balanced drinking now wine.  Soft and elegant and very easy to drink.  Pair it with roasted meats, or even heavy chicken dinners.  Also, just a thought roasted veggies.  So not a big lusty   wine, but definitely  a go to every day porch rockin   kinda   wine.
Enjoy

Homework

Ugly icy day. Everything closed. So I decided to do some homework .  Where should I start

Ooo LA LA.......Gassier Syrah Les Piliers

Once again I approach one of favorite winemakers; Michele Gassier.
Holding court in the Southern Rhone he continually produces one fine wine after another.  Cabernet les Piliers, Ch. De   Nage, a viognier and tonight  I give you.....Gassier Syrah Les Piliers.

When you open the bottle you are immediately inundated  with the most powerful aromas.  Floral scents of violets and roses. Dark red berries, like a summer basket full of ripe cherries, dewberries (yes I am showing my southern side). 
Once you pour the wine into your mouth you are tested again.  So much depth and so many flavors.  Again the dark fruits, lots of fruit. Then you get all of the layers, fruit, then spices; cinnamon, pepper, a hint wood to think about. Tannins so supple, your mouth is now begging for more. The flavors are complex and many.  What a wine. 
You must try this to believe.
Tonight I had the added privelege.  My daughter HR   cooked.  Making a wonderful   steak dinner  with delicious sides. She is becoming quite the gourmet.  And, the perfect companion to the wine. Sorry you cannot enjoy the steak, but you must try the wine.
Enjoy.

Look at that..beauty in a bottle...and glass

I know you wish you had this meal.

Oh My Friends....My Amici...

A few words about the wine maker, Joel Aiken. A true "wine star".  After spending almost 30 years at BV, guiding that company into one of the most respected in the world, he branched out on his own.  Aiken wines, Amici cellars and a consulting company keep him very busy.
No Curfew is his red blend and what a fabulous effort.  A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah,and Petite Syrah.
The nose is just inviting to say the least. Blackberry and cherry taunt you.  As you swirl the glass you see the beauty in the color,rich deep red ruby.
Flowing into your mouth it coats the tongue and cheeks with lots of fruit.  Intense combinations of fruit.  Cherry, blackberry, coffee and chocolate caress the inner sanctums.  Followed by spice cinnamon and pepper with the slightest   hint is wood.  Just a little oak to add to the complexity. 
Structured and complex, a definite win.  A long finish that leaves you begging for more.
Enjoy.

Tobin James Ballistic 2011

Have you seen anything like that lately. 

Tonights wine of choice: the Tobin James Zinfandel; Ballistic 2011.

The actual winery started in 1993, The winemakers are Tobin James and Lance Silver. 

The partnership has  garnered many awards right from the start. 

As soon as you open the bottle you know you are in for a fruit bomb.  The nose exudes dark ripe red fruits: plum, currant and a finishing hint of rose.  A floral boquet that reminds you of the big robust rose blooms of summer. 

The mouth is lush and fruit forward, as it is with many Paso Robles wines.  

The dark ripe red fruits hit you first right at the beginning.  Full bodied, plum is the dominant flavor.  

The wine coats your mouth with layers of flavor.  Each one peeling off slowly and showing the complexity of the wine.  Just enough spice at the end to mark it Zin. The flavor never really ends.  Just slowly fades and just as you think you are done, low and behold you realize it is still there.  The soft tannins are there to make your mouth water and beg for a little more, just  a little more and before you know it the bottle is done.  

Wow I really need some schezuan right now. 

Enjoy

Let's start the New Year....Monistrol Cava

Let's start the New Year off right.  I spend so much time working that sometimes  I forget to have fun and just enjoy life.  My life is filled with what alot of people would think is fun.  Travel, wine tasting etc.  But so much goes on behind the scenes and it is alot of work.  The sales part of my job is time consuming, 14 hour days or more is common.  So the little time I have after the holidays I like to spend with family doing nothing. 
But at times I do get a surprise.  My lovely wife surprised  me with a brunch from heaven. 
Crab benedicts.  Yes you heard it crab benedicts. Toasted walnut bread topped with a mountain  of fresh crab meat. Then homemade, you got it ...homemade,  hollandaise sauce.
I added a little sumpin  to finish it off. 
A delicious mimosa with fresh orange juice and Monistrol Cava.  Monistrol is under 10 dollars. A freaky good sparking wine.  Lots of fruity notes exude from this wine. I like a Cava for cocktails.   They tend to be more fruity and soft than traditional champagne and not as sweet as prosecco.  There are many sparkling  wines I enjoy but usually by themselves.  This Cava is great to mix with or even for a nice sparkler to finish  the night.
Here's to a great New Year and lots of great wine.
Enjoy