Black Mountain Pinot Noir and Muenster

The other day I received the Black Mountain Pinot Noir as a gift. Having heard nothing about it, but the giver saying its good, I decided to try it with my good friends Mr. and Mrs. Luce. I looked up what cheese pairs well with Pinot in search of something grocery store worthy and was surprised to see Munster. So, I picked it up and was on my way, hoping both the wine and the pairing fared well. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Luce are good friends so even if it didn’t all would be ok- but still, who wants to bring over bad wine? Certainly not this winelush.

And…it was good. Really, the pinot was yummy and the cheese went very well with it. Both are fairly mild, so its not like either one really “set the other off”- but they complimented each other very well. I would completely recommend the pairing, particularly if you’re looking for a mild cheese that has mass appeal.

But this Black Mountain wine from Cali intrigued me. How can I have never heard of it? I mean really, as the HeadWino of a wine club and a lush, one would think I had heard something about most California wines. I decided, of course, to look it up. What I found, surprised me. Black Mountain Wine is owned by Bronco Wine Company, the #4 wine producer in the country, Bronco makes wines under a vast number of labels. Many, like Charles Shaw, were acquired by Franzia from distressed companies. The brands include “Two buck chuck” Charles Shaw wines that Trader Joes carries, ForestVille Vineyard, Montpellier Vineyard, Hacienda Wine Cellars, Napa Ridge, Forest Glen, Estrella, Napa Ridge, Sea Ridge, Coastal Ridge, Silver Ridge and on-premise brands like Salmon Creek and Domaine Napa, and a new super-value wine for independent grocers, Crane Lake. Hmm. Who knew?

The funny thing is the owner’s name is Fred Franzia. Who, despite the name and the connection to cheap wine, has nothing to do with Franzia wines, but he is the nephew of EJ Gallo Wines. (so he didn't fall far from the cheap wine tree)

So, basically I found that I would normally have never ever purchased this wine knowing it came from such cheap roots. Snobby? Maybe, but I’m glad I got it and my misconceptions were wrong. I’m fairly sure it’s a reasonable price, although surely higher than Charles Shaw, but we’ll see next time I find it.

Sony 580i phone-yes, you can make ringtones

Public service announcement to all Sony 580i owners:

I searched high and low and could not find this information, so I feel I must share it somehow, in hopes others will find it.

You CAN make your own ringtones. The secret is to first make a file less than 100K. (usually about 20 seconds) Save it on your computer. Open Sony PC Suite, connect in phone mode, then drag it into the ringtones file and the phone recognizes it as a ringtone. (which it won’t do if you just put a song in there)

I personally use Motorola Phone Tools to make my ringtones anyway-it lets you pick which portion of the song you want. I don’t like being stuck with having my ringtones be the first 20 seconds of the song.

2005 Taria ‘Cuvée 384’

Man, I love the Gold Medal Wine Club. They really have great stuff in their monthly selections. This, for example, was really good and I think showed potential to age. A smidge oaky with a hint, just a hint of smoke/tobacco. I don't like cigar box wines, so it certainly wasn't that, but it wasn't bam in your face fruit either. We drank it by itself and while it was very good I think it would be GREAT with some meat- beef, lamb, something that walks. And reasonably priced- I think if we order a half case its $17/bottle.

"The Taria 2005 Central Coast ‘Cuvée 384’ is a Bordeaux style blend representative of the Central Coast region and the 2005 vintage, and named for the restaurant in which it’s been exclusively offered. Older Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from vineyards in the heart of the Paso Robles appellation were joined with cool climate Monterey County Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon to produce this well cultivated blend. The vineyards were chosen because while they produce consistently high quality fruit, they also have excellent soil structure and uniformity, allowing all the grapes to ripen at the same time. The end result is a wine as fruity as any California Cabernet, but also as refined as any wine from Bordeaux. A Gold Medal Wine Club Exclusive, the Taria ‘Cuvée 384’ expresses ripe stone fruit, spice, tobacco, and soft vanilla aromas with a rich, balanced mouthfeel and smooth tannins. Pair the Cuvée with hearty steaks, filet mignons, and roasted lamb. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Malbec. Enjoy now until 2015."