Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has fun with friends and family over the Holidays. I'll be back Next Year!

No Regrets

2003 Monchiero Carbone "Regret", Langhe Nebbiolo ($20) -- Piemonte region, Italy; 100% Nebbiolo. Slightly funky aroma on first opening then it blew off. Pale red color. Tight aroma and flavors at first. Smooth and short finish. Not a "cocktail" wine, but probably a food wine.

20,000 cases, six months in wood, small oak barrels, two week maceration on the skins.

The website has the answer to the question, what does "Ogni uss a l'ha so tanbuss" mean? I've been losing sleep on that one.

Earthy (almost barnyard) aromas after 30 minutes, still tight fruit with tannins present. If I was going to drink the whole bottle tonight I would suggest a splash decant for an hour before dinner and serve with food.

Paired with Chicken Cordon Bleu from Mairose Brothers Meats, a local butcher/small-grocer in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Definitely a food wine.

Much better by the end of the meal.

Drink now.

Ciao!

Vinho do Portugal

2003 Quinta do Vallado Douro Tinto ($20) -- Portugal. This is a blend of Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Soasao from a 200 year-old, small production producer. Mammoth purple inky flavors with tannins. Not for the faint-of-heart. I loved it. Two months ago I pulled a bottle from my wine shelves at home and it was corked. (Bummer, as they say in Calistoga!) A friend nicely dropped off a replacement bottle from his wine cooler today as I am stuck here filling orders and waiting for my sandwich. (I am NOT suggesting you pair this wine with chicken salad!) This wine should last for years/decades, maybe even after opening! As the distributor is out of stock, I have already offered my friend to swap 6 Tintos for 6 Waterstone Cabs even. I am waiting for the reply.

New Hire

Wanted to let you know about the new face in the shop. Nikkie will be in charge of all wine buying and account collections. Additionally, he will be responsible for in-house legal matters due to his extensive trademark experience and due to the fact that he is 7 foot tall.

Please welcome Nikkie to the Cincinnati Wine Warehouse team. Just don't piss him off!

Plane Crash

On a serious note, I was very sad to read about the Chalks plane crash as I had taken the very same flight several times when I lived in Miami and most recently in 2000 on my honeymoon trip to Bimini. This was the first fatal plane crash for passengers for the Airline since its inception in the 20's when they used to ferry rum runners and Federal Agents back and forth from Miami to the Bahamas.

I always felt safe flying in the Grumman Mallards as they could land anywhere in the water or on land. The take-off out of Government Cut as you fly by the monsterous cruise ships at eye level is an unforgettable experience! And when landing you circle Bimini harbor at tree top level over the crashed, sunken airplanes from failed drug smuggling efforts. My heart goes out to the mostly Bahamian families whose friends and family perished.

So be careful out there and best wishes for the holidays. I won't be posting much over the next few weeks due to the Xmas shopping crush and a ski trip in Utah.

To my Wine Blogging buddies, all the best and keep blogging. Can't wait to see some of you next year. I will be the good looking one with the thinning hair and glasses, and a smirk which is not unlike the one on the cat that just ate the canary!

Carpe diem!