wine list wednesday : Ruston

im excited for my first wine list wednesday post. unfortunately im less excited about the wine i chose for this first post : 


Ruston 2008 sauvignon blanc. 6.99$ at trader joes. 

a plus for this wine is that the vineyard was certified organic in 2008, but it was a bit unbalanced for my liking and tasted the best on the 3rd night after i opened it.


it did have bright citrus fruit and was crisp as you would expect from a sav. blanc.  but right out of the bottle all of this was lost by the overpowering acidity. on the third night after opening however this overly acidic and slightly tart aspect of the wine had for the most part died away and it had a richer more honey based flavor. 


moral of the story. i might sight this guy on the shelf another 6 months and see what happens. 

A little cottage in the country

i often feel between two worlds - caught between the buzz and modernity of the city an the calmness of the rural. Always longing for one when im in the other -

i spent a few days at my brother's cottage in yountville ca. its tiny but filled with light. its everything i imagine needing in a country house. a small front porch with an ancient rocking chair. A perfect side yard just big enough for a garden and with a little deck and table for outside meals. Old heavily polished wood floors and a giant claw foot tub in the bathroom to wash away the good country dirt.

its simple here. its about good food and conversation. sunshine makes things grow and they grow rich and full. Bugs and birds and butterflies are everywhere...and so are some of the creepy crawlies that go bump in the night.

its a place where i feel creative, innovative and overwhelmed by the need to create. A mouthfull of wine taste like the work of thousands of honey bees and the fresh figs plucked from the trees are the sweetest things one can ever imagine.

i feel fortunate at the moment to have the possibility to escape from the city and camp out here for a few days...or at least until i miss the hummm of the city.

Fall in The French Laundry gardens

yesterday i had the privilege of walking through the fall gardens of the world renowned The French Laundry. not only are the gardens immaculate they stand for me as a symbol of many of the things i hold most important in my life. Its a thrill for me to be walking among their neat rows.

"Take your time. Take a long time. Move slowly and deliberately and with great attention" - Thomas Keller