This past Saturday at Pleasant Hill Wineries, we had a chance to experience a great trifecta of life: An afternoon with great friends (Kelly and Lisa and new friends Blaine and Carrie), tasting some phenomenal wine, and listening to some killer jazz. Oh, and some really good food as well. I guess that makes it a quad-fecta, if there is such a beast.
Kelly and Lisa turned us on to Pleasant Hill wine turning a dinner party last year ( Dinner at the McMurtrey’s ). Run by Larry Lindvig, an ex-Boeing employee, his wife Birgit, and a host of volunteers, Pleasant Hill turns out some of the best wine I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. Kelly calls him the “Mad Scientist” and for good reason. The blends Larry comes up with are nothing short of remarkable. A true master of his craft, yet humble as a monk, Larry is a one-of-a-kind treasure in the wine world. Add in the winery itself, which is truly a handcrafted boutique winery with even the wine labels being applied by hand, and the end result is a product that blows away expectations. I’m going to attempt to describe a couple, but truly the proof is in the tasting.
2007 Tempranillo: A 2010 Seattle Wine Awards Bronze Medal winner, this wine is full of deep, dried cherry notes with just a hint of soft chocolate overtones. The wine is incredibly smooth on the tongue, with a whisper of tobacco on the finish. Personally I think this wine is totally drinkable now, but my feeling is that in 3-5 more years of careful cellaring, this one is going to be out of sight.
2007 Malbec: This one garnered a Double Gold at the 2010 Seattle Wine Awards, and it deserves every bit of the accolades. Bold fruit dominates with the tannins providing a complexity that you really do have to taste to appreciate. This is another wine that will cellar well. Personally, I plan to save one of the bottles we bought for at least 4-5 years. If you haven’t had a Malbec lately, this is the one. Period. 
2007 Cabernet Franc: A Silver Medal winner at the 2010 Seattle Awards, this CabFranc is the best I’ve ever tasted. Floral and herb notes dominate the nose, but the taste is like pure currant and plum. I was hesitant to swallow, I was enjoying the flavor so much. Once I did, however, the finish is smooth, with a velvet texture on the tongue. Like buttah baby, like buttah.
After a bit, the 6 of us dug into a friend chicken picnic we picked up at Ezell’s. If you live in the Puget Sound area and have not yet eaten some Ezell’s Fried Chicken, shame on you. Shame! Moist, flavorful, and HUGE! I’m serious, a single wing alone could feed a family of 4. Best take out chicken I’ve had in a while. Oh, and a shout-out to Birgit here. We had forgotten plates, so Kelly went to ask for some paper ones. Birgit instead gave us some plates from their house. Did I mention that Larry and Birgit rock? Man…
Music for the afternoon was provided by BlueSalt. A mix of fusion jazz with a bit of blues thrown in, they really kept things happening. I love it when a band, for an event like this anyways, understands that while they are there to provide entertainment, the conversation, wine and food are the real stars. By keeping the volume at the correct level, they added to the day, rather than overshadowing it. Perfect.
The tasting, more an outdoor party really, was held on the grounds of the winery. Folks brought chairs, blankets, picnic baskets, kids were sledding down the hill on cardboard boxes. It really had a family get-together feel to it, which I attribute more to Larry and Birgit than anything. The very definition of consummate hosts, they both seem to genuinely love being around, and meeting, new people.
Finally, once again we owe a debt of gratitude to Kelly and Lisa. Like Plane Ol’ Wine Tasting earlier this year, they turned us on to an event I will not soon forget. And to top it off, they introduced us to two new friends, Blaine and Carrie (Carrie, if I’ve misspelled your name, please let me know). I’m a firm believer that like good food and wine, friends are meant to be shared. If we all shared just one friend think how cool things would be.
Okay, enough of the sentimental crap. Get your asses in gear and try some of Larry’s wine. You’ll love it.
Gregor
I was getting ready to write a short piece on the difficulties of finding work today. About trying to find a job when someone is 50, over 20 years experience in a particular field, but getting passed over for kids right out of college. I know the reasons, and they are quite sound from a long-term ROI point of view. Still, the more I wrote the angrier I got. I realized I had started using the word “hate” quite a bit in my rhetoric. Then it hit me. The “hating” made me actually feel a little better about myself. I was transferring a lot of my own insecurities and “hate” of my own inability and inaction onto others. It felt empowering, and oh so wrong. I was fired up and words were flowing when wham… it hit me. Humans seem to have a need to hate.
I stopped writing and started pondering on how it might apply to the world. The ongoing Muslim Mosque/not-a-Mosque issues came to mind. There are groups now springing up all over the US trying to stop Mosques. One in Tennessee is trying to “stop” the formation of a Mosque that has been there for 30 years. I think deep down these people know there is no issue, that in reality, any terrorist cell would most likely be operating as far from the public eye as possible. But it’s just plain easier to hate. Makes us forget that we’ve abandoned our own gods. Makes us feel better when we do something violent or wrong to be able to say, “Hell, at least I’m not a Muslim terrorist!” Humans seem to use the hate to sooth the feeling of inadequacy when shown how little we actually know. Hate is like saying, “I know you are, but what am I”. Childish, immature, and yet so easy to say.
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It’s no big secret that I love gadgets. LOVE THEM! I don’t care if it’s for the kitchen, living room or car, I love ‘em. What may come as a surprise to some is that I also love the outdoors. Camping, hiking, general sightseeing in the best that Mother Earth has to offer. For proof, check out Paria Slot Canyon. See? Fat men can hike! ( Nobody take that idea, I’m going to turn it into a script staring Louie Anderson )
Now it seems that the forces of nature are combining my loves and adding in a dash of good old fashioned human idiocy: Technology Leads More Park Visitors Into Trouble – NYTimes.com. I won’t rehash what the article says, just read it. Just make sure you’ve taken any blood pressure medicine you may need first though.
The great paradox of our National Park system is that it needs tourism to keep afloat, but the very tourists the parks need are in fact, systematically destroying them. From deliberate vandalism to just plain carelessness, humans are destroying our parks faster than the dedicated can fix. And now the parks have to contend with idiots wanting delivery service while hiking. Pathetic. Read more »
It’s been many years since I’ve been to Rome, but my desire to return has always been hanging around in the back of my mind like some past forgotten love. Blame it on that damn coin I threw into the Fontana di Trevi. Anyway, because of this, I was really looking forward to the Rome episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Filmed in black and white, it was… frickin’ fantastic. I was originally worried that filming a food/travel show in black and white would be a total flop. We eat first with our eyes first, no? Who in the hell wants to eat black and gray food. Especially Italian food at that! Black and white insalata caprese? Are you insane?
Turns out they were not insane. Not by a long shot. By a creative use of partial color, the food looked amazing, while still maintaining that 50′s foreign film vibe to the show. It really was beautiful to watch. On the writing/acting front I give it a slightly lower mark. While at times Bourdain’s gushing of all things Rome was just a bit over the top, it did balance out when some of the old crusty Tony was thrown into the pot. Of particular joy were the self-deprecating jabs at the whole “product placement” fiasco that were woven into the story brilliantly.
Wait, did I say story? Oh, you bet I did. This episode was a story in every sense of the word. There was this thread that ran through the full episode, pulling Tony through the streets of Rome with a sort of, “catch me if you can” feel. And the addition of his wife towards the end was spot on perfect. Read more »
The last excursion we took the boys on this year was a trip to Boeing’s Museum of Flight. Well worth the admission price, it’s a great way to kill a couple of hours or even a whole day. Highly recommended. And speaking of recommendations, we ended up eating at Blue Moon Burgers, the best burger place in town, imho.
We actually decided to go here after a recommendation from a stranger. They boys had wanted to go to Red Mill Burgers based on one of those travel shows, Man vs Food I think it was. Anyway, when we got there, we found out it was closed on Mondays. While standing around looking like out-of-towners wondering where to go, some dude walking by suggested Blue Moon. Sounded like a plan, so after the museum trip we headed to the South Lake Union location.
The first thing you notice upon entering is that the place has a real local joint vibe to it. Nice wooden table and chairs, posters on the wall, very cool. Heading up to the counter we placed our orders.
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