Bottle Variations

A companion tumblog to http://bottlevariation.blogspot.com

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Drank like a baby! Jesus, amazing. Bright red fruits, incense, oak spice. Beautiful dusty tannins, and glorious length. Could do with another five years in the bottle. 96 points. Best wine I've had in a while.

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Pardon the miserable photo, but I'm out on my patio on this fine late-summer evening enjoying this positively wonderful Albarino from Rias Baixas. Great mouth weight, minerals, nectarine, and a delightful hint of mustard greens, just to keep things interesting. Lovely stuff! 92 points.

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Hidden in the background: Maybach Materium. Cali Cab: The redheaded stepchild at a Chablis-off. The 02 Dauvissat Les Clos was by far the best. Weighty, open, and delicious.

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Tuscany? No! Capitol Hill! I took this on my iPhone (what now!) at Howell and Boylston-ish. Love it!

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Ordered a Chimay Tripel, got it in a keg cup. Oh well; at least it's in a 14 oz keg cup!

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Oddfellows cucumber-avocado gazpacho. I have found perfection in simplicity.

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Bloodshot, by Cherie Priest: A micro-review

I wanted to like this book; it has what seems like a recipe for success: A local Seattle author, a vampire protagonist (which I've been on a kick for since reading Anno Dracula), and what had been advertised as a Sam Spade mystery plot.

Alas, it didn't at all live up to my expectations. The biggest problem is the conversational tone in which it is written. It's a first person narrative that relies entirely too much on colloquialisms and too little on plot substance. There's a lot of 'and then I did this, and then I did this, and then I did this' with very little left to the imagination.

Then there's the plot. First of all, it's not really a Sam Spade mystery at all. I'd describe it as a government-plot driven adventure story more than anything else, and if that sounds hackneyed then you're getting a feeling for the book. There was no point at which I was surprised, intrigued, or even excited by anything that happened in the book.

Finally, the vampire thing did not at all come through as an enticing part of this novel. The too-familiar form of the narrative led to this supposedly exotic, exciting aspect seeming bland and uninteresting. Really, 'vampire' could have easily been replaced with 'alien,' 'werewolf,' or 'Sasquatch.' They're just like you and me!

Again, I really wanted to like this book. I've heard that Cherie Priest is a good author, and I'm going to give at least one more of her books a shot. This one didn't do it for me. 82 points.

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Current vintage. Infanticide, I know, but it shows great potential. 96 points.

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American Gods by Neil Gaiman: A Micro-Review

This book is very fun to read; Gaiman's voice is personable, and the characters are engaging. However, there are some pacing issues, and the book seems to lack identity; it's not sure what kind of a book it is. Still, good read though. 89 points.

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Has anyone heard of this? A supposedly culty Sonoma Pinot. It was pretty good! Big, but not to the point of being a blueberry pie.

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These were from later on the evening of the Chard-off. Things get a bit hazy, but the Crozes was disappointing, and I'm told I liked the Dujac very much!

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At the top of Seven Hills Vineyard. Beautiful view, even if I did bring the rain with me from Seattle.

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Chard-off last night. Very different wines- the Arnot-Roberts (left) was mineral-driven and steely, the Aubert was big, fat and ridiculous - it smelled of maple bacon - and the Sleight of Hand was somewhere in the middle, but definitely the cleanest of the three.

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I'm going on vacation this week. This is what it's going to look like.

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Anno Dracula by Kim Newman: A micro-review

Pretty compulsive reading; I burned through it in two days. I wish the universe had been fleshed out a little more; it seemed like there was more of a vampire culture under the surface that never got addressed, and I would've loved to see more of the various bloodlines. Hopefully that comes out in the next books!

Still, great read, I loved it. 92 points.

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Low-end wines from a classic producer can be so awesome. If this, Roty's 'Cuvee de Pressonier,' were $10 cheaper I'd drink it every day. Bright red fruit with a hint of dried sage and a sarsaparilla tinge. Love it!

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Spent all day yesterday walking around Capitol Hill reading on my new Kindle. My initial conclusions on the platform: While physical books have advantages - easily flipping through pages, being able to loan them to people or sell them when you're done, plus the fact that you actually own the damned thing instead of licensing it from Amazon - the Kindle reading experience is smooth and enjoyable, and much, much better for reading on the go.