My heavens I have been a bad wine blogger!

My abject apologies!

It all boils down to Sloth. Can’t blame Life, or Health or other Outside Forces. No. It is Sloth, plain and simple. But I will make an oath, here and now, that I shall be posting more often!

drawing (c) David Locicero, 2012

We have been drinking through the cases of wine we purchased in Gold Country earlier in the year. We have had some marvelous wines. We have had some decent wines. The only two really bad wines we had were a 24 year old Semillon from the Santa Cruz mountains, and a 2 year old Sauvignon Blanc that was brought by a guest to a party we had. About these wines the less said the better.

The major changes in our drinking patterns have been that we are drinking less Mount Aukum wines. The old vintages are still outstanding, but the newer stuff, under their post-ownership change wine maker just don’t suit us. The newer wines taste of alcohol and tannin without strong fruit to balance it out. I find them harsh and almost unpairable with any known food.

But we are drinking much more Andis and Crystal Basin Cellars wines as well as the relative “new comers”, Skinner and Mastroserio. Skinner is making some remarkable blends that I have fallen in love with. Mastroserio is making some truly delicious wines that are both very drinkable and quite complex and subtle.

My big book projects remain on the back burner for now. In this case Life and Family Responsibility are the reasons. The Urban Winery book will be completed eventually as well as an update to Pour Me Another, but not this year.

I did publish a Wine Journal this year, which hasn’t caught traction in the market place yet. It is a book with blank wine tasting forms so you can record your own tasting notes, track the wines you’ve tasted and generally help you develop your palate.

Stage Left Cellars, in Oakland. Their friendly tasting room.

Also coming up on December 7th, I will be selling and signing my books at Stage Left Cellars in Oakland from 11am to 5pm. Stage Left is making some of the best wines in the Bay Area with fun, sophisticated blends and wonderful single varietal wines, particularly Syrahs. If you are in the area, please come on down to introduce yourself and taste some of Stage Left’s wines.

The autumn is all about harvest, family and leads into the holiday season. All of those things in my life mean events that include wine, so I am certain that there will be plenty of vino about which to opine.