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sasnakra wrote:Short LaBrat review of the 2004 InZINerator:
Excellent, fresh zinfandel, smooth, and a great lingering finish. Nine thumbs up (explained below in the longer version).
Following the Wine.Woot.com advice, I have my Wine.Woots delivered to my office. Normally this system works great – however, had I not dared dream of actually being selected as a LaBrat…well consider the following. Some of it's a blur, but I do remember seeing the FedEx label, opening the box, the interesting graphics on the bottle, and the suddenly formed small crowd outside my office – not unlike sharks sensing blood in the water. After looking into the eyes of this thirsty crowd, I decided my best hope was to stage a rare, impromptu, mid-day Wine.Woot tasting. So I called upon eight of my dear follow office mates to assist (OK, they had heard of the "free" wine and I didn't have to call very loudly – they just stayed and refused to leave). It's good to have friends.
Luckily, I carefully paired the 2004 InZinerator with a fine Italian sausage pizza (leftovers that I had happened to bring today for my lunch) – sometimes things just work out all by themselves! Then I opened the bottle to breathe for approximately 45 minutes. I briefly considered decanting into a spare glass coffee carafe (lucky for Woot science that I re-thought before contaminating the wine – who knows where that carafe had been).
Let the tasting begin. In a scientific-like process, not unlike the infamous 'lost' Myth Buster episode involving dry ice, grape Kool-Aid, a Chihuahua, and 100-feet of bungee-cord….but lets not get off track….the tasting. We carefully poured, swirled, examined the color, sniffed, and finally tasted (mostly in that order). Within our diverse group – the overall reactions and comments were very positive. The zinfandel had a very good, fresh fruit smell, pleasant and not artificial smelling. The color was slightly lighter than expected and that of many of the recent zins. Taste was smooth, with a lingering finish – again a very pleasant experience. Our sample didn't have a strong alcoholic taste – very drinkable. Overall, our part-time scientist gave InZINerator a unanimous 'nine thumbs up' (soon to be recommended as a national standard for wine tastings). The only remotely negative comment was from one poor individual, who after seeing the label graphics on Monday – made the decision not to order. She explained that her husband would have not taken a wine with such a label seriously. Being the caring group we are – we quickly pointed out to the big dummy, that had she ordered the Woot and her husband had dismissed it – she would have won big time!
On a serious note, Scott Harvey has produced another excellent wine (as we Wooters have grown to expect). I am certainly looking forward for my shipment to arrive – then maybe I can go home to my dear wife, who unfortunately didn't get to be in on the LaBrat experience.
bkarney wrote:I just tasted it, I agree entirely. Just tried a swig through the VInturi - not necessary, at all. I really enjoy it thus far, roommate yet to try but it was opened maybe 10 min ago. I'm getting a lot of sweet fruit initially on the nose. Also something like anise or all spice or licorice (good grammer right). I'm tried comparing it to the all spice in my pantry (as I suspect this is it) but I apparently didn't listen to my chemistry teacher as I got a big whiff of it....too big. I'll be back in a bit with some spicy italian sausage, pasta and some fresh(ly frozen) red sauce
bkarney wrote:To continue on with my LabRat report: First and foremost, I really enjoy this wine! As I said earlier there is a lot of sweet fruit in the nose, and the same spice as before. I'm not nearly the expert that many of you all are but I'll do what I can in describing what I got out of this wine.
I guess the first thing you need to know is that I love spicy food. With that in mind, I have a lot of trouble finding a wine that doesn't taste like water next to some of my creations -- enter the Zin. This particular one has my butcher's spicy Italian sausage along with my homemade SPICY sauce (that I freeze when the maters aren't in the garden). As I happily expected this stuff held it's own, yet made them both better! I'm really enjoying this wine. Roommate report: "Delicious."
While I would say the InZINerator would be fruit-forward it was by no means overwhelming. The spicy notes, showing themselves towards the end of the finish, nicely balance the fruit. I'm also getting some cherry on the finish with a little bit of heat - that is quite enjoyable. There are tannins, but they are barely noticeable. It is a big wine, but very balanced. From the minute it was corked to the time that I finished a cigar with it, it was delicious! Glad that I got my order in prior to the sell-out, only regret is that I didn't order more. Thank You WD and Scott for this awesome opportunity. Despite WD's hint that tomorrow's offering isn't wine, I really hope it is...
Offering of 8/28 -- Gourmet Kitchen Infused Oil & Vinegar Medley
This offering's pack:
ArcheDiver (chili oil)
ArcheDiver wrote:Decided to post here instead of the first offering's forum to maybe help sway the undecided. I got labrated the chili oil today, and by an odd coincidence today is also my two month wedding anniversary, so great excuse to cook dinner for my wife. After much debate I decided to pan sear some scallops in the chili oil. first seasoned the scallops with just a touch of salt and pepper. Then into the oil on high heat, about 1.5 minutes per side until they had a nice golden coloring. I took the scallops out to rest then threw some minced garlic and shallot into the pan. Added a little broth and some corn startch to thicken. Put the whole thing over some fettucine (random point.. wife and I wound up debating the fettucini.. should it have been cooked through or al-dente? opinions welcome). Served with a bottle of 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc. I must say the sweet chili oil gave a nice touch of flavor to the scallops. I'm looking foward to trying some more recipies and experimenting with the others when they arrive.
Offering of 9/1 -- Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah - Three Pack
2005 Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills
2005 Petite Sirah Vineyard Blend
2005 Petite Sirah Paso Robles
This week's pack:
MarkDaSpark (Sierra Foothills)
chad1323ross (Paso Robles)
davidgrahammd (Vineyard Blend)
Will comment on main thread, but link here:
Also quoting, and hoping edits will show here too.
MarkDaSpark wrote:Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 1:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
4:10 PM PDT: Waited patiently (well, mostly) in the blind for the Golden Ticket Petite Sirah. Upon sighting my prey, one of the rare Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills, I drew a steady bead and bagged it. Unfortunately, due to the heat on the savanna, the body temp was 87deg, so immediately placing it in the proper cooling vessel (wine cooler) in order to preserve its' freshness, I return to camp.
My native bearers (JavaDrinker and TimByrd) are anxiously awaiting my return with the trophy to properly prepare it for the sacred rites.
Will let it chill down a little prior to opening a vein to let the blood drain into the sacred decanting vessel (a WD exclusive offer).
Part 2 will commence approximately at 1840 hours (6:40 pm PDT). However, due to the length of the hunt, there will be additional parts commented during the evening.
if not well, Cheron likes to post ....
MarkDaSpark wrote:Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 1:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
4:10 PM PDT: Waited patiently (well, mostly) in the blind for the Golden Ticket Petite Sirah. Upon sighting my prey, one of the rare Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills, I drew a steady bead and bagged it. Unfortunately, due to the heat on the savanna, the body temp was 87deg, so immediately placing it in the proper cooling vessel (wine cooler) in order to preserve its' freshness, I return to camp.
My native bearers (JavaDrinker and TimByrd) are anxiously awaiting my return with the trophy to properly prepare it for the sacred rites.
Will let it chill down a little prior to opening a vein to let the blood drain into the sacred decanting vessel (a WD exclusive offer).
Part 2 will commence approximately at 1840 hours (6:40 pm PDT). However, due to the length of the hunt, there will be additional parts commented during the evening.
Edit: BTW, there were plenty of clear "ketchup" packs in the box. Must have been on the truck too long though.
Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 2:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
8:15 PM PDT: After draining the blood into the WD supplied sacred vessel, we allowed it to sit, tasting at several intervals.
Java was smelling a candy aroma, which we later determined to be violet. Softer tannins than expected. After 3 hours decanting, it is starting to open more. Tannins are different, a little stronger, but not bad.
Tim agrees that there is more on the nose now. We all agree more time is needed on decanting.
more to come ....
MarkDaSpark wrote:Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 2:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
8:15 PM PDT: After draining the blood into the WD supplied sacred vessel, we allowed it to sit, tasting at several intervals.
Java was smelling a candy aroma, which we later determined to be violet. Softer tannins than expected. After 3 hours decanting, it is starting to open more. Tannins are different, a little stronger, but not bad.
Tim agrees that there is more on the nose now. We all agree more time is needed on decanting.
more to come ....
Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 3:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
9:10 PM PDT: Java thinks it has gotten tight after 4 hours of decanting. Getting alchohol on the nose. No fruit on palate.
Tannins are big now. Java and I agree that it needs more time in the decanter, but that it will come back (fruit, etc.)
Tim has laid down to rest ...... so Java and I are going thru his wine cellar ...
more to come ....
Labrat Report - Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah Sierra Foothills Part 4:
Day 74 (Sept. 3, 2008):
9:45 PM PDT: Less alchohol on the nose and palate. Java thinks (he was shuddering as he said this) Clayfu might be right. I'm not sure, I think. Tim is getting less fruit, more aged wine smell.
Java got some pepper that time.
If you buy now, drink before 5 years. Don't decant too long. Went well with the lamb kabobs.
chad1323ross wrote:Official Lab Rat Report:
Ursa Vineyards 05 Petite Sirah Paso Robles
Opened and decanted at 3:45 pm. Good cork, no bad smells.
Very dark purple in color - almost like 'plum juice' was a comment.
Nose: heavy fruit - plumbs and berries. blue berries! certainly an alcohol tinge to it. somewhat astringent
Heavy dark fruit on first sip. Plumbs, dark berries and blueberries! slight spice. very low or very smooth tannins
515p poured a sip - tannins have tightened up. fruit has subsided. cherries - sweet, almost. very long wonderful finish. still some of that wonderful blueberry. less spicy.
530 more blueberries again this time. tannins seem to have mellowed quickly after last sip.
600 drank a variety cheese and crackers - really changed the wine. more pepper and spice to the forefront. delicious!
All in all, a very good wine. I enjoyed it, though I'd say it was a bit more mellow or, i dunno, 'soft' than most PS I've had.
Rob, who's enjoying this wine with me, says it kinda lacks that typical ps punch. kinda mellow, but very good. nice long finish - chocolates? and pepper.
davidgrahammd wrote:Decanted the bottle of 2005 Vineyard PS at 7.
At 830 there was still some tannin and bite to it but the fruit was starting to come through.
At 9 (2 hours in the decanter) it was a totally different experience. The tannins greatly mellowed. The fruit and a hint of pepper was much more to the front.
This is not a big flavor overpowering wine. It will go well with fowl, cheeses, etc. The basalmic vinegar sold a few weeks ago would complement it tremendously. It could easily be dominated by a hearty red pasta or cut of beef.
Lets just say...we cannot wait to have more
We both really enjoyed it and greatly look forward to the other bottles on their way.
Offering of 9/4 -- Castello di Amorosa 2006 Gewurztraminer - Three Pack
This offering's pack:
ScottHarveyWines wrote:Just got on and see that the Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer I bought a case of a couple of weeks ago is on. Since I have a few bottles left I can do an unofficial labrat report. The wine is dry, not mediuym dry, with a good Gewurztraminer varietal nose of Lychee nuts and apricot. It has a hint of citrus English hard candies and pear drops with linalool and a slight grassy or dill like Sauvignon Blanc nose. Gewurztraminer's natural bitterness if toned down, as it is in this wine, creates a nice complexity that can remind you of Sauvignon Blanc. I also get ginger, spearmint, saffron and passion friut. Seems to be made in a medium ripe style that gives you a little bit of buttered pop corn on the palate. The wine has no turpines that you would more likly find in a Riesling. The wine has good weight wich makes it accompany food well. I had it a couple of nights ago with a almond crusted Dover Sole in a lemon caper butter sause over crispy grilled spinach. Finished the whole bottle. Not to many good dry gewurztraminers out there. This is one of them.
themostrighteous wrote:'tis that time...
reporting for duty to labrat the 2006 Castello di Amorosa Gewurztraminer!
please note that, as is my practice, i am tasting this for the first time at room temperature. i intend to subsequently taste this at 50-55F, and i will post significant changes in the profile of this wine at that time, if any.
eyes - clear but pale golden straw color w/ medium legs.
nose - Gewürztraminer literally means literally means Spice Traminer or Perfumed Traminer. this is where the proverbial rubber hits the proverbial road w/ this varietal. so... to say that this wine is aromatically EXPRESSIVE is an understatement. the nose opens w/ a floral bouquet of rose petals & violets, yielding to broad-ranging citrus notes & closing w/ a distinct grapefruit overtone. there are certain wines that i could literally smell all day w/out taking a sip, and this is most definitely one of them - it has a GORGEOUS nose.
mouth - and yet my labrattery compels me to take that sip nevertheless. this wine is completely dry, ie its noticeable acidity (3.36 pH) effectively masks its potential sweetness (0.48% RS) (as Scott Harvey taught us here a couple of weeks ago). the level of acidity suggests that this would indeed be a most food-friendly wine - which makes the fact that its body is almost Sémillon-like fascinating to me, ie i just have not experienced that combination (high acidity, full body) in too many wines before. its flavor profile is very similar to its aromatic profile, but that floral bouquet is almost completely muted, those citrus notes make their presence felt upon entry, and that distinct grapefruit overtone becomes dominant in the palate.
closing details - moderate finish, impeccably well-balanced, engaging complexity.
i hope that helps. i don't really have the storage space for ANY additional wine at this point, but i can't let a little thing like that get in the way, so i intend to up my order by another set. i would appreciate if someone can remind me how i might go about doing that.
EDIT: it's a tad too late for me, so i will taste this at 50-55F tomorrow & post my notes then. cool?
Offering of 9/8 -- Benziger Family Winery Red Trio
2005 Merlot Feingold Vineyard Sonoma Mountain
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Farm Vineyard Sonoma Valley
2004 Winemaker's Claret Sonoma
This offering's pack:
dianefreda (Cabernet Sauvignon... and Sauvignon Blanc?!)
InHoc (Claret)
elections2k (Merlot)
dianefreda wrote:I read and re-read the ticket and it didn't say anything about not mentioning the second bottle. Anyway, as i said we called friends over and had the Stone Farm Cab with venison sausage and cheese. de-canted for 1 1/2 hours in the decanter and 1/2 hour in the glass. It was WONDERFUL and even though the alcohol content seemed high it was not apparent at all. It only got better as we went along and I can't wait until my regular order gets here. Moving on to the meal it was chicken so we opened the Sauvignon Blanc, it was perfect! Very crisp and quite nice. This has been a great experience and such fun! Everyone has alot to look forward to. I am not good at picking out specific flavors, I just know what I like and I liked these.
InHoc wrote:I received the Claret about 30 minutes ago, and opened it immediately.
I'm quite skeptical of wine reviews (not wine.woot, but Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, etc.). I do find that I agree with Robert Parker, more than I disagree. I mention this to give you a reference for my biases. I love fruit and complex structure. My favorites are Martinelli, Turley (I'm still hanging in there) and Rafanelli. Sonoma ZIn is probably the pinnacle of wine for me. The bordeaux-style claret is a great match.
The initial nose on this wine is hot (alcohol), but it settled down within a few minutes. The color for a 2004 indicated a full-bodied wine with just a little age on it - not as inky as a PS, but a deep red. The legs are fantastic. My wife and I are getting a tremendous amount of blackcurrant.
On that note, my wife has, unfortunately, become quite discriminating about the wines that she drinks, and she has mentioned that she really likes this and wants to know how many I purchased (so much for bottle shock!).
More notes to follow as it opens up.
InHoc wrote:We're at about 1.5 hours, and much of the fruit has faded to the back, and a spiciness has come forward. Not a hot, alcohol spice, but a cracked pepper-type of spice. It really does have that mouth-coating feel to it.
elections2k wrote:So, an otherwise lackluster Monday afternoon started looking up with e-mail from WineDavid tipping me off to my upcoming good fortune. Aside from having to wait 24 more hours to see what would accompany the Golden Ticket, I experienced all the usual emotions that go along with the prospect of free hooch: lust and yearning chief among them.
Once at work yesterday, my ears pricked up every time I heard the elevator, waiting to hear the mail guy shuffling toward my cube. But at noon there was still no package – three hours after the usual delivery time.
Flummoxed, I hit up the FedEx site to track the package. "On Truck for Delivery" it said, and I was reassured. However, as the afternoon waned, I got increasingly worried. "On Truck for Delivery." F5 "On Truck for Delivery." F5 "On Truck for Delivery." Damnit!
Just after 6 p.m., the FedEx message changed. "Delivery failed. No recipient over 21 years old available." Finally, it hit me: after a purchase on the regular Woot! Site I'd changed the shipping info to my home address and hadn't changed it back in my rush to go in for two of what I consider to be a pretty nice WineWoot.
Thus began a mad rush through the Chicago suburbs in an attempt to liberate my free (and currently incarcerated) wine. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending in the form of the Feingold Merlot.
Dinner was grilled lamb and vegetables and couscous, but I started with the wine on its own. Nice aroma, pleasant color, but I found it a little tight on the first sip. Less up front fruit than I expected and quite dry. I did not decant, but would do so next time.
The wine opened up a bit as I worked the grill. Some dark fruit started to come out, but still the overall effect was thin on the tongue, still quite dry, some leather notes. Hmmmm … perhaps this will improve with the meal.
Happily, it did. The lamb, nicely charred and a little fatty in that good way, finally pulled out some of the blueberry mentioned on the label. All in all very enjoyable, but something I'm not sure I'd have on its own a second time. Smartly paired, however, this would be great.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the other two bottles in this trio hold.
Thanks WD!
InHoc wrote:Early Lab Rat report!
I, too, was awarded double rat status this week - all things considered, it's been a very good week.
We had the Sauvignon Blanc about two hours after our last taste of the Claret, and paired it with a triple-cream brie on Carr's water crackers. It sat in our wine fridge at 44 degrees for about 6 hours after arrival. The wine was crisp and refreshing; the melon came through, although we had a hard time tasting the green apple in the tasting notes. We watched the video, and absolutely picked up the pineapple and pear that George MacLeod refers to. This is not a grassy SB, nor is it too sweet. It was a great compliment to the rich cheese.
We were a little surprised that this is the first release of this wine, as it really was quite elegant. Benziger clearly produces great wine, but we were surprised that a winery's first vintage from this vineyard would be so refined.
Overall, it's been a real pleasure to sample Benziger wines and I hope to see more of their product in future wine.woot offers. I think these were w.w purchases #27 & #28 for me, and clearly among the best (although I was flamed for panning the Saki!)
Offering of 9/11 -- Benziger Macleod Vineyard Sauvignon - Three Pack
This offering's pack:
dianefreda wrote:Sorry about giving away the Thurs. offering in my first report-I was sent an e-mail not to say but it went to work and I was home nursing a bad bad case of poisen ivy and didn't see it until this AM. I totally agree with the other lab rat that this white is wonderful, crisp and very elegant. Given my misery (itching) this was such a treat. Thanks
Offering of 9/15 -- SakeOne Saké Sampler Trio
Organic Ginjo Junmai Saké
Organic Nigori Saké
G Joy Saké
This offering's pack:
bhodilee (Organic Ginjo Junmai)
Aflaedge (Organic Nigori)
npickett (G Joy)
jkwest (G Joy)
bhodilee wrote:Prelimary Report on the Organic Junmai
Junmai First Impressions: More to follow, this is just a first sip to see what I should have with dinner.
First off, the Junmai has a little cloudy appearance in the glass. This isn't to say it's milky, but it's not perfectly clear either. I like it. The nose is Sake all the way, little citrusy note but I'm getting mostly rice. Flavor is perfectly balanced, seriously where's the alcohol? Wherever it is, it is NOT on the palate. This isn't your jet fuel type sake. Flavor wise, it's citrusy with a coconut milk back. The coconut flavor is kinda there but not in an overpowering way. By the way I'm drinking this maybe around 68 degrees. Rest of the bottle is in the Fridge. The finish is long and smooth, reminds me A LOT of rice pudding if that makes sense. So far this is a great understated, smooth Sake. I think I'll go with something Mild for dinner as I dont' think it's big enough for spicy dishes. Vietnamese place I frequent is closed on Tuesday nights so dinner is up in the air. I'm thinking Chinese since there are many places to choose from. I dunno though. Back later as a reply and a part two. So far I'm very happy to have been in for three, they're not gonna last long.
bhodilee wrote:Labrat Report Organic Junmai Ginjo (or is ig Ginjo Junmai?)
I take back my Coconut assessment, it's closer to slightly underripe banana. Very nice flavor and the finish is still rice pudding with banana. Dinner was Lemon Chicken and it paired ok, the Sake was better than the food so I didn't eat it all. I was going to pair it with Pork and Eggrolls with fish sauce and that would have been gold, but the place was closed. Anyway, this is a mild Sake so mild foods are good with it. The Lemon Chicken was too Citrusy. More to come after I give my daughter a bath.
Edit before final report: I think this Sake would work great in place of coconut rum anywhere that rum is called for. In fact, had I the skill (I'm looking at you MM, you have the skills) I would make a Sajito with this (I trademarked the male name) I think it would be great in place of rum in a Mojito. Third glass coming up now, fourth glass before I post again. End of coherence...
bhodilee wrote:Labrat Final Report Organic Junmai Ginjo
Gonna stop at Glass 3, I've got a long day tomorrow.
To recap, this is an exceptionally smooth Sake, Green Banana, Citrus, Nagging Wife ( no wait, that's my life right now, has nothing to do with the Sake). Okay, where were we, Green Banana, Citrus, long smooth finish of Banana Rice Pudding, no discernable Alcohol. Just a really nice Sake. Super Clean taste, like if a mountain stream were made of Sake. If you don't like Sake you may like this, if you do like Sake, you'll love this. It was quite good and I can't wait to have a tasting party (drunkfest) with the other three bottles heading my way. Well done SakeOne!
Addendum: The last sip was room temp, which is about 80 today and there was very noticeable alcohol at that temp. With it chilled though the alcohol wasn't at all noticeable. So drink this chilled and if it warms up stick the glass in the fridge for five minutes.
npickett wrote:G Joy sake labrat reporting in. Grabbed some sushi for dinner and "twisted" this one open. First assessment "hrmmm what is that smell?". My eight year old daughter took a sniff and said "bananas!" then it clicked for me too. Smell of banana without the overt sweetness. Very smooth, but I do notice the alcohol. I'm quite enjoying it. Thank you. I'll try to get some more opinions soon.
Aflaedge wrote: Labrat Report on the Organic Nigori Junmai Ginjo
The results are in from the Nigori tasting and asian BBQ party. The uncapped, freshly shaken bottle brought forth fresh cut bananas. A mellow fragrance that gives a whiff of things to come but by no means fills the room. Dinner, comprised of Teryaki chicken, shrimp, onion and green pepper kabobs with coconut cous-cous, proved to be a decent precursor despite lacking the spiciness of recommended pairings. After pouring an ochoko for each of the three deputized labrats, and one for myself, I asked them to take a sip and write their first impressions.
In no particular order the consensus found the Nigori quite fragrant, slightly sweet and full of presence. The banana carries through to the end but only as a soft layer and not like a milk shake held hostage by artificial flavor. The fullness brought on by the sediment prolongs the aftertaste by providing a texture on the tongue. The alcohol sneaks in and out quickly leaving one to wonder if it was even there in the first place. This quiet impact gave me confidence to pour another cup. Two rounds later the guests dispersed and I was left to finish the tasting and validate the chocolate pairing.
If ever there was a understudy to Ambrosia and Nectar it would be Chocolate and SakeOne Nigori. I couldn't agree more with Sakeguy2 on this point. While sweet or semi-sweet would work, I recommend a dark chocolate. That way the bitter and sweet flavors wage a delicious war for control of your taste buds. Although I haven't found one yet, this combination should surely have its own mixed drink if a worthy chocolate liquor could be found. During this second tasting I would also like to note that the coconut flavor did not appear as previously advertised. I was afraid that the dinner might have drowned it out initially, but almost two hours later and still nothing.
With two thirds of the bottle gone, I've called it quits for the evening. In summary, the banana fragrance and smooth finish are two excellent qualities to look forward to for this and future offerings. Pair with chocolate after dinner for best results, and always, always, always serve cold. Konpai!
jkwest wrote:So....I took one for the team and went to BevMo! and bought a bottle of the G Joy Saké.
I got home, stuck it in the fridge for an hour and decided it was time to try it out. The black ceramic bottle is a beautiful design, first off...wow! I broke the plastic seal, unscrewed it and took a huge whiff straight from it....talk about deceptive....the aroma was mellow...subtle hints of honeydew and apple with a slight contrast of rubbing alcohol, but, not in a bad way. I poured it into a Spiegelau Authentis White Wine Glass...it looked distinctly like a Sauv Blanc...swirled it around a bit..huge legs, rightly so, due to its 18% ABV.
Took another sniff, same as before, but, the alcohol was a bit more prominent...took a swig..weird! Its clear but, has the creamy flavor of a melon and asian pear..swallowing brings out some spice that lingers quite longer than regular red wine. My dinner pairing just happened to be some tomato rice and jerk chicken that ended up being well suited for the sake.
This being my first experience with higher quality Ginjo Sake, I was pleasantly happy with it. My wife, on the other hand, could barely get a swig down..then she did the "eechhhh"! that you get from cough medicine..she's solely a red drinker, its fine.
After dinner, I decided to have some fun with the Sake and try mixing it with different juices that were in my fridge..
Cranberry - nice!! The tangy cranberries did well to counteract the bitter alcohol flavor...my wife even said she could handle that after a few glasses of wine..
Passionfruit - meh...turned it into a cloudy, murky yellow mess..it was a potent wine cooler, and, I'm not a wine cooler fella, so this would be better suited for someone fruitier.
Acai/Blueberry - the best! I could have served this to the kids and they wouldn't know otherwise...but, I wouldn't...really..
I had a V8, but, I decided to pass on that for the evening..
Now, to get down to the price value..This is a good price, no doubt...my local BevMo! had this and four other in the Momokawa family and this and two others would have ran me roughly $4 more than the woot offering after shipping. If you can't find this stuff local, buy this one now! I'm really glad to see I can get it locally when my four bottles run out.
Thanks, SakeGuy!! I feel that Sake may now how a permanent place in my house now.
Offering of 9/18 -- Little Vineyards - Two Pack
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
This offering's pack:
polarbear22 wrote:Just started sipping a bottle from my cellar (if Little 2004 CS, lest I not be clear). So this is not an official labrat report, but the offer got me interested in a bottle of Little.
Color is a nice deep garnet, still able to see through. Cabernet fruit on the nose. There is a little alcohol on the nose in the cheap glass I am using, but no heat when I drink. Still a little tight tannins, so needs more than 30 minutes to open up. The tannins are smooth, not chalky. Good long finish.
This wine has plenty of time left. No need to rush to drink it.
I may post more on this later.
polarbear22 wrote:Sorry, not sure that the bottle lasted until it had fully opened up. It was wonderful. Very smooth and long finish. This is just a really nice Cab. It complemented the rubbed and grilled pork chops, and went well with the little piece of dark chocolate. Definitely one of those nights when I wish my wife didn't drink wine, so I could have more. (Don't have to worry about her reading this, she knows I am a wine hog.)
Java - I look forward to your labrat report. I did not set the bar too high for wine rating skills.
polarbear22 wrote:We also had wine farther up the cork than normal, nearly halfway. But the wine was still good.
timbyrd wrote:You know I'm the strong, silent type. (To the extent compatible with being a delicate flower, of course.)
I will say there were wine stains 2/3rds of the way up the cork, so our experience may not be representative. We opened it about 8pm, and it peaked an hour or so in. After three hours, it was not showing at its best.
I didn't get any astringency until I tried some of the dark chocolate that Sparky brought. He thought the chocolate countered the astringency.
MarkDaSpark wrote:Assistant Volunteer Labrat (codename: Igor) reporting!
Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to find my notes from the RPM Tour visit to Little Vineyards (we tasted their '04 & '05 CS) and upload the pics. System crashed during the pictures portion.
You can kind of see the cork in the bottom left of the picture above (sorry, should have taken a picture of the cork itself). It looked okay, other than their were wine stains about 2/3's around the cork. Didn't seem too soft. Opened it around 8:00pm, and we tasted it throughout the evening til about 11:00 pm when I left.
I brought some Brix (Extra Dark Chocolate - for CS) along. As TB mentioned, I thought it cut some of the tartness, and he thought it was more tart with the chocolate.
The wine had a very nice Ruby Red color, with medium depth but very clear. I think we both got Earthy aromas of medium intensity. But I never got anything other than that for aromas. Unexpected, since I don't remember the earthy aroma from the RPM tasting.
I thought it had a medium body, tart acidity, medium tannins, low intensity, and a short finish.
It never improved (to me), which leads me to believe the wine may have been "cooked". It just didn't seem like a CS, nor did it taste the way I remember it did during the RPM tasting. I remember enjoying both the '04 and '05 from the tasting, per my notes.
I'm trying to see if I can zoom in on the cork in this picture, since my camera took it at 22mb, so I should be able to, if my software would only cooperate.
Edit: Okay, here's the cork.
It's behind the plastic wrapper, but you can see the red stains on the side of the cork.
javadrinker wrote:Javier and I (clayfu) also have the stained cork, but it doesn't taste cooked to us.
A bit of heat mars the medicinal cherry flavor on the nose with hints of cocoa. Toasted oak with jammy ripe bold strawberries with a streak of green pepper and medicinal herbs. It's a pretty big wine. Even though it is a big wine, it's not a mouthful of wine that's typical of "higher" end "big" cabs. Your whole mouth isn't covered with any of the jamminess which.. kinda vacuums. About a 5 second finish with a backbone of tannins.
This is not a long lived wine, also typical of big cabs, very ripe fruit but going to be short lived. You're looking at a drinking window of about 5 years at the most. I would guess even less based on the fact that the fruit in the wine almost completely disappears within 1.5-2 hours with some air contact. The wine is alot thinner and it turns into tart/sour cherries opposed to gobs of ripe strawberries.
This seems like a consume NOW type of wine, just pop and pour.
jenludwig wrote:I'm here, I'm here! It's bouncing, I'd better be quick! We in no way said we were 100% qualified to present tasting notes, but here goes our best efforts. We popped and poured, not being the patient types! There were four of us. I tried to write down everyone's initial reactions.
Nose: Chocolate, plum, musty (like an old library - but in a good way), cherry (yeah, the husband always says that if it's a red, but I got it too this time), berries, big ripe berries, a definite amongst all of us. Leather, one said OLD leather.
Color: I said ruby, hold it up to the light and it has a brilliant hue. Others said plum. One asked if they really had to say what color it was, who cares, she just wanted to taste it.
Taste: tanins were not heavy at all, very low oak flavor on this one, if at all, and berries were a stand out. Remember, we didn't let it sit at this point.
This was pre-dinner, we tasted with Blue corn chips and a homemade al fresco salsa. I would not have expected this to be a good pairing, we all really liked it though.
Wine responses:
T: I like it...a lot.
A. It is innundating me with taste
C: I really like it, and would give it a 5 (out of 5 after I prodded).
Me: Mmmm....I wish we hadn't jumped right in!
C: Can I have some more?
That last to me is the indicator of a great wine. If someone asks for more
After a half hour it had opened up very nicely. The minimal tannins that were there smoothed out really nicely. It also gets a lot more berry smell as it opens up.
I don't think this is a long lasting wine. I think probably another hour or so and it would have peaked. Very yummy none the less. I disagree with the winery website stating it would cellar for 10 years. I was in for 3, and I think I'll pop one every 5-6 months or so. I think past 5-6 years and the wine will be beyond it's prime.
However, this was a fabulous wine, and the price point wine.woot is offering it at makes it more than a bargain, even if your not a labrat. Hopefully this gets posted before the giant yellow buttons stops a bouncin'
Since Dearest Cheron is tired, and has gone to sleep (and to keep my post count higher than her's), here is a labrat post:
jpkrause wrote:My first lab rat report. I was going to report aftet tasting upon opening and then again after decanting for an hour or two, but seeing as how the button is bouncing, I'd post my initial impressions.
Disclaimer: I have thoroughly enjoyed 2 previous offerings from Little on Woot, so this is a lot like asking a rat to rate cheese. I have not read any other lab rat reports, so I am posting and then I will read others to see how my opinion matches. I am no expert, but I enjoy big fruity reds, especially Cabs, Zins, and Petite Sirahs.
Upon opening, I noticed that the cork is only pale purple, with some bleeding about 1/3 the way up the cork. I was expecting a deeper coloring for a 2004. There was no crystalization on the cork.
The color of the wine is deep, dark purple. I noticed no sediment as I poured to a decanter.
Poured my first glass straight away into my big-ass glass. Gave it a swirly-swirl, then a sniffy-sniff (too many episodes of WLTV). The nose is very hot right out of the bottle. It overwhelms the hints of Cabernet fruit. This alone to me suggests a need to decant or cellar.
In the mouth, it is very smooth up front, but the heat kicks in mid- to back palate. It is tannic, but did not make my face pucker, I'd quantify them as 'medium', and it lingers briefly. I'm noticing more oak than fruit, which is in stark contrast to the '03 that I had last weekend, which seemed completely opposite. Personally, I am enjoying this every bit as much, but for different reasons. It's funny how the 'same' wine can vary so much from year to year.
My initial impressions are that it ought to improve after opening up. My amateur opinion is that it will cellar pretty well for a few years.
After 20 minutes in the glass, the heat on the nose has diminished somewhat, allowing some of the fruit to get through. Ditto in the mouth... much smoother after letting it stand for a bit.
Will try it again in another hour or so.
Edit: Part 2
jpkrause wrote:It's an hour later than my initial report. The nose has more fruit than before and less heat, as may have been predicted. Much smoother in the mouth as well. It's now leaving its tannic footprint on my inner cheeks. Definitely dryer than the '03.
The wifey also found it to be less of a fruit bomb, but found it to be smooth and also enjoyed it thoroughly.
And, I've learned that it does not pair well with Healthy Choice Frozen Fudge bars. It definitely calls for dark chocolate.
Thanks, WineDavid, for the opportunity to be a rat for a day. Especially on this, the 17th most important day of the year, Talk like a Pirate Day. Arrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Good Job!
mommyrants wrote:So...I'm labratted for the first time and the offering sells out!
I'll share anyway.
1. What a gorgeous color. Ruby/Garnet read.
2. Not remmotely too hot and alchoholly - as this was without breathing.
3. Rich cab flavor, but not huge. This would pair well with a mild filet but would stand up to a beefy prime rib as well.
We went out to dinner last night and had ordered a Rodney Strong. Much more expensive. Not nearly as good.
Sorry I didn't get this in before the sell out. This wine sells itself. Very glad I got 3. This is great for drinking and would also make a great gift for a wine lover.
Offering of 9/22 -- Titus Vineyards Lot 1
This offering's pack:
[url=http://wine.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2591058]spdrcr05 (with tripgrad & InShadows)
HitAnyKey42 wrote:So I got home just before 4:30 pm EST...popped open the bottle as we started to get the steaks and other things ready. After a few minutes, poured the first two glasses through my nice new Vinturi aerator (thanks again Krugsters! ).....
Then even before doing the first sniffy-sniff or tasting, I prepared the steaks. Rubbed on a mix of crushed fresh garlic and a garlic/rosemary mix, then coated the steaks with Kosher salt to sit for the next half hour...
Then poured about half the bottle into my lovely WD Decanter...
While my mom was slicing up an eggplant, a pepper, and an onion...I quickly prepared a simple cheese/quince platter from the leftovers from the Sat tasting party:
As Cheron asked me to state exactly how it was prepared, this is what we did for the eggplant to be grilled. Put the slices of eggplant and pepper in a baggie and sprinkled with ground garlic sea salt and some olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Shook it up in the bag and then put it on the grill.
Then in a frying pan, we sauteed some homegrown red & white onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil.
The steaks had the kosher salt washed off, then dried, then tossed on the grill. And I put a little bit of McCormick's Montreal seasoning on them while they were cooking.
Sliced up the steak, poured the onion/mushrooms over it, served up the eggplant/pepper mixture and viola!!
So the steak turned out absolutely amazing, tasting great and being one of the most tender steaks any of us had ever had. Mom was blown away at how much the Kosher salt did for it (and now plans to do the same thing for some lamb she has).
But anyway, on to the important thing and why you are all reading this lovely novel/picturebook I'm writing....THE WINE!!!
The color is a nice deep garnet red, though when held up directly to the light brings out a nice glowing bright red. Interesting contrast between light directly behind it or not. The legs of this wine are long long stretching beautiful legs that you would love to have wrapped around you in a loving embrace of bodily flesh (too graphic?...well, too bad...that's what you get from my mind ).
I took my first sniff-sniff and taste of the wine probably after it had been in my glass (after going through the Vinturi) for at least 15-20 minutes. There was some initial heat and very little fruit on the nose, which I expected with it still being so soon. I was surprised however, that it only had moderate tannins. Yes, the cheeks did pucker up a bit with some swishing in the mouth, but not as much as some other wines I've had that were decanted even longer. Must be the Petit Verdot that helps balance it.
Some fruit started surfacing after about an hour (I think I was still on that first glass and hadn't moved onto the decanter'd wine yet, but I could be wrong as I didn't mark that in my notes). It's not blueberry, that much I could tell. I'm thinking more a dark blackberry. Definite hints of spice on both the nose and palate. Maybe a slight floral bouquet, and the heat has subsided almost entirely. It has a very nice long finish.
While finishing up with some of the last bits of dinner, still had a bit of the Manchego cheese & quince and this was rather tasty with the wine. It would certainly go great paired with some nice sharp cheese and quince.
After a bit over two hours or so, the wine was really opening up. Still quite robust and smooth, flavors and nose integrating nicely and still having a nice long finish.
This was a fabulous bottle (which I still have almost half left for tomorrow...and half a steak...maybe a stir fry tomorrow) and I'm so very thankful for WD sending it over to me. I personally plan to wait at least a year and a half or two before I open up my first bottle, and will try to hold onto my other bottle to see how well it's doing 6-10 years from now. I now wish I had gone in for 3 AND gifted myself some.
tripgrad wrote:GangRat of Titus 2004 Lot I
Host decanted entire bottle b4 guests arrived.
Blue Stilton with crackers for 1st course while beef kabobs broiled.
1st impression: beautiful dark red with scarlet edge; long legs
nose: raspberry soaked leather
1st taste after 1 hr in decanter: cherry with moderate tannins on finish
Stands up very well to the strong cheese
Excellent paired with the marinated beef
After 2 hours, finish is a lot (!) smoother.
We suggest that you cellar for a while and open for a special meal.
spdrcr05 wrote:Wow... what's the line about never following a better comedian? With my extreme lack of tech savvy, my lack of pictures is going to seem VERY anti-climactic.
I'll start by thanking InShadows & TripGrad for sharing this rat-errifc experience with me. Both of them kindly offered to bring something, and the excellent steak kabobs from IS & TG's very tasty blue stilton complemented this offering quite well.
As stated earlier, I popped the bottle at 6:30 based on Loweeels recommendation, expecting my guests around 7. Northern Virginia traffic being what it is, TG arrived a little after, and IS was delayed until almost 7:30. In retrospect this was a very good thing. My initial impressions of this wine were from it's very dark garnet red color and hot nose. While I didn't taste it at this point, it had a very strong smell, with the alcohol overpowering almost any other impression that I might get.
Our first pour was at 7:30 shortly after IS arrived. I swirled my glass and was immediately struck by the legs. This along with the nose I got earlier lead me to believe that the published alcohol content on this might be a bit low. First whiff was predominantly ripe blackberries on the vine, with a hint of raspberries. My first taste showed a VERY tannic wine that pulled at the sides of my tongue. I loved the mouth feel and found it to be very drinkable with the aformentioned blackberries but a stronger taste of dark cherry coming on initially followed by a black pepper spice taste. As the kabobs were under the broiler, I initially began pairing it with the blue stilton and found it to be an excellent match to the sharp flavor of the cheese, the tannins cutting the fat very nicely.
Around 8, the kabobs were done and we plated them along with our second glass each. Another 1/2 hour had softened the tannins quite nicely. Still there, still pulling at the edges and puckering the cheeks a bit and pulling at the sides of my tongue, but not so overwhelming as earlier. I was having trouble grasping the nose and additional flavors and resorted to grabbing bags of fruit out of my freezer. TG said "raspberries" right as I stuck my nose in the bag of raspberries. I hate it when that happens. Ripe berries... still the hint of black pepper that adds some kick... and a curl of tannin that lets me think that I'm REALLY glad I don't have to sacrifice one of my purchases to know that I want to sit on this at least a year (if not 2) before trying another one. The wine was excellent with the marinated steak, peppers, and onions of the kabobs. While I don't think I would fully enjoy this wine on its own at this time, it will match quite well with any flavorful dish you might be serving.
Overall, a very good wine that IMHO shows some great aging potential. I'm glad I'm in for 3, especially considering the number sold here, the lack of availability from the winery, and the demonstrated rising prices from some of the retailers as discussed earlier in the thread.
Loweeel... not that my opinion matters much... tomorrow, forget 30 minutes... take a taste at 60... and go from there.
InShadows wrote:I do not know how I can follow up these excellent reviews. When it comes to wine knowledge, I am just a pauper, but I shall try my best. First off I would like to thank spdrcr for his hospitality and generosity. As tripgrad and spdrcr mentioned the bottle was decanted for an hour before the first pour. It had a powerful deep black fruit nose to it and maybe a little bit of licorice on it and was a beautiful deep garnet color. Also noted already the wine had great legs but a little deceptive with it being so early. The first sip also pulled at my tongue and cheeks. With the great legs and puckering action I felt as if I was being embraced by Okoi from Basilisk. I tasted dark cherry and black pepper. The cheese that was provided by tripgrad helped to tame the tannins a bit. After the kabobs were done we were ready for our second glass. The wine had decanted now for an hour and a half. It was much tamer than the first glass. The wine was now a bit smoother and the bouquet was more pronounced. The raspberries were pronounced now but the black pepper was still there. The licorice had seemed to subside. Overall it was a very good red and for those that were able to buy I do not think you'll be disappointed.
Now I'll attempt to do some pairings with this wine. Food is so overdone so I'll continue with what I started with SakeGuy2 and do movies and music.
Decanted after only 1 hour:
Music: Because of the tannic nature and my personal preference for low to no tannins I would have to go with something somewhat annoying but still catchy and likeable. So I'll go with jwhite's favorite band – Hanson - mmmbop. If you are a lover of the tannins then I would suggest Tool – Forty Six & 2.
Movie: Initially it's a grinding assault on your mouth so I would select Robocop: Unrated Director's Cut.
Decanted after an hour and a half:
Music: I would suggest Soundgarden – 4th of July. I have no valid reason it just seems to go with it.
Movie: The movie selection is also based on the 1 hour taste. The movie had to be about a guy who personified bravado and failed initially but in the end after another half-hour of decanting came back and overcame his trial and tribulations. So I am selecting The Hustler for the movie to pair this best with.
Loweeel wrote:9/24/08 -- Titus Lot 1 -- 65/30/5
45 mins in decanter. Nose: predominantly black raspberry liqueur, with white flowers, hints of molasses, vanilla, and nutmet on the nose.
Very dense. No heat. AMAZINGLY dense -- more impenetrable than the Ursa. Incredibly structured, initiall hint of confectionary, then some smoky meat.
This wine frakking COATS THE frakking GLASS. Legs nicer than Tricia Helfer's. Wawaweewa!
The tannins are very noticeable, but they're very integrated and chewy, not stand-alone liquid sandpaper.
Very distinct transitions between attack, mid-palate, and finish. this wine is something special, folks.
65 mins: the nose is jammier, more liqueur, more blackberry. White pepper and black pepper on the finish balancing the nutmeg and molasses, with hints of baking spice. This is getting more complex and awesome.
90 mins: The finish turns to black cherry.
105 mins: here come the tannins.
This is a massive, elegant, integrated wine. It will pair wonderfull with things with a hint of sweetness like bbq ribs or burgers or brisket. I would give this at least 2 more year; it isn't quite ready yet. Though it got very well integrated, and is excellent, it will only get better.
if you bought this, hang on for a few years.
Offering of 9/25 -- Saddleback Cellars - Two Pack
2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
This offering's pack:
rooboy (2003)
tklempay (2004)
rooboy wrote:LabRat Report - 03 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
WD – Thank you very much for this opportunity!
This wine, along with the excellent learning environment of winewoot, has greatly expended my understanding of wine, in particular cabernet sauvignon. I now clearly understand old world vs. new world and tannins.
6:30 – uncorked wine:
Smell: dark plum/blueberry
Taste: a touch hot at the start, but quickly disappears, mild tannins, and moderate fruit (this is not a fruit bomb – new world). At this point I rate this as a good to very good wine.
Smell: dark plum, ash/charcoal
Taste: no heat, slight tannins, light to mild fruit (blueberry?), and light vanilla/oak. At this point I rate this as a delightful wine. This wine slightly reminds me of the 2003 Sadler-Wells Cabernet Sauvignon (in a good way!).
Smell: light plum
Taste: A bit increase in tannins/heat – now on tip of tongue (before in back of mouth). Mild good fruit taste! Paired well with cracker and olive tapenade. At this point I am set on increasing my original order from 1 to 3 sets.
Meal: marinated T-bone grilled, grilled sliced potatoes, and salad. Heat returns with moist food, but not in a bad way. The combination of red meat and this wine was excellent! Also, it went well with the chocolate brownie we had for desert!
In the end, I can sum it up by stating what my wife said at the end of the bottle – "Did they only send you one bottle?"
This is an excellent bottle of wine. It is not a big fruit wine. Thus, it doesn't compare to the likes of Silver Oak – I don't mean this in a good or bad way. It is just a different style cab, i.e. old world. I very much appreciate it for what it is and am grateful for the opportunity to share my experience with you!
Cheron is busy today, so here's a Labrat report on the Saddleback 2005 CS from tklempay:
tklempay wrote:LabRat for Saddleback 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley
Charlie Bucket here - the golden ticket arrived yesterday...first time rat here. To give you an idea of my background, I have ordered a good bit of wine here, been out to Napa a few times, and thoroughly enjoy a nice glass of red wine. But, I'm a novice when it comes to recognizing smells and flavors and recommending what foods to pair this with. Of the wines I've ordered here, I'd say my favorite wine makers have been Ty Caton and Wellington. Recently, I really enjoyed the Zahtila 2004 Cab. So, for the more sophisticated wine tasters out there, maybe that will give you an idea of my tastes.
But here's my take...
7:30pm - uncorked bottle and took a good whiff of the cork. To me, it had a strong but pleasant smell to it, my wife smelled it and said, "tell those Wooters that it smelled like acid" (she was kidding but knows I'm a woot addict) and my 8 year old son smelled it and gave it a 2 thumbs up. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad thing but he likes to smell the cork whenever I open a new bottle. I think we'll find out in his teen years if this is good or bad :-).
I also poured a small amount of wine into 2 glasses for my wife and I. The bouquet was as strong as the smell from the cork and once again, to me, it was a good smell. But like I said, I couldn't tell you "what" was in that smell, just that it was good for my senses. We both took a drink and the words, "very drinkable" came out of our mouths but we both agreed to decant it for 30 minutes before drinking more.
8:00pm - Our meal last night was sushi as we look forward to Sushi Saturday's. Now, I hate takeout sushi but we couldn't take the bottle of wine to our favorite sushi restaurant (wait, it's our only sushi restaurant) so we compromised. The wine went very, very nicely with our meal. My wife is a 1-glass drinker and I'm usually a 1 to 1 1/2 glass wine drinker and I couldn't believe that I had drank a full glass of wine before I had finished eating. Being that I wanted to fulfill my duty as a LabRat, I went above the call of duty and filled up the glass a 2nd time.
I had about a 1/3 of the glass of wine left when it came time for dessert, fresh, out of the oven, homemade chocolate chip cookies. Honestly, I didn't care for the combination of that wine with the chocolate chip cookies.
But I didn't want to end the evening on a sour note so I poured myself a 3rd glass and glad I did. The 3rd glass of wine had a wonderful smoothness to it and no after taste. Very, very enjoyable. And the fact that I drank 3 glasses says something as I normally wouldn't drink that much.
And for tonight, there's probably enough left in the bottle for a single glass and I plan on grilling a nice steak to go along with it.
The bottom line, is it worth the $70/set? To me, yes, I look forward to the arrival of the other 6 bottles I ordered. I'll drink one set soon and cellar the other 4 bottles. If the wine is this smooth today, I have a feeling it's going to be fantastic in 10 years.


text:
It does sadden me greatly that my fellow citizens (and perhaps even a few real beekeepers in the crowd) are so 'thin skinned' that any post by myself produces such distasteful comparison as 'crawling thru fiberglass' or some comparison to a blood sucking insect. Evidently a CIVIL conversation is not to some folks taste.
I've really wondered why after years of posting there, you show up in the coffee house here?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
'Interest in the New Year's Day game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins hasn't dissipated since it was formally announced in mid-September. If anything, interest is even greater now.'
Archives for November 2007
One month out, hockey excitement builds
Paille upset with latest outing
'"There will be some nights like that," Paille said after practice Thursday in the arena. "I've got to forget about how that goes and try to focus on the right things. Even in the first period of that game, we were kind of sloppy. We have two days to recuperate [before Saturday's home game against Carolina], have good practices and learn from our mistakes."'
Bruised foot sidelines top goal scorer Roy
'"I think there's always concern when you miss [practice]," Ruff said. "We're hoping [today] that he'll be a lot better than he was doing [Thursday]. He actually put his skate on and tried but it was pretty tender."'
Perhaps Amerks, Sabres can reach a more palatable deal
'Golisano is right to be concerned about the Amerks' financial health. The situation — $1.8 million of debt, according to an audit commissioned by the city — does not bode well for the future.'
Paul Gaustad and his mother get kids moving
'The virtual walks – dubbed "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" and "Here We Go to Lake Oswego" – were facilitated by the Buffalo Sabres and are sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, corporate support partner of the Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence and the health plan provider of the Buffalo Sabres. BlueCross BlueShield supplied pedometers so students can track their progress.'
Friday's Rochester Coverage
Amerks say their focus is hockey (Rochester D&C)
Perhaps Amerks, Sabres can reach a more palatable deal (Rochester D&C)
Amerks players weigh in on affiliation issue (WHEC-TV)
Letters show Sabres wanted to buy Amerks (WHEC-TV)
Four Amerks named to AHL Hall of Fame (Amerks.com)
Spiritless Sabres fall to St. Louis
'"I don't think we were ready to play," Sabres forward Jason Pominville said bluntly.'
Letters show Sabres wanted to buy Amerks
'In the letters, the Sabres offer to talk about signing a long term affiliation. But the January letter says "we would also be interested in discussing an outright purchase of the Americans." In the April letter, Quinn writes, "we are prepared to purchase the team as an asset purchase at a fair market value."'
Spirited rally for St. Louis
'"We're sometimes a young, stubborn crew that thinks it should be a lot easier, and it wasn't," Ruff said.'
Stempniak nets results sans goals
'So Stempniak has been a poor man's version — relatively speaking — of the Sabres' Thomas Vanek. A former college star has a breakout offensive year, leading his team in goals in his second NHL season and hits the financial jackpot. But unlike Vanek, Stempniak insists that he hasn't felt the burden of living up to his lucrative new deal.'
Bittersweet night for rookie Sekera
'"I was happy to score a goal of course but I'm more disappointed for the team," said Sekera, a 21-year-old native of the Czech Republic. "We didn't deserve [to win] because we didn't play very well."'
Thursday's St. Louis Coverage
Boyes' late goal adds to Sabres' frustration (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Photo gallery (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Photo gallery (StLouisBlues.com)
Photo gallery (Sabres.com)
St. Louis 4, Buffalo 3
'The Sabres are winless in their last 11 games against St. Louis — including eight loses in regulation — and haven't beaten the Blues at home in more than 12 years.'
St. Louis 4, Buffalo 3
'Brad Boyes scored with 57.5 seconds left in regulation, as the Blues came away with a 4-3 victory over Buffalo and continued their domination of the Sabres.'
Blues Get Three In Third For 4-3 Win
'The Blues scored three goals in the third period to give them the 4-3 win at HSBC Arena Wednesday night.'


text:
Hey everyone. I am new here and have yet to learn the many variations of complete sets for sale and what is good and what is bad. From what I have so far come across in my forum searches it seems most of the commercial sets out there aren't really worth the money.
However, I wasn't able to find a thread that specifically mentioned the Supreme Boba Fett costume for sale at OfficialStarWarsCostumes.com. Can anyone tell me about this costume and is it worth pursuing as a entry into the hobby?


text: Hi all-- I'm curious how many at FSU plan to attend this year's Adult Nationals in a few weeks (in Barrington IL, a Chicago suburb). It looks like I'll be there signing copies of my book "Skating on Air: The Broadcast History of an Olympic Marquee Sport"... ... but I don't get out to many competitions these days (and I REALLY don't compete!). Anyone here going as a competitor, spectator, or otherwise? Thanks!


text:
my buddy made some corned venison out of the front shoulder of his deer. let me tell ya, this is great. i got a buck over the weekend, so im gonna give it a shot myself, but, im using the hine quarter because its larger. ive seperated all the major muscles, so ill have a few chunks for more than one meal. plus, i think the brine will take better. this recipe also says that it will work with ducks and geese. sounds interesting, so im gonna give it a try after i get some ducks opening day(saturday). :getdown:
heres the recipe:
Corned venison, Ducks, Geese
- 2-3 lb brisket, flank, or shoulder roast or comparable duck/goose breasts
2 quarts distilled or spring water
1/2 cup tenderizing salt
1/2 cup canning and pickling salt
3 tbls pickling spice
2 bay leaves
8 whole peppercorns
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
Place meat in a glass bowl. In saucepan combine ingredients. Heat just to boiling point. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour cooled brine over meat. If meat is thick, inject brine directly into meat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let set in fridge for 4-5 days, turning occassionally. Drain and rinse with cold water. Use as corned beef.
enjoy :mrgreen:


text:
I know theres alot of TN hunters that hunt Otter but they have changed the draw process and you wont be hunting there any this year. With this new system 1000's of MO hunters can put in for one day making the chances of getting a hunt around 1% leaving only 20% of the spots to the poor lines which means if they hunt 30 spots theres 6 poor spots!!
http://mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/news/news_sea ... 60864,8626,
http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/show ... ost7805509
JEFFERSON CITY–Missouri hunters will take part in a pilot program this fall to make waterfowl hunting at state-owned wetland areas less of a gamble.
The Missouri Department of Conservation will test an online drawing system called Quick Draw. The system is intended to change the way daily drawings are conducted to assign waterfowl hunting opportunities at state wetland areas. The new system still will include a pre-draw portion (Quick Draw) and a daily drawing for remaining open slots.
The agency will test Quick Draw at Eagle Bluffs, Grand Pass and Otter Slough conservation areas to determine whether the online system enhances convenience and hunter participation. Depending on how well it works, the system might be modified and expanded to other state-managed wetland areas in future years.
During this year's trial run, Missouri residents will enter online drawings for hunting slots twice a week instead of having to go to the three conservation areas for the daily draw. Hunters entering the drawing through Quick Draw can apply to hunt at one area per day. The system will not limit the number of days for which hunters can apply, or the number of days they can hunt if they are drawn.
A drawing on Monday of each week will assign hunting slots for the following Friday through Monday. A drawing each Thursday will assign slots for the following Tuesday through Thursday. The Quick Draw system will accept applications a few days prior to each drawing.
The online drawings will assign 80 percent of hunting slots each day. The remaining 20 percent of slots will be assigned in a drawing at each wetland area the morning of the hunt. This arrangement – commonly called the "poor line" drawing – is part of the current drawing system.
Wildlife Division Chief DeeCee Darrow said the trial is part of a larger effort to re-examine how the Conservation Department does business and to use every technological means at its disposal to improve services.
"Our current daily drawing system for assigning waterfowl hunting opportunities has been around for a long time," said Darrow. "However, it does have some drawbacks. We had no way to address those shortcomings in the days before the Internet. We think Quick Draw will make hunting at our wetland areas more practical for more hunters."
The current drawing system assigns hunting opportunities in two ways. Each September, Missouri residents apply for hunting reservations at wetland areas. Those reservations can be from late October into January. The reservation system assigns half the hunting slots available at each wetland area each day. The other half are assigned in drawings – the so-called "poor line" – held early each morning at each wetland area. The three areas where Quick Draw is being tested will not be included in the reservation system this year.
Daily "poor line" drawings allow Missouri residents who do not have reservations and nonresidents to drive to the wetland areas of their choice for a chance at drawing one of the unreserved hunting slots. This feature is retained under Quick Draw.
Having a reservation under the current system is not always good for reservation holders. Reservation dates are locked in weeks or months in advance, and and do not always coincide with those days when large numbers of ducks and geese are present. Under the present system, the only way to concentrate your hunting efforts on the best days of the year is to stand in the "poor line." The new system gives hunters more flexibility by letting them try for guaranteed hunting slots on the hottest hunting days of the year.
Driving to wetland areas to stand in the "poor line" is a costly gamble for those who live far from their favorite hunting areas or who must take a day of vacation for a hunt. It also creates a quandary for parents who want to hunt with their children but hesitate to take them out of school without any assurance they will get to hunt.
Quick Draw's twice-weekly drawings will increase the number of hunters who have guaranteed slots when they arrive at wetland areas. It also will enable hunters to focus their efforts on the best hunting days.
Under Quick Draw, the computer drawing will determine the order in which successful applicants get to select hunting spots. It also will determine where successful hunters in the 'poor line" fit in the selection of hunting spots. On any given day, the No. 1 spot can be in either the Quick Draw or "poor-line" portion of the draw.
Darrow said the new system will reduce the number of hunters turned away from wetland areas onsite each morning. Furthermore, she expects it to speed up the process of getting hunters to their hunting spots.
"We think hunters will find a lot to like about this system," said Darrow. "We know from past surveys that lack of time is one factor that prevents people from enjoying outdoor activities. This will help Missourians make better use of their time."
Darrow noted that high fuel prices make fruitless trips to distant hunting areas expensive. Quick Draw will save waterfowl hunters money.
"No system can please everyone," said Darrow, "but we hope this new arrangement will make it easier and more affordable for people to take advantage of waterfowl hunting at state wetlands. If it lets more people enjoy hunting, it will be a success."
Darrow said the Conservation Department is interested in finding out what hunters think of Quick Draw, both before and after this year's trial. She said the new system is still in development, with time for fine-tuning to make the test run as convenient as possible for hunters and as useful as possible in post-test evaluation.
Hunters interested in providing suggestions about Quick Draw can contact the nearest Conservation Department office or send written comments to Wildlife Division, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
-Jim Low-


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After being harassed, half of the targeted students did nothing about it. Of the rest, some talked to parents or friends, but only 9 percent reported the incident to a teacher, guidance counselor or other adult at school. Reasons for not reporting incidents included doubts it would have any impact, fear of making the situation worse, and concerns about the staff member's reaction. "Too often, the more comfortable term bullying is used to describe sexual harassment, obscuring the role of gender and sex in these incidents. Schools are likely to promote bullying prevention while ignoring or downplaying sexual harassment." Students made suggestions on how to reduce sexual harassment at their schools with half favoring systematic punishments for harassers and a mechanism for reporting harassment anonymously. AAUW recommended that all schools create a sexual-harassment policy and make sure it is publicized and enforced. AAUW also recommended that schools ensure that students are educated about what their rights are under Title IX, with special attention paid to encouraging girls to respond assertively to harassment since they are targeted more often than boys. American Association of University Women (2011) Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. http://www.aauw.org/learn/research/upload/CrossingTheLine_ExecSummary.pdf
The American Association of University Women released survey results revealing that during the 2010-11 school year, 48 percent of students in grades 7-12 experienced some form of sexual harassment in person or electronically via texting, email and social media. The survey asked 1,002 girls and 963 boys from public and private schools nationwide whether they had experienced any of various forms of sexual harassment including unwelcome sexual comments, being called gay or lesbian in a negative way, being touched in an unwelcome sexual way, being shown sexual pictures they didn't want to see, and being the subject of unwelcome sexual rumors. 56 percent of the girls and 40 percent of the boys said they had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment during the school year.


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Size: 185 sq ft.; Balcony: 45 sq ft.
Location: Main
Cabin Category: 7C
Amenities: Two twin beds that can convert to a king-size bed a private balcony with large picture window view private bathroom with shower ample drawer and closet space interactive TV hair-dryer mini-bar mini-safe complimentary use of bathrobes bathroom amenities kit and telephone. Some staterooms come with a sofa and coffee table.
Please Note: Smoking is prohibited in all guests staterooms. Guests will be permitted to smoke outside on the balcony.
Main features staterooms in categories:


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By Nick Lellenberg
Pre-season, as an experience, is incomparable to any other Arsenal-related one I've had before.
I've been fortunate enough to see the Arsenal win at White Hart Lane and the San Siro, but nothing comes close to ten days spent in southern Austria.
With a day's entrance fee of only €3, each day begins with a 10am training session, usually lasting until 11:30 or 12, followed by an evening's session, from 5-7pm.
As Arsenal usually has been training for two weeks prior to Austria, most of the pure fitness work is already done. As a result, those of us who've travelled are able to watch the team practice numerous drills, including short-sided games, 3 v 1 scenarios, and more basic crossing and finishing exercises.
Whereas last summer we were able to attend three friendlies, in Vienna, Szombathely (Hungary) and Hannover (Germany), this summer, due to the World Cup in South Africa, we only were able to attend two, both of which closer to Bad Waltersdorf than last summer.
In Graz, roughly 45 minutes away, and in Neusiedl am See, around 90, we were able to watch the squad put their practice into a competitive environment.
These friendlies, for the supporters, are also a nice way to see a new city or region - much like a European away trip to Barcelona or Prague, these games allow us to explore cities we might not otherwise have a ready excuse to visit.
The close proximity to Hungary and Slovenia allows for day trips, and, as I have done the past two summers, the potential to witness first and second qualifying round Champions League and Europa League action.
The dates for pre-season are highly anticipated amongst Arsenal supporters, some of which have travelled to every pre-season in Austria since the club began going there. As a result, pre-season in Austria is almost as much about the social aspect as it is about seeing Arsenal, with roughly 300 or so supporters descending upon the little spa village.
Restaurant and hotel proprietors welcome their Arsenal friends back into their establishments, sometimes for the first time, sometimes for what must seem like the thousandth - everyone is family again for another ten days and nights.
Last year when I went, there were four Arsenal America members attending -- this year it grew to eight. The late hours of the night until the early hours of the morning, between anywhere from 11pm to 4:30am, and over countless beers, is when pre-season truly makes its impact upon the Arsenal supporter.
» Part 1: Camp Overview
» Part 2: Autographs and Impressions
Nick Lellenberg has been Arsenal fan for six years and is a founder of the Boston Gooners. This was his second visit to Arsenal's training camp in Austria.Copyright 2017 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source


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Why do they sound so familiar? Oh right! Because thanks to morals and a little something called "political correctness" we have yet more examples of why the Bible is f***ed up. Though I'm sure neo-christians edited these parts out.
Anyways, these are amusing because it reveals more hypocrisy in Christianity.


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If you're like us, you've been starting to feel a little bit chilly lately. And you probably need a new pair of boots.
Our best advice? Scour your local mall for a pair of chic faux fur boots. They come in all of this season's trendiest styles -- tall, flat, wedge, platform, chunky and lace-up -- and keep you both warm and fashionable. Pair them with dresses, skinny jeans or leggings, whatever look you rock! The best part: Our 5 favorite pairs are all under $100:
More stay-warm essentials:
These are a funky alternative to a classic fur boot. Pair them with a pretty dress to really show them off.
Pair these with dark skinny jeans and a chunky sweater on a casual Friday for a laid-back yet chic look.
Edgy buckles mixed with fur make these the ultimate city girl boots. Wear them with leggings and a long sweater or tunic.
Roll these boots up or down to show just the right amount of fur.
The cute pom poms on these booties scream cozy winter boot.
KEYWORDS: Amber Herring,Boots,fur,stay warm essentials


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If there's a lot of play between the upper and lower you're going to have issues. They make a little "wedge" that helps snug up the fit between the two but a good rifle should not need one as the upper and lower "should" be a properly mated pair. Now how much of an issue is it really depends on distance and actual amount of play. Can't really give a metric on what would be a good/bad fit.
How far are we talking about shooting? What are you calling "medium range"?


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Father's Day
With Father's Day approaching, I always have frequent thoughts of my own father. He has been deceased for quite some time and I am saddened (especially at this time of year) that he did not get to see his grandsons become young adults. He would have been so proud of them and in many ways they are like him.
One of the many exceptional attributes that my dad possessed was the ability to FIX ANYTHING! I grew up not knowing about the Maytag Man, the plumber or the electrician as my dad fixed the washer, the electrical socket or the garbage disposal. Of course, like most homes, there was always a running list of things to be fixed.
Because my dad was often gone for long periods of time (he worked for the government in intelligence) my mother would say we would "have to wait for your father to return" to fix whatever it was, and when dad returned he would get right to work. If he didn't know how to fix something he somehow figured it out and that was before you could "GOOGLE IT"! I remember him painting the house, building our downstairs rec room and taking apart an early computer just to see how it worked.
Being able to "fix" things must somehow be a genetic link as I now see this trait in several of my own children (you know who you are). When I was a newlywed I was shocked to learn that not all men had this gene. When something broke in the house I would automatically tell my husband and he would lovingly attempt to "fix it". But, what I quickly learned was that while my husband has many wonderful traits he did not inherit the "fix it gene". Many a repair man has been called to our home to "fix" the problem created by my loving husband who attempted home repairs.
But several of my boys loved to watch their grandfather fix things and take things apart. As they got older, they would come to the rescue to help around our house with the laundry list of issues and repairs.
Many of the issues these days revolve around technology and they all inherited their grandfather's technology "fix it gene" as well. Unfortunately, they are not in the next room any more to call upon when I have no idea why my computer is frozen or when I cannot even turn on my iPod to play music in all of the rooms of the house.
So as we approach this Father's Day I am thankful for all of the lessons learned from my own father, and for his "fix it gene". But, with all of the boys out of the house, I now have a handyman on speed dial.
Happy Father's Day!
- Toddler Behavior
- Foods You Can Eat When Breast Feeding
- No One Under 16 Should Be Riding On An ATV
- Kids Need Vitamin D!
- No More Food Battles


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2013 is the perfect season for Rowan as knitwear sits centre stage of the fashion world creating the drama for the season head. Many of the catwalk designers have drawn inspiration for their collections from historic references such as the Baroque. Fashion is also looking to the handicraft textiles of Eastern Europe and the nomadic lifestyle.
View the designs in Magazine 50 and also access our members exclusive digital edition, as well as a video of the season's collection. Autumn Winter 2011 is set to be the season of total knits, with heavily layered looks contrasting with ultra feminine and elegant shapes. Chunky, natural, soft wool and alpaca blends feature alongside beautiful colour rich wool twists and silk and mohair blends, hinting of floral and alpine inspiration.
The Spring/Summer 2014 season looks to two opposing directions, one heavenly and future facing, the other grounded and ancient in its appeal. We see a mix of delicate pastel lace designs, bold and beautiful stripes and inspiring colour blended stripes, rustic textures and handcrafted artisan crochet. We see inspiration taken from Moorish tile art, Antique floral lace patterns and geographical patterning that can be found in rock formations. Rowan is showcasing three stories to reflect these major trends: Clarity, Legacy and Essentials.
Rowan is promoting two main stories to reflect the major trends for winter WILDERNESS and CRAFTWORK, to contrast with the two main stories, the ESSENTIALS collection of the magazine will concentrate on the key shapes of the season.
This season's knits are influenced by natural landscapes and traditional techniques. Trends for the new season embraces the hand crafted idea by offering rustic and textured designs as well as modern and clean garments and shapes. Rowan is promoting two stories to reflect these trends for Spring/Summer 2015, 'Daydream' and 'Relic'. Daydream is a collection of soft feminine knits inspired by a delicate romantic mood, whereas Relic is a carefree collection of casual knits, inspired by the past with colours and textures found within ancient cultures. The 'Essentials' collection takes a new direction this season by concentrating on another major trend, Demin, whilst still promoting the key shapes of the season.
Winter 2015 is an exciting knitwear season with many catwalk collections showcasing knits as the main feature. The emphasis on yarns are brushed finishes, soft wools, mohairs and furs creating soft touch fabrics. To reflect the seasons trends Rowan are promoting Tranquil, Frost and of course the Essentials collection showcasing the key shapes for the season.
The new season is a season of contrasts - contrasts between the natural environment and the latest technological advances.
Inspirations for Spring 2013 are pulled from the fragility of blossoms and the fresh new growth that the sun encourages to the abundance of the summer flowers that follow.
As a bold contrast, the digital age inspires an optimistic approach to life as we look forward to the future and the promises that new technology can bring. Pixilated pattern, optical geometrics and sharp modern graphics combine to inspire with the work of the Bauhaus and artists such as Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian and Josef Albers.
Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 51 sees key shapes which reflect a new confidence emerging within the wearer. The designs have been created for ease of movement and casual freedom giving a relaxed, summery vibe. The fun element is injected with a return to the retro resort styles where pattern and colour explode. The season is mainly understated, where nothing is outrageous. Rowan is promoting two stories Artisan and Riviera to reflect these trends. Essentials is the showcase for the key shapes of the season but translated into more simplified, easy to wear styles that will compliment the season's essential looks.
Magazine 59 is here and there are two stories for the Spring/Summer 2016 collection, 'Coastal' and 'Kyoto'. Coastal is a collection of wearable designs for both men and women, whereas Kyoto is an elegant collection of womenswear, inspired by all things Japanese.
The Coastal collection features simple pieces as well as cables and textures inspired by Coastal knitting such as fishermens ganseys but with a modern twist.
Kyoto offers stunning lace and colourwork in bright shades as well as crochet pieces.


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Insulation for Floor Heating
Are you planning to heat a basement floor or an addition with a concrete slab subfloor? There's a good chance that floor is extremely cold today, and while radiant floor heating will make a huge difference, the necessary shift in temperature may make for a slow heat-up time. Reduce this inconvenience by adding a layer of 6mm cork insulation between the slab and your heating element. You'll see even more benefit when combined with a programmable thermostat that adjusts for the average startup time.
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text: Since there is a thread for speculating on whats next (new coach, etc.) for Yu-Na, what would be the things in store for Orser until Sochi? - Will he become Maos coach eventually; - Will he be coaching some newcomers, but not Mao; - Will he be directing IMG shows in Japan; - Are they going to dump him somewhere down the road, with their needs already served by him separating Yu-Na from his team (count the dressmaker too). Looking back at the incident of the past week: - He gave Yu-Na a blitz. - He said he was let go out of the blue without proper reasons. Yu-Na told differently, that everyone involved had been aware of the situation. Adam Rippon said, we've known about the situation longer than the general public, and we've had time to deal with it." Tony Wheelers blog post also mentioned the similar thing. - He went on to disclose her music without discussion or consent. Was he simply mad since, like his words, he felt disrespected by the moms sudden notice without giving a proper chance for him to rearrange his plans? Or were there opportunities presented to him, the kind that is big enough for him to dump on Yu-Na so easily? What are your thoughts on whats next for Orser?


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Click this link: cci blazer 9mm
Anybody have opinions about aluminum jacketed ammo? Good? bad? Fine but why bother? Thanks.
I haven't shot tons of it but have shot quite a few hundred without problems.They do have CCI primers,which are the hardest cups,so if you get a light strike it may not go off.I've heard that the aluminum doesn't shrink as much as brass does after firing,so they may extract a touch harder.That I don't know for sure,but it is a problem with steel cases.
I've shot the a bunch of the CCI Blazer (aluminum case) and never had an issue. Calibers that I have shot include: 9mm, 38 special, 357 magnum, and 45 ACP. At the time, I chose it because it was less expensive than the brass-cased counterparts. Now you can find the steel-cased ammo (eastern Europe manufactured) that is less expensive than the aluminum cased ammo. I was never too keen about putting steel-cased ammo through my handguns, although there really isn't any data (that I have seen) to suggest it is detrimental. Now I reload my own, so I only shoot brass cased ammo now.
I'm like you about the steel.I've heard some horror stories about it but don't know who made the ammo.One was the lacquer coating gummed up chambers and the other was hard extraction and broken extractors.Don't know how much truth there is or how common it was,but it makes sense.


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All members can now enjoy the ease of booking via the online Box Office. The most up-to-date ticket information can be found on www.arsenal.com/membership.
Alternatively, Arsenal Mobile sends out regular text alerts to Red and Silver Members about ticket availability. Simply text ALERT RED or ALERT SILVER to 83202 and we'll send you Box Office ticket information as soon as it is released.
The service can be turned on or off at any time, and the cost of each alert sent to you is 25p. Available on all major UK networks, except '3'. For more information visit www.arsenalmobile.com.Copyright 2017 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source


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'American Idol' run ends for Mont Vernon's Alex Preston
By KIMBERLY HOUGHTON
Union Leader Correspondent | May 15. 2014 10:29PM
Mont Vernon's Alex Preston, shown performing on "American Idol" on Wednesday night, made it to the top three finalists of this season's show. (IMAGE FROM AMERICAN IDOL.COM)
The 21-year-old singer and songwriter failed to secure enough votes to make it into the "American Idol" finale as one of the two remaining contestants. Instead, Preston finished the intense television competition in third place, but will still participate in the Idol summer tour.
"I am on two antibiotics and lung steroids. But, I tried my best," posted Preston, a 2011 Souhegan High School graduate and a student at the University of New Hampshire.
Despite the bronchitis, Preston had a strong night on Wednesday, singing three songs that at one point placed two celebrity judges on their feet with a standing ovation.
But for the remainder of season 13, two power-house competitors — Caleb Johnson and Jena Irene — will vie for the prestigious title.
"It was a different Alex," said judge Jennifer Lopez, praising Preston for his "elevated" stage presence during his version of Bastille's "Pompeii."
"I knew that you would sing the heck out of that song," said Lopez, who described Preston's version as beautiful, and all his.
"I feel like they know who I am as an artist," Preston said of his home state fans, acknowledging all of the final contestants are a little homesick after spending the past weekend visiting with friends and family.
* e-Edition subscription required


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Javin, the beehive was on the north side of the house. Thsir main entrance was under the roof of a carport. The floor joists ran north and south. The people entrances to the house are on the east and west sides of the house. Lee
Javin,As I did not have a compass with me I can only say the opening was mainly north. In the comb layout pic I posted the comb closest to me is running from mainly northwest to southeast. You can see they run that way for a bit then take a big turn to the south. I hope that helps. Feel free to ask me more if you want more info. Lee


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|Topic Review (Newest First)
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Lot of good advice in this thread. I think the best advice is to act early. Reduce sail, have safety gear ready (harness, tether, PFD, etc.), make sure the hatches/ports/washboards are secured, talk w/ the rest of the crew and herd, get the engine running or ready to run at a moment's notice.
We'll typically head offshore with the engine and a sliver of headsail to ride it out away from hazards and other boats. If the weather is predicted to stay gnarly for an extended period (several hours to a full day) we'll consider other plans.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Consider buying a pilothouse sloop... works for me!
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
I call the Coast Guard in a panic and the live to read about it on SN
Having been struck by lightning on a mooring, I realize there is no real way to prevent a strike.
The swirling winds and microbursts the only concern you can deal with.
I would say its best if possible to anchor and go below. If that's not possible others have stated viable options. I would put gloves on if you have a metal wheel. I pull down the sails , put the hatch boards in, and try and motor away from the lee shore, sometimes in circles if reduced visibility.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Originally Posted by smurphny View Post
That's a good question and one that always enters my mind when holding onto a metallic wheel in the middle of a ts. I guess the answer is, at that point you just have to take the chance. There's really no other choice if you need to maintain control and in a direct hit it may not matter where you are. It's all up to Zeus at that point.
Underway, I've pretty much done as others have advised, getting the sails down and not trying to run a narrow channel to "safety". Lighting is one of the few things that truly instills fear in me as a Chesapeake sailor. We don't have to worry about hitting reefs or rocks and we can duck gales in any of thousands of creeks and bays. Lighting is the one thing that we regularly face that could kill you, or worse, a crew member, but taking precautions and getting as much crew as possible below decks is about all you can do.
At anchor we'd probably let out some more scope if we could, but otherwise we'd form a plan for a quick exit, possibly leaving the anchor tied to a fender if required to escape someone dragging down on us. I've previously posted about my practice of writing down a panic azimuth a soon as I get anchored so I know a compass heading to steer initially if I have to bug out in a hurry in low vis. You may have to rely totally on the GPS in such conditions, but I usually shut down the helm GPS so it would be a few seconds before it provided anything. Having an initial compass heading gives you a safe heading while the GPS finds itself.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
I've found most advice on this topic on the internet or in books to be worthless because it seems to be for squall lines and not the normal type of Fl t-storms that can range from nothing worth noting to vicious. On a normal day with a large amount of cumulous clouds, even seeing the classical thunderhead shape is difficult as they are imbedded in haze. Around the Fl peninsula, the T-storms in summer are s'posed top be produced by the seabreeze pushing in moist air that gets warmed and rises over land. This is supposed to pump the moist air upward pulling in even more air and pushes the storms inland. If this is true, then it is not a major issue for sailors as the storm will mostly be over land. Yet, the storms somehow do move over water.
Here in N. Fl, we do get an early summer seabreeze that produces storms about 10 miles inland but it dies by mid to late June allowing the storms to move outward over water for the rest of the summer. I have watched storms form over the land here and then move south over water. They often form a bit to the west and move to the east.
Of course, due to thunder, you know they are around but it is very hard to tell what direction they are moving which is what NOAA is good for.
Even if I cannot see them, I often feel that first blast of cool air meaning it is about to hit. Best have sails down by then.
The difficulty is knowing which direction the wind will be. It changes a lot and I interpret this as being due to the sort of microburst-like wind from such storms coming down and spreading out and I think this is what causes that initial burst of cool air.
Phenomena I have noticed is lightning, intense rain a slackening followed by more intense rain, a huge close cloud to cloud lightnin/thunder nearly simultaneously followed by less thunder then much less and then the rain seems to die quickly. It is almost like that last whallop of thunder stuns the rain. Average time does seem to b e about 45 minutes.
Waterspouts form from T-storms but rarely seem to be a danger to heavy boats but if I saw one, I would be certain to have sails and everything else secured (including the bimini). I never see them in the storm but on the periphery of them.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Regarding getting experience in thunderstorms: I don't have any. My plan is to try to avoid thunderstorms, BUT, sail enough that at some point I will run into a few.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
If you have wheel steering, you will just have to chance it to keep her pointed into the wind but keep your feet together in case of a strike. Tiller steering, no problem. In a thunderstorm, I stay in the cockpit even at anchor as I want to be ready to respond.
It is the radical and unpredictable wind changes that are a problem for sailing in a T-storm. One second you are on a beam reach and next second you are aback. Just drop the sails.
Yes, in FL if you listen to NOAA, you will never go sailing so you gotta judge stuff. Normally, here it is 30-40% chance of T-storms in mid-summer and generally after about 2:00 pm.
Even with my tiny 6.5 hp Yanmar diesel on my 8000 lb 28' S2 I was able to keep the bow pointed into storms but I was never out in the worst. Because I hate such storms I changed to a 13 hp Yanmar and an oversized prop just for more thrust.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Originally Posted by Advocate777 View Post
Scenario: you are heading north or south parallel to the coast on the east coast of the USA. Say, off S Florida.
You are still 3 hours between the nearest port like between Port Everglades and Miami/Government Cut. The day started out clear but now thunderstorms from the east are moving west. What do you do to keep your cow and boat safe? What is your 'step by step' procedure? You do not know what kinds of winds are in the storm or how long it will take to pass over you. You are in shallow coastal water, say 20-30 feet. You are not in the Gulf Stream, you are between the Stream and the Coast about 3-4 miles from shore. What is the correct procedure? Have any of you sailed through one of these Florida thunderstorms?
1. Head boat into wind and drop main.
2. Douse jib and bungee to side of foredeck or stow belowdecks.
3. Turn on weather radio or VHF radio weather station for forecast or warning.
4. Put on foul weather gear.
5. Secure front hatch and move companionway boards to below ladder.
6. Start engine.
7. Confirm position and locate any nearby potential hazards.
Failure to douse sails timely is the reason some boats end up with shredded sails. Dropping them early is so much easier than too late, especially if you sail solo. Dousing sails while you are caught in a storm, pumped up with adrenalin, wet decks, no foul weather gear on, and the boat heeled over at extreme angles is a recipe for disaster. You can always raise sail, if desirable.
If I already know what the front will be bringing, I will skip ##1 and 2 above and sail ready for the front passage or squall line, so all I have to do is drop the sails, if necessary, like this:
or this:
My sail selection will be on the conservative side if I know what to expect. I have been caught in enough squall lines, frontal passages and thunderstorms to know I don't want to be unprepared.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
just dump your main and sail under jib., no engine involved. just sail out of it. it wont take long. packs plenty of wind.
Re: Sailing 3 miles off shore and Thunderstorm moves in from the east. What do you do
Originally Posted by Advocate777 View Post
Thanks or all the gret input.
Last question: how am I supposed to control the boat if there is florida lightning and I need to get out of the cockpit? If not anchored how am I to motor into the wind or with the wind or motor just to stay in place if there is lightning hitting the water?
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