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(Revised and updated on June 25, 2011)
Note to Christians: While this post refers to religious methods other than Christianity, there do exist both ascetic and immersion sects in Traditional Christianity. As well, there exist both ascetic and immersion sects in Mystical Christianity. For example, the traditional priest/nun path (i.e., Catholic) and the shamanic Christian path. I think of Edgar Cayce as a particularly exemplary example of a Shamanic Christian.
Several months ago I ran across an interesting post on another blog entitled Detachment vs. Immersion in Spirituality. I really liked the way the author, a shamanic healer and teacher, described the differences between two main types of spiritual approach. (I also greatly appreciated his candor and insight about several touchy subjects.)
The post does a good job of describing the difference between detachment (ascetic) as a formal spiritual path, and engagement/immersion (shamanism), as a formal spiritual path.
My impression is that the author is genuine. Whenever a real shaman says something like "you might find yourself wishing you hadn't contacted me," you can usually count on doing a lot of work that challenges and refines your ego and your perceptions of yourself, others and the world around you.
And that's a good thing.
What many of us have witnessed, while observing people who are formally or informally pursuing either an ascetic or shamanic path, is that narcissism can and does creep into both the ascetic and the immersion approach.
While ascetics are detached and do indeed often have more than a little psychological pathology (not psychopathy), and aversion to real contact with real human beings, so do many hedonists who are drawn to the shamanic path. Hedonists often simply use shamanism as an excuse and a description for engaging in what is merely selfish indulgence in pleasure-seeking activities that negatively affects others and of course, themselves. Yet they certainly don't see it that way. Don't try to assert this to some of them. They'll argue and even bring out the black magic. I've been on the receiving end of that. I now simply ignore these types of people.
Ascetics often believe that they are "above it all" while remaining detached from full or partial engagement with other human beings. When one is engaged with other human beings, one has to compromise and admit that they don't always have all the answers. That facilitates growth. East Indians historically had the right idea: in one's early life one was a householder and family person. When that phase of life was completed, one withdrew from the world to contemplate.
Many hedonists who proclaim that they are shamans or serious students of shamanism take drugs in the name of "personal growth" and "spirituality" while working with facilitators and teachers of questionable training and ethics. They often practice an adulterated form of sexual tantra, engage in sex work for profit as an ongoing lifestyle, flit from partner to partner, participate in orgies and selfish polyamory (there are very few people who can do polyamory unselfishly), do and deal drugs, show off as performance artists, etc.
The sexual tantra that these people practice is often a bogus version of the real thing. Some of these people end up as well-known leaders and/or esteemed local community members due to their self-confidence, talent and of course their fat bank accounts acquired from family trust funds and/or various sorts of legal and illegal activities, or a sugar-daddy/sugar-mommy kind of arrangement. A former friend of mine used to call them "the community of lost souls."
One must not mistake these often quite shallow hedonists for true shamans, as many of them assert they are. They are often very wounded people running around like chickens without a head pursuing this and that enlightenment method, following this or that teacher/ workshop leader/ author/ guru for protracted periods of time, taking this and that drug, etc. Fortunately, some grow out of that frantic narcissistic stage and go on to accomplish serious self-work and even begin to effectively help others (accent on effectively).
Many hedonists are people who experienced early traumatic injury (also called "narcissistic injury") and go on to exhibit many narcissistic traits. They appear self-confident and even arrogant, and they're often quite talented and accomplished in a chosen profession or artistry. The problem is that, to a large extent, many of them have put pretty appealing frosting on top of rotting garbage: their persistent unresolved roiling emotions or a deadened numbness and surprising lack of sensitivity toward others.
Many of these lost souls posing as wise facilitators and teachers never grow out of their love of "the good life." We see these "aging hippies" — and young ones too — quite a lot at certain kinds of festivals and in certain geographical areas. So beware. That free spirit who seems so cool and wise might just be a psychic vampire, a narcissist, and you might just end up as their next prey.
Recently I had breakfast with a long-term friend, one of the extremely few persons with whom I keep in contact from my former spiritual community. We've both pretty much arrived at the place where we eschew all "spirituality," "theology," and "systems," especially organized forms of same. I had been particularly enamored of ascetic, ego-annihilating forms of spirituality and had finally seen the light, realizing that it was crippling me and keeping me from truly engaging in and enjoying life.
Now that I am older, all I want is to simply enjoy life in peace. I live a pretty simple life and have very few food/drink vices, which are kept within reason. My problem has been more about viewing far too many of the normal things in life as "not being spiritual." Things like a wild stadium full of fans watching a baseball game, or enjoying happy hour at a bar. Drag racing or dirt biking or hanging out at the river and the dog park. Simple things like that. Simple things that can be and are fun, within reason.
I'm tired of theology and dogma, and I am especially weary of spiritual community dysfunction and all of that tedious annoying stuff. Why do I need a system? Why do I need a theology or a concept? Why would I want to be part of a dysfunctional community with a lot of narcissists running around?
How about just living life, taking it at face value?
Like my friend said, it's nice to be invisible. Nice idea. I had thought of it as being anonymous. I no longer carry around any spiritual concepts or airs. I hang with extremely normal, down-to-earth, run of the mill people — people who may or may not go to church, follow a spiritual path or even believe in God or The Force. They simply just ARE. They simply just EXIST. And they seem a heckuva lot happier than far too many spiritual people I've known – metaphysical or traditional.
And I don't want to talk about religion or spirituality. (And while I'm at this: not politics either, though that could change, lol!)
People have lots of reasons for being "religious" or "spiritual." Too often, it's simply a way to feel good about themselves while not doing any real work on themselves or truly living the precepts of their chosen focus. Too often, their ideology is filled with unrealistic notions about who people should be and how they should conduct their lives, even to the point of attempting to legislate behavior — and even consciousness! — such as refusing to accept that someone is born gay, always was gay and always will be gay. (Note: I am heterosexual.)
Therefore, all the spiritual training I've had, all the "knowledge" I've acquired, all the "insights" and "wisdom" I came to in my younger years, all of that's fine. Now, however, I simply view my life as having been greatly enriched by those things without having to think about them consciously, or fit in with a certain group of people, or reach any particular real or imagined goal.
It feels like I've gone back to square one after going off on a decades-long tangent. It's not that there was anything wrong with large parts of that tangent. It's that there were (and are) unresolved issues from my childhood, young adulthood, and full adulthood. And those are the things I'm working on now. I thought I was working on them back then; I don't think so.
Part of the current work includes learning how to let go and truly relax. Just play, and just "be." Now that I've gone LC or NC (little or no contact) with the 3 main narcissists in my life, and especially since my Narcissist mother is gone (buried), accomplishing that is far easier.
In my former spiritual community, we always used to talk about "just Being." You know, just BE. Just shine!
Maybe some of us just might actually figure that out before we exit this existence!
For the record, I think immersion is far scarier, far more intriguing and ultimately more fulfilling than asceticism. It all depends on what your soul needs and responds to. (Actually, asceticism can be a form of immersion, but that's another discussion.)
While I am currently in a resting mode and not at present interested in immersion, I'm no longer hiding behind asceticism or concepts about what spirituality should be, or what it should look and feel like.
I was inspired to include a photo of Wolf, so here she is:


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- Home
- Daily Diary
- Asset Class
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- Latest
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- Street Notes
- TheStreet
- Options
Mark Sebastian is a former member of both the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. He is the founder of OptionPit.com, a Chicago-based option education firm, and author of The Option Trader's Hedge Fund. Sebastian is also the managing editor for Expiring Monthly: The Option Traders Journal an all digital, all options magazine. He has a Bachelor's in Science from Villanova University.
You can learn more about Sebastian, read his daily blog and learn about Option Pit's mentoring programs by Visiting http://www.OptionPit.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Pligg apply logo jobs
Har du brug for private eller business lån til forskellige formål? Leder du efter lån til at gennemføre store projekter? Har du søge midler til at betale lån og gæld? Interesserede personer bør kontakte os nu via e-mail for flere detaljer:
We have an ongoing job now similar to customer support. If you are going well, we will pay you $150 or $200 every month. You don't need to work full time for us. Please contact me if you think you can be a good fit. Can we have a video call? Can you speak in English?
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I need you to write some articles.
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The person needs to visit WBUT and perform the below steps to get a transcript: 1. Collect the challan and transcript application form from India bank ( beside the university). Print and fill before you go to university.( sample filed scanned copy of the form will be provided) 2. Fill the form at WBUT. 3. Print 2 passport size photographs before going to WBUT office( scanned soft copy of photog...
Full layout made in Photoshop. Application made in Angular 6. HTML, CSS, SCSS and MDBootstrap. API ready to consume. Time: 15 days
The title says it all i need the best and i will check credentials. I need my advertisement to be showing first on Google and Google my business!
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Hi all, I want to transmit burst data ( very huge number of packets need to be transmitted in a short time, it needs high bandwidth) using Multi-path TCP (MPTCP) protocol in WiFi network. Simple network, server and client. Burst data is not like regular data. In this project Burst data is video stream. Then I want to compare (BER) bit error rate to (SNR) signal to noise ratio. I have source code f...


text:
PETERSBURG — A liberal blogger and another man who tried to go to a special event at Kentucky's Creation Museum said they were denied admission because they told security they were a same-sex couple.
The men bought tickets online for a Date Night event Feb. 11 at the privately funded Petersburg museum, which shows visitors a literal interpretation of the Bible depicting how the world was created in six days 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Museum officials and the men agree that the men were not let in and were not reimbursed the $71.90 cost of the tickets. They differ on whether it was clear beforehand that men without female companions would be turned away.
The event included dinner, a talk from museum founder Ken Ham about love and the biblical view of marriage, and musical performances.
One of the men who was denied admission, Joe Sonka, is the writer of a blog called Barefoot and Progressive. He has criticized the museum and its founder, as well as the idea of giving public tax breaks for a proposed theme park the museum's backers want to build based on the biblical story of Noah's ark.
Sonka wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press that neither he nor the other man who was denied entry is gay. He said he was curious to hear the museum's founder speak and whether they would admit a same-sex couple.
Museum spokesman Mark Looy told The Kentucky Enquirer that the promotional material for the Date Night made it clear the event was for heterosexual couples only.
"The message was one of Christian marriage, which the Bible teaches is between a man and a woman," Looy told the newspaper. He noted that the museum welcomes all visitors during regular hours. Sonka said he has visited the museum twice without incident.
Looy defended the decision not to allow the two men in and cited a blog post Sonka wrote in January, encouraging readers to raise money to send a "flamboyantly gay" couple to the event.
"We are not going to allow anyone to come to a private event and be disruptive," Looy told the newspaper. "It's not fair to the other people who also paid to attend the event. We welcome anyone to come to the Creation Museum during regular business hours because we want all people to be exposed to our message."
Sonka responded that the blog post was sarcastic, like much of his blog writing. He noted that he did not bring a flamboyantly gay couple to the event.
Jonathan Meador, a staff writer for the Louisville alternative newspaper LEO Weekly, also was involved in the dispute. He told the Enquirer the museum's Web site did not say it would not admit men without female dates when promoting Date Night.
The dispute started when Meador, a female guest and a third man approached security. The third man told security he was waiting for a friend, who was Sonka.
Meador said the third man told security personnel his friend was a man, prompting museum officials to deny him admission. Meador and his date were allowed in.


text:
VisionHome Menu
What's happening at Vision?Contact Us
Caltius Equity Partners Makes Investment in Vision Internet; David Nachman Named New CEO
Investment Will Accelerate Growth, Expand Offerings to Meet Growth Demand for Interactive Government Websites
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Sept. 2, 2014) Vision Internet, innovators in online government, today announced that Caltius Equity Partners has made a growth capital investment in the company that will expand its platform of simple, easy-to-use IT tools for local government and accelerate growth throughout North America.
David M. Nachman, an experienced technology executive with a track record of building successful companies, has assumed the role of CEO from Vision Internet founder Steve Chapin, who will stay on as an investor, advisor and board member.
"I am extremely proud of the Vision Internet team and the government technology platform we have built over the past 19 years," Chapin said. "The Caltius investment is good news for employees and customers. It will allow us to expand our reach and develop even more advanced features and functionality to facilitate online government. I am excited to work as a member of the board and believe that David is exactly the right leader to guide Vision Internet to the next level of success."
Known for its long-term approach to both investments and relationships, Los Angeles-based Caltius Equity Partners invests in leading middle market companies seeking capital for organic growth and acquisitions.
"Vision Internet is a pioneer in the government website development market where it serves as a vital partner for public officials grappling with citizens' increasing expectations for online access to important services and information," Nachman said. "At a time when local government transparency has taken on newfound importance and constituents are increasingly demanding their voices be heard effectively by local government, it is clear that municipalities are thinking very differently about the use of technology. Add the pervasive use of mobile devices and social media, and technology emerges as the critical enabler that will allow governments to adapt and thrive in the digital age."
Nachman is the former chief business officer of El Segundo, Ca.-based Velocify, a SaaS sales automation company where he led marketing, product management and business development efforts that resulted in a near tripling of the company in a two-year period. Prior to Velocify, he was an operating partner at Marlin Equity Partners, where he focused on investments in enterprise software and technology-enabled business services companies. Nachman also served as CEO of Phoenix Energy Technologies, a pioneer in energy management, and led marketing, product management, business development and corporate strategy for HireRight, an employment screening company that grew from early stage through public company under his leadership. Earlier in his career, he was a senior consultant at McKinsey and Company, and an investment banker at Kidder, Peabody & Company.
An economics-business graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Nachman also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
"Vision Internet has an outstanding reputation, a loyal customer base and is well-positioned to take advantage of the very healthy growth expected in the government technology market," he said. "Our content management system, visionCMS™, is second to none; it is the foundation on which we will diversify our customer base, broaden our footprint and expand our offerings in the years ahead. I am excited about the positive impact our services can have on our customers and their communities."


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January 2012Journal Entry: Tue Jan 31, 2012, 7:35 PM
dA Related Daily Deviations
This is a monthly article to show all the deviations from the dA related gallery that were featured as Daily Deviations during the month!
Also see:
FAQ #61: What is a Daily Deviation?
ginkgografix' Overview of dA related and Guide to the dA related galleries
My DD suggesting guidelines
The features!
None this month
Project Educate
January 2012 also saw this year's Project Educate for dA related! Unfortunately, my life that week turned out to be some more busy than most weeks, and there were other reasons too that left me no choice but to postpone some things. These will still come! Here's what was released and happened as normal:
- A chat event in #dARelated
- Art Features - #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
- Informative articles regarding the following subjects:
Outside of this all, #dARelated is also always open to everyone, and I also released an informative article on Minor Updates to Journal Skins!
dA related has a nice community full of fun people and helpful deviations! Here's some nice places and people to check out for everyone who's interested in it
Community Corner
dA related has a nice community full of fun people and helpful deviations! Here's some nice places and people to check out for everyone who's interested in it
| DeviantArt-related | #dARelated | darelated |
DeviantArt-related - an unofficial group that is about the entire dA related gallery. Updates, news, and of course submissions of all types dA related
#dARelated is the official chatroom for the gallery. Here, official and unofficial chat events and games take place, and outside of those you can often find people in there too for a general chat.
If you want to learn CSS to create journal skins, eCSSercise is a great space to learn!
ginkgografix has been mentioned before – she has done a lot of work for the dA related gallery, providing great deviations in many of the devious categories as well as resources for people interested in it! Her previously mentioned Overview of dA related is like a treasure chest for anyone interested in this gallery and community.
bradleysays is an enthusiastic member of the community, running dA related groups, interviews, and news updates with features. He is soon bringing his article series "A Week in dA Related" back!
Watching or at least visiting these deviants is much recommended.
Thanks for reading!
Coding and Design by Hairac
January 2012 by namenotrequiredWatch
©2012-2018 namenotrequired
it`s a bit late, but thanx a lot
Thank you so much for the Featured
that makes me happy.. really appreciate
that makes me happy.. really appreciate
Thank you! *-*
Right on
Thank you very much for the feature!! <3
Thank you very much!
thank you! *-*
aww why thank you kind sir
Thank you very much for the feature!!
Thank you ^^
Great features as usual.
Thanks for the feature.


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High Quality Service
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Great Work and Fast
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text: New York—The Wall Street Journal recently named Michael Williams editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe, effective June 1. Williams will succeed Raju Narisetti, who is joining the Hindustan Times Media Group in India. Williams, a 14-year veteran of the Journal, is currently based in Paris, where he is the newspaper's Southern Europe bureau chief. In his new role, Williams will be responsible for coverage of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for all editions of the Journal. He will also continue to lead the Journal's global energy coverage.


text:
What is the PFCC Program?
To help promote Patient & Family Centered Care (PFCC) principles throughout UMHS, we recruit, train, and place patients and family members (caregivers) to serve as advisors on clinical committees and boards, right alongside administration, staff, and faculty. Our advisors also partner with researchers on Patient Centered Outcomes Research projects. Currently, we have 400+ onsite patient and family member advisors and peer mentors serving throughout the health system. We also have more than 800 e-advisors who can be utilized by UMHS staff.
What does a PFCC Advisor do?
PFCC advisors share their stories, experiences, opinions, and perspectives in order to champion initiatives that help create more patient-centric programs, operations, and research, and improve safety and quality. They work in partnership with UMHS on more than 30 councils looking at ways our health system can better care for patients. In addition to serving on committees, patient-family advisors serve on speaking panels, task forces, research projects, and collaborative conversatons. Many of our advisors also serve as peer mentors and e-advisors.
To request volunteer advisor information, please call the Patient & Family Centered Care Program (PFCC) program at 734-764-1202 or email email@example.com.
How do we partner with our patients and families?
On June 19, 2002, Kati received a life changing call from her son. "Mom, Dad just fell 30 feet and landed on his head. I think he's dead." Critically injured, Kati's husband was rushed to UM Hospital where Kati spent over 11 weeks at his side while he transitioned from the ICU to a step-down unit, back to the ICU, then to a rehab floor - and during all those transitions Kati became a pro at recording their experiences. She recognized early on that she needed a tool to help her navigate this strange and traumatic event, so she purchased a notebook and started noting names, roles, medications, dosages, procedures, and suggestions that would improve his stay.
During his recovery, her husband received great care, and sometimes not so great care. Kati documented it all. She then shared her journal with senior leadership at UM Hospital and it was soon recognized as an amazing learning tool and example for improving patient engagement. The book was shared with other hospital caregivers and Kati was invited to become the inaugural patient and family advisor on the health system-wide Patient Safety Committee.
Twelve years later, Kati is still a member of this committee as a Patient and Family Centered Care Advisor. She is also a member of our Speakers' Bureau, Nursing Quality Excellence and helps to collaborate with faculty on Patient Centered Outcomes Research projects. And, thanks to UM, her husband is doing very well.
At UMHS, we view patients and family members, like Kati, as partners in care, education, and research and make every effort to include them in our core functions. We strive to communicate fully and frequently and to recognize and respect the uniqueness of each patient and family. We call this Patient & Family Centered Care, or PFCC. Individuals are respected, opinions are asked, experiences are valued, collaboration with patients is expected, and family members are viewed as a key part of their loved ones' health care team.
Volunteer Patient-Family Advisors serve in a variety of ways including:
- E-Advisors
An online list of patients and family members who review materials and complete surveys, providing quick access to determine a direction or trend in patient and family opinion.
- Executive/Community Boards and Hospital/Clinic Committees and Quality/Safety Rounds
Advisors join existing, often long-standing, groups ranging from front-line unit committees to executive level planning committees dedicated to increasing the quality and safety of the patient and family experience.
- Facility Design
Patients and caregivers help to design new or remodel existing facilities. Advisor participation runs the gamut from design to operations to activation to moving into the new space.
- Collaborative Conversation
An in-depth, facilitator-led discussion intended to collect information on a single issue. The intent of the group is not to resolve issues nor make decisions, but rather identify opinions and feelings.
- Patient-Family Advisory Councils
Members plan agendas and address issues at an executive or strategic planning level. Councils can vary from hospital-wide, to unit/department level, to a specific demographic (i.e. Cardiac Rehab Advisor Council) and have at least a 1:1 PFCC advisor to staff/faculty ratio.
- Peer Mentor Programs
Peer mentors provide support and encouragement to patients and family members who are facing similar conditions and challenges. Advanced training and staff support are required to sustain peer mentor programs.
- PFCC Theater
A group of advisors interested in acting out healthcare scenes that teach PFCC principles to staff, faculty and students. Participation includes education simulations, video creation, scene recreations and more.
- Speaker's Bureau
A group of advisors dedicated to teaching staff, faculty, students and community members through personal experiences and storytelling. Participation includes panel as well as individual presentations.
- Task Forces
Temporary workgroups established for the purpose of accomplishing a single issue and are solution-oriented. Groups are formed on an as-needed basis and typically end when the objectives have been resolved.
Contact the PFCC Program 734-764-1202 or email@example.com.


text:
Make it your own
Smooth and embracing, the 2004 Rosé will leave its mark on the Dom Pérignon legacy. A vintage with distinct power, ageing this vivid rosé will further develop its complex fruity, spicy flavours. The opposite and complementary qualities of pinot noir and chardonnay are combined in this voluptuous champagne. Delicate, feminine and graceful, a sense of "lift" permeates throughout.
This product can only be purchased by persons over 18 years of age.
Dom Pérignon
Rosé 2004
Magnum- 1,5 L
790 €
Additional delivery charges may apply. This product can only be purchased by persons over 18 years of age.
More to try
How to enjoy
|Service temperature
|When to drink
|Drink now through 2030+
|Storage advice
|Store horizontally in a cool (10-15°C), dark place, and away from vibrations
|Health warning
|Contains sulphites
|Alcohol by volume


text:
Moving an entire orchestra is not an easy task, but the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra has been accomplishing this task since 2001, when the orchestra first began traveling to Fairmont. Since then, the WVSO has been creating a lasting impact on Fairmont State University's campus and in the community as a result of a very collaborative partnership.
Members of the Fairmont State University Collegiate Singers, Chamber Choir and Community Chorus spent four exciting days in New York City on March 27 through 31. The group was led by Dr. Sam Spears, Fairmont State's Director of Choral and Vocal Activities.
During two recent performances in Morgantown, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra recognized Fairmont State University as a Student-Centered Arts Learning (SCALE) partner.
The Orchestra's SCALE program links music and other disciplines, such as math, science, writing and art, using the music of the Young People's Concert as a thematic guide. The program is correlated with West Virginia's Content Standards and Objectives for elementary classrooms.
During the Faculty Recognition event on April 24, Dr. Francene Kirk, Associate Professor of Communication and Fine Arts in the School of Fine Arts, was awarded the 2013 Abelina Suarez Professorship.
Five other Fairmont State University faculty members were nominated for the high honor:
Six Fairmont State University faculty members have been nominated for the 2013 Abelina Suarez Professorship, which will be awarded during the Faculty Recognition event at noon Wednesday, April 24, in the Falcon Center third floor conference rooms.
The fourth annual Haiku Death Match will be held on Friday, September 23. The event will be located in MMA at the Ruth Ann Musick library and begin at 4 p.m.
The yearly contest pits faculty members against one another in an effort to write the best haiku based on topics suggested by the audience. Contestants have ninety seconds to write each haiku. This marks the fourth year of the event, organized by Dr. Elizabeth Savage and sponsored by the Department of Language and Literature.


text: The Christian County YMCA will offer summer day camp for 11 weeks of fun, excitement and friendship beginning on May 29. Registration deadline is May 21 and you must be paid and registered to save your spot. Registration fee is $75 /week  for members or $150 for non-members. Contact the CC YMCA for more details.


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Archive for Vineyards
A Look At Paso RoblesPosted by: | Comments
What makes Paso Robles special & unique? The soil is at least part of the reason.
Here are some of their top vineyard sites.
Paderewski Vineyard
James Berry Vineyard (LEFT–Bone Rock; RIGHT—Rocket Block)
Denner Vineyard
Heaton Ranch (notice the 2 very distinctively different parcels—(Poppy) in the foreground & (Whalebone Hill) in the background)
Glen Rose Vineyard
Cherry Vineyard
Margarita Ranch (fossilized oyster shells)
AND…..this is just the tip of the iceberg! There is so much more to see! Amazing!
MauiWines "Ulupalakua Ranch"Posted by: | Comments
One of the big, happening banners being waved in our local food and wine industry is to BUY LOCAL and rightfully so. A profound question/statement once asked by a friend is how can we buy 10% more local food product. He noted that could translate into 100's of millions of dollars that stay in our State economy. If we do it well, he further added this could also help move us towards self-sustainability as a State. It could also help a farmer actually make it, financially. All, good things.
Along those lines, I was recently reminded of yet another opportunity to support local. The Kauai/Oahu Chapter of the Chaine des Rottiseurs (a very celebrated international food and wine society) held a dinner at VINO recently spearheaded by current Bailli, Kathryn Nicholson who requested to pair our foods with the wines from MauiWine, Ulupalakua Vineyards. The group had apparently visited the Maui based winery & vineyard late last year & decided to do a dinner featuring their wines.
I was astounded to find that this Maui based winery has been around for 42 years! And, despite the challenges of so many obstacles seemingly endlessly popping up, this winery has strongly and almost stubbornly persevered. When one considers, for example, that their estate grown vines do not typically have a true dormancy period (sleep time in vine language) that would be like me staying up 24 hours a day. I need sleep and rest and so do the vines. That is just one of the countless challenges MauiWine and its unbelievable leader, Paula Hegele have worked through for 42 years!
They currently have 6 grape varieties planted—Syrah, Malbec & Grenache for red wine & Viognier, Chenin Blanc & Gewürztraminer for white wine.
Each of the first five wines listed were featured at this group's VINO dinner. I watched in fascination as these connoisseurs ooo-ed, awed and nodded their heads in approval with each taste of wine. We knew that if any of these wines were not good, we certainly would have heard about it & quickly. Winery spokesperson, Joe Hegele was there to color commentate the experience & answer any & all questions. I would readily say, people left appreciating & enjoying a whole new niche of wine they had not considered before.
A couple of weeks later, I and two other VINO teammates were on Maui visiting our newly opened, sister restaurant, Shearwater Tavern, in Kihei. In the late morning, the Tavern chef team took us up to visit one of their core farms who supply their produce—Maui Nui Farms up in Kula. It was a very insightful experience to say the least & we were clearly reminded how hard these farmers work & we walked away with an even greater respect for what & how they do & of course their product.
We decided to then go to Maui Wine because we were so close to the vineyard & winery.
Their 23 acre vineyard of various parcels is located roughly at 1800 feet elevation with rich volcanic soils and an absolutely breathtaking, panoramic view of Maui's southwest shore, including Molokini Island. One gets a strong sense of place while visiting the vineyard that's for sure.
On this visit, the wine which caught the eye of VINO General Manager, Ann Taketa, was the very pretty, delicious, uplifting, pink sparkling wine, which they label as "Lokelani". The grapes come from California, but the wine is aged on the lees (part of the process of how the French make Champagne) and then bottled right there on their Ulupalakua site. We were all so mesmerized looking through the green colored bottles and its floating lees, as it would slowly mature and increase its complexity during the lengthy process.
Ann was so impressed, she is looking to feature Lokelani by the glass at VINO, just as Managing Partner, Ivy Nagayama is looking to also do at both Sansei Waikiki and DK Steakhouse.
Yes, just another way to support local! You can help too, by checking out their wines.
A Trio of Old World Syrah 09-11-14Posted by: | Comments
Syrah is undoubtedly one of the true "noble" grape varieties of the world & has been for a long, long time. Unfortunately, Syrah is not in fashion right now & I am not sure exactly why. I, in fact, wish I had a dollar for every time a wine professional/wine buyer/server has told me in the past 5 years, how Syrah based wines, (especially New World versions) do not sell so well for them. I would be rich!
I am saddened to hear of this plight.
Well grown & crafted Syrah deserves a niche in the wine world. Not only does this grape variety have world class potential, it also can fill the big puka between Pinot Noir & Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of weight, drama & profoundness. The very best can have intricacy, pedigree, UN-heaviness & texture a notch or 2 away from Pinot Noir, with the depth, masculinity & regality a notch or 2 away from Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah can be an ideal "tweener".
Here are 3 examples which reminded me of this thought.
2001 Michel & Stephane Ogier Cote Rotie
The Ogier family had been farming their vineyards & selling off to their grapes for many years (more recently to prominent producers such as Chapoutier & Guigal), until 1987 when they decided to grow & produce their own wine under their own label. At that time, they owned roughly 6 acres in Cote Rotie. Son, Stephane, started working alongside his father in 1998 & took over the domaine in 2000. Where previously, the winemaking was much more traditional with NO stems & NO new oak, Stephane changed his style to 100% Syrah, 80% de-stalked, 3 to 4 week stainless steel fermentation & 18 month barrel aging (30% new). In addition to their Cote Rotie, Ogier also began producing special bottlings–Embruns (2001) from purchased fruit & 50% new barrels; Lancement "Terroir de Blonde" & Belle Helene (a cask selection from their Cote Rozier parcel–30 months in 100% new oak). This is a producer of northern Rhone Valley Syrah well worth checking out. This 2001 Cote Rotie (13 years old), for example, was elegant, classy, refined, masculine, majestic with a surprising velvety texture. It had a gamey, rustic core with garrigue character & a sandalwood edge. I can imagine all kinds of meats & rustic meat preparations which one can have a field day with!
Noel Verset, for me, was one of the iconic stalwarths of the tiny Cornas appellation, who not only helped define an appellation, but shed a very different light on what the Syrah grape variety could be. His vines were old, his highly revered Sabarottes parcel yielded grapes like no other on the hillside & his winemaking was very traditional. I have to say, the resulting wines were truly one of a kind. They had a wild-ness–green & black peppercorns, true andouille sausage, raw meat, lots of red fruit, crushed rocks, garrigue with lots of herbal notes. His was a small winery, perhaps 800 case production in any given year. Rumors started circulating around the 2000 vintage, that he was retiring. (He even mentioned his thoughts on retirement on a visit I made in 1991). Subsequent vintages would pop up every now & then–I saw a smidgeon fo the 2003 & a tiny bit of 2006….& then quiet. It was the end of an era. Yes, there are other Cornas (Thierry Allemand & August Clape) which deftly carry on the appellation on the world class stage, BUT there was only 1 Noel Verset. I was completely enthralled with the 1995. It was quintessential Verset Cornas–wildly rustic, rock, peppercorns, wild herbs, with the rank smells of real French andouille sausage. It really sang out & was a thrill to savor.
For many, the Chave Hermitage is the pinnacle of northern Rhone Syrah. The family has been growing grapes & making wines on Hermitage hill since 1481. The vines today are organically & biodynamically farmed. "Every year, we start from zero in assembling the wine." The core & backbone comes from the Bessards parcel, their largest parcel, located furthest west. Tasting out of barrel once with Gerard Chave, I found the Bessards to have a smokiness, a strong minerality with a certain elegance, velvety middle & lots of tannins in the finish. His parcels have very old vines. I found Le Meal was also smokey, but had distinct floral (violets, jasmine), ripe, jammy black cherry, green olive, spice & pepper with more of a middle, a riper, higher glycerine mouthfeel. Rocoules was fresher fruit, yet not as showy, with licorice, smoke, cassis, green notes & much more tannic. Peleat–more acid/structure with green olive, smoke & even an apple nuance. Diognieres had ripe cherries, jammy, bordering cassis like qualities with a funky/earthy edge. Baume–licorice, cherry, more austere, structured & refinement. L'Ermite–smokey, earthy, barnyard funk, green peppercrons, jammy–the most outgoing right out of the gates. The Chaves are master blenders, using all of the pieces to create a complete Hermitage–or as I used to say about the old Barolo masters—create an orchestra sound rather than just the horn section. Chave is the best at that! and HAS BEEN SINCE 1481!
A BYOB Tasting of "Bien Nacido Vineyard" WinesPosted by: | Comments
The Bien Nacido Vineyard is located midway in the Santa Maria Valley.
"The vineyard traces its roots back to the year 1837 when a Spanish land grant of some two square leagues was made to Tomas Olivera by Juan Bautista Alvarado, then Gobernador of Alta California. This grant covered nearly 9,000 acres ranging upward to the San Rafael Mountains from the Santa Maria Mesa, which bordered the Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. The ranch was generously watered by Tepusquet Creek, so called by the Chumash Indians to whom it meant "fishing for trout." Thomas Olivera sold Rancho Tepusquet in 1855 to his son-in-law Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros and daughter Martina. Don Juan Pacifico Ontiveros started construction on an adobe in 1857 and moved to the ranch the following year. He and his wife raised horses, cattle, sheep, several grain crops, and grapes for the production of wine".
The current owners, Miller family, purchased this tract in 1969 & soon thereafter renamed the vineyard "Bien Nacido".
Today, Bien Nacido covers roughly 800 acres of vines & is still quite breathtaking in scope. There is a myriad of designated blocks & soils, each "farmed to order" to the leaser. A good portion is sandy loam with tiny bits of seashells & sees morning fog & is cooled by afternoon sea breezes.
What is most tantalizing to winemakers is that several of the blocks still have the vines, which were planted in 1973 AND on their own roots. Of course, there is a pecking order to who gets what grapes. First in line for the prime parcels, includes those who worked with the grapes since nearly the beginning such as Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Adam Tolmach of Ojai & Bob Lindquist of Qupe. We are also seeing a transition, as some of the Old Guard who helped bring this vineyard to the forefront, such as Chris Whitcraft & Bryan Babcock, no longer work with the fruit. In their place, we today see a whole slew of young bucks such as Justin Willett of Tyler & Gavin Chanin of Chanin wines just to name 2.
Just the other night, two of our really good wine friends, Gail & Vern Isono, put together a BYOB tasting themed "Bien Nacido Vineyard wines" at our VINO restaurant. It really turned out to be a VERY memorable tasting, to say the least, as the participants brought an interesting selection of true standouts from this iconic vineyard to share with the gang.
1995 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay "La Bouge"
There is no doubt that Jim Clendenen has over the years crafted some of the most compelling Bien Nacido Vineyard wines. I also would say, he was one of the biggest believers/advocates who helped bring the Santa Barbara appellation onto the world stage of quality wines. This specific bottling, which was previous named simply "Bien nacido Vineyard" was his signature wine. The grapes came from "K" Block (Chardonnay planted in 1973 on its own roots in sandy loam soils). I have always been amazed at how Au Bon Climat's Bien Nacido" Chardonnay always showcased real physiological ripeness, innate compelxities & class with remarkably lightness, 13 plus alcohol, well integrated oak (despite being barrel fermented & with roughly 75% to 100% new oak) AND ageworthiness. Here is the living proof!!!!!!! The wine was all about mineral out of the gates…high toned, highly refined with fresh peach skin & layers of marzipan, which acvhnged to more of a creamsicle note with more air. This 1995 was so pure, seamless & complete with fabulous texture & balance (2 of Clendenen's signature winemaking traits) with a long, citrusy finish. AND, it was so surprisingly youthful still! Crazy good!
1998 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay "Nuits-Blanches–Why Not"
Though Au Bon Climat's more ethereal, highly refined, higher acid, lower alcohol Chardonnays had quite a following with the wine professionals, the wines were only lukewarmly received by the major media. BIG, oaky, lavish Chardonnays were in style & the emerging new age of wine drinkers readily jumped on the band wagon. Where there was once a waiting list of customers, times were changing. With the 1997 vintage, Clendenen decided to add another Chardonnay to his portfolio, one which tasters later would playfully say was more of a homage to the newer, IN style of wine. The "White Knight" was also produced from Bien Nacido's "K" Block, but was picked a week or 2 later AND aged in a considerable amount of new oak. The bottle was more fancy & heavy in weight with a newly designed "look", with the designation "Nuits-Blanches"…& his statement–"Why?"…front & center. This wine, of course, was ABC's highest scoring wine in quite some time. Depressing????? Maybe for an artist, but Clendenen followed that wave of success in 1998 with his third "Nuits-Blanches", this time with his simple statement–"Why Not". Even though this Chardonnay comes from the same "K" Block, the resulting wine is so VERY different! The wine is more stony than minerally, with marzipan, orange blossom, fennel, creamsicle, apricot pit nuances. Dry, still quite oaky up front & quite youthful & resoundingly structured in its core with a long, grandiose finish. (FYI–starting with the 2000 vintage, Clendenen again adjusted this bottling by blending in some earlier harvest K Block & later some Chardonnay from his own Le Bon Climat vineyard across the river….& renamed this wine Nuits Blanches au Bouge).
2006 Foxen Pinot Noir "Block 8-Bien Nacido Vineyard"
2006 Whitcraft Pinot Noir "this is the "n" my only friend the "n""
The Foxen gang are really good people who helped bring Santa Barbara along wine wise. Bill Wathen studied under the legendary Pinot maestro, Dick Graff, at Chalone & along with his partner Dick Dore founded Foxen in the 1980's. Their wine, unfortunately, did not show so well on this night. We're not sure if it was shipping, storage or what. The 2006 Whitcraft was also in a dumb stage….but showed MUCH better than the Foxen & was so much more vinous, balanced & complete. As the night wore on, one could readily tell this wine has the stuffing & all the right fixings….just needs time. Chris Whitcraft, for me, was one of the "larger than life", REAL characters of the wine industry. His wines were like him, in that one never knew what to expect, not only with each vintage, but when opening any of his wines at any given time. In short, they were all idiosyncractic & I have found over the years, either people really liked them or they really hated them. Chris was a protege/friend to the iconic Burt Williams, the namesake, founding winemaker of the old Williams & Selyem. He defined his winemaking as artisan & done without electricity. From early on, his 3 prized parcels were "Q" & "N" Blocks from the Bien Nacido Vineyard….as well as the Hirsch Vineyard of the true Sonoma Coast. When he hit it, he hit a home run. In 2006, Chris produced a terrific "N" Block Pinot Noir. He felt, however, after tasting through the barrels with Burt, there was one barrel, which had to be singled out & bottled on its own. This is that wine!!! ONE barrel. Sadly, either the 2006 or perhaps 2007 vintage , Whitcraft decided to say aloha to Bien Nacido. It really was the end of an era. On this night, the wine had a surinam cherry kind of pungency, with much earth, spice–rustic, totaly vinous, great core, mineral, showy….much more showy than his normal "N" Block bottlings (Martini selection–planted in 1973 & own rooted). I remembered how proud Chris was of this wine, when I first tasted it with him. I too agreed this was one of his finest, which is saying alot, considering all of the giants he made during his career. I was sad to hear of Chris' passing earlier this year. He & his wines were like no other. Aloha, my friend. RIP.
2001 Ojai Pinot Noir "Bien Nacido Vineyard"
Adam Tolmach is another one of Santa Barbara's (if not all of California) REAL superstar winemakers! His wines are THAT GOOD! He was once co-founding winemaker at Au Bon Climat, but eventually packed up his bags to found his own winery, which he named Ojai. His wines thankfully also have Old World sensibility. Where his Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, & especially his Syrahs used to get HUGE scores from the major publications, especially Robert Parker, one could see over the years his decision to trim the oak usage appealed to the scorers less. How crazy is that? For me these same wines are better than ever. In fact, let me just say, when touring Californian wine country, our last visit is typically Ojai. It really is hard to follow his wines with any others. His top Bien Nacido Pinot parcel is "N" Block (planted in 1973, on its own roots). Unfortunately, on this night, the 2001's nose was completely & utterly shutdown….despite us trying to agressively decant it back & forth for 25 minutes. On the palate, the wine, however, showed hard mineral, immense structure, HUGE vinosity, intensity with great texture & flow…..just so damned tight. I think this will be quite a wine, though, once it comes out of hibernation.
IN REPLY (from Fabien Castel of Ojai Vineyard)–"Incidentally I read the note about your recent tasting of the 2001 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido.The wine does need a lot more time and I can give some background as to why it tasted the way it did. It was my first year working with Adam. The 2001-2002 vintages ended being the densest and most angular for Pinot Noir. Part was extraction levels (punch downs), inclusion of a new cooper, occasional saignee and other finer details in the cellar. Ultimately it prompted Adam to rethink the way he was dealing with those wines and not repeat that level of texture that was drawing praises but not satisfying his sense of what the varietal had to offer. The wines had been softer in prior years (1996 to 2000) and would return to gentler textures in 2005, 2006. By 2007 Bien Nacido was less extracted with grapes picked earlier, now showing on an ideal course, 7 years later. Today he is adding again some extraction since he moved in a different realm of physiological maturation of the grapes. He has found delicacy and is ready to reintroduce power".
1991 Whitcraft Pinot Noir "Bien Nacido Vineyard"
1993 Whitcraft Pinot Noir "Bien Nacido Vineyard"
Chris Whitcraft excelled at producing real provocative, HUGELY vinous, masculine, savory, rustic Pinot Noir from both the "Q" & "N" blocks of the Bien Nacido Vineyard. He was lucky to be there in the early days & was therefore able to garner getting the Old Vine fruit from each, which came from the vines planted in 1973 on its own roots. Sometime in the 90's, since the rows between the vines were so wide, they went through & planted another row in between (referred to as interplantings). In the case of "Q" Block, I believe it was clone 667. & for "N" Block I believe they planted clone 115. So, every now & then, when Chris felt some of the juice did not reflect a "Q" or "N" Block designation, he would produce a "Bien Nacido Vineyard" designated bottling. AND, in some of the cases, he would also add some interplanting grapes in as well, just to add dimension. In any case, the Bien Nacido designated wines were VERY different from either Q or N Block & spoke of the vineyard rather than either parcel. On this night, the 1991 showed more of that pungent, rustic surinam cherry fruit, a peach tang in the middle with sandalwood, sap, funk/shoe polish/leather. It definitely had more vinosity than the 1993 poured along side. The 1993, on the other hand, seemed much more Californian. It was lighter in color, much more perfumed–light funk, peach/apricot middle, roasted coffee grinds, a more ethereal middle with a more fruity finish. We were all so surprised how youthful these 2 wines were.
1993 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir "La Bauge Au-dessus"
What an intriguing contrast to the any of the other wines, that's for sure! Much more elegant, feminine, refined….so seamless, impeccably balanced & so wonderfully textured. The fruit is sweet, ripe & surprisingly forward, but I believe that is part of the intention of this bottling. I also loved the vinosity & surprising vigor of this 19 year old wine!!!
1996 Whitcraft Pinot Noir "N Block"
1997 Whitcraft Pinot Noir "N Block"
I have been an avid fan of Chris Whitcraft's Pinot Noirs for many years. I would be hard pressed to think of too many Pinots in the 90's which had as much character & vinosity (old vine-ness) than his Q & N Block bottlings. ( Certainly nothing tooty fruity there!) Where his Hirsch single vineyard designated Pinots (1994 being the first) were much more masculine, sultry, darker, intriguing & harder edged, his Q & N were so much more vinous, rounder & more open. Chris worked with a Pommard selection in Q Block (planted in 1973 & own rooted). The resulting wine was typically the most open upon release. His N Block was Martini selection & was typically more earthy, reticent & shy upon release. The 1996 had a strong roasted coffee grinds/cocoa quality, with a very earthy tone. It was totally vinous on the palate, seamless, complete & long. The 1997, on the other hand, had a stemmy, spiced edge with a more ethereal middle & a long finish. It was much more refined & elegant than the 1996. Interestingly, I found this to be opposite when they were released. Both are still surprisingly youthful.
2000 Jomani Pinot Noir "Q Block"
In 2000, my best friend, Nunzio Alioto, & I bought some Q Block grapes at a charity auction. ( He & I in those days typically bought small amounts of grapes from some storybook vineyards like Pisoni, Savoy, Mt Carmel & Eaglepoint Ranch & asked some friends to make it for us.) So, for the 2000, we asked Chris Whitcraft to make this wine. I believe it was 1 barrel's worth. On this night, this seemed to be grandest of the night! Or, maybe because it was biggest, a beast with lots of hutzpah, chocolate, coffee & oak nuances. It also had, by far, the most vigor in the core. I found it way more interesting than a 2000 Whitcraft Q Block & a 2000 Hirsch I recently had tasted. Sorry, my last bottle. Thank you Chris!!!!!
A Quick Jaunt to the Napa Valley–Part 3Posted by: | Comments
We were fortunate to meet up superstar winemaker, Andy Erickson, on our last day in the Napa Valley at a new wine project he is consulting for, owned by Maurice Marciano.
The estate property is 100 acres, of which roughly 10 acres are currently planted (& meticulously farmed by David Abreu).
The winery is state of the art & I would say….truly a dream come true for most winemakers. These vessels can be programmed to do pump overs by themselves & as many times & when you want. No more late nights?
We then head back east across the Valley & up. This is the Maya parcel of Dalle Valle (left), another one of Andy's projects. Directly above & what used to be Showket has recently been purchased by Peter Michael. We continued upwards as we head for Oakville Ranch, & specifically the Summit Block (right picture), which is located roughly 1000 feet in elevation. The soils is comprised of Aken soils, which in this case are rich in iron-clay & decomposing volcanic rock.
The next ridge over, one can see Ovid (on Pritchard Hill), which is yet another project for Andy. We were surprised to see that Pritchard Hill & Stagecoach seem to be on a contiguous ridge top.
On our next visit (as there just was not enough time on this trip), I hope to visit Andy's latest project–Mayacamas–a, iconic, historic vineyard & place, where Andy Erickson & his wife/viticulturist Annie Favia now oversee. I know it seems like Andy has lots of projects, but in comparison to the other top echelon, he really doesn't have that many. But the ones he does have are truly special.
A Quick Jaunt to the Napa Valley–Part 2Posted by: | Comments
In the afternoon, we decided to stop by & see Neyers Vineyards located on Sage Canyon Road. Because things were so hectic, as the looming harvest meant cleaning all of the equipment, bottling wine to make room for the new harvest & visiting vineyards, we did not ask to see any vineyards with winemaker Tadeo on this visit. Just, way too much going on & we were appreciative for any time he & they could spend with us.
We were graciously received by Barbara Neyers & her team. She is an incredible person with a BIG heart & old soul. There is very few people around like her, believe me! She worked at Chez Panisse for 20+ years, along side Chef/owner Alice Waters. She & Bruce's strongly believe in comprehensive sustainability. to the point I never have to ask.
We were then thankful to taste through a formidable line up of Neyers' upcoming releases. We walked away as impressed as ever. As I have stated frequently in the past months, winemaker Tadeo Borchardt is totally in the groove & crafting a bevy of sensational wines…..which display character & interesting-ness….AND are seamless, well textured & wonderfully balanced. One should try the Neyers Syrah "Old Lakeville Road", for example, just to see what we mean.
Our next stop–Robert Biale. We met with Dave Pramuk, someone we had met a LONG time ago at ZAP. Dave was kind enough to walk some of the vineyards with us.
The vineyard on the left is "Black Chicken". Interestingly, Black Chicken is a single vineyard….AND is also a proprietary name for one of their Zinfandels…(whose core is the Black Chicken vineyard). The vineyard on the right is Aldo, which was planted in 1937.
The grapes, in each case were close to ripening. They also had lots of character…& were not just tooty fruity like some of the other grapes we tasted in Paso Robles & other parcels of Napa Valley.
Robert Biale has a true passion for Zinfandel & their wines clearly show that. FYI–they now use Burgundian barrels to age the Zins & handle the grapes more gently. We were really impressed with what we saw & tasted.
The Napa Valley was truly bustling with energy as people scurried about to get ready for the looming harvests. AND, winemakers were making their rounds to check out their grape sources. Kenefick Ranch
A Quick Jaunt to the Napa Valley–Part 1Posted by: | Comments
We recently had an opportunity to visit and spend two days in the Napa Valley of California. We were fortunate that this year the harvest look to start early because of some severe heat spikes which happened in May & June. As is normally the case whenever we go to a winegrowing region we endeavor to walk vineyards with some of our favorite winemakers. In this case because of the early harvest, were also able to taste nearly ripe grapes as well.
Our first day we met with Napa Valley winemaking phenom Thomas Brown. Thomas, although very busy, was kind enough to meet us at my best friends' family ranch just above St. Helena.. Even though I had been going to and staying at this ranch for 30+ years up until this visit I really had no idea of the true quality of the grapes grown on this 6 1/2 acre ranch. I was certainly in for an eye-opening discovery walking the vineyard with Thomas Brown.
The small dirt road lane has 4 vineyards (Schoenstein, Tournahu, Shibumi Knoll & Panek) on one side and one larger vineyard (Aida) on the opposite side. Schoenstein at one time was farmed by viticultural superstar David Abreu. Thomas Brown is a consulting winemaker for Shibumi Knoll & and I believe he also works with Panek. Aida vineyard was made famous by Turley Wine Cellars. Needless to say I was absolutely blown away by the reputation of all of these vineyards. To think for 30 years I had no idea.
While walking the vineyards I was really surprised at how many stones there were in each of these vineyards. It seems like a little small pocket of interesting soil on the valley floor.
We then went down the road a short while to visit Larkmead Estate, which is an iconic vineyard heralded back in 1961 by Napa Valley winemaking legend Andre Tchelistcheff, as being one of the four top vineyard sites in all of Napa Valley at that time.
We then did a walk through Michael Chiarello's vineyard, which Thomas also consults for. Some of the Petite Sirah vines are over 100 years old. The nearly ripe fruit oozed vinosity & lots of character, eventhough the vines looked exhausted. This is really a vineyard which needs tender loving care.
Another vineyard & winery Thomas Brown consults for is Jones Family. The 10 acre estate vineyard is located on between St Helena & Calistoga between 600 & 900 feet & is farmed by superstar vineyard-ist David Abreu. This vineyard was originally planted by the Araujo's who sold it off in 1992 when they purchased the Eislese vineyard.
We also learned that Thomas Brown is currently building 2 new wineries–one for Pinot Noir (located on a corner off of the Silverado Trail) & part of a custom crush facility near Calistoga, where he will make some of his Cabernets. This winemaking phenom certainly has alot going on, besides the high profile projects he consults for such as Schrader, Outpost, Maybach, Casa Piena (Carmen Policy's winery) & GTS (the project of Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Tom Seaver)……AND his own label, Rivers Marie.
Paso Robles 08-26 & 27-2013Posted by: | Comments
A quick 2 day visit to the Paso Robles appellation. In addition to spending time with Linne Calodo & Saxum (which was documented on separate blog entries), here is a recap of our other visits.
Margarita Vineyard is a roughly 900 acre vineyard located at about 1000 feet elevation, 14 miles from the ocean in southern Paso Robles. It is a vineyard I have been trying to walk for many years, but did not find the right contact, until very recently, to do so. I never realized this vineyard was so big. I also wonder how this is still Paso Robles appellation, since it is located on the "other" side of Templeton.
The vineyard has 6 main soil types. The most compelling is rich in fossilized oyster shells…..BUT the shale & gravel also produce some very interesting flavors/character.
The owners also have their own wine label–Ancient Peaks, which features a very talented winemaker, Michael Sinor which is soon to be available here in Hawaii.
Luna Matta is another interesting Paso Robles vineyard. The parcel is 242 total acres, of which 36 are planted & organically farmed since 2001.
There are alot of interesting grape varieties being grown here, including the bigger plantings (Syrah, Grenache & Mourvedre), as well as smaller parcels of Grenache Blanc, Moscato Giallo, Aglianico, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo & Carignane. We will definitely be seeing more & more Luna Matta designated wines in the near future, especially with Stephy Terrizzi involved as a vineyard consultant.
Yet, another interesting vineyard which has been planted is the Villa Creek Estate. Owner/winemaker Cris Cherry, in addition to owning one of the best restaurants in the town of Paso Robles, also produces some terrific wines under his Villa Creek label. What started as a side project….supplying his contemporary styled eaterie with some very interesting, locally grown wine, has over the years blossomed into him building his own winery & now planting his own vineyards. Yes, these wines are certainly worth searching out for.
Our next visit was with Anthony Yount, winemaker at Denner Vineyard. We had toured the Denner Estate vineyard the day before with Matt Trevisan. Anthony was then kind enough to take us out to walk the 10 1/2 acre Basetti Vineyard, which lies outside of the Paso Robles appellation, closer to the ocean.
To the naked eye, Basetti doesn't look like much. The most compelling influences of this vineyard, I was told, is the serpentine rock undersoils, the clay topsoil & the close proximity to the ocean (& its cool growing conditions). The 2 wineries sourcing the fruit is Denner (which produced a single vineyard 50% whole cluster, 100% Syrah in 2010, yet to be rated) & Villa Creek (92 point rated, single vineyard Syrah). I believe Denner also uses Basetti Grenache as well.
Basetti vineyard may be the beginning of a whole, new grape growing region for the future, despite its extreme growing conditions, just as we have previously seen with the Sonoma Coast appellation further north. I would also say, Anthony Yount is a young turk you should keep an eye out on, whether at Denner or Kinero, his very own label.
Linne Calodo 08-26-13Posted by: | Comments
My wife Cheryle (& a friend) & I had the chance to walk some vineyards in Paso Robles recently. It was a good time, as there was "taste" to the grapes & it was therefore an incredibly learning opportunity.
Our first stop was at Linne Calodo & superstar winemaker Matt Trevisan. It had been years since I last visited Matt at the winery. We were excited & anxious to visit eventhough we were not sure how much time Matt would actually have with us, given the looming harvest, the fact that both noted wine writers–Robert Parker & Josh Reynolds were in town around the same time.
Our first stop….we had to go check out the newly acquired/planted 47 acre vineyard.
Lots of rock to deal with. There is only 18 inches to 3 feet of top soil.
Matt planted all kinds of interesting plant material. He had learned alot from planting & operating his other estate vineyard which surrounds the winery itself.
We then went to Heaton vineyard (roughly 1300 feet elevation), a dry farmed vineyard, which has TWO distinct different parcels–
Whalebone (pictured in the background). I was amazed at how the big oak on the right side GREATLY affected such a wide area of vines…..which only a few were able to survive. The Poppy parcel is pictured in the foreground & the grapes tasted firmer, with way more acid (which Matt uses for his Problem Child bottling).
I was truly amazed how the fruit from the 2 parcels tasted SO different.
We also loved meeting the growers. Just so "salt of the earth" & genuine.
The Cushman vineyard was essentially right across the street….& one got a completely different vibe from this site. Matt gets 1 1/2 acres of the 10 planted (in 1978) It is also a cooler spot, & therefore results in higher acid fruit eventhough the fruit typically ripens 2 to 3 weeks later than Heaton. For me the fruit doesn't have the same vinosity & character as the Poppy parcel across the way.
The Cherry vineyard was planted in 1977….only about 2 1/2 acres amid 400 acres of land. The vines are head trained with south to southwest facing. I though the fruit from this vineyard tasted the best of day, at least for Zinfandel. There was alot of character & vinosity. It really is a special site.
Denner Vineyard has truly blossomed to become one of the standout sites in all of Paso Robles. Located directly across the James Berry vineyard, it too is truly something to behold. Furthermore, each parcel offers something unique.
one can readily tell, for instance, which is the Mourvedre plantings (as seen by the "airstrip" looking parcel in the middle. Lots of vines here just don't make it. It is also one of the last grape varieties to ripen.
Tasting through some of the various barrels of 2012's convinced us, this is going to be one heck'uv vintage for Linne Calodo. Save some room in your cellars, people. AND work hard to get some!
Yes…the winemaking has changed…or a better way of putting it….evolved. The wines therefore are not as forward & have much more layering, intricacies & better balance. The minerality is thankfully much more showcased. In short, Matt Trevisan is totally in the "zone" right now.
This was a GREAT, major insightful visit!!!!! Thank you Matt.
Some interesting vineyards in CaliforniaPosted by: | Comments
The Old World (France, Italy, Germany, etc) have had centuries to find out which vineyards are the special ones. California, on the other hand is really just getting started.
It is exciting to see, nonetheless, many of the sites now being planted in search of interesting terroir.
Monte Bello Vineyard
In the right forefront is parcel of Mount Eden's planting. Near the top of the mountain is Monte Bello, which is the home of some of the most compelling Cabernets ever produced out of California.
Stagecoach Vineyard
I distinctly remember being BLOWN away from my first view of this hilltop vineyard. Years back I went to visit Adolf Krupp at his home located at the top of Soda Canyon Road in the Napa Valley. I thought the 40 or so acre vineyard surrounding his house was Stagecoach & was surprised when he kindly noted, "no, this is the Krupp Vineyard". Adolf then took us to his kitchen where we looked out the window to see this view. "That is Stagecoach Vineyard". This breathtaking, panoramic vineyard is just under 1,000 acres…..which they essentially blew up the top of the mountain to plant. I marveled at all of the huge boulders & rocks they stacked here & there to make room for the vines. It truly is something to behold.
Paderewski Vineyard
Down in Paso Robles on the westside, is this amazing silaceous clay (limestome-ish) series of rolling hills which was developed & planted under the watchful eye of superstar winemaker Justin Smith (of Saxum fame) for owner Bill Armstrong. It is amazing how this soil, altitude & cool nights create such buoyancy in their BIG, thick, dramatic red wines.
Tempest Vineyard
This is yet another extreme vineyard planted past the western edge of the Santa Rita Hills appellation. In addition to the silaceous clay soils & the gusting cold winds which just pound the site, this vineyard is very densely planted…..7000 vines per acre towards the top of the hill!!!!!
Hirsch Vineyard
is located way out on the true Sonoma Coast….BUT 3 miles from the cold Pacific Ocean. I remember his ranch was roughly 1000 acres, but only a few hundred were actually plantable. Extreme!!
Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
While this site doesn't look as dramatic as some of the others, it is nonetheless one of the TOP California vineyards for Chardonnay & Pinot Noir. It really is about the rocks that permeate the soil.


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Amazing advancements in the speed of Internet searches have brought the gap between search and result down to fractions of a second.
How could Google and other search companies possibly make them even faster?
The answer is for search engines to harvest so much information about you that they know what you're going to search for before you do – and then provide the results as soon as you look at your screen.
A San Francisco-based company called Expect Labs introduced an iPad app called MindMeld this week at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference.
The app is a voice-call and video-chat program. Based on what it hears people say during an online conversations, it initiates its own search without any other action by the user.
As you talk, the app continuously pops up topics you may want to search. If you mention a restaurant, a map pops up with its location. The restaurant's web site opens.
When you move on to another topic, additional search results appear and so on continuously through the conversation.
You can capture and share search results, leaving behind a kind of journal of topics based on the conversation.
The app also improves your results by preemptively harvesting Facebook data to know more about you.
MineMeld is not available yet, but when it does go online next month it may cost $1.99, according to Expect Labs CEO Tim Tuttle.
Initially, the app will work only with voice calls. Video comes later. Other platforms besides the iPad are also likely, and the company is working on a developer API.
Earlier this year, Google launched its Knowledge Graph, which is a first step in providing answers, rather than search results for you to sift through.
One of the most impressive applications of the Knowledge Graph is Google Now, which is a voice-based predictive search engine built into the Jelly Bean version of Android.
Google Now uses the location sensor in your phone, and extracts information from your behavior to predict what information you're going to want. And it learns.
You can say "what's 453 divided by 11," "who won the game last night" and "show me pictures of bacon," and Google Now will pop up answers.
Google now already does minimal preemptive search. Just turning it on it will pop up with the current weather for your current location.
To interact with Google Now, you tap a button and talk. But it's easy to imagine a near-future where no button tapping is necessary, where the app just listens to people talking, providing a constant stream of answers to questions plucked out of the chatter.
And this, I believe, is the best way to imagine the future of search. The future of search will be constant, preemptive and contextual.
It won't "feel" like a search engine, but an omniscient personal assistant.
It will look at your to do list, and see that "Call David" is on it. It will figure out which David in your contacts you mean, look at David's public calendar and notice nothing scheduled. It'll notice that you're not doing anything, either, and tell you that "right now would be a good time to call David, and would you like me to dial the phone?"
As you're blathering to a friend about movies, and if you can't remember the name of an actress, just glance at your phone and there she is, with photo, name, biography and so on.
I think a good descriptive label for this thing I'm talking about would be "contextual preemptive search." And it's a set of capabilities that will show up all over the place -- built into car dashboards, built into search engines and, most of all, built into Siri-like personal assistants in our phones.
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I was walking to the office this morning, head phones in ears listening to a few of my favourite tracks. I began thinking about what I had to do today, what I achieved yesterday and what I'd like to achieve by the end of the week. Just to put things in perspective for the past 6 or 7 weeks I've been wire-framing around 4-5 different projects. They've been a real mix, some iPhone apps, an iPad app and two web apps. Whilst I find this highly enjoyable as it's a huge part of my personal process, I knew that I had some iPhone app design work coming up.
I'm like a kid at Christmas when I know I can get my head deep in to photoshop and start creating some visuals.
How happy I was walking, listening and thinking reminded me of New York when I was there last year.
Jen and I had walked up and down Manhattan a couple of times but on this particular day it seems to be packed. If I remember correctly we were on our way back from the Financial District and decided to criss-cross over to fifth ave. We were wandering around as tourists do, getting in everyones way when I heard a guy singing. Generally in the UK people busk so it's not un-common to hear buskers on the street however this was closer, this was right behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to find a young guy, early twenties singing at the top of his voice dancing in and out of the people around him without a care in the world. Most people would have branded him as mad, but you know, I bet he was the happiest guy in New York on that day because he couldn't have cared less.
He was happy in what he was doing, just like I am today with my head stuck in Photoshop.


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We are going to gather a list of all the politicians who are up for election in their area and either using Twitter, facebook or other online methods to keep future voters updated of their schedule.
We already follow quite a few of the elect but rather than publishing our lists we wish for anyone to tell us who is online.
Remember we are a non political website but we do wish to keep visitors and Paisley updated
Send in any names and their addresss to email@example.com forthwith
This has been sent in by one of our visitors Scott Duncan, please give it your time to read it and sponosr if possible.
I want to help raise funds for charity to help people that have been affected by deaths on UK roads…
I am taking part in a parachute jump in June 09 to raise funds with a target of £1000.
Please help me raise this money… I would really appreciate any help that I can get…
Why do I care?
Four years ago I was hit by joy riders who were driving at about 100mph and hit us head on, they managed to get free from their wreck and left us trapped in our smashed up car… I learned how life is fragile and that I was very lucky to walk away from this alive… so I want to help people who have not been so fortunate as me.
Please help raise this money to help the families of people who have lost their mum, dad, sister, brother, children or anyone for that matter to a road traffic accident… Please just for a moment imagine what it must feel like to get the news that someone you love is gone and will never be back, you will never hear them laugh, see them smile in person again… it must be horrific… I know that some people reading this will have experienced these feelings in life and I hope I am not over stepping the mark…
Please help!
Scott Duncan http://www.justgiving.com/scottduncan


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The Polycom vision is clear: to make it possible for millions of people to use video collaboration as their preferred method of communicating – easily, reliably and securely – regardless of network, carrier, protocol, application or device. Look inside as Andy Miller, CEO, takes a dive into all of the UC collaboration opportunities in the market today…and tomorrow.
Andy Miller, President and CEO, Polycom Keynote
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