Category Archives: CALIFORNIA

Brown-Bagging With Petite Sirah

Posted on April 13, 2013 by

I’ve known Stillman Brown since he was knee high to an ass-hopper; by which I mean, before he decided he was straight. See, I can make stupid jokes like that about Stillman Brown (no relation to Encyclopedia, Ford  Madox or … Continue reading →

Posted in Paso Robles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘Zin Zone’, Zabaco And Zsa Zsa Gabor

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

The letter ‘z’ is a bit off-kilter, wouldn’t you say?  It lurks in the rear of the classroom, rarely raising its crooked hand, and when called upon by the teacher to answer a question, ‘z’ frequently bullies ‘x’ into doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Dry Creek, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Darryl Is A Camel Jockey; Pass It On

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

If you’ve been in the wine business since the mid-nineteenth century like Darryl and me, your majestical roof—your brave overhanging firmament—probably resembles the sky above Selfridge Air Base during pilot training week.  Lots of criss-crossing contrails with comrades in arms, … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Sonoma | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grape Seeds: Oil Make Something Of Ya Yet!

Posted on February 21, 2013 by

Nearly everyone on earth knows that there is no such thing as a Leprechaun that isn’t actually that wee oaf Matt Roloff mugging about in a green top hat on St. Paddy’s Day; likewise, most folks understand that there is … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, GENERAL, Napa | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Obama/French Force One More Wine/Whine Pun

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

What’s wrong with the French anyway?  They cling to the word ‘Champagne’  like Jimmy Stewart clung to that red-tile rooftop in the beginning of Vertigo. Well, of course, that question is purely rhetorical.  I’ll tell you what’s wrong with the … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, GENERAL | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Creature From The White Laguna

Posted on January 9, 2013 by

Creature From The Black Lagoon, Universal Studios, 1954 Plot Summary: A geology expedition in the Amazon uncovers a fossilized hand from the Devonian period; Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), an ichthyologist who works at a marine biology institute, returns to … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Russian Rivers, Sonoma | Tagged , | 1 Comment

What’s Christmas All About, Stillman Brown?

Posted on December 15, 2012 by

‘Normative ethics’ is that branch of philosophy concerned with the practical means of determining a moral line of conduct in a given situation.  It is rooted in the Greek word ethos, meaning ‘character’, and is perhaps the single most socially … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Paso Robles | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Smith-Madrone And The Value Of Venerable Vines

Posted on December 13, 2012 by

Today’s ‘tree falls in the forest’ enigma, my friends:  If one digresses before one begins, is it still a digression? Because, before I get involved in all this boring ‘old vine’ Smith-Madrone crap, I would like to take a moment … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Spring Mountain District | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Just Say Yes To Hess

Posted on November 9, 2012 by

I came of age in an era that had Ronald Reagan scaring us with Cold War rhetoric while his wife was scaring us with Drug War rhetoric.  Her banshee yelp, ‘Just Say No’ saved many a naïve youth from that … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Mt. Veeder, Napa | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Digging A Re-Invented View Of Buena Vista Winery

Posted on October 24, 2012 by

There’s an adage in the wine business, on-premise and off: ‘Spend more than $100 for a bottle and you are starting to pay for the label’. What that means, of course, is that a lot of folks suffer from Veblen … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Sonoma | Tagged , , | Leave a comment