the Superlative Intoxicant no.7: A Complex Pinot for Home Cooked Lamb.

Matello Hommage a'A&D Pinot Noir 2008 vintage

visuals: deep beet juice. Definitely the fat girl of pinot noirs.

sniffings: burned rubber and vanilla raspberry extract

palate: light, rubbery, raspberry syrup and surprisingly acidic cranberries with a creamed blueberry finish; a highly recommended dinner wine if you're in the mood to splurge on a $25 bottle.

pair with: grilled lamb, roasted beets, and grape tomato / mushroom couscous.

for roasted beet salad: once the oven has reached 400°, toss quartered beets and shallots in olive oil, salt and pepper. loosely wrap in poil and roast for 35 minures, adding chopped asparagus 5-10 minutes before roasting is complete. serve topped with paresan reggiano.

the Superlative Intoxicant no.6: Punk Style Electric Red.

Kir-Yianni Akakies Rosé 2006 vintage
concoction: a personal new discovery - 100% Xinomavro. Being obsessed with rosé wines, this Grecian bottle lured me from afar. The only Greek AOC rosé, made from a grape I've never heard of, which is apparently delicious.
visuals: vivid fluorescent red.
sniffings: fresh, crisp lemons and strawberry juice atop the air of an ocean-side forest.
palate: an effortlessly lite and acidic, creamy finishishing, seeded, raspberry/strawberry lemonade.

the Superlative Intoxicant no. 5: Buttered, Alcoholic, Black Cherry Frosting

Fuedo Santa Tresa Estate

Avulsi Nero d'Avola 2003 vintage

visuals: deep bluish red/purple.

sniffings: toasty warm cedar, just baked love bread with black currants... the scent I wish were my own.

palate: lovingly mirrors the nose with a dash of spice and a hint of tart black cherry with simply tannic walnuts.

ruling: yes!

the Superlative Intoxicant no. 4: the Whiteness of Horse Heaven

Chateau SteMichelle

Horse Heaven Hills 2008

concoction: unadulterated sauvignon blanc.

visuals: the lightest white tea.

sniffings: crisp, ultra light lemon on a spring picnic in the newly cut grass.

palate: acid paired with beautifully crisp and effervescent minerality, which at room temperature tastes, of what else but green grapes with a hint of almond.

ruling: clean, steely, cartwheeling-on-your-picnic-in-overalls fun.

the Superlative Intoxicant no. 3: Francis Ford's godfather of blends

Coppola Rosso

California red blend 2008 vintage

concoction: zin, syrah, cabernet

visuals: a transfixing garnet: the bright, deep illusiveness of a hypnotic snake dagger's jewels.

sniffings: toasty, just-out-of-the-oven blueberry muffin; you know: the box mix your mom used to make with the sugar crumbles on top. A sweet Belgian malted beer in the stratosphere of the nose.

palate: a buttery, non tannic blueberry from which each of the three grapes is simply distinct, magically replicating a fat (but not too fat) slice of chocolate cake with raspberry syrup.

pairings: take with Beecher's Flagship cheese (perhaps on a slice of Fuji apple) to cure your maple syrup on blueberry pancake comfort food craving.

ruling: for the price, I would drink this wine every night. A nice gift for your wine drinking friends. tasty. toasty. creamy. structured.