​We got lucky with amazing Indian summer weather for this hike and now that we are solidly into November, we fear the weather won’t be as kind in the weeks ahead! Yes, you guessed it, we started our journey up to the Oakland, NJ area VERY early.  We parked in the Ramapo Mountain State Forest parking lot on Skyline Drive (Rt 692) at the MacEvoy Trail head (Blue trail) before dawn and we were the only car in the lot.  With our headlamps on, we climbed up the rocky trail for about 0.7 miles – we could hear the sound of rushing water from the Ramapo Lake Brook, which we could tell was just off to our left, but we couldn’t see it in the dark.  We climbed about 450 feet, reaching Le Grande (Ramapo) Lake at dawn.  The leaves were well past peak but the yellows, golds and browns were beginning to glow in the low light.  We walked a short way along the lake on Shore Drive (a gravel road) then took a left onto the Lookout Trail (Red Trail) which would take us up another 250 feet along the edge of the ridge to a rocky lookout with a direct easterly view.  The red trail was less frequented and the leaf cover was thick but we kept our eyes peeled for the red blazes and managed to reach the lookout just before sunrise.  The skies were clear so we were able to sit and watch as the red-orange orb crested the horizon.

With the morning light to guide us, we continued on the red trail, stopping at a beautiful overlook with a strand of pines and a distant view of the lake, then followed the Le Grande Lake Connector Trail (Red/Blue) down through the truly “golden” woods and back to the shore of the lake.  The lake was very still and glassy blue in the morning sun.

​We looped back on Shore Drive and then peeled off of the gravel road, taking the Rye Cliff and Deer Ledge Trails, which gave us a good final climb up to the Van Slyke Castle Ruins. The history of this “castle” revolves around Ruth A. Coles and her many husbands. Ruth was a nurse who cared for Charles E. Halliwell, a wealthy industrial baron in New York and became his second wife in 1906.  Halliwell died a year later, leaving her one and a half million dollars – a large fortune at that time. In 1909, she married William Porter, a stockbroker and friend of her former husband.  Porter began building the home and named the property “Foxcroft,” as it was built on a high point called Fox Hill. Unfortunately, Porter died in an auto accident.  Ruth survived him and later married Warren Van Slyke and they changed the name of the property to Van Slyke Castle. It was used as their get-away home out in the “countryside”.  When Warren passed away, Ruth moved to the castle permanently. Ruth died in 1940 and the castle remained ownerless for nine years.  It was sold to a couple, then resold again in 1951 to a Suzanne S. Christie. Soon after, she left and abandoned the home.  While no one knows for certain, it is suspected it could have been the result of a bitter divorce.  The house remained deserted and unoccupied for years and eventually vandals set the structure on fire.  What remains of what the elegant and grand granite mansion with views of the lake are just the immense stone foundations and walls with  evidence of the original plumbing, including a water tower several 100 yards up the road at the top of the peak (and of course, the requisite graffiti.) It is interesting to see how nature has reclaimed this place.

​After visiting the ruins, we hiked down to the car, retracing our steps on the MacEvoy trail.  The great benefit of hiking a trail in complete darkness is that you can take the same trail in daylight and feel like you are hiking it for the first time!  This trail was absolutely lovely in the daylight – we could now see the quick flowing brook through the valley (and on the way down the trail wasn’t nearly as rocky it seemed on the way up!) All in all, this was a great 7.5-mile hike, with a variety of terrain. It was strenuous but not difficult.  I would recommend getting started early, as these trails (with the exception of the Red trail) are fairly well traveled.  A morning hike will give you a chance to have the ruins mostly to yourself.  By the time we got back to the car (around 11 am) the parking lot was completely full.
 
For lunch, we stopped at Gio’s (Giovanni’s) in Fair Lawn NJ, a classic Italian family restaurant that does a brisk take-out business.  Tom ordered the "Batman and Robin," a chicken cutlet and meatball sub with Gio’s well-loved “Dad’s Vodka Sauce” and I went for a chicken cutlet, bacon and mozzarella wrap, also with Gio’s famous vodka sauce on the side.  The sandwiches came with a delicious rice ball – totally old school!. We drove further east to Hackensack to get some beverages to wash down these beauties!  Our post hike sip was at the Alementary Brewing Company.  Alementary is a funky, small craft brewery tucked away on Voorhis Lane off of Main Street.  They have set up “beer cabanas” outside with bar stools and barrel tables so that individual groups can have their own covered space to enjoy their beer.  The tasting highlight for me was the Mr. Stevens Session Porter.  Surprisingly "gulp-able", the alcohol content is only 4.2% but the flavor is big. This porter has well balanced bitter/roasted/sweet/malt flavors.  Tom liked the Low Earth Orbit, an oatmeal Stout  which was a more classic hefty and creamy stout.   There was also a really nice cream ale, the Spotted Dog, on tap.  We couldn’t get our growler filled (they are not filling outside growlers due to COVID restrictions) but we consoled ourselves by buying 4 tall cans of the Mr. Stevens to go!

I will keep up the Hike and Sip blog entries as long as the weather permits and the breweries/wineries/distilleries are still doing safe outdoor offerings.  That said, I will likely also be returning to “sip only” reviews as I did pre-pandemic!  But hike adventure or not, I hope you will keep reading!  -Amie

​Yet another dawn hike, friends! For this hike, we decided to start at the AT trailhead just off of Rt. 519 (Greenville Rd) with our headlamps and work our way up and along the eastern side of the ridge with the goal of reaching the High Point Monument (the highest point in NJ, 1803 feet above sea level) by sunrise. It was about 1.7 miles to the “T” in the trail where we had the option of heading left and south on the AT to the AT platform, or heading right and north picking up part of the Monument Trail.  We timed our hike to go to the right and towards the monument, hiking an additional 0.2 miles more to catch the rising sun at the monument, and then made our way back to the AT lookout platform after that. It was a chilly fall hike -- at the summit and the wind had a bit “bite” to it -- we both had gloves and ear coverings for this one! It was worth the effort. The sun crested just over the rocky ridge line and lit up sky, casting blues and purples on the monument and a pink and orange glow on the autumn foliage.

​We carried on to the AT lookout to get more distant views of the impressive monument.  The 220-foot stone obelisk was completed in 1930 to honor war veterans.  As a native of Northern Virginia and a frequent visitor to the iconic Washington Monument, this NJ landmark felt very familiar and evoked memories of where I grew up.  We had fun with our little crystal ball for some interesting landscape shots.

We continued on the Monument Trail visiting Lake Marcia where we enjoyed the reflection of the golden trees on the water and then explored the Cedar Swamp loop before carrying north across the NJ/NY border and then cutting east back down the ridge (through private lands) which dropped us on Old Mountain Rd. We took the road (Rt. 55) back across the border (turns into Rt. 519) back to the car. The loop was about 7.5 miles.

Our plans were to grab sandwiches and have lunch at Angry Erik Brewing but it was only 11am when we finished our morning climb and the brewery didn’t open until 1pm. So, to pass the time, we parked at the brewery, which sits just off the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail and decided to add a "part two" to our hike. This is a flat wooded trail (that is perfect for biking, btw) and you can easily park at the brewery and jump right onto the trail.  Most of the 27-mile trail heads west and south from parking lot.  We decided to walk east instead, crossing Rt. 206 and Rt. 94 following the trail towards Warbasse Junction.  We took a right turn before the junction at a short spur of road that dead ends and where a foot trail begins that follows the Paulins Kill on the left and skirsts a beautiful marsh and marshland to the right.  During our walk we saw all sorts of birds including a large blue heron and a group of white swans. The plant life was also really unique -- 6 foot tall cat’s tails, interesting shrubs with brightly colored berries, and reeds with dramatic dried seed pods. We walked out on a thin spit of marshland and enjoyed the magical quiet.

The out and back from the brewery parking lot to the marsh was about 6 miles so, in the end, we had put in 13 solid miles of hiking.  It was fun to combine both a rocky forest climb as well as a flat marshy stroll all before 1pm.  Now it was time for lunch and beers!  We drove about 3 minutes up Rt. 206 to Rt, 15 and stopped to grab sandwiches at Fat Stevo’s Cheesesteaks.  These sandwiches were INSANE.  Easily 2 lbs or more, the "Fat Stevo" namesake was a cheesesteak with peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken fingers(!) and thick cut French fries.  The Fat Mac had pulled BBQ pork, mac and cheese, more cheese(!), bacon, and those thick cut fries.  These monsters are not for the faint of heart, but we had worked up an appetite.

Sandwiches in hand, we made a quick drive back to Angry Erik Brewing, a craft brewery founded in 2014 by a husband and wife team. We grabbed a table in their outdoor beer garden. We tried several of the beers.  Top on our tasted list was the X’s and Ales – a Belgian style ale with a gorgeous reddish-bronze color.  Some Belgian styles can feel heavy, given the alcohol content.  This ale was really refreshing, lightly carbonated, nice balance of nutty malty sweetness but not too sweet.  I checked the latest beer menu online today and it looks like the X’s and Ales has sold through - it is not listed on the menu, but we also enjoyed the Two Shoe Brew, a Copper Ale which is still listed.  The small batch offerings change often and you can't go wrong with any of the beers - just pick your favorite style and give one a try.   If you are a hop head,  Angry Erik always has a wide selection of interesting IPAs.  Most of Angry Erik’s beers are available to go in can, or you can fill a growler, as we normally do on our way out of any of the breweries we visit.  Angry Erik has terrific beer garden hours as well – the outdoor (and limited indoor) seating is open on Thursday and Friday late afternoon/evenings in addition to traditional  weekend hours. Cheers!

We made our way down from the ridge, eventually doing some rock hopping across a fast-flowing stream then approached the ruins of the Split Rock Furnace.  This 32-foot-high charcoal-fired furnace was built in 1862 to smelt magnetite ore into iron that was needed for the Civil War.  It operated for about 10 years and was abandoned in the 1870’s. According to historians, the massive stack constructed by Andrew B. Cobb, “supported a tall brick lined chamber. Burning charcoal melted the ore at 2500 degrees creating molten iron which was collected at the bottom of the furnace.” This is Morris County’s only surviving iron furnace and is listed on the State and National Registers of Historical Sites.

​We climbed past the furnace up to Split Rock Road (a gravel road) crossing a large manmade modern dam and cut back into the woods following the western side of the Reservoir on the Four Birds Trail heading north, enjoying the autumn lake views and hugging the shore of the lake. We didn’t manage to see a hawk on at the ridge but as we hiked along the reservoir, we caught a glimpse of a hawk in the trees up the hill and heard its shrill call.

We reversed course, crossing back over Split Rock Road and made our way to Solar Pond Road where we came upon Beaver Pond, aptly named, as there were two large beaver dens in the water, along with a rich amount of flora, waterlilies and wildflowers. This hike was a gem. There was almost no other foot traffic and it had great scenery changes -- vistas, tumbling streams, historic ruins, lakeshore views -- all in a 7-mile loop.

After our hike we drove an hour south (Route 287 to 202) to Unionville in Hunterdon County to visit one of my favorite New Jersey destinations, Unionville Vineyards.  It was a bit out of the way for this particular hike, but well worth the trek for us, as it was release weekend for their “The Big O” Red Montage wine. Frankly, if you are hiking ANYWHERE out on Route 78 West, especially in the Round Valley/Cushetunk area, this vineyard is the place to visit.  First, you can’t beat the setting. The winery is on a large farm complete with a big red barn (where the indoor tasting room is located), views of the rolling vineyards and green horse pastures in the distance, plenty of space to spread out on, and a beautiful old 1858 farm house at the top of the property.  There are picnic tables under 100+ year old oaks and a lovely stone patio toward the top of the property.  The owners have set up a large open outdoor tent for suitably spaced wine tasting sessions (I would highly recommend a tasting if you haven't been before the staff is knowledgable and enthusiastic. You can book timed tasting reservations.) but you can also just show up, pick a spot for a picnic and buy a bottle.  And you can’t go wrong with any of this vineyard's bottles! Unionville Vineyards wines are, in my estimation, are some of the best crafted wines in the state. They are known for their Chardonnays which are well balanced, using neutral French oak carefully and judiciously to create subtle and complex nuanced white wines that highlight the terroir and the natural qualities of the fruit. They are simply a pleasure to drink. I keep bottles of the Pheasant Hill Chardonnay on hand for special occasions...  And each winter I indulge in their numbered “Vat” Port releases too…

​But I digress. Here’s why we made the trek - to try the latest release of the 2017 The Big O Montage Red, a Bordeaux style blend. In fact, I reviewed the 2011 release of The Big O in 2015, and I seem to come back to this Unionville Vineyards montage red over and over again.  The 2017 The Big O is a blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Aromas of black cherry and a faint sweet tobacco on the nose, it is a medium bodied red with tart red fruit on the palate. I taste red currant/strawberry but also peppery, spicy notes common to Cabernet Franc.  A cool wine fact: the "green" vegetal herbal flavors, in wine - things like bell pepper/green peppercorn/roasted red pepper/spiced cayenne chocolate flavors often found in Cabernet Francs are caused by a group of aroma compounds called methoxypyrazines or “pyrazines” for short.  The  latest release of The Big O has bright acidity and good structure with angular tannins which will only benefit from a bit of aging over the next few years. This wine would be a great accompaniment to red meats, particularly heartier fall versions that are grilled or roasted with herbs. I think it would be excellent with herb crusted lamb. Okay, now I’m hungry – time for dinner!

The last segment of our hike was downward on the Appalachian Trail back to the trailhead.  We would recommend taking Dunnfield Creek Trail down as a better alternative. It is more scenic than the Appalachian Trail on the descent (we have hiked it pre COVID)  and follows the tumbling creek waterfalls, but we noticed that it was far more crowded with hikers by the time we were completing the last few miles of our 12-mile hiking loop at around noon, so we stuck to the AT.

After our hike we set out for our post hike refreshment adventure. While we have been to several of the breweries in the Hackettstown area, we had not yet visited Jersey Girl Brewing.  Their beer list looked interesting and well curated so we stopped for takeout sandwiches from Ginette’s Deli (big thumbs up for the BBQ chicken cheesesteak!) and we made our way, lunch in hand, to Jersey Girl’s brewing facility on the border of Hackettstown and Mt. Olive, not far from Budd Lake.  The brewery itself is located in building that houses several small corporate enterprises.  Currently you order beers inside their tasting room and bar (social distancing and mask protocols in place) and then bring your beers out to a simple tented beer garden (dog friendly) with tables and high tops as well as generous lawn with an area to park your own chairs and picnic.  A local cover band, Mudfoot, was setting up to play later in the afternoon and there was a good (well-spaced out) crowd enjoying the beer.  The standout for us was their Sour Belgian Tripel called Suicide King. Given the high ABV of 10%, this beer was absolutely quaffable and went down dangerously easy – I get the name! It had great balance --tart fruit character as well as fragrant white floral notes, but it was not a feminine beer at all – it had also had the heft of an ale with the malt and yeast to round it out and richness of flavor from the barrel aging.  We also liked the Runnin' with the Devils Amber Lager, a 4.9% ABV rye lager. Jersey Girl substitutes rye for some of the barley giving it a toasty, spicy flavor.

​This brewery has something for everyone – IPAs, pilsners, saisons, lagers, stouts and even their own hard seltzers. The staff were friendly and enthusiastic about their offerings. I really liked the “Jersey pride” vibe and relaxed atmosphere of the place and the beers were outstanding. I would definitely make a trip out to this brewery again to catch music and try their new releases. I may not have been born and bred here but after 30 years living in NJ, I’ve got a deep love and appreciation for this great (and unfairly maligned) state. I consider myself an honorary “Jersey Girl! I even bought myself a T-shirt!

After this hike we were thirsty! So we picked up two hearty sub sandwiches at Savoli's Ravioli, a classic old school NJ Italian deli in Franklin, NJ and then carried on, lunch in hand, to our refreshment destination, Muckraker Beermaker.  If you enjoy well crafted lambics, sours and ales, this place is for you! The highlight for me was the TM Sentry Peach fruit beer, a spontaneous beer fermented in French oak and conditioned on 6 pounds per gallon of Sentry peaches from Cumberland County.  Super refreshing and tart with great peach aroma on the nose and bright peach notes as you drink. We bought a bottle to take home. The F Twenty, a farmhouse ale, with NJ pilsner, wheat and Munich Malts and German and Czech hops and farmhouse yeast was also crisp and gulp-worthy.  

The beer garden, just behind their brewery is a little oasis -- it is an unused parking lot, yes. But the brewmaster and his team have taken the thought and time to dress it up with tables, barrels and stools, shade umbrellas and potted plants to help make the garden welcoming. Tables were distanced, the serving staff were following protocols and all of us likeminded strangers were happy, friendly and collectively appreciating the well made brews. The brewmaster came out and struck up conversation. Frankly, it was an amazing and relaxed atmosphere. We enjoyed the sun, crisp blue sky, cool September breeze, beer and sandwiches (with some other drinkers enviously commenting "we should have done that!") Muckraker is planning to have outdoor heaters in the beer garden over the next few weeks to extend the outdoor season.  So, "go take a hike... (and stop for a sip)!"

It's (finally) summer! I can think of nothing better to do on a warm June Thursday night than to attend "Pretty in Pink" a local Rose wine tasting hosted by Wine Barrel Maplewood supporting Springfield Avenue beautification efforts in my home community. 

With circa 80's music playing in the background (and yes, they did play Pretty in Pink) I made my way to most of the thirteen tasting tables, each with a wine distributor doing the chatting and a local resident (some of them my own neighbors and friends) doing the pouring. It made me smile that Maplewood's mayor Vic DeLuca himself was welcoming guests and checking IDs, of course.

I tasted a great deal of "okay-iash" wines - refreshing, perhaps in the "this will do" but not memorable category.  That said, there were a few highlights and discoveries. One of my perennial summer easy drinking weeknight Rose favorites, the Aix 2017 was being served; a lovely Provence rose - salmon pink color with well balanced red fruit and a long finish which I highly recommend (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsualt). You can find this rose in most area wine shops. The cost is in the $16-$20 range depending on where you purchase it. (The bottle I am holding will be a tad pricier, it's a magnum.)

I also enjoyed a 2016 Von Buhl Bone Dry Rose from the Pfalz region of Germany (100% Pinot Noir).  This wine had a delicate floral and spice nose but tart cranberry and raspberry on the palate which was a surprise, making it both elegant and also fun and refreshing... a bit of a party in your mouth and, for summer, who can resist this label? ​Also in the $17 range.

But my favorite taste of the evening was not a rose at all!  It was a Pinot Noir from Willamette valley Oregon. Keep in mind, it is summer... and typically Pinot Noir would not be an immediate go-to for me for a warm summer evening.  However, this lovely, drinkable Pinot fits the bill. Thank you to John Zaffarese with Massanois for introducing me to the Stringtown Pinot Noir 2016.

Stringtown is ruby colored with aroma of cherries and herbs, with cherries and strawberries on the palette;  fruit forward but with some earthy elements underneath the fruit -- mushroom and tobacco. That said it is not heavy;   light+ to medium body, soft tannins, and a medium finish.  You could even get away with this just lightly chilled (sacrilege!) and it would be yummy with a freshly made BLTs or cantaloupe with prosciutto. Hungry anyone?  Also a great value for $17.

PS: I happen to love Oregon Pinots.  These Pinot Noirs have a tendency to be more delicate than California Pinots and I enjoy the balance of bright aromatic red fruit that comes through on the nose and in the flavor of the wine, but also the subtle woodsy notes of mushroom, forest, bacon and tobacco. Oregon Pinots are food friendly and delicious, I recommend seeking them out.

I am heading to a winery down in the Robbinsville NJ area today -- stay posted for another entry soon! 

It's been a (long) while.  Last time I posted was on a day much like this, snow coming down outside and no excuse to venture out and brave the weather.  Since that last post there has been a universe of change on my personal and professional front.  I am over a year into a new (very busy) job and new (and lovely) relationship; one of my daughters is off to college, another is approaching high school. I had the best intentions, my friends, but lack of free time has been the enemy of relaxed wine (and beer and spirit) tastings and musings on the subject! However, I am determined to return to the discipline... for, if nothing else, the process will require me to slow down, breathe, and employ a honed skill that I miss using more often.

So I will start here, with a "go to" wine that I have been enjoying for several months. It hits the jackpot for me in terms of great convergence of complexity and depth for the price (between $18-$20 retail). Hewitson's Miss Harry (I am drinking a 2012) is GSM blend with a bit of Cinsault and Carignan.  Blackberry, cherries, rose and a bit of woodsmoke on the nose.  On the palate, medium+ bodied and lush red fruit; I get ripe raspberry and strawberry balanced with some warm savory smoky notes and baking spice. The tannins are soft and velvety and the finish is long and satisfying.  It is a wine that can pair with most anything - an easy weekday meal of leftovers, a great foil for marinated skirt steak and roasted potatoes, or frankly, sipping at the coffee table with a sleeve of chips ahoy. Yes, this is known to happen, friends. In fact, today's weather begs for it! (I promise I have tasted with a clean palate, but cookies await.)

I have served this wine to friends and family on numerous occasions and people always ask about it.  Usually the question is something akin to "Wow, what is this? I love it. It's delish!"  Miss Harry drinks really WELL; round with juicy fruit but still complex and fresh too, with good structure and finish. Well worth seeking out at your nearest good quality wine purveyor.  

My motto for today? Breathe. Smile. Have some Miss Harry and cookies.

Valentine’s Day Eve saw the movie release of the erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey based on the E.L. James novel, which traces the relationship between young Anastasia Steele (come on, who really has a name like that?) and a handsome and mysterious business magnate, Christian Grey (yet, another name out of a soap opera) who likes his encounters on the edgy side. The novel was a huge commercial bestseller due the combination of just the right amount of female erotica/BDSM and very few big words.  Described as an easy read and titillating bedside 'mommy porn' (remember Harold Robbins), writer reviews eviscerated the literary qualities of the book (hint: there are no literary qualities whatsoever).  I particularly liked Salman Rushdie’s commentary: "I've never read anything so badly written that got published. It made Twilight look like War and Peace."

Today, on Valentine's Day, the entertainment news was abuzz about the fact that the movie also disappoints. Liza Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said: “Nobody in the movie has visible genitals. Christian in particular seems to do a whole lot of stuff in the playroom with his shirt off but his pants on, which cannot be comfortable for such an active young man. But even more frustrating to voyeurs, nobody sweats, nobody strains, nobody loses control or even fakes losing control by simulating an orgasm.” Josh Dickey, from Mashable, agrees. He praised Kelly Marcel's script, but concludes: “There’s not nearly enough sex in it. That’s a shame, because Marcel performed nothing short of a miracle here, turning hapless, unreadable fan-fiction rubbish that somehow caught fire into a capable, slow-building script.”

Sexual disappointment gets ‘writ large’ on Valentine’s Day. How fitting. Fifty Shades of Grey frustrates after all that build up and anticipation!  A perfect metaphor, no doubt, to describe many Valentine’s Day experiences all over the world. But I am not a curmudgeon! I am a hopeless romantic. So, I will offer this counterpoint – a review of a lovely, rich, and juicy wine that, like it’s name, is a sure thing!  It satisfies and delivers as it promises.

Unionville Vineyards 2011 “The Big O”

Unionville Vineyards 2011 The Big O is a Bordeaux style red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  Medium to deep ruby in color (the Petit Verdot gives additional inkiness and depth), I get dried berries and some baked cherry on the nose, as well as light baking spice  -- nutmeg and vanilla.  The wine is full bodied and rich on the palette with jammy red fruit first and foremost, followed by some cedar and pepper spice notes. There is good acidity and the tannins are firm, giving the wine nice structure, which serves to complement the fruit forward nature of the wine.  There are some vanilla notes on the finish.  The Big O is a rich red montage blend that gets the palate whetted and primed for what follows. It is very well crafted, if not particularly complex.  This wine would be great with a pan-seared strip steak with a little fresh ground pepper, or a high quality burger with a dollop of gorgonzola dulce on a toasted brioche roll.  Juicy and delicious, The Big O is just as advertised... a big "ohhh!"  The wine is sure to please! Drink this with a lover. Happy Valentine's Day.

Unionville Vineyards 2011 The Big O $31.00

Winter is well and truly here.  As I write this entry, the snow is falling steadily and the entire tri-state area is hunkering down in preparation for a blizzard of 'historic' proportions.  I get a thrill from the frenetic buzz just before a big storm. Of course, it helps that I have a near non-existent commute -- all of 5 minutes -- and that I am walking distance from our village 'downtown' so last minute provisioning is easy.  My school aged daughters have  bright-eyed excitement from an early school dismissal and are already settled in their fuzzy pajamas for an afternoon of movies.  We are all provisioned up.  I'm set to work from home for a day or so.

And so, after a whirlwind holiday season, I am really looking forward to this first real 'snow day'. I'll rue the shoveling later.  But for now, first thing's first -- I can write a wine review that I have had 'in my head' since I tasted this wine last week at Kingside restaurant at the Viceroy Hotel in midtown, NYC. 

The 2010 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey La Framboisere, is a "Village" level Burgundy from the Cote Chalonnaise. The 27 acre vineyard La Framboisere is located in the heart of the village of Mercurey's Premier Crus vineyards to the northeast of the village. Grapes are hand harvested and sorted on site in Mercurey and then are brought to the cellars in Nuits-St.-George for aging. The wine is aged in a combination of stainless steel and oak for 12-14 months.  Typically, clay and limestone soils in Mercurey make for rustic, earthy, and more full bodied Pinot Noirs.  

I found this wine a delight to drink and more delicate and balanced than overtly rustic. On the nose there is ripe red fruit (strawberry and cherry) with hints of cedar, earth, and floral notes. Light to medium bodied on the palette, there is good acidity giving it structure -- some tart strawberry and raspberry notes which are balanced by savory woodsy forest floor and velvety suede-y tannins that create a lingering and satisfying medium-plus finish.  The wine was amazingly food friendly and paired well with an eclectic mix of flavors (a beautiful warm herbed lobster salad on toast, deep fried baby artichokes and even a skirt steak, on the rare side). In my opinion, this wine is a terrific, fresh expression of a village level Burgundy drinking well right now, with a complexity that belies its fairly reasonable $30 price tag.  Simply put, a great glass. I want to recreate this drinking experience again. I will seek out a few more bottles from my local retailers... as soon as we dig out from the storm! 

Stay warm and stay safe, friends. Grab a glass and get cozy.  Let's toast to snow days!

Forgive the longish hiatus.  November and December were busy months.  The day job took center stage and time with family for the holidays was a priority when the day job was not. And so my resolution is to post on this blog more often.  The goal: at least once per month and if possible, bi weekly.  I think that is doable.  In the meantime, as the year comes to a close and I reflect on my entries since April, I realize just how much has happened in a few short months -- a day job lost, a day job gained, my knowledge of wine and wine making vastly expanded through study and experience, new friends made, and this writing... writing about wine and life, undertaken with joy and zest.  I am looking forward to how the path unfolds in 2015. 

I share a toast -- the quote that inspired my my blog in the first place:

"Here's to wine, wit and wisdom -- wine enough to sharpen wit; wit enough to give zest to wine and wisdom to know when we have had enough."
-- Iowe, 1910

Happy New Year to you all.
Amie