This summer, I not only took a vacation from work, but from Slaked! as well. Vacation is one of those things I don't do enough. It's hard to get right. It's always the last day before I feel I really have it down, and then it's back to work.
Apparently, absence does indeed make the heart grow stronger, for Google Analytics claims my hits have never been higher. Perhaps I should stop writing altogether; that may push my daily hit counter over the breaking point. But that would also defeat the point of all this anyway, which has, from its very silly inception, been a diversion, and a greatly enjoyable one at that, and nothing more.
More to the point, I have not been on total vacation. In fits and starts, I've been working on a number of unfinished posts. Writing these have been a struggle. My mind is elsewhere. So I post them below, with their titles, to get them all out now, for once, and move on with my life.
Blogs Are Like Assholes, Everybody Has One
It turns out my uncle has a blog. Well, he's not really my uncle, but I guess I always thought of him that way, and he doesn't really write a blog, anymore than Slaked! is a blog, but all that being said, this semi-retired social worker from Boston, Mass., has taken to ranting online against prisoner abuse now that he is no longer ranting in court. I'm left wondering: What's the point? What are blogs here for? Are blogs here to help spread the winery gospel? No. Are we journalists? Mostly, not. Are we pundits? Well....I've struggled with this question since the inception of Slaked! While I don't think blogs rise to the level of journalism (there is a big difference between Eric Asimov's articles and his posts) some blogs may in fact skirt the line. (Can't we just leave the so-called journalism to the Wine Spectators of the world?) It's the really little blogs that I find the most interesting, the most heartfelt and the most humane. The best blogs, I think, merely help consumers find good wines for good prices. That, I think, is the point of the Wine Business Monthly article, "Do Wine Blogs Impact Your Brand? New Study Highlights Wine Blogger Activity" by Liz Thach, Ph.D., SSU Wine Business Professor.
Best Wine Marketing Of The Summer
And the award goes to ... Stomping Girl Wines, which provides some of the nicest, drivel-free wine marketing emails I have read this year. And trust me, I have read a sick amount of marketing ploys from wine companies recenty. Stomping Girl Wines produces pinot noir sourced from the North Coast. I haven't even tried the wines, and I still enjoy reading Kathryn Cohen's emails that much. (The wines will be released in early 2010.)
Additionally, one of if not the single best marketing email I received over the summer came from Fritz Hatton at Arietta. I've gone on and off the Arietta bandwagon since I purchased some of the wines a couple years ago off the mailing list. I was concerned that the wines were all hype and no substance. But I think I was wrong. Having recently retasted the 2005 On The White Keys **** infra, my confidence in this little producer is renewed. But I digress. The point of this section was on marketing, and it was Hatton's email that got me thinking. What was so great about this particular email, titled simply "Arietta 2009" was that there was no request for me to buy any wine. There were no links, no new wine news; just a, "Hey, what's up" email about the Hatton family trip to Michigan. A delightful change from the "Buy My Wines Now!" email so often sent. Plus, it helps that Hatton's got cute kids.
And finally, let's not forget the Tablas Creek blog, which is possibly the single greatest marketing device online. (Anyone with a "10-Minute Blender Bearnaise Sauce Recipe" gets high prasie in my book.) This is a veritable platinum mine of interest for wine enthusiasts. Simple, straight and no-nonsense writing - a thought provoking look behind the scenes - backed up by terroir-driven, well-priced wines, and I don't bandy about the term terroir for just anyone. Plus, they sent me a really cool hat for joining their wine club. So I opened the 2006 Tablas Creek Grenache *** (mmmmm, grenache...) the other night. Deep ruby color, with plush and sexy mouthfeel without sacrificing any nerve, this is cool, restrained, and effortless. Reminds me of a young Ethan Hawke, edgy but sweet, almost but not quite wholesome, of course, before he started writing novels.
Cult White Wines: Drink 'Em Or Lose 'Em -- Highlights from Summer 2009
2005 Arietta "On The White Keys" **** a green tinged pale golden sauvignon which, I believe, hails from Sonoma. Grassy, with mellow lemon lime on the nose and honeyed apricot and pencil shavings on the finish. A perfect July wine.
2003 St. Innocent Anden Vineyard Chardonnay *** Gold color. This is drinking better than ever. It has really come together, expressing mineral oil notes on the nose with honeysuckle and 7-Up upfront, a welterweigh texture in the middle and nice acidity on the finish.
2004 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc ** A golden oldie. Lots of wood smoke and concentration here, but it's lost its nerve. I should never have believed Robert Parker Jr. when he said this would cellar for 10 years. It was literally perfect upon release, and I should have drank both of my bottles then.
2006 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc *** Not going to make that mistake again. Lighter, fruitier, more zing, zest and life in the mouth. Still not the perfect 2004 upon release, but quite an interesting wine.
2003 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard *** ooooh, geez, ahh, this is Salma Hayek in a glass. Wrap this puppy up and bring it home to momma. It's just that good. Pale hay color, and on the nose petrol, lemon, with flash and zest in the mouth, and ... oops, it's time to wake up.
2006 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc l'Apres-Midi *** Gold color. A rather flashy and voluptuous nose on this sauvignon from one of my favorite regions in the world, Knights Valley. Not a varietal-driven wine; the nose is what's important on this wine, and it defies words.
