Today, Kathy and I headed to Joint Base Lewis McCord for the Soldier for Life/Hire conference at the American Lake Conference Center. The basic idea is to help those who served our country get the training/education/employment they need to re-enter civilian life.
We received email instructions today, but they came after we left the house and the print was so small on my iPhone, I couldn't make it out, but I could tell there was a gate I was supposed to go to off Steilacom-Dupont road and something about Integrity gate. Heck, that has to be off exit 119, I know, because that is the way to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Washington State. From I5, I could see what looked like a gate to the East, so I turned left on Steilacom-Dupont road. It was a gate alright, but no label, until you were halfway down the feeder road; Dupont gate. I pulled up to the nice man with a machine gun, drivers license in hand, and explained I was looking for Integrity gate. He said this was Dupont gate and he would have to turn me around.
Turning around, as I came to be an authority on the subject, entails them keeping your license until you turn around and they give it back to you on the way out of the gate.
He signaled a nice young lady, also with a machine gun, and I turned around and she gave me my license back with some driving instructions. Drive the other way down Steilacom-Dupont, you will hit a dip, turn right, can't miss it. So I did. Hit the dip, turned into the D street gate. Did the turnaround. Instructions were, drive the other way on Steilacom-Dupont, when you get to a stop light, turn left, that is Integrity gate, can't miss it.
Got to the light, turned left, there was the sign, Integrity gate. Integrity gate has to be one of the most beautiful military gates on the planet. It is huge, lanes everywhere. Showed my license to the nice man with the machine gun. He beckoned another nice man with a machine gun over. He said they had been briefed on this. He told me pull over, he had spoken with an MP who would help me. The MP said I needed to go to the Visitor's Center. It was off of exit 122. Now we have to turn you around.
Off we went, back down Steilacom-Dupont, North on I5, I could see the gate from the highway, pulled in. Nope, the visitor center is off exit 120. This time a man in a uniform that look like a State Trooper turned me around. But he gave accurate directions to the Visitor's Center. If you are driving South on I5, watch for the signs to JBLM Main. It is going to look like it will dump you back on I5, but at the last minute you can exit to JBLM Main.
It was just like every other visitor's center at every other base I have been to in my clearly misspent life. Everyone has to "pull their own ticket", kind of like they often do at DMVs. When your number comes up, you go to that window. Kathy and I had consecutive numbers, I was at Window 1, she was at Window 5. She got her vehicle pass and ID in five minutes. I got called back to the window four times. "Who is your sponsor?" "What is this event?" "How many people are coming?" The answer to that by the way is at least 1,000 people all hoping to help veterans. But after 20 minutes I got my pass and ID.
There might, it is within the realm of possibility, that there will be a bit of chaos tomorrow morning.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Smoked baby clam and shrimp chowder conbread
5 heaping tablespoons skinny shrimp chowder
3 heaping tablespoons roasted corn
1 3.75 oz. package Geisha brand smoked baby clams in cottonseed oil
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 level tablespoons egg white, (or you can use one egg)
Garnish with smoked paprika
Optional: A level tablespoon of parmeasean cheese will give it a bit of a bang, but I was not allowed dairy when I made this.
Stir right in a small sauté pan using your finger or a small plastic spoon, I used 8". Place in oven at 350, no need to pre-heat, your cornbread will be ready about five minutes after the oven reaches 350.
3 heaping tablespoons roasted corn
1 3.75 oz. package Geisha brand smoked baby clams in cottonseed oil
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 level tablespoons egg white, (or you can use one egg)
Garnish with smoked paprika
Optional: A level tablespoon of parmeasean cheese will give it a bit of a bang, but I was not allowed dairy when I made this.
Stir right in a small sauté pan using your finger or a small plastic spoon, I used 8". Place in oven at 350, no need to pre-heat, your cornbread will be ready about five minutes after the oven reaches 350.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
The Second half of your life
One of the Facebook comments to my previous Lake Tapps post included this:
Acronym soup! Never did figure out what HOA stands for and am thankful that Lee explained what PIP stands for, (Previously Important People), and that is an interesting, perhaps scary, thought.
And it brought up a memory. On the bookshelves in my Hawaii office are some Peter Drucker books and in one of them there is a short discussion on the title of this post. I read that passage over five years before I semi-retired, and nothing else Mr. Drucker has written has stuck with me so well. I understood the importance to my psyche of having something else to do, something else that mattered. Yet whenever I considered finding my second half, I drew a blank. I even set a Google calendar recurring event quarterly to ponder this, no change, no insights.
My wife Chelle, who took your class 15 years ago in Hawaii wanted me to share this with you.
As an aside: She says she still remembers the class fondly, it was amazing and showed her that InfoSec was not a career path that she desired, she wasn't "anal" enough.
In July, she was in Hilton Head SC visiting a girl friend she went to high school with. They were discussing the rules enforced by the HOA, and she was introduced to the concept of PIP. (Previously Important People.) Apparently, while they no longer have that role, PIPs still act and expect all the treatment, cow-towing, and benefits that go with being a VIP in that HOA. Suffice to say it is very interesting getting things approved or changed in that environment.
Acronym soup! Never did figure out what HOA stands for and am thankful that Lee explained what PIP stands for, (Previously Important People), and that is an interesting, perhaps scary, thought.
And it brought up a memory. On the bookshelves in my Hawaii office are some Peter Drucker books and in one of them there is a short discussion on the title of this post. I read that passage over five years before I semi-retired, and nothing else Mr. Drucker has written has stuck with me so well. I understood the importance to my psyche of having something else to do, something else that mattered. Yet whenever I considered finding my second half, I drew a blank. I even set a Google calendar recurring event quarterly to ponder this, no change, no insights.
While I was up on Facebook, I saw a post by one of the men that inspired me to really jump into security, Gene Spafford. I still remember a speech that he gave at the Boston Computer Museum. He said, "There are only going to be so many people that are successful in this industry and they will be the ones that apply an engineering approach to problems."
Anyway, the post on Facebook said:
When I was much younger, I'd watch the "In Memorium" on the Emmys and Oscars, and wonder who some of the people were. Now that I'm older, I feel pangs of sadness when I see so many familiar faces, representing so much talent and joy brought to so many. I guess there is something to being explictly[SIC] missed by so many for at least a few seconds, but to have their image in films and memories live on.
What legacy will each of us leave?
Whoa! This is clearly a night for self assessment. I wrote a book once on Ecclesiastes, and this legacy concept came up.
"A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and in the end does not even get a decent burial, I say he would have been better off born dead. I realize that his birth would have been meaningless and ended in darkness. He wouldn't even have had a name, and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than he has in growing up to be an unhappy man. Ecc 6:3 – 5 NLT
Here Solomon gives a significant warning. If you have 100 children and don't get a decent burial, what does that mean? It means you have alienated your children. We have got to invest in our children, in fact all of our family."
The world, it appears, is hard on PIPs. Here are two posts to spur us each on One, (be sure to read to the bottom, it is quite humorous), and Two. Finally, there is a great post from the Drucker Society on the second half of your life, I read it before starting this post and will read it again when I am done.
Lake Tapps Community Church Members Meeting was today
Meeting was immediately following second service. All summer we have been going to first service. We ran into a number of people from second service that thought we had drifted away from the church, or even the faith. Anyway, before we left for church, I took advantage of the extra time before second service to catch up on my latest LinkedIn post. Training cyberwarriors is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and Laura Lee really came through with insightful content. I was replying to some of the really great comments when Kathy repeated herself. She said, "Because of our last name, we are supposed to bring a something or other or a salad."
Hmmm, Kathy you said that last night. But small group isn't till tonight, I was going to do that grape and walnut salad you like, but can't do it too early since I cut the grapes in half, (here is a great trick for cutting the grapes); they will get squishy.
Then my heart went bump, bump, bump. Wait a minute, it's not for small group is it? They are having a potluck at the member's meeting; right? Looked at the clock, it was 1020. Kathy says, "I will take care of it".
Oh no, you get ready, I am on my way, (I dearly love Kathy, but with her kitchen knife fu, we will be in the emergency room in minutes if she tries to go fast). As I climbed the stairs to the kitchen, I tried to channel Bill Kertsos, my old boss from The General Store, (I worked as a cook while waiting for my government job clearance). He was a believer in Christ and the fastest and messiest cook I have ever worked with, (and I have worked in several commercial kitchens).
Grabbed the large cutting board, set it right next to the sink, the Ken Shun knife, two romaine hearts, (you know that bit about always tear lettuce, don't cut it ... they were kidding). There is some leftover wild rice pilaf in the fridge. Bang. Added a couple celery stick hearts. Couple tomatoes from the garden for color. Hmmm, this is getting too wet. Cremini mushrooms are tough, let's cut them up. Handful of roasted corn, they sell them in the bulk aisle of WinCo. Still too wet and I haven't done the dressing yet, yikes. Handful of the dehydrated vegetable soup, (dried onions, carrots, celery, green and red peppers), they will add a bit of crunch and dry things a bit. Going to need to minimize liquid dressing. Salt, black pepper, paprika, allspice and just a touch of Bragg's organic cider. Taste. OK, this could work. Taste again, hey wait that is hunger, not cooking. Package it up in a used baby spinach leaf plastic box. Found a salad server, downstairs putting on my surgical boot at 1040. I will meet you at the car, put the salad in a safe place. Started the FJ. Kathy comes out, we are rolling. We live close, I may have exceeded the 35 MPH speed limit slightly, I may have run the light yellow, but it was still yellow when I crossed the intersection, saw it in my rear view as I was checking for law enforcement officers, turned into the driveway, slowed down, it is 1050. Now I am trying to channel my holy, calm and saved demeanor as I walk into the church with my Bible and salad with tongs.
Find a seat, on the aisle, (members are supposed to in the middle towards the front, but you try that when you are taking medicine that requires at least 6 liters of water a day). Breathe.
After the sermon on John 9, (good job Pastor Tim, the blind guy really did have an impressive attitude), we all reset the sanctuary from schoolroom style to 8' rounds, dining style. While I am rolling my table, I am thinking about the food I saw when I dropped off my salad and the number of people. Hmmm, we may need one of those loaves and fishes miracles. I signal Kathy, let's go let Yogi out and come back for the meeting. We try to leave without being spotted. In the car, I said, I don't think there is enough food and we can't be sure what is in the food, I will whip something up. Kathy takes care of the dog. I go up to the kitchen, it was a disaster, I uttered the classic words from Yogi's breeder when Rambo ate his crate, what happened here, (I really did channel Bill Kertsos). I had two cooked, low fat, burgers left from the Loco Moco and heated up two bowls of Skinny Shrimp Chowder. Ate, stuffed Yogi back in the crate, meeting had just started, as we walked in I noticed the food table was totally empty, stripped bare, it was either a plague of locusts or a bunch of hungry Christians and I was glad I was not there to find out which.
As we walked in, the meeting had just started. It was, well, a meeting. They appeared to be running it by some form of Robert's rules of disorder. Uh oh. I am in trouble, they are going below my fact input rate. You know that movie Short Circuit, where Number Five keeps saying, INPUT, INPUT, I am that robot. I used to be some sort of big shot in the computer security world and when I would stick my head in a classroom to see how an up and coming instructor was doing, I had to be really careful for two reason, if they saw me they tended to self destruct, (Stephen Northcutt is in my classroom, AHHHHHHHH), but worse, because I wanted to fall asleep immediately, the room is dark for the projector and I know that junk. In fact, it is far worse for me and meetings. I was going to major in urban planning, but they required you to go to three meetings that were open to the public and write up what happened. After a few hours of, "I was born in Stafford country, I am going to die in Stafford county and this is why your proposal is foolhardy at best", I changed majors. This was similar to that right down to people asking a "question", the kind that go on for three minutes and sound more like a comment. And of course nobody wanted to use a mike to ask a question and they were all practicing speaking softly in a room with over 200 people. Pair that with a moderator that will not repeat the question, even if you ask him to and I had this image in my mind's eye.
It is all good though. Most of what they want to do is both Biblical and reasonable. I will try to peek at the, (I assume, 501c3), incorporation documents and cross reference them to the new proposal. The number of members being less than 50% of attendees was eye opening, but not concerning. I never took the membership thing too seriously, historically Kathy and I are a product of a California Cult called Calvary Chapel and they do not have members. I thought the yearly affirmation thing for all the elders and deacons was a bit odd. I guess I will need to put it on my Google calendar every January to say, "good job elder Smith", "way to serve deacon Brown". But all in all this is a lot less scary than the time I was cornered by a bunch of Pentacostals who weren't going to let me go until I spoke in tongues, (I had been warned that might happen and practiced saying tie-a-tie and buy-a-toyota-or-honda really fast).
Yes, I am kidding and no, I don't *really* try to channel Bill.
Hmmm, Kathy you said that last night. But small group isn't till tonight, I was going to do that grape and walnut salad you like, but can't do it too early since I cut the grapes in half, (here is a great trick for cutting the grapes); they will get squishy.
Then my heart went bump, bump, bump. Wait a minute, it's not for small group is it? They are having a potluck at the member's meeting; right? Looked at the clock, it was 1020. Kathy says, "I will take care of it".
Oh no, you get ready, I am on my way, (I dearly love Kathy, but with her kitchen knife fu, we will be in the emergency room in minutes if she tries to go fast). As I climbed the stairs to the kitchen, I tried to channel Bill Kertsos, my old boss from The General Store, (I worked as a cook while waiting for my government job clearance). He was a believer in Christ and the fastest and messiest cook I have ever worked with, (and I have worked in several commercial kitchens).
Grabbed the large cutting board, set it right next to the sink, the Ken Shun knife, two romaine hearts, (you know that bit about always tear lettuce, don't cut it ... they were kidding). There is some leftover wild rice pilaf in the fridge. Bang. Added a couple celery stick hearts. Couple tomatoes from the garden for color. Hmmm, this is getting too wet. Cremini mushrooms are tough, let's cut them up. Handful of roasted corn, they sell them in the bulk aisle of WinCo. Still too wet and I haven't done the dressing yet, yikes. Handful of the dehydrated vegetable soup, (dried onions, carrots, celery, green and red peppers), they will add a bit of crunch and dry things a bit. Going to need to minimize liquid dressing. Salt, black pepper, paprika, allspice and just a touch of Bragg's organic cider. Taste. OK, this could work. Taste again, hey wait that is hunger, not cooking. Package it up in a used baby spinach leaf plastic box. Found a salad server, downstairs putting on my surgical boot at 1040. I will meet you at the car, put the salad in a safe place. Started the FJ. Kathy comes out, we are rolling. We live close, I may have exceeded the 35 MPH speed limit slightly, I may have run the light yellow, but it was still yellow when I crossed the intersection, saw it in my rear view as I was checking for law enforcement officers, turned into the driveway, slowed down, it is 1050. Now I am trying to channel my holy, calm and saved demeanor as I walk into the church with my Bible and salad with tongs.
Find a seat, on the aisle, (members are supposed to in the middle towards the front, but you try that when you are taking medicine that requires at least 6 liters of water a day). Breathe.
After the sermon on John 9, (good job Pastor Tim, the blind guy really did have an impressive attitude), we all reset the sanctuary from schoolroom style to 8' rounds, dining style. While I am rolling my table, I am thinking about the food I saw when I dropped off my salad and the number of people. Hmmm, we may need one of those loaves and fishes miracles. I signal Kathy, let's go let Yogi out and come back for the meeting. We try to leave without being spotted. In the car, I said, I don't think there is enough food and we can't be sure what is in the food, I will whip something up. Kathy takes care of the dog. I go up to the kitchen, it was a disaster, I uttered the classic words from Yogi's breeder when Rambo ate his crate, what happened here, (I really did channel Bill Kertsos). I had two cooked, low fat, burgers left from the Loco Moco and heated up two bowls of Skinny Shrimp Chowder. Ate, stuffed Yogi back in the crate, meeting had just started, as we walked in I noticed the food table was totally empty, stripped bare, it was either a plague of locusts or a bunch of hungry Christians and I was glad I was not there to find out which.
As we walked in, the meeting had just started. It was, well, a meeting. They appeared to be running it by some form of Robert's rules of disorder. Uh oh. I am in trouble, they are going below my fact input rate. You know that movie Short Circuit, where Number Five keeps saying, INPUT, INPUT, I am that robot. I used to be some sort of big shot in the computer security world and when I would stick my head in a classroom to see how an up and coming instructor was doing, I had to be really careful for two reason, if they saw me they tended to self destruct, (Stephen Northcutt is in my classroom, AHHHHHHHH), but worse, because I wanted to fall asleep immediately, the room is dark for the projector and I know that junk. In fact, it is far worse for me and meetings. I was going to major in urban planning, but they required you to go to three meetings that were open to the public and write up what happened. After a few hours of, "I was born in Stafford country, I am going to die in Stafford county and this is why your proposal is foolhardy at best", I changed majors. This was similar to that right down to people asking a "question", the kind that go on for three minutes and sound more like a comment. And of course nobody wanted to use a mike to ask a question and they were all practicing speaking softly in a room with over 200 people. Pair that with a moderator that will not repeat the question, even if you ask him to and I had this image in my mind's eye.
It is all good though. Most of what they want to do is both Biblical and reasonable. I will try to peek at the, (I assume, 501c3), incorporation documents and cross reference them to the new proposal. The number of members being less than 50% of attendees was eye opening, but not concerning. I never took the membership thing too seriously, historically Kathy and I are a product of a California Cult called Calvary Chapel and they do not have members. I thought the yearly affirmation thing for all the elders and deacons was a bit odd. I guess I will need to put it on my Google calendar every January to say, "good job elder Smith", "way to serve deacon Brown". But all in all this is a lot less scary than the time I was cornered by a bunch of Pentacostals who weren't going to let me go until I spoke in tongues, (I had been warned that might happen and practiced saying tie-a-tie and buy-a-toyota-or-honda really fast).
Yes, I am kidding and no, I don't *really* try to channel Bill.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Loco Moco revisited
It all started when we went to Wal-Mart, because they have the best waterproofing spray in their camping/tent department and Kathy and I have brand new long wool capote's and a cold, wet, (but exciting), cruise in our near term future. While I was there, I picked up some organic 1% milk and on my way to checkout noticed some lowfat, (93% lean). pre-made burgers. I haven't had red meat in a couple years and succumbed.
The next morning, I woke up at 6:00 AM, hungry, and there was one thing that would satisfy, a Loco Moco! We haven't had white rice in the house ever, but I did have some leftover wild rice pilaf. Ditto, no cans of brown gravy, sorry, that is not how I roll, but I wanted that Loco Moco. Hmmm, I do have some Porcini mushrooms, put them in hot water, add salt and garlic and we are off to the races for a brown gravy of sorts. Essentially poached the burger in the developing gravy, the red color is from a Caribbean inspired seasoning salt from the amazing Grocery Outlet. Started the egg over easy, got it ready for the flip.
Heated up the wild rice pilaf in the microwave and ready for assembly.
Kathy, who rarely eats breakfast did not leave a crumb. It really is an amazing flavor and this is an approach you can feel good about from a health perspective.
The next morning, I woke up at 6:00 AM, hungry, and there was one thing that would satisfy, a Loco Moco! We haven't had white rice in the house ever, but I did have some leftover wild rice pilaf. Ditto, no cans of brown gravy, sorry, that is not how I roll, but I wanted that Loco Moco. Hmmm, I do have some Porcini mushrooms, put them in hot water, add salt and garlic and we are off to the races for a brown gravy of sorts. Essentially poached the burger in the developing gravy, the red color is from a Caribbean inspired seasoning salt from the amazing Grocery Outlet. Started the egg over easy, got it ready for the flip.
Heated up the wild rice pilaf in the microwave and ready for assembly.
Kathy, who rarely eats breakfast did not leave a crumb. It really is an amazing flavor and this is an approach you can feel good about from a health perspective.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Skinny Shrimp Chowder
There are many that would debate whether you can make a chowder w/o dairy products. While they argue about it, here is a recipe.
2 skin on russet potatoes cubed (cut a slice off the potato so it will be stable enough to cut slabs. Cut the slabs into strips. Cut the strips into cubes.)
1 onion
6 celery heart stalks, diced
1 small red bell pepper, don't cut too small or it will disappear
12 oz uncured bacon, cook, remove the major fat areas, you will end up with about 8 oz.
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
6 cloves dried mild garlic
1 handful roasted corn, (they always look for corn in chowder, roasted has a bit of an attitude)
1 hot pepper, cut in big enough pieces that you recognize it in the spoon
1/3 cup cole slaw mix, unseasoned
1 box unsalted chicken stock
1 minced carrot, (optional if you want a bit of sweetness, keep in reserve, don't add to pot in the beginning)
Put everything in an adequate sized pot, turn it on a low heat, don't spice it, don't think about it for at least 45 minutes and an hour 15 is far better.
20 minutes before serving, rinse 12oz raw, deveined, small tail off shrimp, (try to use something bigger than salad shrimp, I used 60 count and that was about right), add to mixture.
5 minutes before serving add carrot and 2 teaspoons Ivar's tarter sauce NOTE: this is where the "white" comes from, once you add this simmer is the highest temp you can go else you will have little white spotlets. Buy the cookbook and make it, or check this web page for stores that carry it.
Before serving inspect the seasonings and spicing:
Thyme is the ruling spice of a chowder. Fresh is strongly preferred. At least 6 stems, 4 stripped, 2 cut in half and used as garnish.
I like smoked paprika and a bit of white pepper.
If you add tumeric for a golden color, be very conservative.
A little bit of cream of horseradish works for some people, I use it, but in moderation in deference to Kathy.
You can add a tablespoon of a fairly dry white wine, it will not change the flavor of the chowder one bit, but may make you feel French.
Try to avoid the temptation to use lemon, you introduced a bit of Meyer's lemon in the Ivar's tarter sauce, try to hold at that point.
DO NOT use any tomato products, it is illegal, (sort of, but seriously it is not done).
Salt is the last thing you add. People can add more at the table if they want to.
2 skin on russet potatoes cubed (cut a slice off the potato so it will be stable enough to cut slabs. Cut the slabs into strips. Cut the strips into cubes.)
1 onion
6 celery heart stalks, diced
1 small red bell pepper, don't cut too small or it will disappear
12 oz uncured bacon, cook, remove the major fat areas, you will end up with about 8 oz.
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
6 cloves dried mild garlic
1 handful roasted corn, (they always look for corn in chowder, roasted has a bit of an attitude)
1 hot pepper, cut in big enough pieces that you recognize it in the spoon
1/3 cup cole slaw mix, unseasoned
1 box unsalted chicken stock
1 minced carrot, (optional if you want a bit of sweetness, keep in reserve, don't add to pot in the beginning)
Put everything in an adequate sized pot, turn it on a low heat, don't spice it, don't think about it for at least 45 minutes and an hour 15 is far better.
20 minutes before serving, rinse 12oz raw, deveined, small tail off shrimp, (try to use something bigger than salad shrimp, I used 60 count and that was about right), add to mixture.
5 minutes before serving add carrot and 2 teaspoons Ivar's tarter sauce NOTE: this is where the "white" comes from, once you add this simmer is the highest temp you can go else you will have little white spotlets. Buy the cookbook and make it, or check this web page for stores that carry it.
Before serving inspect the seasonings and spicing:
Thyme is the ruling spice of a chowder. Fresh is strongly preferred. At least 6 stems, 4 stripped, 2 cut in half and used as garnish.
I like smoked paprika and a bit of white pepper.
If you add tumeric for a golden color, be very conservative.
A little bit of cream of horseradish works for some people, I use it, but in moderation in deference to Kathy.
You can add a tablespoon of a fairly dry white wine, it will not change the flavor of the chowder one bit, but may make you feel French.
Try to avoid the temptation to use lemon, you introduced a bit of Meyer's lemon in the Ivar's tarter sauce, try to hold at that point.
DO NOT use any tomato products, it is illegal, (sort of, but seriously it is not done).
Salt is the last thing you add. People can add more at the table if they want to.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
2003 Nonno Giuseppe Zinfandel - Neese Vineyards - Redwood Valley
Kathy and I decided to share a bottle of wine and broke out an old friend. I wondered if I should decant, but poured very carefully and left a little in the bottle. At ZAP 2006, it scored 8/8.5; what has nine more years in the bottle done for it?
In appearance, it is the classic Zinfandel purple, bright, not too dark. Even for its age, the wine is still crystal clear. The cork had "purpled through" about 1/8", cork shows age, but was in perfect condition. The bottle has been turned 1/4 of the way monthly since we purchased it.
On the nose, it was aromatic, (raspberry and spice), as soon as the bottle was opened. I could not sense even a hint of pepper, though that is a Zinfandel hallmark.
I waited ten minutes after opening for the first taste. Classic medium sweet, medium to full body, low level of round tannins, amazingly well balanced for a 14.8% with a plum flavor, though I would not call it jammy. Tested the finish; took a small sip, swallowed it and focused on my tongue. The first change happened in the first three seconds, a short finish, but after the half-life it was stable for 8 seconds, (kinds of reminds me of Kathy's kayak, incredible secondary stability). Let it sit for thirty minutes to breathe before tasting again, tannins are stronger and I can smell the pepper.
I would move the 85 to an 87, (not gold medal material), but a fine example of a Redwood Valley Appellation modern wine. Depending on who you talk to, a Zinfandel can be stored 10 - 15 years. This bottle was still stable, but if you've got em, pop em, it isn't going to get better than this.
In appearance, it is the classic Zinfandel purple, bright, not too dark. Even for its age, the wine is still crystal clear. The cork had "purpled through" about 1/8", cork shows age, but was in perfect condition. The bottle has been turned 1/4 of the way monthly since we purchased it.
On the nose, it was aromatic, (raspberry and spice), as soon as the bottle was opened. I could not sense even a hint of pepper, though that is a Zinfandel hallmark.
I waited ten minutes after opening for the first taste. Classic medium sweet, medium to full body, low level of round tannins, amazingly well balanced for a 14.8% with a plum flavor, though I would not call it jammy. Tested the finish; took a small sip, swallowed it and focused on my tongue. The first change happened in the first three seconds, a short finish, but after the half-life it was stable for 8 seconds, (kinds of reminds me of Kathy's kayak, incredible secondary stability). Let it sit for thirty minutes to breathe before tasting again, tannins are stronger and I can smell the pepper.
I would move the 85 to an 87, (not gold medal material), but a fine example of a Redwood Valley Appellation modern wine. Depending on who you talk to, a Zinfandel can be stored 10 - 15 years. This bottle was still stable, but if you've got em, pop em, it isn't going to get better than this.
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