Calera Ryan Vinyard 2003

Color was neither the concentrated blue of the Parkerized 667/777 clones nor the light ruby red of the “true” burgundian wines.  This was a bit dark with a bit of brownish tones.  The nose was more mineral and earth than pure fruit and oak.  Well balanced and does not feel hot or overly sweet like some new world fruit driven pinot noirs that come out of California.  Elegant.  Fine grained tannins.  Mineral more than just fruit.  Classic cherry with coffee or lightly chocolate notes.  Does not, however, show an old world earthy feel…gee… not surprised.  After all, this is in the New World. Their web site is here.  If you want the big, huge, fruit-forward California Pinot Noir, this is not it.  But if you like something more elegant, I think this is a great wine.

2 MW mark!

Woo-hoo! Our array hit the 2 Megawatt mark just at the end of May!  This means we’ve offset about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide.  Or roughly the equivalent of 175 gallons of gasoline.  Which is equal to around 9,100 miles in my Prius (I get just around 52 mpg).  So in almost 6 months, the solar array has offset almost 12 months of my driving around.  Not bad…

A chart on power production is below

The imu starts here, no butts about it

The morning started quietly.  Little did the critters in the pit know, their lives would be changing.  All photos posted here.

Then the gang started to arrive

Some in more style than others. 

More below the fold (long post).  Oh, and all my photos are posted to our flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/groups/punahou84/ 

What I’ve been listening to…

Killer Angels by Michael Sharra.  This is the best war book out there.  None of this Tom Clancy techno-thriller stuff.  Instead, Sharra gets into the minds of the characters.  OK, if you don’t like Civil War or Gettysburg stuff, I can see not liking this.  But the language and imagery.  How the rain fell on the first day, the sound of the cannons, and the thoughts of Chamberlain as he defended Little Round Top.  The audiobook is rilliantly read, with the narrator’s tempo and character changing as the occasion requires.  You can hear how he picks up speed and  adds more staccato phrasing when there’s a battle.  And how he voices General Lee quite feathery and light.  I’ve read the book and now listened to the audiobook and recommend both.

Chateau Bonnet Entre Deux Mers 2006

First, sorry about the flash photography…this is a new camera and I’m not yet 100% on all of the controls.  The nose is a bit grassy and savory.  Not the lush fruit of a new world sauvignon blanc like the New Zealand stuff.  Here, I’m thinking Cloudy Bay, Giesen, or others from the Marlborough.  Definitely old world.  Pleasing melon and herbs on the palate.  Well balanced, nothing out of proportion.  50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 10% Muscadelle.  Would go well with oysters, cold shrimp, that sort of briny-seafood dish.  Great for a summer pot-luck.  And it has the allure of a French Bordeaux.  I purchased this for a party at right around $10 and the crowd seemed to like it.  Would buy again.

Syrah tasting photo site

click on the link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bwis-wines/

Syrah tasting row 1

Again, click on the image to get to a downloadable flickr image.

Syrah tasting Row 2

Click on the photo for a link to the image on Flickr.  If you click thru, you should be able to download the image and enlarge to see the labels more a bit more clearly than as presented on the blog.

Kenwood Russian River Pinot Noir 2006

After having a huge number of pinot noirs the other night, I’m guessing this is a 667/777 clone.  Floral, spicy, with raspberry notes.  There’s a slight blue blush to the color.  Medium bodied.  Not a huge, big, brawny pinot noir, but what do you expect at this price point (around $15)?  Much better than the Mirassou Pinot Noir.  A solid choice.

Masi Amarone Campoforin 2003

Listen to an interview on Grape Radio here.  Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella grapes.  Partially dried in a method called “apassimento” where the grapes picked slightly under ripe and then dried in lofts for 3 months.  This reduces the water content of the grapes by about a quarter and some of the grapes will develop botrytis, the noble rot.  From there they do a second fermentation.  Anyway, listen to the podcast for all the details.  It is a fascinating interview.

This has a deep, dusty raisin character, but not sweet, unlike other wines with dried grapes such as ice wine or sauternes.  Super smooth, round.  Very drinkable with lots of red fruit - cherry mostly, maybe cranberry.  Great bang for the buck.  And I can add to my list of of grape varietals.