Last Night At Temple With Friends And MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir

I was blessed to spend the last Temple night with my hubby, Sarah, Efrain, and Alana at temple. As per Tuesday night convention I brought along a bottle of wine, this time was MacMurray Ranch 2007 Pinot Noir, "Sonoma Coast". From the very beginning this wine was a joy. When "Bartender Mike" pulled the cork he said he could smell the fruit. The nose was extremely enticing, just bursting with red fruits (strawberry and red cherry) with hints of earthiness and cocoa. In the glass the color was red and bright ("Pretty" was the word everyone used). The wine is medium-bodied and elegant with soft tannins and good acidity leaving the mouth watering. It went well with the pork medallions that I had and would probably go well with a baked chicken and even a pasta with red sauce. A fine wine with good food and close friends... an all around enjoyable evening.

Number of wines reviewed in 2009: 225

(Not) Sharing a Bite in San Diego

Today a friend of mine was lamenting that he was bored and that he had nothing planned for tonight. Since I could not be with my beau I decided (admittedly last minute) to go to Bite, a small-plate restaurant in Hillcrest in San Diego and texted him on when I would be there. Sadly, I wound up alone this evening but I happily continue to recommend Bite to anyone wanting a fun Epicurean experience. I've been to Bite several times, most notably when my beau took me and several of my friends there for my 45th birthday dinner and over the last couple of years the food has remained consistently good. The menu is playfully divided into "Field", "Ocean", "Farm" and "Sweet". For a nice little appetizer I ordered from "Field", the grilled cheese baguette of Cremini mushroom, thyme, roasted shallots and melted Fontina. Just perfect for a meal for one or to share with one or at most two others.

Hoping that my friend would arrive I ordered a bottle of MacMurray Ranch 2006 Pinot Noir. For those of you old enough this is Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons and Disney's Flubber fame. Monday is a great day to go to Bite because bottles of wine are half-price! Anyway, the MacMurray was a nice little Pinot Noir, bright ruby in color with a nose that promised red cherry and cola (with a hint of vanilla) and it delivered what it promised with a decent if not blunt cherry finish. So while I was deprived of the company of my friend I was able to spend some time with this wine as well as enjoy the wonderful Breakfast at Tiffany's playing on the screen.

On another note, my best friend from college has challenged me to taste some wines from our home state of Missouri. I'm trying to find good, tasty representatives of what the "Show Me" state can produce. Once I do, I will get back to you.