2004 Williams Selyem Westside Neighbors Pinot Noir

This gives me the opportunity to officially and publicly blame Don and Mark for ruining my budget. They are responsible for introducing me to Williams Selyem Pinot Noir several years ago, and I (and, unfortunately, my budget) have been hooked ever since. And they have absolutely no shame about it. None whatsoever.

This was a special event, “Surgery Eve” as it were, and I was able to talk Michael into not only enjoying a new restaurant, but I also provided the bottle of Williams Selyem for the dinner. I was a little nervous, and needed to relax with a good friend, good food, and, of course, good wine.

All of the above came into play that Sunday as we went to Sea Stone . Because of the nature of the menu, I felt that a good Pinot Noir would be ideal and knew that the likelihood of this particular wine being on the wine list was slim. Read more

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Sea Stone - Perfection

This was a special event. Because of the circumstances (evening before major surgery), I was particularly emotionally fragile, and had the dining experience gone wrong, I would have jumped all over it. Sea Stone, as it turned out, was my salve.

A restaurant of this quality can easily be found at any of the mega-resorts on the Strip. However, finding one of this quality at these prices won’t be. Period.

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Vegas Wineaux Does Wine Reviews

Okay, here we go.

I’ve been threatening to do wine reviews for a while now, and finally decided that now was the time. However, before I get started, I wanted to give you a heads-up (i.e., warning) about my tasting method. It’s a little different. While the 100-point scale has and continues to serve as the benchmark for wine evaluations, every now and then all you need is a generalization of what wine is about, using words that “everybody” understands. And that’s where I come in.

Let’s face it, no matter how professional the wine taster is, it really does come down to personal taste. For instance, I love most wines, but if I had to do a tasting on Nebbiolo from Italy, I would be a dismal failure. Why? Because I still have yet to find one that I really like. Nebbiolo fans … chill. That means more for you.

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I’m Baaack! Vegas Wineaux’s Back in the House!

It’s been quite an adventure as I’ve been recuperating from the surgery that I underwent last week. Honestly, it was more (a lot more) than just a simple “procedure,” but my recovery has been relatively uneventful. I had what initially appeared to be a major setback on Saturday, but it looks as if that will be less serious than it appeared at the time.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me with their thoughts and concerns, and rest assured that I’m back at the keyboard. I’m restricted to bedrest and will be homebound for the greater part of the next month, but fear not! I’m still making sure that I’m reporting what’s going on out there in the world of wine! I can’t help myself.

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My Obsession - Part 1

Wine Decanters. I vaguely recall how I began to collect them, but it somehow happened.

I “discovered” the benefits of decanting wine about four or so years ago quite by accident, and it was a two-step process. The first time was when I uncorked a bottle of Whitehall Lane Merlot. I was visiting my friend Michael when I opened it, but we decided to go out to grab a bite to eat before sipping the wine. I left it open and we departed. An hour or more later when we returned, I poured the wine and was surprised at the difference! And it had only “aired” in the bottle. But there was more discovery to come!

The real epiphany came a few months after that. I had invited Michael over for dinner and opened up a prized bottle of Vergenoegd Shiraz from South Africa and poured it into the new decanter, my first. I tasted it at that time and wondered what the heck could I have been thinking when I bought this. It tasted like someone had squashed the grapes with dirty feet well laced with fungus. Yuck. But there was still *something* there, so I let it sit on the table while I continued to prepare dinner.

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