Calera?s informative back label

Calera’s back label passes the usefulness test! Schmaltzy story, cheesy adjectives, mentions of “handcrafted“: none. Vineyard data and winemaking info: bountiful. What with Ridge Vineyards, Bonny Doon, and Calera putting lots of info on their labels, there must be something in the air of the Santa Cruz and Gavilan Mountains.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/KkcRYJ6yXCY/

Billy Garrett Jo Gartner Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien

?Development-Oriented Transit?: Lessons From Hong Kong

It’s hard enough to build rail transit in the United States, and once a transit line gets built, that’s still only half the battle. Union Square at Hong Kong MTR Kowloon Station. Hong Kong's successful puts US examples to shame. Photo: The City Fix Almost as important as securing the infrastructure itself is ensuring that nearby [...]

Source: http://streetsblog.net/2011/05/13/development-oriented-transit-lessons-from-hong-kong/

Al Keller Joe Kelly Dave Kennedy Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler

Ford Promises Focus ST will be ?Exactly? the Same Worldwide ? Car News

The ST is still being developed, and Ford has the ?spy? photos to prove it. Frequently, when automakers ?Americanize? models for the U.S. market?changing them to meet our safety and emissions regulations, but also to suit the perceived tastes of stateside consumers?it results in dumbed-down vehicles. For one recent example, head over to the Volkswagen [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/GrbVqwlv-pA/

Scott Russell Riggs Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard

Marc VDS Ford win qualifying race

Marc VDS Ford duo Frederic Makowiecki and Maxime Martin came from 12th on the grid to win the Qualifying Race at the Sachsenring round of the FIA GT1 World Championship. Makowiecki had made it up to fifth by the time the pitstop window opened and then stayed out on track for four more laps. That tactic and a quick turn-around by the Belgian VDS squad enablde team-mate Martin to exit the pits in the lead.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/3rdparty/marc-vds-ford-win-qualifying-race/

Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone Alan Jones Tom Jones Juan Jover

Bordeaux Tasting Reveals Affordable Gems

Sandwiched between the heralded 2005 and 2009 Bordeaux vintages lie three years I've bought very little of. Not so much because they're not good, but just because there's been so much positive hype about the '05s and '09s. A guy only has some much attention to devote to a region.

Vintage variation is a tricky thing for me on a number of levels. More experienced folks will tell you it's not a matter of good and bad - it's more a matter of appreciating vintage variation. Further, the way Bordeaux is priced, better vintages fetch higher prices. This is different than domestic wines and different from most regions. This presents an opportunity to pick up wines from quality producers in "off" vintages at a good price.

Bordeaux is a tricky thing to publicize and market. In one sense it's the noblest of wine regions, but in another I rarely find myself with a taste for Bordeaux on a weeknight - or even a weekend night for that matter. It's this quirky quandary - brand recognition many regions wish they had yet too fancy for many occasions and relegated to high holidays. Too much tradition for its own good?

Below high flying names costing $50 and up are Bordeaux Superieur wines costing $20 or less. As part of an live online tasting through TasteLive, Planet Bordeaux offered up five 2006-2008 Bordeaux to wine bloggers across the United States to get together online and concurrently share their thoughts.

Here are my notes:

2006 Chateau La Gatte La Butte
$15
13.5% Alcohol

100% Merlot from old vines. Light magenta. Cherries and earth on the nose. A little Leuden's cough drop action. Earth too with undeniable Bordeaux markings. On first sip I get a twinge of acidity in my cheeks and even my ears. Comes together really nicely. Well balanced. Great start.

http://chateaulagatte.com
88+/100 WWP: Very Good

2008 Chateau Lugagnac
$16
13% Alcohol

On the nose I get burnt earth, cocoa, some fruit. Grippy tannins. Surprisingly hot for only 13.5%. Needs some time to settle down, but still a pretty nice wine.

http://chateaulugagnac.com
87/100 WWP: Very Good

2008 Chateau de Terrefort-Quancard
$14
13% Alcohol

Tightly wound with tart cherry fruit and harsh tannins. Should improve with time but for now it's one of the more challenging wines in the lineup.

http://chevalquancard.com 
84/100 Good

2007 Chateau de Parenchere Cuvee Raphel
$15
13.5% Alcohol

Medium-full bodied with a really enticing nose. A nice combination of fruity and savory components. Velvety mouthfeel. Low-medium acidity. Doesn't beg for food the way the others do but I think it's versatile enough to play well in a lot of settings. My wine of the night.

http://parenchere.com 
90/100 WWP: Outstanding


2008 Chateau Penin Tradition
$15
13% Alcohol

Made in a soft, easy drinking style. Limited aromatically.

http://chateaupenin.com
82/100 WWP: Good

My thanks to the folks from Planet Bordeaux for supporting wine bloggers with this tasting!

Samples for review.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/b179Djo0dI0/bordeaux-tasting-reveals-affordable.html

Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin Piercarlo Ghinzani Bruno Giacomelli

Coppinger Captures Class C at Daytona

The highly popular NASCAR iRacing.com Class C Series (NiCCS) made its 2011 Season 2 debut this past week on the high banks at Daytona International Speedway. The tailgaters came from far and wide to take part in exciting NASCAR Super Speedway action on the virtual Florida track and while some struggled to get past ?the Big One,? others excelled at the type of racing only Daytona (and its counterpart Talladega) can provide. Over 2700 sim racers took at least one lap in race conditions on the track ? up by about 600 from one season ago! When the virtual Chevrolet Silverados became silent late Monday it was Division One driver Brandon Coppinger who came out on top. Though he did not win in either of his two starts, he did [...]

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/coppinger-captures-class-c-at-daytona/

Carl Edwards Copart Ford Denny Hamlin Z Line Toyota Kyle Busch

Rough Weekend For MacDonald Motorsports At Dover International Speedway

“Lap 1 incident ruins days for both MacDonald Motorsports Dodge?s” MacDonald Motorsports(DOVER, DE) May 15, 2011 ? Race weekends just can?t get much worse for a team then it did this weekend for MacDonald Motorsports. Coming home with a wrecked race car is one thing. Wrecking both cars together on the 1st lap is another....more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/nationwide/05/16/rough-weekend-for-macdonald-motorsports-at-dover-international-speedway/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rough-weekend-for-macdonald-motorsports-at-dover-international-speedway

Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk