2007 Project Happiness – Syrah November 19, 2009

Once again, I fall for the cute bottle.  The bottle is completely black except for this bright smiley face.  I haven’t been the most cheerful person this week, so a wine titled ” Project Happiness ” sounded good to me.

The wine isn’t that great, but its not terrible.  It tasted dryer than most syrahs I have had, but the aroma was pleasant.  The price of the bottle completely ranges online which is quite confusing to me.  Luckily I bought this at Trader Joe’s for about $6.  I think it was worth the $6, but if it had a frown face on the front – probably not.

2.5 stars

R.C.T.J.W.F. – Sauvignon Blanc November 18, 2009

R.C.T.J.W.F stands for Really Cool Trader Joe’s Wine Find. I would call it… Really Cheap Trader Joe’s Wine Failure….  I did not like this wine at all.

I was inspired to buy the bottle because it was cheap and from the Paso Robles region. I also liked the simplistic nature of the bottle, though at the time, I didn’t know what the initials stood for.  If I would have read the back of the bottle, I would have put it down. This wine was pretty terrible. It wasn’t even worth the $4. It was acidic and wasn’t packed with much flavor.

Not much else to say about this one, just another Trader Joe’s disappointment for me.  Someone help me find a great cheap wine please! I can’t keep up with the expensive (yet fabulous) ones.

1 star.

2007 BOGLE Cabernet Sauvignon November 13, 2009

Last night we opened the 2007 BOGLE Cabernet Sauvignon.

The main reason for picking this wine was because it was our only bottle that did not have sentimental value and a big price tag from Paso Robles.    I like that you can find this wine almost anywhere (at least in california)  It has a price point around $10.

I thought this was a very solid wine.  It seemed spicy, fruity and full of flavor. There were heavy cherry and fruit undertones.  The wine has a well rounded finish and it kept me wanting more. I wish I would have had a second bottle to keep it going. ( I will keep that in mind next time). I think this wine would have a very broad appeal and I recommend trying this out,  it would be great to serve at a party.

3.5 stars

The Slice – Playa Vista November 13, 2009

It has been a while since I have tried a new pizza in the area.  This time it was “Slice” in Playa Vista.  I would compare this to pizza you would get at a ballpark, concert, mall, etc.  It wasn’t exceptional by any means, but it wasn’t bad either.  It was extremely basic, but decent.

The sausage was really strange, in long thin strips.  I wasn’t really a fan, but again – it was ok. The cheese was pretty standard, but good and the quantity was fine. The crust was doughy and cooked perfectly.

Overall, I didn’t love it at all.  I did eat half a large myself, so I can’t be too harsh.  It is definitely edible, but is not really a quality pizza.

This review is really difficult, because I did eat a lot of it – i may order it again, but I just can’t recommend it.

2.5 Stars

LA Fitness – Marina – Body Works Class November 11, 2009

So just because I have clearly been drinking a lot of wine, doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out. I just haven’t been doing much outside the gym.  I currently belong to L.A. fitness and go to the one in Marina del Rey.  It is not great, or large – but I continue to go for one reason.  RUBY!

Ruby teaches the best class ever called “body works”.  It is an intense 60 minutes workout that leaves your entire body tight in the right places the next day.  The first 10 minutes of class is a cardio workout. I actually hate this part and think its super boring, but I know its essential to warm my muscles up.  The next 20 minutes is packed with non stop lunges,  squats and  arms.  I alternate between light and heavier weights depending on what muscles we are using.  We are constantly moving and lifting and is a great class to get you to actually lift weights instead of just cardio.

The next 15 minutes, we are on the ground working, doing push ups, donkey kicks, leg lifts and other exercises targeting the hips and thighs.  The next ten minutes are dedicated to abs and we close the class with a cool down stress.  The key to this class is Ruby.  She is the cutest instructor and is constantly reminding you that bikini season is around the corner.  She really pushes every individual to work their hardest.  I have done a lot of studio workouts where people pay upwards of $20 for a workout class. I find Ruby’s class to be better, both more enjoyable and effective.

This class can totally suck if you have a bad instructor. I usually call ahead to make sure Ruby is teaching the class so I know not to waste my time going to the gym.  Ruby is what keeps me a member of LA fitness.  The gym also has one other redeeming factor.  An old hippie spin instructor named Newt that rocks out to Lady Gaga and Britney.  The class is awesome and with over 70% of the class “out of the saddle” it will really give you a great workout.

Ruby – 5 stars

Newt – 5 stars

LA Fitness — ehhhh .. 3 stars.

2008 La Finca Malbec November 11, 2009

You don’t need an image on this one, because I am not going to recommend you buy it.  I opened this bottle last night.  The 2008 La Finca Malbec  is one of those cheap wines you can find at Trader Joe’s.  I enjoy Malbecs, so I thought why not – I can’t keep up with drinking the $40 bottles all the time anyways. I used to drink cheap wines all the time so I thought  it wouldn’t be a problem to go right back to it.

Wrong-O! Now I know why there are price differences in wine.  I have been drinking a lot of reserves and a lot from our stash we brought home from Paso Robles.   I guess I have been spoiled.  This wine was alright, but not exciting at all.  It really did taste just like a cheap bottle of wine.  The clear observance of this is that Steve and I didn’t even finish the bottle – we came close – but didn’t feel like finishing it – and that just doesn’t happen folks!  I am going to research from now on before i just go and pick a cheap bottle from TJs again

1.5 – 2 stars

2007 Tobin James Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyard November 9, 2009

The 2007 Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyard, bottle was included in our fall shipment wine club.  The bottle gives you a little knowledge about the Dusi Vineyards which is perhaps the most famous Zinfandel vineyard in the world.  The vineyard is over 80 years old uses a dry farmed technique which is supposed to be what gives these vineyards the street cred to be the best.  Tobin James Cellars  suggests that this is because the “vines roots have to dig deep into the earth to find water to survivie.  This stress helps create the intense and jammy fruit that signifies “Dusi Fruit”"

This wine was great.  I know that Paso Robles is known for Zinfandels, but throughout the entire trip, we did not purchase one bottle.  I am so happy this one was part of the shipment.  It was a very rich wine with a strong dark fruit flavor.  The solid flavors linger on the tongue.  The wine has a nice finish that leaves you wanting more. I recommend it if you can get your hands on a bottle.  It retails for about $38.00.

4 stars

2008 Cupcake Chardonnay – Central Coast November 6, 2009

 First off, the image to the left states 2007, I actually drank the 2008 vintage, but am too buzzed to actually find that label and paste it.  Kidding, just lazy.  Anyways, I enjoyed this bottle of wine on Thursday night.  

I read about this wine in a magazine. I have no idea what the ad said, but I remembered it.   Im in advertising, so it pains me to say that an ad got me to buy this. I want to be above that.  But… I LOVE cupcakes… I really love anything to do with cupcakes so a winery that is called Cupcake Vineyards is something I am all about.

“Decadent layers of butter, cream, bright citrus and vanilla melt into a balance of oak and subtle spice. In other words: Delicious. Serve chilled with crab cakes, seared Ahi tuna on waffle crackers or fresh-baked French bread and cheese.” – Napacabs.com

 Well I don’t know about all that, I ate this with rice.  This was a pretty good Chardonnay.  It had a very crisp flavor and I distinctly remember a pear/apple aftertaste which according to that description, I shouldn’t have gotten at all.  I have grown to like Chardonnays.  I would buy this again, half because it was good, half because of the marketing ploy.  About $10 a bottle and can be found at Cost Plus World Market.  Cupcakes are cute.

3 Stars

2006 Tobin James Gang Reserve Cab Franc November 4, 2009

Yesterday was such a blah day.  Nothing outside the normal.  That is until my  Tobin James Gang wine shipment arrived at work. This might be this most exciting (and heavy) package I have ever opened.  It came with 8 bottles (which I will unveil each time I drink one), a wine stopper, and a branded blanket.  The wine club costs $145 each shipment which happens twice a year.  It included 8 bottles of wine and the package was worth more than $300.  

I couldn’t wait to try one.  Last night we opened the 2006 Cab Franc, James Gang Reserve.  This wine retails for $38 a bottle.  One sip and it immediately brought me back to Paso Robles and my wine tasting weekend.  We paired it with spinach and ricotta ravioli.  It was FANTASTIC.  The wine was filled with bursting cherry flavors and had a dynamic and strong finish.  It was easy to see that this wine would pair well with a variety of foods.  I wish I had more bottles, but can’t wait to give the other ones in the box a try.

Maybe it is because this came on a day I needed it… maybe I was just in the mood.. but…

5 … yes 5 stars.

2006 Tobin James Chateau Le Cacheflo November 2, 2009

Tobin James was one of our first stops in Paso Robles.  I had heard a lot about the winery before I even arrived.  I think people either love it or hate it.  It is definitely not a quant, quiet and classy place to go wine tasting if that is what you are looking for.

Tobin James is more of an old town saloon that has been reincarnated as a loud and lively wine tasting venue.  When we walked in there was loud music, people everywhere and even a fake tatoo stand.  I stood there for a minute debating and then decided. “This place is awesome!”  The pours were free and heavy, the employees were knowledgeable and helpful and  I really love their motto that wine tasting should be fun.  It was!

There was nothing pretentious or stuffy about this place.  If you want to let loose and have fun tasting a ton of great wines – this is the place to do it in Paso Robles.  I liked it so much that I am now a member of the James Gang (their wine club) and am eagerly awaiting my fall shipment which should arrive any day now.

While we were there, we tasted a ton of wines ranging from the Chateau Le Chacheflo (Cash flow – “cheap red”) table  red wine, to the $150 reserve Cabernet.  We decided to pick up a few bottles of the Chacheflo as our shipments will only include reserve wines.  I opened up a bottle of this last week and it immediately brought me back to my Paso Robles trip and the fun we had.  It is a very stellar table red wine that is a blend of Mediterranean flavor.  It’s bold flavors and longing aftertaste makes me extremely excited we picked up more than one bottle.  It will go great with red meat.  It also has a price point under $15 (hence, cash flow).

3.5 stars