I Survived Another Winter

Oh, the joy of rolling down the car window for the first time. Of seeing grass peek out from underneath the slabs of ice and snow. Of remembering what it's like to get up in the morning and actually see the sun. The Doodle summed it up perfectly as we exchanged the winter coats for light vests and rubber boots to go walking: "It's just GORGEOUS out here!"

I wonder if we brought back some of that sunny goodness with us from the DR, because it really is gorgeous out here. Despite the loss of an hour's sleep, I happily welcomed Daylight Savings Time this year. Winter has that tendency of leaving me knotted up in a fretful, depressed tangle of nerves; come spring, I shake off that old cloak like a snakeskin and stretch myself out, both physical and mental muscles alike.

You know what else warm weather brings? BARBEQUE. Nothing kicks winter's ass on its way out the door like firing up the grill. Went home to visit M&D and was treated to delicate slices of rib eye with a lemony risotto. Back at home tonight, after much revelry (and gluttony) on our respective weekends away, we cooked up a whack of chicken fajitas on the grill, complete with my own homemade guacamole and spicy tex-mex cheese.

Naturally, wine was on the menu - several bottles in fact. Along with the JT Esprit Merlot and another Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir (sadly, not as good as previous ones I've sampled), I enjoyed a couple others that were worth mentioning:

Huff Estates 2007 Off-Dry Riesling had that irksome WHOLE LOTTA GASOLINE smell, but after a few more sniffs, I found underlying aromas of ripe mango and pineapple. It had an effervescent mouthfeel and a slick, green apple finish. Not so good on its own, but went well with the fajitas.

Chateau Timberley 2006 Bordeaux Superieur - Full, luscious raspberry nose that followed up on the palate. Light-bodied, with a subtle, balanced acid/tannin ratio. Clean, elegant finish. We had it with pizza (pepperoni and bacon), and I was easily bowled over by its simple, pleasant feel that could easily go well with a broad range of dishes.