Tasting Notes

January 1998 News

Wilson's Warbler, Male, 4 1/2"

Rainy days at bloom time can lead to poor pollination and skimpy crops.  Each little flower in the cluster must be pollinated for it to develop into a grape.  For every flower not pollinated, a tiny little green dot results instead of a grape.

As we write, we are enjoying the second sunny day in a row!  This after breaking a weather record for 108 days with measureable precipitation...a record that had stood since 1800's.

Cooper's Hawk,  Female  14-20"

Quail abound.   We suspect they are nesting in a number of places.  One covey "tends" Val's garden.  The most spectacular bird of this Spring is the Wilson's Warbler, a small, brilliant yellow little bird with a black crown.  There is a pair, and they seem to have decided to stay in the vicinity of the winery to raise their family this year.  They flutter at the office windows, roost on a chimney bracket challenging their image in the reflective stainless steel stove pipe, and generally make themselves beautiful and delightfully welcome.  Black-headed Phoebes are flitting around the front of the porch, roosting in the rafters, perching on the peak of the roof and on the handle of Dexter's wood splitting maul, now a tiny guano island.

A hawk, probably a coopers Hawk, has flown from the area by our mailbox at the road to roost in the Big Oak just inside the gate on some mornings, including today, when the first of us appears at the gate for the paper or the mail.  And, the regulars are all here:  Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds, Stellar and Scrub Jays, Ravens, Band-tailed Pigeons, Brown Towhees, Red-tailed Hawks, Oregon Juncoes, etc.  We always enjoy the passing parade, and with this wet winter and spring, there are lots of bugs and seeds to satisfy their needs.

Anna's Hummingbird, Male, 3 1/2 - 4"

Band-tailed Pigeons, 14 - 15 1/2"

When last we wrote, Dexter and Val were headed to Italy.  Not to be.  On March 25th Dexter had some severe under arm pain following his ritual forced march up the hill after fetching the morning paper.  Suspicious of the pain, he went into the kitchen, took an aspirin, and went into Val's office saying that he had this pain, and we needed to do something about it now.  We tried a couple of phone calls, but no doctors were in yet and answering services simply put us on hold.  So we piled into the car and took off for Stanford Emergency.  In Emergency, they said, "Dexter we don't see many fellows like you, maybe only one in ten:  no diabetes, not overweight, no high blood pressure, no smoking."  This is genetic predisposition.  Long story short:   on March 30th Dexter underwent quadruple bypass surgery and in less than four days more, he was back at home on the mountain, and doing very well.

THE LESSONS ACCORDING TO THE DOCTORS:

1.  Dexter probably saved himself from a major heart attack by taking the aspirin, a blood thinner, when he felt pain that he thought could be associated with a possible heart attack.  (Remember this!)

2.  In spite of a strong genetic predisposition for heart problems because his father died at 57 and his uncle at 50, Dexter's life style of red wine and activity probably postponed this event, for at least 10 years.  (We know you are remembering the red wine, preferably AHLGREN.)

Dexter and Val have already booked tickets to Italy for april 1999, the trip merely postponed, not cancelled.

Bagna Caoda Bash,  Sunday September 13, 1998

Save the day.  As is the tradition, we will start the tasting at noon with current releases, the bagna caoda - garlic, anchovy and olive oil hot dip - and other appetizers.  Then we will proceed to some serious eating, menu yet to be decided, but emphasizing focus on complementing red wines, including some older library treats.