Wines I'm Making: Vines Pruned (March 21, 2012)

I finally got around to pruning the vines yesterday--quite a bit later than usual. Buds on the Sangiovese vines were already beginning to open. The pruning removed quite a few of these, but the plants will leaf out from lower buds. And so, another year of winemaking begins.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Weeping Cherry "Snow Fountain" (March 20, 2012)

The first blossoms on the weeping cherry tree on the side of the house--a variety called "Snow Fountain"--opened yesterday, March 20. This little tree blooms only briefly, once a year, but it's very pretty when it's entirely covered with white flowers at its peak. "Snow Fountain" has been a very consistent bloomer. It bloomed on March 20 in 2011 as well, for a year of 365 days. It bloomed on March 23 in 2009 and on March 14 in 2010, calculating years of 356 days and 370 days.

Music I'm Listening To: The Santa Rosa Symphony with the Eroica Trio (March 19, 2012)

Last night I heard one of the last Santa Rosa Symphony concerts I'll hear for a while, as I've decided not to renew my subscription, after 11 years. The new seats assigned in the Green Music Center for next season were not especially good, as I expected, and they've eliminated the mini-series option (your choice of three of the season's concerts) that I liked. The cost relative to the quality of the performances just didn't make sense any more. Instead I've added the Green Music Center series of the San Francisco Symphony to my regular subscription in San Francisco--which seems the best of both worlds; you get four concerts with the San Francisco performers and guests at the new music center for only a modest sum more than the cost of the Santa Rosa Symphony subscription.

On the program last night was The Chairman Dances (subtitled Foxtrot for Orchestra) by John Adams, Beethoven's Triple Concerto, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, the Eroica (appropriately enough).  The Chairman Dances has a somewhat convoluted origin. It was originally conceived as part of Adams' opera Nixon in China in a scene with Chairman Mao dancing with his wife but was deleted from that project and reworked as a stand-alone piece only to be later worked into the opera again, in a different context--in a scene that involved President Nixon and his wife dancing. As the program points out, we mostly think of Madame Mao as a member of the Gang of Four, but she was in her younger days a rather glamorous actress, Chiang Chin, and the original conception of the piece draws on the tradition of cinematic dance music with that part of her history in mind. Hearing it as a concert piece, of course, none of that really matters.

It was typically Adams in its use of repetitive, almost hypnotic sections with sudden gear changes that drop the listener into passages of more upbeat and expansive material, all colored with a wide range of instrumentation, including piano, harp and a large and varied percussion section. I always like Adams. Despite a somewhat shaky start, Ferrandis got things under control fairly quickly and he and the orchestra delivered a workmanlike performance. The piccolos and horns were standouts.

The main event was the Beethoven Triple Concerto, with the Eroica Trio, with founding members Erika Nickranz and Sara Sant'Ambrogio on Piano and Cello, and with Susie Park on violin; Park joined the trio in 2006. The women created quite a stir as they entered the auditorium, Park and Nickranz dressed in glittering silver, Sant'Ambrogio in white with silver shoes.

Again, a solid performance. Although Maestro Ferrandis kept the accompaniment so quiet through much of the first movement that the soloists seemed rather too loud, the rest of the performance was nicely balanced. Cellist Sant'Ambrogio seemed more on top of the challenging cello part than Alisa Wielerstein was when I last heard this piece live (in San Francisco). The cello was particularly sweet in the middle movement. The trio played a Piazzolla tango "Oblivion" as an encore--perhaps the highlight of the evening.

Ferrandis's reading of the Eroica seemed rushed to me in the first movement, but all in all it was a creditable performance, despite a certain lack of attention to the long lines of the piece. Again the woodwinds and the horns seemed especially good. On the whole, Ferrandis seemed more in charge of things and more focused last night than he often is. Normally I attend the Sunday afternoon concerts. Because of a schedule conflict I had to switch to the Monday night performance this time. Perhaps he's best in the evening performances?

Photo of Bruno Ferrandis courtesy of the Santa Rosa Symphony website. Photo of the Eroica Trio from the Eroica Trio website (photo by Nina Choi).

Miscellaneous: Wise Words from Homer (March 19, 2012)

I have a daily quote application on my blog here. Often the quotes seem silly or insignificant. Sometimes they seem more timely or meaningful. This one happened to come up today.

Wealth should not be seized...for if a man take great wealth violently and perforce, or if he steal it through his tongue, as often happens when gain deceives men's sense and dishonor tramples down honor, the gods soon blot him out and make that man's house low, and wealth attends him only for a little time.

Attributed to Homer. It seems little has changed in the past few thousand years.

Rain: 0.75 inches Overnight (March 12-16, 2012)

Rain again, finally. It looks like we'll get a few inches this time--rain we very much need. There was 0.75 inches in the rain gauge last night, but I haven't yet updated the totals because it's still raining. I hope we can add two to three inches to our annual total, at least. We're still more than 10 inches behind.

[Update: As of noon on the 14th, we have had 3.30 inches of much-needed rain, and it's still raining. The forecast is for precipitation to continue for the next couple of days. Perhaps there's some hope of avoiding a very droughty summer this year after all. So far, the total now stands at 18.00 inches. We are currently 12.3 inches below normal for this date. The historical average for March 14th in Santa Rosa is 30.29 inches. Unfortunately, our annual average is 31.91 inches, which means that normally by this date we've already had nearly 95% of the rain we're going to get. The chances of making up 12 inches in the coming weeks seem slim, even if we pick up a couple more inches in the next few days.

An additional 1.9 inches fell overnight on the 15th. We are now at 19.90 inches--better, but still not enough. Hoping for more....]

Found Art: Velvet in a Clarinet Case (March 10, 2012)

My son is a clarinetist. At his weekly lesson recently I noticed the patterns on the velvet inside his teacher's clarinet case. I liked the soft sheen. I liked the impressions made in the material from years of cradling clarinet parts. Found art.

For more found art, see my blog Serendipitous Art.

Places I'm Visiting: Sacramento, California--California State Yo-Yo Championships

Last Saturday, March 3, my son participated in the 2012 California State Yo-Yo Championships--his first time entering such a contest. There were 87 contestants in the 1a class he chose. He ranked 40th, which doesn't sound all that great, but he can now claim to be the 40th best Yo-Yoer in the state of California--which sounds pretty good. Actually, it is pretty good, considering that the top placers included current and former state and national champions as well as people that have placed in or won world competitions. This year's top award in the 1a class went to Yuuki Spencer. He was followed by Gentry Stein and Augie Fash. Some of the best are amazing to watch in action. I enjoyed watching the action off-stage as well--people comparing skills and sharing tricks, trading, buying, selling, and everywhere the whirr of yo-yos.

Wines I'm Drinking: 2011 Raimat "Castell de Raimat" Costers del Segre Albariño

I was surprised to find an Albariño wine from Spanish producer Raimat today in my local Whole Foods market. I wasn't aware that Raimat made wines from the Albariño grape. I think of Raimat mostly for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but I picked up a bottle for three reasons. First, and perhaps most important, I like good Albariño. Second, when I lived in Japan years ago, I often drank the wines of Raimat because they were generally well made and a notch higher in quality than their very reasonable price points promised. Third, I was curious to see what an Albariño from this part of Spain might be like.

Raimat is based just northwest of the town of Lerida (locally Lleida), about two hours west of Barcelona, in Catalonia (Catalunya). Raimat has its own subzone in the Costers del Segre DO. As noted above, the wines of this producer have always seemed more focused on international grapes and trends than on local traditions. Albariño, while it is a grape more local to Spain than either Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, is usually associated with Galicia, in the extreme northwest of the country, and with the contiguous areas of Portugal, where it makes light, crisp wines that at their best are flavorful yet delicate and often enhanced by somewhat exotic notes. Brief tasting notes follow.

Very pale straw color. Interesting nose, suggestive of limes and white peaches. Quite dry and crisp on the palate at first, then with a deep, grapey flavor accompanied by a rush of mid-palate sweetness that tapers off into more acidic, grapefruit-like flavors on a moderately long finish. Peachy flavors linger beyond that. Has something of the quality of a Viognier wine. Rather heavier and less subtle than the best Albariño wines. Overall, a bit lacking in acidity, despite the slight tartness on the finish. Could be crisper. Something of a disappointment, although not at all unpleasant. One example provides too little data to say anything definitive, but this suggests Costers del Segre is not especially well suited to this grape. Moderately priced at $9.99, but I won't be going back for more.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--(March 2-4, 2012)

Sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the new plants coming into bloom in the garden. Today saw the first bud open on the pink species tulip (Tulipa bakeri) called "Lilac Wonder." The Santa Rosa plum I planted a couple of years ago as a pollinator for our pluots is now in full bloom. The first flower opened on March 1. The Rhododendron "Noyo Dream" is also in full bloom. The first flower opened on March 2.

The first Lilac Wonder tulip bloomed on March 15 in 2011, on February 24 in 2010, and on March 5 in 2009, so this seems a fairly typical date--about in the middle of the range. The plant has calculated years of 356 days, 384 days, and 355 days so far, which average to exactly 365 days.

The Santa Rosa plum bloomed on February 23 in 2010 and on February 16 in 2011, so March 1 seems comparatively late. So far, the tree has calculated years of  358 days and 379 days, which average to 368.5 days, still somewhat long, but there's not enough data yet for that to be very meaningful.

The Rhododendron "Noyo Dream" bloomed on February 25 in 2009, on February 7 in 2010, and on February 2 in 2011, so this this seems quite late this year. So far, the plant has calculated years of 347 days,  360 days, and 393 days. Despite the odd lengths, these three average to just under 167 days, or close to an actual year.

Wines I'm Making: 2011 Sangiovese Rosé Labeled

I finally finished designing a label for the 2011 Sangiovese. I got it printed yesterday, and found a few minutes today to paste the labels on the bottles. We made only 15 bottles this past year, so it wasn't a big project, but it feels good to have it done and out of the way.

Music I'm Listening To: Charles Dutoit Conducts the San Francisco Symphony, Arabella Steinbacher Soloist (March 1, 2012)

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing one of the best concerts I've heard in years. Guest conductor Charles Dutoit led the San Francisco Symphony in the first of three concerts featuring soloist Arabella Steinbacher playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Also on the program were Stravinsky's Le Chant du Rossignol and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. The program will be repeated tonight, Friday March 2 and again on Saturday, March 3.

The concert opened with a clean, crisp rendition of Le Chant du Rossignol. The performers and the conductor seemed wonderfully connected from the outset. Dutoit conveyed his thoughts with the subtlest of movements--sometimes just by changing his position on the podium, sometimes with an arched eyebrow or with a smile and a nod. A fourth-row seat made it easy to see him work.

After intermission, I switched to an empty seat at the back of the first floor, thinking it would be more interesting to hear and see the Bartok with a full view of the players. The more distant seat made it easy to watch themes as they moved from section to section--and the sound is more balanced from such a seat. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bartok. Dutoit seemed to bring out the best in the performers. As is often the case in San Francisco, the woodwinds were outstanding. The oboe, in particular, has a lot to do in this piece.

The highlight, however, was Steinbacher playing the Tchaikovsky. I very much wanted to hear her again, having attended her debut concert with the San Francisco Symphony, in March last year, with conductor Herbert Blomstedt. While that performance was solid, it was really the CD I purchased at halftime that evening that opened my eyes to the talents of Ms. Steinbacher. Her recording of the Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2 is wonderful--and now among my favorites (Pentatone Classics, PTC 5186 350). I had high hopes for a strong performance last night, and that's what we got.

After the first movement, the audience burst into applause. The Tchaikovsky concerto easily persuades those that don't know it well that it's over when in reality it's just getting up a good head of steam, but I got the feeling that a good measure of the applause was spontaneous and coming from people that knew very well that only the first movement had ended. They simply wanted to show their appreciation. And why not? It was a luscious but beautifully controlled performance. Despite a gritty throatiness to her violin in the mid-register (which I rather like; Ms. Steinbacher plays the "Booth" Stradivarius of 1716, on loan from its owner, the Nippon Music Foundation), the sweetest parts of the concerto sounded wonderfully sweet without ever becoming maudlin. Ms. Steinbacher gave the impression of being in complete control. Her phrasing was self-assured and distinctive without being idiosyncratic. The connection between the soloist and the orchestra seemed especially tight. Dutoit masterfully kept the balance about as nearly perfect as I can imagine. This was one of the best live--or recorded--performances I've ever heard of the piece. It was greeted with an extended standing ovation at its conclusion.

Memorable. I wish I could go again tonight and tomorrow. I look forward to following Ms. Steinbacher's career over many years in the future, and I hope she comes to San Francisco often.

[Photographs of Arabella Steinbacher and Charles Dutoit courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony.]

Miscellaneous: Yet Another New Cocktail (February 29, 2012)

Rare it is to witness the birth of a classic. Presumptuous it is of me to think that this new cocktail I've concocted will become a classic, but, I rather like it, and I have high hopes for it. I've even decided to call it by my own name: The Talcroft. Here is the recipe.

The Talcroft
1 oz quality Vodka
1/2 oz Gin (I prefer Bluecoat American)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (I prefer Noilly)
1/4 oz Averna Amaro Siciliano
1/4 oz Malibu Coconut rum (but see below)

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a well-chilled martini glass. Garnish with a paper-thin wheel of lemon.

This drink, like a classic Manhattan, perfectly balances the sweet and the dry, and spicy herbal flavors (in this case, the gin and the dry vermouth) with the sweet and the exotic (the Averna and the coconut rum). In short, it is a delectable opposition of disparate flavors. Making cocktails, I've decided, is very much like painting, but it's an exercise in painting with flavors rather than colors and textures.

Important note: the proportions above assume the use of the very distinctively flavored Bluecoat gin. A more neutral gin might require using a little less vodka and a little more of the gin. (The Bluecoat is delicious in martinis, too).

I imagine this drink could be made with a coconut-flavored vodka instead of the coconut-flavored Malibu rum, but I don't want to buy a whole bottle of coconut vodka just to try that out, and I suspect that using only coconut Vodka would make the coconut flavor too strong. The thing to remember is that the coconut should be in the background; its presence should be just apparent. It should be the sort of flavor that sends the mind searching for a name--something familiar but not immediately obvious. It should add an element of mystery rather than make a statement.

[Update: I bought a bottle of Bacardi Coconut Rum following this post and compared it to the Malibu Coconut Rum. The latter seems coarse and excessively sweet in comparison. I tried the Talcroft using the Bacardi Coconut Rum and it results in a drier, altogether more subtle drink. I would now recommend making this drink using Bacardi Coconut Rum rather than the Malibu Coconut Rum.]

Rain: 0.75 inches Overnight (February 28-29, 2012)

Finally, a little more rain last night. We got only 0.75 inches, but anything is welcome. The rain last night brings our total for the 2011-2012 rainy season to only 14.25 inches, which is nearly 13.4 inches below normal for the end of February in Santa Rosa (27.64 inches). Annual average rainfall in Santa Rosa is 31.91 inches. The 2011-2012 rainy season officially ends June 30, 2012.

[Update: On the night of February29-March 1, we got an additional 0.40 inches of rain, bringing the annual total to 14.65 inches--still woefully short of normal.]

Books I'm Reading: Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris, by Graham Robb (February 29, 2012)

Having recently finished a book about the Eiffel Tower and the 1889 exposition it was built for, it seemed natural to move on to another book about Paris--Graham Robb's Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris (Norton, 2010). Here it's important to pay more attention to the subtitle than the title, as Robb's book isn't an exposition on the general characteristics of the people of Paris but rather a series of short, fictionalized pieces--in widely varying styles--based on real people and incidents, each illuminating a single facet of Paris. Some read like short stories. One reads like true crime fiction. One is presented as a screenplay. Taken together, these vignettes create a scintillating image of Paris through about 400 years of its history. The book is a delightfully non-linear stroll that allows layered, highly subjective glimpses of disparate corners of the city--glimpses that left me craving more.

I strongly recommend reading this with a good map of Paris within reach, or, even better, a copy of the Blue Guide to Paris and Versailles or another good guide book that is heavy on history. You'll want to follow Marie Antoinette's bungled flight during the Revolution. You'll want to follow Hitler along the streets of the city on his one and only visit to Paris. You'll want to see in your mind's eye the pattern of streets in St. Germain des Prés as you read through cinematic scenes that take place in the vicinity of the old church that gives the area its name. You'll want to find every one of the many avenues and monuments Robb's writing takes you to.

This is deceptively easy to read, yet so dense with information that I found myself wanting to re-read the entire book as soon as I'd finished it (and I had already read a couple of the episodes twice along the way). Virtually every page is a revelation. Highly Recommended.

Beekeeping: Honey Harvest (February 27, 2012)

I got all the honey bottled up today. I harvested a total of 38lbs--quite a good haul--and there's plenty more in the hive. The flavor seems good. As usual, the kitchen is unexpectedly sticky here and there, but, everything went fairly smoothly this time. Now I don't have to worry about that again for at least 6-8 months.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Nanking Cherry, Dwarf Nectarine (February 27, 2012)

More pink flowers in the garden today. Today the first blossom opened on the dwarf nectarine at the back of the house (above). Yesterday the Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa) started blooming. Warm weather in the past few days has coaxed out many flowers, but there was frost on the ground this morning and it's supposed to rain tomorrow. We need the rain, but I hope it doesn't cause the problems with fruit set again on the fruit trees....

The Nanking cherry bloomed on March 2 in 2009, on March 8 in 2010, and on March 5 in 2011, which makes it a bit early this year (February 26). The plant has calculated a year of only 357 days.

The dwarf nectarine, a slow grower, has nevertheless done well. The nectarines it produces are delicious--very intensely flavored. Every year I look forward to the ones the critters don't get. The nectarine bloomed on March 5 in 2009, February 27 in 2010, and March 2 in 2011. This year it's calculated a year of 361 days.

I note also that the golden currant (Ribes aureum) by the beehive is now in full bloom, having started to bloom quite suddenly on or about February 25.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Two-toned Daffodils, Rhododendron "Pink Snowflakes," Dwarf Peach (February 24, 2012)

With temperatures up into the seventies the past few days, flowers are beginning to open all over the garden. Today saw the first blooms on the two-toned daffodils in the front garden, on the rhododendron called "Pink Snowflakes," and on the dwarf peach in the side garden. "Pink Snowflakes" has been a very regular bloomer. Its first buds opened on February 22 in 2009, February 24 in 2010, February 16 in 2011, and on February 24 again this year. The dwarf peach has been somewhat more erratic, blooming on March 02, in 2009, February 22, in 2010, March 5 in 2011, and February 24 this year. The two-tone daffodils are another reliable bloomer, it seems. They first opened on February 22 in 2010 and on February 24 this year and last. The first blooms opened also on the yellow broom in the side garden (Cytisus).

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Ceanothus "Ray Hartman" and Ceanothus "Julia Phelps" (February 19-22, 2012)

I belatedly note that the first flowers opened on the large "Ray Hartman" ceanothus near the kitchen window on February 19 and that the first flowers on the "Julia Phelps" ceanothus opened yesterday, February 22. "Ray Hartman" is pictured above, "Julia Phelps" below. The "Ray Hartman" is trained up as a small tree. The plant bloomed on February 10 in 2011 and on February 22 in 2010, calculating years of 377 days and 353 days, which average to exactly 365 days. I don't seem to have a complete set of records for "Julia Phelps." The blossoms I note today are on a newer plant near the beehive.

Beekeeping: Time for a Belated Honey Harvest (February 22, 2012)

It was unseasonably warm today. I took the opportunity to open up the beehive for the first time in quite some time. It was filling with honey when I last looked, sometime in late October, perhaps, but there was enough empty space in many of the frames that I only extracted about 25lbs of honey in the autumn. There has been little activity around the entrance to the hive in recent weeks, so I've been a bit worried about my charges, but, if what I saw today is any indication, they've been--I hate to say it, but, busy as bees....

I took off a complete shallow super of ten frames, which should yield enough honey for friends and family for a while, and I suspect there is a second super that could be extracted as well. I expect to be busy tomorrow, if work permits such pastoral duties as honey extraction.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--"Flavor King" Pluot

The first buds on our "Flavor King" pluot opened the day before yesterday, on February 19. There has been so little rain this year that I'm hoping we'll actually get an appreciable crop this year. In the past two years it rained heavily while this and our other plum and pluot trees were in bloom, which resulted in a tiny crop. We'll see. The plant bloomed on February 5 in 2009, february 15 in 2010, February 13 in 2011, and February 19 this year, calculating years of 375, 363, and 371 days, for an average so far of about 370 days, somewhat longer than an actual year, but I suspect this will average downward over time.

Miscellaneous: Bizarre

I spare myself the endless drivel of TV commentary about the ongoing GOP presidential contest, by having no TV service. Nevertheless, a fair amount of news trickles down to me from various sources. Two recent bits of news strike me as especially bizarre.

Newt Gingrich attempts to belittle Mitt Romney for his ability to speak French. Rick Santorum criticizes President Obama, saying Obama's political agenda "...is not a theology based on the Bible." Huh? Shouldn't we be praising Romney for the added perspective his bilingualism may give him? Shouldn't we be praising Obama for not basing his priorities on ideas set out in a book of ancient myths?

Found Art: Pebbles and Sand (February 18, 2012)

Pebbles and tracings of the water flow they helped to create. Ephemeral art, found art. Near San Simeon, California, at the start of 2012.

For more found art, see my blog Serendipitous Art.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Yellow Daffodils (February 13, 2012)

I belatedly report that the first bud on one of the yellow daffodils in the garden opened the day before yesterday, February 13. Before long, there will be clusters of them in bloom around the garden. Our two-toned white and apricot-colored daffodils always bloom later.

The yellow daffodils opened in 2011 on February 2. The first bloom date was February 5 in 2010 and February 5 also in 2009, for years of 365, 362, and 376 days. In other words, the daffodils are rather late this year--although the average year calculated by the daffodils is about 368 days, only slightly longer than a calendar year.

Rain: Rain Through February 13, 2012

Today was clear and sunny, if cold, but we've had another 0.3 inches of rain since last reporting. That brings our 2011-2012 rainy season total to 13.5 inches, which is more than 10 inches below the average for February 13 historically in Santa Rosa (just under 23.8 inches). More rain, please.

Wines I'm Drinking: 2007 Domaine Maby Lirac "La Fermade"

If you're like me, you think of a typical southern Rhône red overflowing with the scent of violets (the good ones, anyway) when you hear the name Lirac. I can't remember coming across a white Lirac before, but I knew that it existed (the rules allow Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Bourbelenc, as well as Ugni Blanc, Pipoul, Marsanne, Rousanne, and Viognier, the first three of these being the principal grapes). I found a bottle in the newer Santa Rosa Whole Foods (at Coddingtown Mall) recently and decided to try it tonight. I must admit I was partially persuaded by a sticker showing that this wine won a Gold Medal at the 2008 Concours des Vins, at Orange--an honor it seems to have deserved. Brief tasting notes follow.

A very pale, clear, slightly green-tinged wine. The initial impression on the nose is a fresh sappiness, with a certain waxiness in the background. There was something that reminded me of pencil shavings and there were floral hints as well--but rather restrained flowers--hawthorne perhaps or pear blossom. Overall, a fresh, attractive, delicate but fairly characterful nose. Seemed a bit closed at first on the palate but then quietly burst with sweetness that was followed quickly by citrusy flavors and then by something sweet again. Has a certain bitterness as well, that nicely offsets the fruit. I've had well made Soave that tastes like this. Very good length. Really lingers and seems to keep flitting back and forth between fruity sweetness and a delicate acidity as it slowly fades on the tongue. Delicious. Recommended. Reasonably priced at $9.99 a bottle. I'm likely to go back for more of this.

2010 Altovinum "Evodia" Calatayud Old Vines Garnacha

Tonight I tasted a wine from Spain's Calatayud DO, in the western part of the Zaragoza province of Aragón. The area is heavily planted with Garnacha (Grenache), among other varieties. This "Evodia" is made from old vines, some as old as 100 years, according to the label. The vineyards in the area are generally at high elevations on stony soil. This particular wine was grown on slate soils. Brief tasting notes follow.

A very pretty, deep ruby red. This is a young wine, but it doesn't have the brash purple-red color of many young wines. Herbal scents on the nose--not sage, but something along those lines. Wood and vanilla. Red berries--not quite strawberries, not quite red raspberries. Red currants, perhaps? Something suggestive of bitters, or root bark. With a little time, it began to smell jammy, suggesting fig jam. Later I noticed some smoky, flinty scents. Nice, rich attack on the palate. Full, fruit sweetness. Jam, but interlaced with licorice. Remarkably sweet. Given the sweet fruitiness and the somewhat medicinal flavors of roots and bark, you might be forgiven for mistaking this for vermouth. Very light, very soft tannins. Moderate to low acidity. Immediately appealing, with seductive fruit making the wine all too easy to drink too much of, but ultimately not very well balanced. Worth trying at least once, however, if you like wines that are all fruit. This will certainly appeal to some palates. Fairly reasonably priced at $9.99 a bottle, at Whole Foods, Santa Rosa (Coddingtown Store).

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Daphne Odorata (February 6, 2012)

The first flowers opened on the fragrant daphne Daphne odorata, under the coral bark maple behind the house yesterday, February 6--quite late for this plant, which bloomed in January in each of the three previous years, on January 23 in 2011, January 18 in 2010, and January 20 in 2009, for years of 363, 370, and 379 days, averaging to 370 days.

Rain: Rain Overnight (February 7, 2012)

I heard the sound of rain last night as I fell asleep--the steady, quiet dribbling sound of a gutter on the far side of the house. This morning, I found 0.55 inches in the rain gauge. It's still raining, but that brings our 2011-2012 rainy season total to 13.00 inches--better, but still well below where we should be at this time of year (nearly 22.5 inches). Let it rain....

[Update: It did rain a little more. We got an additional 0.2 inches, bringing the total to 13.2 inches.]

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Pink Flowering Japanese Plum Prunus Blireiana (February 2, 2012)

Our double pink flowering plum tree (Prunus blireiana) started blooming today, February 2. Only one or two flowers have opened, but it will soon be in full bloom if the warmish weather holds.  The plum bloomed on February 17 in 2009, but I can't find a record for 2010. The tree bloomed on February 4 in 2011. Thus, it's calculated a year of 363 days.

Birds I'm Watching: Kinglet Feet (February 1, 2012)

Recently I've been photographing a lot of birds for use on my birding website. I was recently looking at photographs of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and I've begun to notice that there is a very big variation in the color of the feet of these birds. Some have feet about the same color as their legs, some have feet that are strikingly yellow. No one I've asked seems to think the color indicates anything especially useful about the birds. They ascribe it to individual variation. I continue to wonder about kinglet feet.... Compare the feet of the bird above and the bird below. Hmmmm......

For information about bird watching in Sonoma County, see my Website Sonoma County Bird Watching Spots.