I do not want to go into a whole long story about morality, politics, ethics and all that, so I will just put it to everyone this way. Our school lunch programs as they relate to poor children are ridiculous and unfair and since I spend more money than I should on wine, I ought to contribute more to kids so they can eat better. So in the spirit of FM III’s annual charity challenges that generally run from Thanksgiving through Christmas, I will agree to contribute, to subsidize school lunches for poor kids, $5 for every tasting note on a California Rhone Blend wine (single variety wines from California of the Rhone permitted grapes are allowed) posted in this thread between today and Mother’s Day, and $5 more if you post a picture of yourself drinking the wine.
My current expectation is that I will contribute the money to this GoFundMe page: (watch the video) Fort Bend ISD SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT, organized by Chris Bryan Robinson , which is an attempt to pay the lunch debts of poor kids in a school district in Texas so they can get a hot lunch instead of a cold cheese sandwich. Is it a perfect use of the money? No. Maybe some of the money will go to freeloaders. Oh well, it’s better than nothing, and I would wager that even the freeloaders don’t eat and drink anywhere near as well as I do. I will also contact a few local school board members who I know (and with whom I have shared a bottle from time to time) to see if they have other ideas on how to accomplish my desired result.
If you want to know more about “school lunch shaming,” a concept that I had never heard of until this morning, you can read this report here:
When I make the contribution I will, of course, give appropriate credit to the good people at Wineberserkers.com who made this possible or, in the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, who made this day necessary.
This is a wonderful gesture; thank you for starting the discussion and donation.
Here’s an entry - from Sunday night dinner:
2012 Myriad Cellars Syrah Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard- USA, California, Napa Valley (5/7/2017)
Pop and pour and served with food (pork back ribs in a sweet tomato-vinegar based bbq sauce, with a side of cheesy polenta).
Wonderful nose of black cherries, some herbal notes, black pepper and white pepper and beef blood.
In the mouth, shows dark fruits with a spicy pepper element and mouthwatering acidity. Complimented the grilled ribs nicely as the fruit and acidity could not only stand up to the richness of the meat, but also to help freshen the palate. Delicious.
. . . and just so that I do not get criticized for not following the rules, the OP states:
“. . . $5 for every tasting note on a California Rhone Blend wine (single variety wines from California of the Rhone permitted grapes are allowed) posted in this thread between today and Mother’s Day, . . . .”
That is - not for a tasting note on a wine tasted between today and Mother’s Day.
I am sure Jay, being a lawyer, will understand.
2014 Pax ‘The Vicar’ North Coast Red Wine
This is the most recent release of Pax’s blended Rhone grapes wine, and, after just a few sips, my favorite to date. It actually reminds me more than a little of the ESJ Rocks & Gravel wines, but a bit higher in octane. The entry is supple red fruit and herbal tones, but it has some serious tannin backing it up. OK, so it is more structured than any ESJ I have had, but the flavors are right on!
Pnp: huge, really juicy kind of hot on the attack. It’s almost like drinking wine mixed with cherry juice. Just pure fruit, no tannin, no acid really. It’s not bad by any means, but it almost doesn’t taste like wine.
2011 Lillian Winery Syrah Gold Series No. 1- USA, California, Central Coast (4/23/2017)
Delicious big massive Syrah from Lillian. Tamed by a cool vintage.
Needs many more years to integrate. Should be delightful in 5-7 yrs! (90 pts.)
2011 Myriad Cellars Syrah Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard- USA, California, Napa Valley (6/4/2015)
Ink purple. total darkness. Some game, meat stew, and stewed fruit nose.
palate has pretty racy acidity, not giving a lot. Pop and poured so going to check back after a while. Right now it’s pretty shut down, i would hold.
Delicious but a bit heavy to ‘sip’. would recommend drinking with food. (91 pts.)
2006 Lagier Meredith Syrah- USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (3/25/2011)
Medium purple color.
Initally nose had notes of marshmellows (sweetness)… also peppery.
No sweetness at all on the palate. Meat, bacon, spicy peppers. delicious. Definitely a lot of heat.
Decant for 2 hours before consuming. (91 pts.)
2006 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (7/30/2010)
Flat out yummy.
Decanted for 3 hours. Gorgeous nose of dark fruit. The alcohol shows a bit, but not overwhelming. Just so good… 1 more left (93 pts.)
2006 Rhys Alesia Syrah Fairview Ranch- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (3/24/2010)
deep purple color. Nose of pepper, meatiness, and some dark berries. Nicely structured with balanced tannins and acidity. Finish is clean with more mineral after taste. quite delicious, and great QPR (90 pts.)
2006 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (12/28/2009)
Decanted for an hour. Deep purple, inky in the glass. Nose of concentrated dark fruit, with some blueberries, brown sugar. A bit sweet on the palate, definitely fruit driven wine. Well balanced though… no harsh tannins or acidity at all… smooth, lingering finish. I enjoyed this, but I know some would find it too sweet. (93 pts.)
2003 Arcadian Syrah Robert O. Fleming Cuvée Star Lane Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (7/6/2009)
dark purple… fantastic aromatic nose of blueberry and plum. after an hour, it opened up well. Had with a wild boar meat pasta. yum… don’t remember much about it other than it was delicious… (91 pts.)
2005 Darioush Shiraz- USA, California, Napa Valley (11/29/2008)
Dark Purple Scents of pepper, spices, and oak/earth Peppery. Medium bodies, not too heavy. Goes well with spicy cheese/food. Well balanced acidity. Longer finish than 2005. Good shiraz (89 pts.)
2003 Darioush Shiraz- USA, California, Napa Valley (11/29/2008)
Dark Purple Scents of pepper/spice. Complex and deep aromas Too young, and tannic. Medium bodied. Tastes of oak/earth, and hints of vanilla, medium finish Not a bad wine, if you like Shiraz. Personally I’m not a big fan. (87 pts.)
Jay…I read this article earlier today and it was a topic of conversation at our dinner table tonight. Sitting down now to check WB and saw your post…great thing you are doing.
Jay - if you want to include Napa Cabs, or do a follow-on from Mother’s Day to Memorial Day, of Napa Cabs, I’ll donate $5 for each one. $15 for an EMH wine. New, current cork pulls and notes. What do you think?
I served on some school advisory boards when my daughter was in school. We have a huge number of kids here in Napa Valley who qualify for free or reduced fee lunch. Sometimes breakfast. But the kids go hungry rather than go public with their family’s poverty. They pass on the lunch because of the stigma. You don’t see evidence of this at our wonderful restaurants, resorts, and upscale wine tastings.
I should do more. I am a bit time-challenged right now, but if someone wants to manage, I’ll donate. For sure.
2004 Alesia Syrah Sonoma Coast “Chilleno Valley”
Cork pulled in half coming out. Medium red, medium transparency. Black fruited with licorice, blackberry, blueberry, clove, and a hint of vanilla on the back end of the nose. Palate is black fruited with a currant/spice/blackberry/blueberry character that carries into a medium finish. Way too young for my Syrah tastes. Could develop, I think. Craving beef jerky (or bacon) to go with it. My last bottle.
Jay, love the cause here. If you’re looking for other outlets, we do monthly neighborhood food collections for a local agency called Porch (we collect from the porch on a Sunday afternoon). The food goes to a program called “Backpack Buddies”, the goal of which is to make sure that kids getting subsidized food at school have a backpack full of food to take home for the weekend. Our schools avoid the shaming by offering lunches (and breakfast too) to all who ask with no need to qualify. We get 25-40 bags of food a month from a neighborhood of roughly 200 homes. A set of core contributors carries us.
(93 pts.)
