When your son tells you he coming over to make baked ziti laced with ham (he can cook!) all you need to do is decide on a wine.
Pulled the Extradimensional 2024 Barbera from Shake Ridge. The ziti was delicious and the wine was awesome!
Bursting with black cherry fruit, earth and spice. Juicy, fresh and concentrated, all at 12.5% abv. This is how good Barbera can be when in the hands of a skillful winemaker. Best we have had in quite some time. A great night of food, wine and family.
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And when your son says âhamâ I am sure he means really good ham!
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Ohhhh ok this will be next on my list to open! Probably with Pizza
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David, you know Thomas, it was really really good ham!
Tom
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In for the 6-pack 
Finally getting around to posting about these two absolute bangers:
⢠2024 Summer Salters RosÊ IV
What a blast. Hereâs the transcript of our 17 year old and my wife:
Teen: What the heck is that?
Wife: RosĂŠ.
Teen. Youâre s****ing me. Looks like Kool-aid.
Wife; Itâs by Extradimensional.
Teen: May I taste?
Wife: Sure!
Teen (tastes): Wow, thatâs amazing.
From CT review:
@ohne_musik âs TN is spot on -he nailed the tastes I couldnât quite define (rhubarb, saline funk). This has a very complex herbal component to it as well: thyme, tarragon(?), sage(?) - just a lot going on just below the surface. A great strawberry/watermelon fruit core. An occasional creamy popsicle note too. Round for a rosĂŠ. Your favorite water slide when you were a kid.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++
⢠2023 Brosseau Chardonnay
Just cut straight to CT review for this one:
From memory so no detailed notes. What really struck me about this wine was how sleek and sophisticated it was. There was very little to none of the funky reduction Iâve encountered with other XWCY! Chardonnays. The acidity was not as high as I expected, but at the same time it wasnât heavy at all. Just really, really beautifully balanced. Should get better with a couple more years in the dark.
Score: 93-94. Relative to expectations: ++
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That Rose has eluded me so far. The color is insane I definitely need to try some when I get the chance! (Or just track some down)
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Digging into the Hardy archives for this one. Itâs very good, but I will say that the alternative cork was getting kinda loose (odd since they used to be almost impossible to remove). I donât know what the projected life span was for the things, but I am going to check out several more D&R bottles very soon.
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OK, I finally tried Heart & Hummingbird II. I served it cool and then let it warm up a bit. The texture is interesting. Itâs not glyceral like a White RhĂ´ne, but thereâs a degree of weight on the palate that I enjoy. Fruit aromatics run to red cherry and watermelon, with a citrus kick. What I find most enjoyable is a dark spice note on the palate that echoes cinnamon. I feel like I am in the wrong place to drink this wine. I should be by the ocean, as I think the salt air would resonate. Good stuff. Itâs not life changing for me, but I would never turn down a glass.
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