cat shepard

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! A bit cloudy this morning, but it may be just a marine layer that will burn off. Eva, thank you for taking care of us by tracking our happenings. @smitty34877 Terry, praying that all goes smoothly for DH today & may he have a quick recovery. @dfish Debbie, so happy to read that you believe you are 100%. Just be careful. Hope your paint sample project is successful. Who knew there were so many shades of the same color? A much needed manicure is in store for me this morning. I am so hard on my nails. Then Bindi walks, yard work, and my afternoon HIIT class will round out my day. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Get well & stay well everyone! ************ Cloudy Bay 2019 Chardonnay, Marlborough, New Zealand I used the 2019 vintage because I found a few distributors who would ship to me - for a price. This sounds interesting, and I would enjoy a taste. A decent number of online distributors, some of whom ship worldwide, with prices starting at $25.99 & shipping. Reviewer’s notes "A subtle, restrained, yet zesty bouquet with aroma s of lemon, rose hip, and green melon with hints of cinnamon, and toasted sourdough barrel influence. Lemon zest flavours persist on the creamy-textured palate. A wine showing some elegance, poise, and balance, juxtaposed by youthful potency." - 93/100, New Zealand Wine Rater

Denise, I am so happy to see you enjoying yourself. Clearly the wildlife heard you were c9ming & had to show off.

@kazu Happy Birthday, Jacqui! I knew ours were close, but I did not know how close! May your new year be filled with laughter, love, great health, a cruise or two & dog kisses! Ooh & white wine! @Heartgrove Jack, thank you for letting us know!

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! A lovely start to this morning. Thank you all for your birthday wishes. I will be celebrating it off & on throughout the week with different groups of family & friends. You can be sure there will be 🍷 . Eva thank you for sharing our happenings. Hope you and your family have found peace. Debbie hope you continue to feel well. Can’t wait to see your newly painted house. Sandi, safe travels. Gym, Bindi walks, house cleaning and gathering with friends at our favorite wine bar. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone! ********** Leonetti Cellar 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Washington State A lovely sounding Cab from Walla Walla. It has a hefty price, but all released vintages share the same superb/outstanding ratings. I used the 2020 vintage info, since that might be the most available. Find the best price near you, but the more recent vintages might need a bit more time. Numerous online distributors with prices starting at $119.00. I would love a taste. Winemaker Notes Very dark crimson to the rim of the glass. Explosive nose of baking spices, rising sourdough, honey, plum flower, and ripe plum fruit. Viscous and creamy on the palate, with notes of red currant and fresh herbs. The beautiful structure has full-bodied, fine-grained tannins and a long, luscious, and intense finish. Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc JS95 James Suckling Aromas of blackcurrants and dark cherries, together with walnuts, licorice and dried rose petals. It’s full and structured, with fine-grained tannins that are firm and slightly chewy. Juicy and mellow fruit hiding underneath. Creamy finish. Better after 2025.

Joy, are you psychic? I have not mentioned it on here. It so often falls on Memorial Day, I never want to detract from that. But I have started my new year.

Also consider a cranberry red door. My neighbors actually did their house in a deep green with a cranberry door and it is striking.

Thank you for today’s R &/D, Rich! An early post for me. Gathering for a service at my community clubhouse. We have several Gold Star families in my neighborhood. Then some of us will go eat breakfast. Preferably with wine in it… Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone! ******** Frescobaldi Nipozzano 2019 Chianti Rufina Riserva, Tuscany, Italy I used the 2019 vintage info since it seems to be available EVERYWHERE! What a nice change. You might find it cheaper locally, but there are numerous online distributors with prices starting at $13.99. Winemaker Notes Nipozzano 2019 has a vibrant ruby-red colour. The nose presents fruity hints of berries and black cherry, as well as elegant floral notes. The fresh quality provided by the balsamic notes is simply wonderful. These are followed by roasted and spiced notes of pepper, nutmeg and coffee. On the palate, the wine is rich, characterised by the elegant density of the grapes and the mineral freshness of the finish that make it balanced and persistent. The tannins are dense but not abrasive. The taste and smell correspond beautifully. JS92 James Suckling A fruity and bright Nipozzano with currant and cherry aromas and flavors. Juicy and vivid, with some fine tannins. Linear and bright. Lovely energy.

Had to share…

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich. It is 57 this morning. 😱 A first for me in my almost 8 years here in Florida. I won’t complain, but it is unusual. Eva, thinking of you and your family. Thank you for taking such great care of us. Debbie & Sandi, hope you two are doing better today. Just gym, Aldi, Bindi walks are on my list today. Walkers & joggers beware! Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Get well & stay well everyone! ******** Man O’ War Chardonnay Waiheke Island Valhalla 2020 Rich, I find it interesting that I did not have to use my decoder ring ONCE, while Sandi was posting the R & D. But this is the third time since you returned from your epic journey that I had to pull it out. 🤔 This vintage is quite elusive, unless you live in New Zealand. I found one distributor who would ship the 2019 vintage to me, but its reviews were not as favorable as this ones. New Zealanders - this vintage can be yours for $21.76. Cameron Douglas’ review A full-bodied, nutty, rich and powerful wine with a core of roasted stone fruit and toasty cashew-nut oak flavours, fine textured tannins and a brazil-nut butter texture. Baked peaches and lemon, nectarine skin and grapefruit. There’s vanilla and nut, warming alcohol and medium+ acidity. A wine that ticks all the boxes of weight and intensity, richness and power, flavour and deliciousness. A lovely drinking wine from day of purchase through 2026+. 95 Points Outstanding

Thank you. I guess I need to write more clearly. I like some off-dry Rieslings, but only know by tasting. I will watch for the 2021 vintage, though.

@StLouisCruisers Sandi Holy *$#@! Thank goodness you were not alone when it happened. You may need to start packing alternate meal options or snacks. Hope you feel better.

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! We have sun this morning! It is a cool - for us, 63 this morning. And the strong winds are still with us. Yesterday, Bindi and I encountered some very strong headwinds during our afternoon walks. And the winds were circling around like a hurricane when we were eating supper on the lanai last night. But they helped keep the temps down. Eva, hope yesterday was not too challenging. Thank you for sharing our happenings. Debbie, hope you are more comfortable today and you continue to recover quickly. Zumba, Bindi walks, yard work - boy does my Jasmine need trimming it seems to have grown three feet in the past week. I wish the deer would eat it. 😎 Temps and weather permitting, I will pop into the pool later. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Safe travels Denise T! Get well & stay well everyone! ********** 2020 Long Shadows Riesling Columbia Valley Poet’s Leap, Washington State I love when I get to use my decoder ring! I picked the 2020 vintage of this Riesling, since it should be easy to find. I also found a critic’s review of this vintage. It is available from a decent number of online distributors with prices starting at $17.57. I would love a taste, but confess sometimes “off-dry” is still a bit too sweet for me. But I only know by tasting. 93 Wine Enthusiast This shows intense detail and complexity in the aromas of lime zest, wet slate, white peach, flower and a whiff of botrytis. The palate is just a hair off-dry, balanced by electric acidity. It's a textbook picture of Washington Riesling at its best.

I am so grateful that she passed in loving arms. Difficult for you, but find comfort that she knew she was loved. ❤️

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! It is very cloudy already and is supposed to rain off & on this morning. The good thing is that this eliminates my need to water plants or add water to my pool. But my pool water was a cool 84.9 yesterday. I braved the waters and did some water exercises. I know Dixie @summer slope will appreciate my efforts. Eva hope that each passing day brings you wonderful memories that help sustain you. And as always, thank you for keeping up with us. Debbie, hope you feel a bit better today & your recovery goes smoothly. Today I hit the gym, take some Bindi walks and prep for tonight’s dinner with friends. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! @Nickelpenny Happy Retirement! Enjoy every day! Have a fun road trip. Get well & stay well everyone. ******** Smith & Sheth Syrah Hawkes Bay Cru Omahu 2020 Well at least this wine is in my budget, and at least one distributor will ship to me. Sadly that distributor is in New Zealand, so I am afraid to guess what the shipping cost would be. But the wine price is $36.63. 19.5/20, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews "Deep, full, ruby-red with a purple hue, even colour throughout. The nose is elegant and structured with broody aromas of dark fruit of boysenberry, blackberry and plum melded with gravels, dark herbs, lavender and savoury dusting. Full-bodied, blackberry, boysenberry and plum aromas show purity, entwined with broody dark herbs, lavender, gravelly minerals and iodine, and linger with cedar and clove. The fruit is pure and concentrated with weight and depth; unfolding layers of herbs, minerals and cedar add interest and complexity. Finely extracted, ripe, savoury tannin provides structure and vitality alongside a fine acid line. This rich, broody Syrah features dark fruit with multilayers of herbs, minerals and spices, supported by fine tannin extraction and an acid backbone that suits extended cellaring. Match with venison and lamb racks over the next 15+ years. Fruit from Gimblett Gravels, 100% destemmed, gentle extraction with one pump over daily, total skin time 15-21 days, aged 20 months on average in a combination of new French oak barriques 60% and a seasoned French oak foudre 40%. 13% alc. Vegan friendly."

Welcome home, Debbie. Sleep well tonight. And yes, the POWER of the Daily is behind you!❤️

@ger_77 Gerry happy birthday celebration day!

Thank you Rich for getting us started with today’s R & D. Our gorgeous early morning has turned cloudy again. But Bindi and I had an extra long walk this morning while the sun was shining. The rains are supposed to end for the weekend. We shall see. Eva, I hope you and your family found peace yesterday. Thank you for bothering to keep up with us during this time. Debbie, hope you had a restful night & get released today. Zumba, Bindi walks, yard work and perhaps some pool time - weather permitting. I have friends coming for dinner tomorrow, so I might try to start some prep today. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Get well & stay well everyone! ************ Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough McCrone Vineyard 2020 Another elusive with a capital E New Zealand wine. I found one online distributor for the 2020 vintage but they do not ship outside of Germany. It is outside of my budget, if I could find it, but I would love a taste! The online distributor charges a hefty $80.76 for a bottle. Wine Enthusiast 97 The McCrone Vineyard, with is combo of clay and alluvial gravel soils, brings distinct personality and minerality to this beautifully expressive wine. It starts with a heady nose you could fall straight into. Dried spices and herbs, vanilla pod, tree bark and cracked black pepper are in the fore, weaving through cherry, redcurrant cordial and orange rind. There's an ethereal lightness to the palate, but a tight structure to the fine tannins. Silky, freshly fruity and spicy, it's elegant, approachable and ageworthy.

Thank you, Gerry!

One of my favorites. Not just an amazing performer, but an amazing person. “The Best”

Boy, Jake, I hope you let the ship folk know they need to work on a consistent story. Unless the Ocean Bar fed the Crows Nest folk that line. Regardless, glad you found it.

Prayers for Chris’ peaceful passing and comfort for the entire family are on their way.

Have a wonderful time! Bon Voyage! That plane sounds amazing!

Happy Birthday, Jack! May your new year be filled with love, joy, laughter, dog kisses & a cruise or two!

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! It is a weird weather morning. Very breezy and it was sprinkling on one end of my street and sunny on the other. I was thrilled to be on the sunny end. And Bindi and I had the delight of seeing this year’s fawn twins being nursed by Mom this morning. Eva, thinking of you and your entire family this morning. Debbie, I know that you are at the hospital already, but praying that all goes smoothly today & you beat your personal recovery record! Tina, thank you for some wonderful info & recipes! Bindi goes to the vet this morning. Then chores, Bindi walks, HIIT and putting out our Memorial Day flags on my “block” will round out my day. Maybe I will get in my pool. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone! ********** Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Double Diamond 2019 This Cab sounds lovely. But its excellent reviews come with a price. The vintner doesn’t have any left in stock, so the cheapest price I found was $145.00! The distributor does ship to me though. Winemaker Notes This 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown in the Schrader Cellars tradition of making the best Cabernet Sauvignon that Napa Valley can offer. A unique expression of the Oakville AVA with harmonious integration of decadent fruit, refined structure, and silky tannins, the 2019 vintage of Double Diamond is ready to enjoy now and will continue to evolve over the next 3-5 years. WS94 Wine Spectator Packs in generous steeped plum, boysenberry and mulberry flavors backed by a broad swath of roasted alder and bittersweet cocoa. Brimming with dense fruit, and is squarely in the not-shy style. The long finish has a serious loamy tug, too. Best from 2023 through 2035. JD94 Jeb Dunnuck Released by Schrader as a separate brand, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Double Diamond (which is still 70% To Kalon) offers a forward, medium to full-bodied, incredibly sexy style as well as classy notes of cassis, tobacco, incense, orange blossom, and flowers. Readers looking for a touch of that Schrader magic at a slightly more affordable price are going to love this beauty. It's already drinking nicely, and I see no need to delay gratification. JS94 James Suckling Lots of mint, flower and blackcurrant aromas follow through to a medium to full body, creamy tannins and a savory finish. Good depth of fruit here. Juicy and delicious now.

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! This morning is spectacular! After a day of torrential downpours and area flooding, we deserve it. It rained so hard coming back from the gym that the drains could not keep up with it and roads were horrible. And poor Bindi. She hates getting wet, but the weather left her no options. Luckily she loves being towel dried. Eva, keeping you and your family in my prayers. Debbie, praying that all goes smoothly for you tomorrow. Tina, thank you for taking over! Just Bindi walks, gym, yard work and maybe a visit to one of our local wine bars. Dailyites - meet the crazy cat man! Prayers for all who need our support. Sandi, hope you feel better today. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone! ********* Bilancia Syrah Hawkes Bay La Collina 2020 This vintage is elusive, unless you live in New Zealand. But I found a few distributors who will ship the 2018 vintage to me! The bad news is that it is outside of my budget. The 2020 vintage with several distributors who only ship to NZ is available for $84.97 + shipping. The 2018 vintage is available for $83.94 + shipping. Cameron Douglas’ review Due for release in November 2022 this wine is fantastic - with a bouquet of concentration and power, is very expressive with aromas of dark berries and field mushrooms, fruit and barrel spices, wood smoke and very youthful energy. Black currant and baked meats, mushroom and clove, dark fleshed raspberry, barrel spices and violets. Equally fantastic on the palate, very taut still, youthful and high energy with concentrated flavours of fruit and earth, wood and power. Tannins are ripe, polished, in abundance and layer in mouthfeel to an already impressive texture. The backbone of acidity contrasts the core fruit flavours adding length, shape and form. Delicious, new and cellar worthy. Best drinking likely from 2025 through 2040. 97 Points Outstanding