2008 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the bottle in the picture says 2003. Like I could take a picture that nice, anyways. Get over it.

The Seghesio family has been making wine in Sonoma County, California for over 100 years, and their wines definitely show it. Specializing in Zinfandel, they've offered a range of single-vineyard zins ($30-50) and a multi-vineyard blend ($20) for quite some time now, and the quality has been consistent in all the vintages I've tasted.

But last year, something happened. Wine Spectator rated the 2007 blended zin their #10 wine for the year, and for good reason. More than ever before, the wine showed a finesse not normally associated with Zinfandel, much less associated with wines that only cost $20. The blend was even better than the single-vineyard offerings. In a very true sense, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. And for $20, how could you possibly say no?

Needless to say, the wine disappeared instantly from shelves, and has been incredibly difficult to find over the past 6 months. As of right now, Wine Spectator has yet to rate the just-released 2008 vintage, and I was lucky enough to find the last one in stock at Spec's (though I would imagine, there's still more coming, it was just released, after all).

The 2008 doesn't disappoint, to be sure, and has almost all of the hallmarks of what made the 2007 spectacular. Dense, powerful fruit and spice aromas jump out of the glass, with hints of oak and coffee. The wine tastes excellent, and the acids and tannins are just present enough to give the wine a long finish without giving it a bite (we call that "balanced acidity"). The one aspect in which I think it comes up short compared to last year's is the complexity of the spicy and herbaceaous notes. '07 is gonna be hard to beat.

Good with food, if you're having rich flavors or sweet/savory combinations (chinese food?), but really, I could drink a whole bottle of this stuff by itself.

Get it while it lasts. I would expect to find it anywhere with a halfway decent wine selection, including Spec's, Twin, and maybe even the nice HEB on 41st. St. If you're hankerin' to taste the truly phenomenal 2007 vintage, my wine bar, Cork and Co., happens to be one of the last places in town you can find it. How 'bout that?

Lucile's Creole Café (400 South Meldrum St. Fort Collins, CO)

OK OK! I know Fort Collins isn't Austin! But I cannot let such an awesome restaurant as Lucile's go without a review! Plus I've been eating IN quite a bit in Austin lately, due to my fast approaching exam, and I have the urge to talk about a great place to eat out!

Lucile's has great atmosphere; it's kind of a small "house-like" establishment with a large porch for outside dining, and it's decorated like something out of, well, New Orleans. The charm is enhanced by the table-crowded dining areas and antique door handles. The napkins have neat little prints on them and look almost like bandanas (look to the right of my plate in the photo). Very, very cool.

This restaurant appropriately features coffee and beignets, but it is their breakfast choices that are simply out of this world. I had the Eggs New Orleans, "Fried eggplant slices with creole sauce, poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with grits or potatoes and a biscuit." With all of the breakfast tacos I consume, it was amazing to enjoy something new and interesting. The biscuit was absolutely fantastic; I've never had a fluffy biscuit with such a perfect crisp on the top like this before. A good dousing of their strawberry rhubarb jam made that biscuit irresistible. The creole sauce was quite good, though I found it to overpower the egg and hollandaise just a bit. The fried eggplant made my morning; who would have ever thought to top slices of fried eggplant with eggs?! Maybe it's a creole thing... Whatever it is, I'm sold. Brunch at Lucile's was awesome, and if you're ever in Colorado, you should really check this place out. They have four locations, so anywhere you travel in this glorious, mountainous state, you should be able to enjoy a tasty creole brunch.