hmmm can't quite come up with a title - just lucky that the blog is done!

Bonjour!
You would think that this blog would have been out about eight days ago…Nope. Late. I am late again. I will call it writers’ block – lack of clever thoughts – nothingness on the brain. It is July 8th, though, and I must make an attempt at entertaining you and sharing with you information about July’s wines.

So because July is my birthday month I was going to choose seven of my favorite wines to serve at Petit – Hell’s Bell’s to prices, I was going to share my faves. Sadly, that idea became much more difficult that I had anticipated because I HAVE SO MANY FAVORITE WINES!!!! And then I thought, I know! For my birthday month the criteria will be “Girls Just Want to Have Fun Wines” – a selection of really fun and delicious wines that have great packages, or happy stories behind them. As it turned out, the wines for July at Petit are my favorite, fun, delicious wines - even some with a story!
Here goes…

J Vineyards 2009 J Gris
An over the top, bright Pinot Gris from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma. Delish, and it got 90 points from Wine Enthusiast..woot woot

Paco & Lola 2008 Albarino
Do you know that I love Albarinos? If not, well now you do. This wine hails from the growing region closest to Portugal, Rias Baixas. I actually tried the wine because I LOVED the bottle and the name (Paco y Lola in Spain refers to “boys and girls”) and the label is turquoise with black polka dots – so cute. Then I tried the wine and was so happy that I loved it!

La Capra 2009 Chenin Blanc
Talk about packages…Ask to see this wine and then taste it! This Chenin is from South Africa (a tribute to World Cup Soccer) and it is not only just a fun and happy bottle it is a fun and delicious Chenin Blanc. I had a couple of glasses last night with scallops – perfect! We’ll do some mini crab cakes next week to celebrate the winner of the World Cup and for all July Cancers (crab cakes for Cancers?? Nice!)

Cass Vineyards 2009 Rose
Watch Out! This rose is no light summer delight…this Rose is a monster! Dry, full of plum and cherry – dry…beautiful! Cass Winery in Templeton produces some of my favorite wines – this is no exception. It is a really bold rose!

Yangarra 2007 Shiraz
Wine with a story! Peter Frasier, Yangarra’s winemaker from Australia, stayed at Petit when he was working and learning California winemaking tips in the Santa Maria Valley. Peter was engaging with a smile a mile wide and he makes some killer wines. The Shiraz is full of fruit and really tasty.

Jacuzzi Vineyards 2007 Barbera
Here you go! A fave of mine. We had this wine on our wine of the month list last winter and it is really really GOOD! Smooth, light tannins and food friendly – especially wonderful with salami, sausages, cheeses and plums (in from our garden)!

Brian Benson 2007 S&M
I am in LOVE! Wait ‘til you taste this baby…. The S&M is kind of fun and quirky for a wine name, but this Syrah – Mouvedre blend is no joke…IT IS amazing.! I really love wines from small wineries because the care put into every bottle is so evident. Brian Benson’s dad is the winemaker at Midnight Cellars – good genes, I think!

So there you have it…July’s wines – “Dianne just wants to have fun Favorite wines”

Updates!!!!!!!!
Huck and Phinn are getting BIG and are bouncy - bouncy on chairs and on the dining room table and on the coffee table and wherever they can bounce up onto. They are really cute little guys – Huckleberry is a rascal and Phinn is the calmer of the two (he is staring at me as I wrote this). They love to go for walks and in the car – they love an adventure!

We miss our Petit’s Riley and Libby and we will soon miss Ashley – they are all off exploring the next phase of their lives – post college. We wish them all “Happy Trails” and exciting times ahead!

Central Coast Wine Classic starts TODAY 7/8 in Avila Beach and it goes through July 11. The Classic always holds a big place in my heart as I met John at the Thursday tasting 13 years ago (today)! I was pouring Buttonwood and Kalyra wines (from Santa Barbara County) and John was the General Manager at the Embassy Suites in SLO and had come to the Classic to partake in the wine festivities. He was a bit flirty and I was working….hmmmm and then on Sunday at the Grand Tasting there he was again. Three months later we were engaged and five months after that we were married. We knew pretty quickly that we would be BFF’s, but who knew that we would runa business together???
You still have time to make the weekend events – worth a visit to SLO and to Avila to attend the Grand Tasting or the Auction (great fun) – check out the events on line www.centralcoastwineclassic.org If you happen to meet the creator of this event, Archie McLaren, tell him John and I say “HI”!

Concerts in the Plaza – every Friday evening there is music in the Plaza, directly in front of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Really fun – and there are some little restaurants around the plaza where you can grab a table outside and listen from there. Fun stuff!

The www.visitslo.com website can fill you in on any other happenings around town – always something a ‘happenin’

Finally, I made a promise to a Petit guest, who has become a dear friend, that I would start a “real blog” – one with pictures and more recipes, and stories and other goodies. So, I turn 54 on the 16th and thus will begin my new blog….name to be announced asap. It could be quite possibly very boring or quite fun – but the discipline of writing, and photography, will be good for my brain cells and the blog just might bring on a smile or two. More later –

Make happy summer memories!

Dianne