Epinions Recent Reviews for danak6jq

Break out from the crowd

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 21:17:43 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq -

I used a P300 for about 6 months, and very much like it as a telephone. Audio quality is excellent, the noice cancelling is so good that people often did not realize I was driving in a car (amazingly, sometimes even when I was driving with the top...

Worthwhile in Sonoma

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 19:37:52 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Cline Cellars has gained a reputation for making some very fine wine (Zinfandel and Syrah, in particular), so I made it a point to stop in while driving by one weekday.

Ample parking is available on the pretty grounds, and the tasting room is...

A little bit of France along CA Highway 12

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 19:20:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - I'd driven past Domaine Carneros numerous times without stopping. I can't say I'm a huge enthusiast of sparkling wine, though I enjoy it a few times a year and believe I have a decent palate for it. While driving home one weekday afternoon from an...

Hiding in plain sight

Sat, 10 Feb 2001 00:46:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - San Jose has become a huge metropolis, a Big Town, but there are certainly signs of a simpler time gone by, when the South Bay was a largely agricultural. While J. Lohr isn't off in rolling vineyards, it's certainly a reminder of the wine country...

A classic

Mon, 5 Feb 2001 23:54:44 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Louis M. Martini was one of the first wineries I ever toured and tasted at, way back in the mid-1980s. At the time, I really enjoyed myself, and the folks at Louis Martini were really just fun folks. Way back then, their wine was priced attractively,...

Nokia 8890 GSM Cellular Phone: Stylish, but very functional

Tue, 9 Jan 2001 00:27:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - After lugging a Nokia 6160 around for 18 months, I decided I just had to have a GSM phone. The promise of roaming in Europe simply by taking my SIM card (the little card that plugs into the phone) with me and renting a phone when I got there was pretty...

A wine oasis?

Fri, 5 Jan 2001 06:16:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - I've been meaning to visit R.H. Phillips for some time, and today made the trip for lunch.

If you're planning on visiting R.H. Phillips, their web page does offer good directions and a useful map, though it doesn't really impress on one just...

Biggest means what?

Fri, 13 Oct 2000 04:16:21 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - I've flown United a number of times over the years, both domestically and internationally.

When United flights go right, they're OK. The recent addition of

Economy Plus seating (with five extra inches of legroom) is a nice

touch and...

Plan ahead, make time, enjoy

Tue, 19 Sep 2000 04:26:57 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - It's been my intention for several years to visit Joseph Phelps; the wine and winery has a well-deserved outstanding reputation for quality and innovation; they're one of the bedrock wineries in the Napa Valley. One day, on a lark, I'd stopped in and...

Outstanding for the enthusiasts

Sat, 12 Aug 2000 22:51:24 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Today I ventured forth from my (still rather new and unblemished) driveway with the specific goal of experiencing Arrowood. According to the pundits (Parker and Laube), Arrowood is a top-tier winery with exceptionally good products - and I really don't...

On the fence? Not with this wine.

Thu, 13 Jul 2000 04:09:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - One night, I was at Costco with a wine-buddy, and he suggested I snag the '97 Sanford Pinot Noir. If I recall correctly, the bin had a WineSpeculator score around 90 and lavish praise, and, at $18 or so, it seemed like a deal.

I'm working my...

Enjoy it soon before the evening gown loses shape

Wed, 12 Jul 2000 02:46:20 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Swirled in the glass, the wine is maroon/burgundy, leaving a few lacy legs around the perimeter. The nose is entirely competent Pinot Noir, with mild tar and gentle cola aromas, hints of something spicy and wisps of dried herbs that I can not quite pin...

Let them eat cake!

Sun, 9 Jul 2000 16:45:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - It's been a while since I swirled and sniffed this wine, so I may have lost memory of the more subtle impressions, but I'll do my best.

Opus One is arguably the grand-daddy of the ultra-premium wine industry in California, and, while...

Tart-n-Simple

Sun, 9 Jul 2000 04:30:29 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - As Napa Valley winemakers upscaled their 'normal' products into a price range where most folks are a little reluctant to drink them often, we've seen a wave of 'Coastal' products aimed at the "mid-scale" range. Priced to drink often and vinted...

Pretty now, give it a few years

Sun, 9 Jul 2000 03:46:50 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Louis M. Martini is an old-time winery in California, and, strangely, doesn't seem to get as much attention as other old-timers (I don't really know why).

The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon is reasonably dense, pretty well-extracted and a...

Good stuff hiding at my local supermarket

Fri, 7 Jul 2000 04:40:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - A couple of months ago, I spotted a bunch of dusty bottles of '95 Geyser Peak Shiraz at my local supermarket; it had been there for a while. Figuring "what the heck!", I bought one and took it home, concerned that perhaps the wine hadn't been...

Fine French style, from Oakville

Thu, 6 Jul 2000 15:17:06 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - I'm a New World wine drinker. Plain and simple, I've grown up on California wine, and, for the longest time, I took comfort in seeing the varietal names on the label. Hey, they ought to list the ingredients, right? What's all this about blending...

Anyone for oysters, or a salad?

Thu, 6 Jul 2000 02:59:59 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - Years ago, I was a truly novice wine drinker and thought that Chardonnays were the be-all end-all of fine white wine. Give me a big, rich, oaky Chard and I was a happy man. I did not know what I was missing! One night, at dinner with a dear friend and...

Well worth a visit

Mon, 3 Jul 2000 15:07:31 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - When I first visited Franciscan Oakville Estate, the visitor center was in the midst of a major remodeling effort; I tasted in the temporary visitor center. Now, the new visitor center has opened and it is excellent. Construction continues as...

More than wine!

Mon, 3 Jul 2000 14:20:14 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author danak6jq - **************

UPDATE: April 2003: Mondavi sold La Famiglia, the wine will continue to be available (and remains very good), but the winery is now the Diamond Oaks Winery and is not open to visitors at the time of my last visit. Will update this...