Tom Mangan, in his blog Two-Heel Drive, this week posted some eloquent reasoning behind why he got started hiking. They’re good reasons, and they match my own. Often there are people who make an impression upon us, giving us just enough cause to make the leap, buy the gear, and get out there to where Nature waits. The following is from my “feedback” response to Tom’s post.

There are moments out there — real, honest, emotion-inducing moments wherein the eyes well up, the spine tingles, and the captured memory — of such a single astounding yet fleeting blip in your Life — finds itself inescapably resonating with you long after you’ve left the trail. Be it a tree growing out of a rock and thriving, or two rattlesnakes mating, or a night filled with horizon-to-horizon meteors, or directly making eye contact with a bobcat, there is nothing like hiking in Nature to bring balance and absolute harmony to one’s Life. Not to mention endorphins and the smell of a forest.

We need to be thankful that we have such bounty around us that we can escape into when the feeling calls. I for one cannot fathom what it would be like for me to forsake regular visits to the wilderness — even when it’s just the local paved bike path along the creek at lunchtime.

Come to think of it: there was an extraordinary man in my early life who shaped much of the person I am today, and his name was also “Don C.”; he was my music teacher in high school, but also (lucky for me) an avid backpacker who advised our student’s backpacking club. I learned so much from Don about organizing trips, menu planning, wilderness ethics — even how to tie climbing knots. I remember less about playing the tympani for him than I do the fundamental grounding — and desire to be OUT THERE– that he left with me.

If you and your wife Carol are still out there tramping trail, Don, I sure hope to walk with you again.

~winehiker

Together, they took me through lush forests and vast deserts. They transported me to glorious High Sierra mountaintops. They carried me through the wild remoteness of the Paria Canyon Wilderness and they guided me up, over, and beyond the boulder jungles of Rockbound Pass in the Desolation Wilderness way back in 2000. They were the most comfortable, rugged, and durable of friends.  And I’m going to miss them.

For, with cracked hides, tongues lolling, and soles departing, it is time to bid them fond farewell.

But Life goes on, and I’m now summiting mountains and traipsing forest trails in my 3^rd pair of Vasques.  Not bad for twenty-plus years of tramping trail.  Thank goodness there’s still such a thing as a good pair of 2000-mile boots. 

~winehiker

Six of us wine-loving folk got together last Thursday evening to taste wines from France’s fabled Côtes Du Rhône region.

I’ve always enjoyed a bottle of Côtes du Rhône when I’ve had one around, but I had not explored them very deeply. In my experience, they are light and refreshing — often too light for cool evenings, but perfect for warm summer nights.

A bottle of Côtes du Rhône red is most often produced from a combination of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault grapes, with Grenache typically being the greatest component at 60-70% of the blend. I’m happiest when this blend is about 70/30 Grenache to Syrah, without too much Mourvèdre-induced tannin. The result is typically fruity with a slight to moderate finish, possibly with a little spice on the palate; it is best when chilled lightly for warm weather tasting, and often meant to be drunk young.

We tasted our wines slightly chilled on a comfortable August evening lightly fanned by cooling and welcome breezes from the San Francisco Bay. We also enjoyed sourdough bread and slices of Emmenthaler and Morbier Au Lait Cru cheeses, as well as a divine fig chutney prepared by one of my guests, Chef Tanya, who also brought a fine truffle paté.

Of the six wines we compared, five were true Côtes Du Rhône reds, having been grown and produced in the great Rhône Valley. While none of us could boast a palate able to parcel out the proportions of Grenache, Syrah, etc., that existed in these wines, I detected tannic notes in some that suggested more than a hint of Mourvèdre — something I didn’t expect to overpower the Grenache as much as it did. The result influenced the group toward two clear favorites.

A sixth wine immediately turned out to be a rosé from the Rhône Valley. Sure, one good clue was the clear bottle it was presented in — despite bottle coverings — as opposed to the green tapered shoulders of the other five wines. While it may have been an oversight on the part of the particular attendee who brought this wine, we all thought it was exceptional, having provided good contrast to the five Côtes du Rhône reds, and a great one to savor after scoring the other five. Heck — we did our best to score this one, too. While I have never been much of a rosé fan, I found myself exclaiming over the full-bodied strawberry/cherry flavors and consummate finish in this slightly-sweet 2005 Chateau Grande Cassagne Rosé from Costiere de Nimes, Saint-Gilles (13.5%).

The wines listed below are ranked top-down, most favorite to least favorite; each is followed by the wine’s heat, or alcohol content. In the left column is the actual group score for each wine using my handy-dandy Wine Scoring Sheet, which is based on the 20-point Davis scale. If no link exists for a particular label, that label is not, to the best of my research capabilities, available online. Naturally, the group favorite this time around is the hardest wine to find on the ‘Net!*

Group Ranking
+4 2004 Domaines du Gour de Chaulé, Gigondas; 14.5%
+3 2003 Le Clos du Caillou, Domaine Vacheron-Pouizin; 14.5%
-2 2003 La Pialade, Châteauneuf du Pape; 13.5%
-2 2004 Domaines des Relagnes, Châteauneuf du Pape; 13%
-3 2003 Louis Bernard, Côtes Du Rhône-Villages, Orange; 13.5%

Winehiker’s Ranking
17 pts. 2003 Le Clos du Caillou, Domaine Vacheron-Pouizin
15 pts. 2004 Domaines du Gour de Chaulé, Gigondas
12.5 pts. 2003 Louis Bernard, Côtes Du Rhône-Villages, Orange
12 pts. 2004 Domaines des Relagnes, Châteauneuf du Pape
11 pts. 2003 La Pialade, Châteauneuf du Pape
17 pts. 2005 Chateau Grande Cassagne Rosé, Costiere de Nimes, Saint-Gilles

My picks were nominally consistent with the group’s. I like my Côtes du Rhônes fruity, non-tannic, and simple. Considering that my favorite, the Clos du Caillou, is rated elsewhere at 88 points on a 100-point scale — typical of the Wine Spectator scale and others, and translating to 17.5 on the Davis scale — well heck, I guess my interpretation ain’t so far off. I tried each of these wines the following day, too, right out of the icebox without benefit of warming to room temperature, and I still ranked them the same. Yep, I love my Côtes Du Rhônes chilled, even — or perhaps especially — when they exhibit tannins.

~winehiker

*I’d love to hear a tip from any of you erstwhile readers who know where to find this wine online or otherwise, and I’ll be happy to post the info for all who are interested. I’m working on my tasting group from last week to find out, too.