Thomas Rivers Brown

Schrader LPV Beckstoffer, 2011

Wine Rating: 95

Saturday – Dinner Party

Several times a year, a friend invites me to a dinner party that he hosts at his stunning home, for an evening of bountiful eats. This review reflects on that night.

The gathering that kicked off in the late afternoon and consisted of endless trays of lobster tails, crab legs, coconut shrimp, and waiting on a nearby table, were countless sides that went perfectly with shellfish. I contributed to the evening’s bounty by bringing 10 pounds of my tasty homemade baked ziti, which was a big hit.

Rivers-Marie, Pinot Noir, 2008

Wine Rating: 93

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success

I’ll not waste your time with an inane story of my wine drinking escapades. I will not share the time I got shitfaced on Absinthe in Chicago with author Neil Gaiman. Nor shall I tell you about the time I accidentally used a 1995 Petrus to make Sangria. The last bit may have come from the French movie Barbeque, but I can’t quite differentiate fact from fiction when it comes to situations I’ve experienced while drunk.

Maybach, Materium, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005

Wine Rating: 95

“But everybody’s like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece…” – Lorde from the song ‘Royals’

Summer is over, put the white wine away for a few months and enjoy the rich robustness of red grape varietals like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel to name a few. The holiday season is here and spending quality time with family and friends while enjoying a powerful red is something I look forward to as soon Labor Day ends and the beach chairs are put in the shed for the next 9 months.