The 2009 Sociando Mallet is uncorked

[Houndsong]

Thought I'd jump in ahead of the BD.

I think my only reference point so far for 09 is the Capbern Gasqueton, which is just a few clicks down the road and over the St. Estephe boundary line.

This SM is impressive. Query: "The finest young Sociando Mallet [choose one] [1)] I have ever tasted [2)] since the [insert year, e.g. '82, 90, 03, etc.]"?

This has a rich, sweet, and slightly oaky bouquet in spades. It is not soft and voluptous on the palate, but rather is quite firm and strong, so firm in fact as to come across not as full-bodied but more medium bodied. There's oak enough here for anyone; not too much it seems if you're taking the long view; for the moment I'm only looking so far as tonight's game. Charry-blackberry finish. Good acidity. This is not astringent on the finish.

Oh yeah, I think I had one of the 09 Gruaud. That was neither as full and fleshy as the Capbern nor as hard as this.

[RDD]

SM can seem hard for a long time.
I need to check 89/90 again soon.
Thanks for the reminder...................

[JimHow]

Sounds like a JimHow kinda wine!

[Houndsong]

Going for a second glass now with a little light dinner.

[Houndsong]

Commercial break. Unsurprisingly, this was more accessible with a light meal of summer sausage (grass fed beef and a touch of jalapeno) scrambled eggs, and some sort of fiberiferous flat-bread thingy my wife got in bulk at Costco like a year ago and I am just now eating (because I'm working my way through everything in the freezer like an army ant in the Amazon. Unstoppable). This really has the 09 blackberry sappiness, unmistakably. While it is not lush, dense, dare I say "blowzy" or anything like that - on the contrary - it does exhibit a bit of spiritousness in the nose and the finish, and has also a bit of the whiskey barrel in the after. For laying down. Me too. But I would have had a third glass if it were Saturday night and steaks on the grill.

[stefan]

Sounds yummy, Art. But I don't understand this reluctance to have a third glass on Sunday. Actually, my religion requires a minimum of three glasses on Sunday.

[Houndsong]

I'm worn out. Turned over the Salida house today to my tenant. One of those nasty, nasty federal employee types. And what I want to know is where they get off sending a kid to Montessori. Oh I know it's not the 2 instructors for every 10 kids, because Mitler says when the teachers' union complains about the 30-1 kids-teachers ratio in the public schools it's just about hiring more teachers. No, I know it's about ensuring their kid won't have to rub up with any of the 99.47 percenters. Well they'll see. Can't wait to see their faces when I raise their rent $50 a month next year. Like Bart Scott said, "CAN'T WAIT!"

[Tom In DC]

Funny stuff, Hound - if eating through the mysterious stuff in the freezer is a prerequisite for relocating, I've just gotta say "hmmmmm...."

[Houndsong]

It's hard times, man. I'll be eating cockroaches in Hawaii. But they're big, you don't eat em all at once.

[DavidG]

The roaches go best with a thin slice of Spam, fried and then held together with a little band of nori. The contrast between the exoskeleton crunch and the viscous fattiness of the spam is just perfection. Matched with an '02 left bank Bordeaux... HEAVEN!

[Houndsong]

The 02s have been described as having "crunchy" fruit so it's probably true. Now you'll have to stop in at Hale Ka in January and we'll see.

Tom, some social economist should study this behavior. All this stuff in the freezer and the pantry that I refused to eat, sometimes for years, why am I eating it now?

[DavidG]

Well done, Hound! I was expecting Jim to pick up on that... Well done, indeed!

As to the sociology of the stuff in the freezer, it's probably like those old college-day jeans in the closet: "Some day I'll lose that weight..." But now the reality of having to toss it is close at hand, so it's either down the hatch or out with the trash.

[JimHow]

We lived in a tenement from when I was age 6 til when I got out of law school. We had this wonderful landlord who used to charge us $200 per month for a 3 bedroom apartment. He was about the nicest person you'd ever meet, an old Franco, salt of the earth. It absolutely killed him one year when he came over and told us he had to raise our rent like $20 per month to cover his costs.

[Houndsong]

Aw shucks. Well, it's business, only business. I can tell you what, nobody thinks twice about raising your rent on Oahu. I'll keep to the high road.

I'll be out there in about three weeks. I'll spare all the gory details but Hale Ka is still a work in progress. The good news is we have long-term housing come May in Aiea. Perhaps even better, our temp digs is four houses from the beach in Kailua. Should ease the transition somewhat. The housing market there is very tough, both to rent and to buy. I would say if you live in Manhattan, London, or Tokyo you understand. And good luck finding a decent place to rent in a decent area with two dogs, now three. Accordingly I had one foot in each camp and (over)bid on four properties, winning the silver medal just once. Fortunately, someone from Seattle (JonB? Mr. Cellartracker?) bought this tear-down in Kailua for $1.45 million last month and their contractor can't start for at least six months, so there you have it. We'll laugh at it all over some 96s and 02s. I'll have a spare uke and we'll have a kanikapila.