There are some days that you just kind of shake your head at; you know when someone with WAY too much free time on their hands comes up with a “National-Do Something-Worthless-Day”!  After an absolutely beautiful (almost Fall) day in the Texas Hill Country, we were informed that today is “National Talk Like A Pirate” Day.

Ahoy, me Hearties – What?  Seriously?  Who comes up with this stuff?  Oh, and just so you know, there are dozens (geez, we’re as bad as they are because we took time to search through them) we mean dozens of websites dedicated to talking like a pirate, drinking like a pirate, eating like a pirate, and other things like a pirate we won’t mention.  Without question, the best one we came across was ‘Pirate Pick Up Lines’, and what made it one of the best we’d seen was the fact that there were pick up lines for male pirates and female pirates.  Now, we know you’re sitting on the edge of your chair expecting us to rattle off some of the best ones, and believe us, it’s all we can do to keep from hornswaggling ye, but no, seriously, these websites all (almost all) have disclaimers on them: “Pirates were neither fun nor funny; most of the time they were mean, cruel and heartless” – not sure we ever thought they were anything different.  Weighing anchor and hoisting the mizzen!  Whatever. . .

So, what in the name of Jack Sparrow does this have to do with wine?  Well, mateys tonight’s wine is an exceptional Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County, California.  It’s not your average run-of-the-mill pinot noir.  This wine, from the minute you pop out the cork, is big and beautiful!  You may be asking, how can a pinot noir be big and beautiful?  Tonight we sampled a 2008 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir from Bob David’s Sea Smoke Hills Vineyard.  We immediately got a huge rush of cherry and spice and it was so enticing, we couldn’t put the glass down.  We swirled some more and the nose intensified.  The color was dark – almost burgundy – much more dense than you’d expect from a pinot noir.  The first sip was fruity, but not too much with a finish of flowers, spice and almost like being in the middle of a rainforest.  The finish was exceptionally clean, long-lasting, fruity and all around fantastic.  It was the kind of tasting that leaves you yearning for more.  We like wines like this; you know, when you take that first sip and swirl it around your mouth and you get the tannins, the fruit, the structure and you realize . . . WOW, this is really, really nice wine!  According to the winemaker’s tasting notes, “Each year, our goal for Southing is to create the ideal marriage of complexity and elegance.  The seductive nose of the 2008 Southing exhibits clove, dusty blueberry, cola, violets and a hint of pineapple guava.  The voluptuous mouth-feel and fine tannins are balanced by our estate vineyard’s characteristic cool climate acidity.”  What we know is that it’s an exceptional wine.

Earlier this week, we visited a fun white wine from Italy and told the story of Jean’s Mom and Dad taking a trip to Europe in the mid-80’s – trying and loving that wine.  Tonight’s sampling is a fast-forward of about 28 years of life.  Jean’s Dad had remarried and he and his lovely wife, Pat, had become affecionados of delicious pinot noirs.  Specifically, this pinot noir.  Until tonight, we didn’t have that same connection with the wine, but after tasting this beauty, we completely understand why they fell in love with it (and each other)!  Wines are meant to be enjoyed, shared, exalted and consumed with people you care about . . . sometimes, the best recommendations come from family!  We really enjoyed the wine, but also knowing that it was a favorite of Bill and Pat; is maybe why it tasted so much better!

Now this wine is a little higher priced than most of the wines we’ve talked about thus far, but you can probably splurge and get it for 35 doubloons a bottle and whether you give it as a gift (good choice – let us know if you need our address) or save it for a special occasion, you really will enjoy this wine.  Being zinfandel lovers, we weren’t expecting a lot but we were blown away by this beauty.

So, if you MUST talk like a pirate in honor on today (or any day if you really want to) . . . Yo Ho Ho – ARGGGGH, matey, batten down the hatches, go pillage yer favrit wine shoppe fer this little beauty be sure and take some pieces of eight, cuz if you don’t – ya mite have to walk the plank and make a trip to Davey Jones locker!”

Please remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible!