Champagnes Anyone?

So, if you're going online to get your champagnes for the new year, you might as well get them at personalized wines. This place will customize your wine with labels that say anything you want them to. You can even customize your own personal label with graphics. They ship to most wine destinations, and their website is very comprehensive. The good life at a great price, what could be better?

Art Gallery Review

This is the kind of thing that is hard to take one photo of because this sculpture is a holographic 3D animated fractal fucking THING that is huge and ever changing. I find myself gazing at it for unknown minutes, and I've never seen it the same, so if it's looping, it's a REALLY BIG loop. So I shot five:   

The artist is Gleman Jun and his Gallery in Second Life is in a place called Hazel. I've spoken with him, a very nice young Italian man. I'm hoping to ask him more questions about his art the next time I see him.

That's me posing in my new dress, the first one I've made. I bought a dress kit and apply my paintings to the fabric and I'm experimenting with scripted clothing. I know, I must have better things to do, right? This is MY spare time and believe me, inspiration in any form is welcome.

What are fractals? What is fractal art? (by Second Life artist: Spiral Silverstar)

Simply put, fractals are shapes which show similar features at different sizes. Much as a very close inspection of a rock can show similar features to an aerial view of a mountain, fractal shapes are characterized by this property of self-similarity.

Much of what goes into fractals is based on mathematics. Sometimes the math is complicated; sometimes it isn't. But you do not need to know or understand the mathematics behind the art to appreciate it.  The basic images are created using fractal generating software.

There are some who will feel that if this is all just based on mathematics, that it cannot be art. Fractal art does not pop out of nowhere, mathematics notwithstanding. To produce an aesthetically pleasing fractal image requires enormous input on the part of the artist. It also requires patience, and an eye for form and color—skills that are required for virtually any artistic discipline. (Damien Jones)

Can't Anyone produce fractal art?  The simple answer is Yes.  However, Anyone can buy a camera and take snapshots, but very few can produce photographs that can be appreciated as art.

The images created in this gallery were made using the Ultra Fractal and Fractal Explorer software programs, with post-processing work done in Photoshop.

I hope you enjoy my work and realize that the finished products here are not simply the result of clicking a few random buttons.  Thanks for taking an interest in my art, my passion.

Artist's Statement

My art is an interpretation of something that flows through me, so the art neither begins nor does it end with me. The viewer might say something about it to someone else or use it to illustrate a love letter, etc. It is my belief that the art itself - has a life of its' own and just uses me like the epicurean whore that I am as it flows in from the top of my head, down through my arm, into my fingers and out through the brush.

Painting Art Outside in the Garden

I've painted a series of color images that stand outside the front of my house, I wanted to do something BIG ever since we did the 140X140 street painting at Copia in Napa so I started painting the big boards in my backyard.

This is the first one. I liked it, so I moved on:

This one is upside down, I'm not sure why I do that, but I do it all the time to look at them differently.

This one may not be finished yet. I think I'd like a circular light shape behind the plant, in front of the background, transparent. And then I painted this:

  I call it "Blue Turmoil" I have a fifth board to paint and will post it here. Thank you for looking!

Barrel 27 Winery

2006 Barrel 27 Grenache Central Coast "Rock and a Hard Place"

Inaugural release: This wine is a stunningly beautiful, with a medium ruby-black color and a captivating nose of sweet raspberry milk chocolate, hibiscus, logan berry, cranberry and caramelized sugar beet. On the palate, the wine shows the same pure red fruit characters filled out with notes of black tea and orange rind with a hint of vanilla. Soft and rich, with beautiful, broad mid palate, the wine's fruit and spice notes continue to build through the long, long finish. Less than 200 cases made. $19.95/btl

2006 Barrel 27 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Zotovich Family Vineyard

Barrel 27's second Pinot Noir release showcases Santa Rita Hills' excellent Zotovich Family Vineyard, which formed the core of the 2005 Central Coast Pinot. A dense dark red color is followed by a captivating nose of sweet red and black cherry, rose petal, dried strawberry and kirsch, with notes of cinnamon, red plum and cocoa adding layer after layer of complexity. Broad and filling on the palate, the intense red fruit characteristics are elevated by the wine's superb acidity and fine, integrated tannins, all of which lead to a long, pure finish. More classically styled than Barrel's first Pinot Noir release, this is a finesse driven Pinot of remarkable elegance and complexity. Only 300 cases produced. $31.95/btl

2007 Barrel 27 White Wine Central Coast French Camp Vineyard, Paso Robles "High on the Hog"

2nd vintage of this awesome Rhone-style white blend - 42% Viognier, 34% Roussanne, 24% Marsanne. A straw gold/brass in color, with an intense, sumptuous nose of honeycomb, Meyer lemon zest, marzipan, lemongrass and wet slate, with secondary notes of jasmine, Kaffir lime, petrol, paraffin, and bacon fat. On the palate, the wine is lush and weighty, dominated by flavors of lemon drops, slate, petrol and honey, followed with hints of lavender, cured ham and mint all of which intermingle and integrate through the long, uplifted finish. Almost baby-oil like amounts of glycerin capture the masses of fruit and exotic aroma and flavor components, while the wines excellent acidity keeps the whole package lively and fresh and lifts the wine through the long, focused finish. $13.95/btl -

BUY THEM HERE

Want FIRST DIBS?

 

2005 Opus One Napa Valley ~ PRE-RELEASE, we expect shipments to begin September 1st 2008 - order 6 bottles or more for special price, $159.95/bottle or get one for $169.95 I know, it's expensive, but it's Opus. It's not just fabulous Napa Valley red wine, it's an investment, it's art, history in a bottle.   BUY IT NOW

This is the NEW stuff

2007 Lazy Creek Rose of Pinot Noir Anderson Valley, Philo, Mendocino County ~ $23.95 This Rose is 100% Pinot Noir aged in 20 year old French barrels. The fruit is harvested from old vines of heirloom clones. The wine opens with aromas of tropical fruits and peach flowers. Acidity nicely balanced, making this a light, crisp, dry wine to enjoy with food.
	The Grasso’s designated Olive Ridge Vineyard is located on their Napa Valley Estate Compound, east of the City of Napa in the foothills of Mt. George. 2005 Grasso Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Olive Ridge Vineyard ~ $44.95 Lasting tannins mark the finish of a cellarworthy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 525 cases made.

Six Perfect Pinot Noirs

	2006 Diamond Oaks Pinot Noir Carneros Fruit sourced from the Hira Ranch in Carneros. Winemaker, Mark Fasi: Prior to joining the Diamond Oaks team Mark made wine for Sunstone in the Santa Ynez Valley, Bettinelli Vineyards, Robert Biale Vineyards and Robert Sinsky. This delicious wine is a terrific value and a staff favorite. $17.95/btl
	2006 Londer Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Medium ruby in the glass with bright rose glints. Aromas of cranberry-raspberry cocktail, cinnamon sticks, fresh raspberries and strawberries. Notes of pomegranate and cranberry dominate the palate and dark chocolate layered beneath. The finish lingers with notes of espresso and cherry. Vineyard sources: Londer, Valley Foothills, Ferrington, Donnelly Creek $33.95/btl
	2006 Kanzler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Medium-deep ruby color; deep dusty, forest floor and black cherry aromas; ripe, silky, intense black cherry flavors with some forest floor complexity, lots of sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot's intense fruit nearly explodes on the palate. $53.95/btl
	2006 Road 31 Wine Co. Pinot Noir Looking for Green Truck Cellars? You've found it. Same guy, same wine, (same truck on the label), new name ... Road 31. winemaker notes: "It has notes of cherry, cola and coffee on the nose, with the oak a wonderful background note in the aromatics. In the mouth, it is initially lively, with a racy, spicy characteristic quickly melding into the smooth, juicy, sweet texture that has come to define my Pinot Noir." $38.95/btl
	2006 Mueller Pinot Noir Russian River Emily's Cuvee Has a deep, rich cranberry color. Aromas of ripe black cherry, smoky oak, and anise are balanced with cherry cola, blackberry and exotic spice flavors. Medium bodied with toasty oak, tangy raspberry flavors and balanced acidity. Tannins are soft and rich with a finish that is long and flavorful. Its rich array of flavors and aromas will age gracefully and become more complex over the next several years. $42.95/btl
	2005 Duckhorn Goldeneye Pinot Anderson Valley Exhibits dusty berry, cola and wild raspberry flavors in a complex, well focused style. Ripe and tannic, this shows nice fruit on the finish where the tannins provide traction. Drink now through 2012. $54.95/btl

These wines will speak for themselves

Wine Spectator | Articles | A Glass or Two of Red Wine May Keep the Heart Young

A team of scientists report that the chemical resveratrol, commonly found in red wine, can help keep heart tissues young and delay aging—and at levels lower than previously  expected, according to a study on mice released on June 4. The researchers found the health benefits at levels equivalent to three or four glasses of red wine a day in humans, but they believe that a glass of red wine a day might provide all the resveratrol the heart needs.

Wine Spectator | Articles | A Glass or Two of Red Wine May Keep the Heart Young

43 Things Tags: wines,cabernet,Napa Valley

California Cabernet Connection

I see you're looking for wines with T names, here's a couple of California Cabernets you can get your teeth into. 2005 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon ~ $39.95 Ripe and fleshy, with generous plum, black cherry and red cherry fruit that’s intense and complex.
	If you like Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, you should give this one a try, at this price you can't loose. 2005 Twenty Bench Cabernet ~ $16.95 Twenty Bench Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the side project of Jim Regusci of Regusci Winery.

The Wine You Want

I've been watching the stats, I see what you're looking for and I know where to get them at the lowest price online. 2003 Silver Oak Napa ~ $89. Daniel Baron, Winemaker 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
	T-Vine Cellars is suprisingly popular. I thought maybe I was loving the wine because we love Greg Brown so much but I see there are a LOT of you out there that love the wine, too! 2005  T Red Meritage ~ $44.95 This is the best one and not always available "...bursting with berries, both black and blue."

2003 Boodeaux Cabernet Sauvignon

Hosier Daddy Cabernet ~ BOODEAUX vineyards has twenty seven hundered vines and averages two and one half tons per acre. The quality of this Napa Valley hand-made wine speaks for itself. If you love cabernet, you should try some BOODEAUX! Scott Becker is one of those winemakers that doesn't produce very much wine and the wine he does produce doesn't last very long. Seeing the wine industry in the Napa Valley transform poor farmers into gentlemen farmers, in 1997 he purchased 20 acres Capel Valley (just over the hill from Lake Hennessey) in which 3.5 planted to Cabernet and half an acre planted to Primitivo. With his trusty companion, Boodeaux (Rhodesian ridgeback) and the sage advice of Jeff Smith of Dusinberre Cellars & Bob Milat of Milat Vineyards, he has released his first wines. There are only about 50 cases of 2003 Boodeaux Cabernet left. $38. per bottle, but call Scott and ask him about a case discount.

2005 Chateau St. Jean Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma

I know what you want, you want the good stuff, right? You want to lay in a case of something special for the season. A wine that is appropriate with most summer gourmet fare and a winery with a bit of myth going on. You can get a case of this wine for $323.40 PERFECT for all those beautiful summer nights coming.
BUY A CASE
If you buy 15 bottles, they'll ship them for the same price as shipping 12.

When You Buy Wine Online...

One of the most popular online wine shops is:
wine.com


When you buy wine online, or anything for that matter, I recommend setting up a seperate account online for that purpose. You can set up an online account easily at http://ingdirect.com/
Just make a deposit from your real bank account. This way, if anything BAD happens, it won't devistate your life.

BOY Do WE Have Wine!

If you press the links, you're not obligated to buy anything. You can just read more about these wonderful wines. This is the new stuff:
2006 Lazy Creek Anderson Valley Reisling $23.95
2006 Lazy Creek Estate Gewurztraminer $23.95
2006 Schild Estate Shiraz Barossa $24.95
2006 Beringer Chardonnay Private Reserve $27.95
2006 Frank Family Chardonnay Napa Valley $29.95
2005 Michael Austin Bad Habit Red $34.95
2005 Walter Hansel Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce $34.95
2003 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $36.95
2005 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon "The Ranch" $37.95
2005 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir The South Slope $37.95
2004 Frank Family Napa Cabernet Sauvignon $39.95
2005 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir Cuvee Alyce $44.95
2005 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon $49.95
2004 Stag's Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa $59.95
2005 Snowden Cabernet Savignon Reserve Napa $59.95
2004 Lancaster Estate Red Table $64.95
2005 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay Sonoma Coast $69.95
2005 Viader Proprietary Cabernet Blend $79.95
2004 Marston Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $84.95
2005 David Arthur Cabernet Sauvingon $89.95
2003 Silver Oak Cabernet Napa Valley $89.95
2004 Viader V Proprietary Cabernet Blend $99.95
2004 Cain Five Red Blend Napa Valley $112.95
Valentine Wine Picnic Pack $129.95
2005 David Arthur Elevation 1147 Cabernet Sauvingon $149.95