This rose smells of muddy raspberries.  Palate is a rambunctious dominatrix of strong femininity.   Bold & brash, but never abrasive…the dry spit stealing quality I enjoy in the hot summer months. Nothing less than expected from a Cabernet pink.  Rose & cassis, mixed with strawberries of the flirtiest quality.   This is a pink a mans man would love & a vixen would be honored to embrace with her lips as well as her gullet.

This is a nice adventure into South Africa in a glass & could pair well with crab cakes made with a hint of bell pepper or apricot glazed pork served with peppered roasted vegetables.

First sip…so much oak on the nose I called it the oak choke & thought I would need to pull splinters from my tongue.  Never one to judge on a first impression, I await to see how this deep garnet colored wine will decide how much patience is required to put its best foot forward.

Second sip…maybe it was just blackberry thorns as the time passed has allowed blackberry to caress in waves upon my palate.  Now I get to taste that sassy quality I love about Tempranillo, as the varietal is predominant in this blend.

Over half an hour gone so third sip…spiced dark berries push through the nose, palate feel becomes more rounded & enveloping.  The dark berry qualities & the pleasant tannins make this a beautiful wine to accompany a paella, or for me, slightly Portuguese, I’d love to enjoy it with a great pork & bean stew! Yum…now I’m hungry.

This is a gentleman that needs time to suit up before he goes out.  Once he was well dressed he was quite dapper & charming.  He adorned lush dark berry, cherry, & sweet tobacco tones that charmingly draped my tongue with the velvet rope pulled away for a richly luscious party. If you don’t have time to wait just use an aerator when serving this wine.

This is a good example of why some wines may need just a little time to open up to show the best qualities. Time to swirl, sniff…then eventually enjoy.

Wide outstretched cat paws feeling every fiber & motion of the grass, like fingertips upon my skin.

I’ve arched my body, connecting with the earth from chin to chest, stomach to hip, lastly from knees to toes…point toes for full extension.

On my way to the next adventure…ah alas this one calls me back with the beckoning of yarn to a kitten.

Intriguing moments of delight glisten upon the red drops of bliss, catching my eye as if a whisk of light flashed by my cat like playful attention span.

Haunches shifting from rapid to steady & focused with the quickness of a shuttle she pounces into the puddle of tempting aromas.

The caress of captivating scarlet nectar courses through palate as well as the quickening pulse through unexpired veins.

Swimming in passionate excitement cloaked in cherry, plumb, spice and luxurious silky allure has claimed another vine scout.

Too much languishing in this glass can make one feel like a suitor that has found a lifelong match of wit, humor, and whimsy.

As proper finish eventually encroaches, one can only dream of a glass, a fire and a texture upon your skin to match what your other senses have devoured.

 I chose to allow myself to be engulfed by the idea of relaxation after turbulent mindfulness from a frantic life pace.   I am offered the means to escape in the form of a beautiful Bordeaux glass.  I close my eyes to sigh for a moment before I commit to the next adventure as he enters the room sleek as a dream.  Tailored trousers, silk shirt & a fedora tilted slightly to the left (for humor or style, I have yet to discover). 

I embrace the glass to inhale its story only to be swept up to the dance floor, inhaling the nape before me is history of European decent, but all the antiquated passion of a Latin dancer.  I catch a glint of rich burgundy as the light glimmers in & out of time or tempo.  I wonder if my arms will weary from our braceo… as the Flamenco seems to quicken & yet suspend time.  Finally I enjoy a sip of velveteen nectar that I’d been rewarded after a cross-body lead through infinite space. 

In a feeling of finality & eternity my heartbeat quickens, abruptly I draw in a large breath & open my eyes widely to take in the vision I’ve romanced.  To my amazement I find myself engulfed in the comforts of the same leather chair I arrived to with the same glass in front of me.  Within the glass I notice a ripe black cherry, 3 juicy blackberries, gently resting upon vanilla kissed foam and a note tied to the bottom of the glass stating simply…’Remember’. 

Now this was a Merlot to remember!

After deliberating over poetry titles I decided that they should be labeled as the original muse that inspired lyrical creation.  So here is one of my originals.

I buried my nose into her earthen bosom

While graciously receiving love from the dancing fruit kisses

Beholding the beauties of the tempters red cloak

She begged for conquest & exploration.

Her flavors playfully bound in the middle of my tongue

As a wave ready to crash on the shores of my anxious palate

Like a sun-kissed ocean the fruit glimmered & danced around

My eagerly adventurous exploration of tastes.

Swirling through my senses only led me to crave more from this sultry love affair.

The color – seductive,

The smell – inviting,

The flavor – enrapturing,

The love affair – began.