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2 Lads Winery - 2007 Pinot Grigio
Sunday, June 28, 2009

I picked up this wine last fall while at the vineyard and decided to open while hanging on the patio. If you are not familiar with 2 Lads, its a newer vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula up in Traverse City, MI. They have an amazing view of the bay from their tasting room which is up on a hill and very modern in design. They don't have many labels so far but the ones they do have are quite good. I wasn't as impressed with the Chardonnay last year but I am looking forward to the 2008 harvest and expect to snag a bottle when it is released next month. The 2007 Pinot Grigio is full of fruit, pear and green apple are present as well as some tight acid on the finish. This wine is not as crisp as some Italian Pinot Grigio's but for Michigan it's not bad. I am curious to see how this season turns out and hope to get up north at least once more this summer/fall.

http://www.2lwinery.com/

Posted by mardenhill 6/28/2009 09:57:00 PM 0 comments  

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Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Kasabian are back with their 3rd cd entitled West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. They took a page from Oasis and layered it up with haze and psychedelia. Track 1 "Underdog" has a familiar feel with fuzzy guitars and organs and could have come from their debut cd. While the song is good it doesn't scream a huge improvement or expansion of their sound. Track 2 " Where Did All The Love Go?" continues down the same path and could have been swapped with "Reason Is Treason". At this point I am a little disappointed since I have heard it all before. Yeah there are some different rhythms and a couple unique percussion but it's the same formula. Track 4 "Fast Fuse" finally takes you in a new direction. Hints of psychedelia mixed with loud guitars and harmonies fill out the song. Track 5 "Take Aim" may be one of the best songs on the cd, it starts off acoustic then builds into a swirling mess of fog and mid tempo rock. Track 6 "Thick As Thieves" doesn't even sound like Kasabian, think Beatles and 60s garage rock. At this point, Kasabian has settled into the theme for the record but for some reason felt the need rehash the opening 3 tracks in order to get here. Personally they should have pushed those to the end and focused more on the 60s vibe. Track 7 "West Ryder Silver Bullet" is a spaghetti western and full of haunting vocals, organs and a lazy guitar strum. On Track 8 "Vlad The Impaler" Kasabian turns up the heat and gets back to modern times. Heavy electronic beats, bass lines and pounding vocals dominate the song. Track 10 "Secret Alphabets" reverts back to the 60s with subtle Middle Eastern rhythms and full on murk. The cd closes with Track 12 "Happiness" a Rolling Stones piano ballad chalk full of gospel and hand claps. Its as if Primal Scream took over.

I have given the cd a number of listens and am quite happy but I am also disappointed with the way Kasabian played it safe and reverted back to the old standbys. They took a chance with the psychedelia and 60s sound but still felt the need to remind the listeners of their loud and boisterous side. It will definitely be in my top 10 and possibly top 5 but not the top cd of the year.

Posted by mardenhill 6/17/2009 09:09:00 PM 0 comments  

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Forty-Five North
Tuesday, June 09, 2009

This weekend Erika and I went up to Traverse City to visit her brother, sister and some friends and while up there checked out the new vineyard Forty-Five North. They opened last year and the current winemaker Shawn Walters has done an amazing job with the wines. For only being on their 2nd year, Forty-Five North has an extensive lineup. We bought the 2008 Pinot Gris, 2008 Pinot Noir Rose and the 2008 Icebox Riesling. The Pinot Gris was crisp with lush fruit and a bit of oak. The Rose was dry with hints of strawberry. This was not overly sweet which is something I look for in a good Rose. The Icebox Riesling which comes in at $50 is well worth every penny. If you are a fan of Sauternes or TrockenBerenAuselese you will enjoy this wine. It is thick, vicious and full of nectar. Check out their website for more information and if you are heading up to TC definitely check out the vineyard.

http://www.fortyfivenorth.com/

Posted by mardenhill 6/09/2009 03:26:00 PM 0 comments  

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Happy Apple Day
Monday, June 08, 2009


Sorry folks I know its been a while but I will see what I can do on getting back to my blogging. Anyways, today Apple had their big developer conference where they discussed the new OS Snow Leopard, laptops and the new iPhone and OS 3.0. Let me tell ya, it was amazing and something that will make everyone want a Mac or iPhone (or upgrade their current devices).

The new OS Snow Leopard has some great improvements over Leopard and can be purchased for only $29. This sounds great on the surface but I only see Snow Leopard as a really big patch to Leopard and not a full fledged OS upgrade. Apple can call it what they want but that is what it really is. Something to come out before Microsoft's new OS 7 and back to school. Exchange integration into the iMail & iCalendar apps is very cool and the big part is 64 bit support for the current chip sets. Basically things run faster and you can multi-task much more than before.

As for laptops, they transitioned the 13 inch Macbook into the Pro family and the only differences between the 13in and 15in are 2 inches on the display, a larger screen resolution and the speakers on the side of the keyboard. Pricewise its $200 more for the 15in so if you are buying one these are the only things to take into consideration when deciding.

Now onto the iPhone, the part everyone is waiting for. Well Apple is releasing the iPhone 3G(S) on June 19th and they will be $199 for the 16 gig and $299 for the 32 gig. You will be able to buy the current 3G 8 gig for $99 as supplies last. The new features are faster processor for increased speed, faster Data access (once ATT upgrades their network), 3 megapixel camera, video recording/editing capabilities, a digital compass, increased battery life and Voice control where you can hit the home button, call out a name to voice dial or band to start playing music.

The new iPhone 3.0 OS upgrade (which is free to existing 3G phone users) will include cut/paste, MMS text messaging (about time), landscape keyboard, increased search features, voice memos, ability to buy movies, tv shows and audiobooks, improved calendar, internet tethering (connect your laptop to internet if no WiFi is available and will probably cost you), shake to shuffle for music, iPhone locater and remote wipe (if you are a Mobile Me subscriber) and the latest in application push technology.

Do you need the new iPhone, no unless you have the 1st generation and you will want to upgrade ASAP. The new OS will contain most of the features sans the camera, video editing, voice control, better battery and digital compass. Now all of these things are great and will be nice to have but the OS upgrade will get you by until its time to get a new phone.

Hope you enjoy the Apple recap for today.

Posted by mardenhill 6/08/2009 04:15:00 PM 0 comments  

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