Brynn writes:
Every six months or so I try to get together with my girlfriend who I’ve known for 28 years. In that time her family moved to Orcas Island, we attended different schools, went off to college, graduated, lived in separate states, married and had children — her second child is just 5 weeks younger than our son, Ryland. What I love about our friendship is, it doesn’t matter how much time passes between our meetings, when we see each other it’s like nothing has changed.
She lives in Bellingham and so we make a practice of meeting at my mom’s house in the north end of King County because it’s our midway location. Typically we have dinner, uncork a bottle of wine and try to catch up, all the while chasing after our kiddos who don’t seem to understand that sometimes Mommies just need to unwind.
Our last catch up weekend was at the start of April. To keep it simple we did Thai takeout and she swung by Trader Joe’s on her way down and picked up a bottle of wine. She went for economical, I think the wine retails for $6 or less, but don’t let the price trick you into thinking you’re about to drink plonk.
This California red blend was a treat on my tongue. It was warm, full-bodied and exuded cedar and spice notes that hinted at time spent on oak. That oak aging also softened the blackberry and currant notes. The blend breakdown is 58 percent Merlot, 15 percent Petite Syrah, 16 percent Zinfandel and 11 percent Syrah.
If you happen to be at TJ’s looking for a decent red to have with dinner, I’d recommend this wine. I’m not sure how long it will be carried, my friend thought it might be on closeout, so if you see it, grab it.
