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cat shepard

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  • Location
    Ormond Beach, FL
  • Interests
    sailing, gardening, herding cats, cooking, reading
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Home Lines (now defunct)
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    All of them.

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5,000+ Club (4/15)

  1. Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui! Roy, thank you for our maps! It is a cool 52 here this morning. Lots of up & down temps this year. Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with all of us, in spite of your pain and lack of sleep. Praying that the surgery eliminates the pain - permanently. Gym, Bindi walks and chores. Nothing exciting, and boy do I appreciate that! Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, the loss of a loved one, trauma. The caregivers. Terry, thinking of you and Tana. Cheers to all who are celebrating! May we each find a reason to smile today. ********** Château Clinet 2020 Lots of fans of this Bordeaux blend. Though it sounds lovely, it is too pricey for me and there are so many lovely red blends that fit into my budget nicely. Widely available with online prices starting at $99.98. Winemaker Notes Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon 98James Suckling What a beautiful young wine, showing so much finesse and tension, with ultra-fine tannins and subtle and long flavors and character. It’s medium-bodied with extremely silky tannins that grow on the palate to a seamless finish. Harmonious. Another fine Pomerol for the cellar. Drink after 2027. 98Jeb Dunnuck The 2020 Château Clinet checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in 80% new French oak. It's a rich, yet gorgeous wine with a wonderful sense of freshness in its ripe blue and black fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, and damp earth. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has perfect tannins, a layered, elegant mouthfeel, and one hell of an impressive finish. One of the finest Pomerols in the vintage, it will benefit from just 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. 95Decanter Dark and heady, smooth but still lean with a sense of seriousness with firm tannins that fill the mouth. Lovely high acidity offsets the powdery, chalky texture with perfumed blackberries and cherries alongside liquorice and cola touches. Rich and quite dense but with lovely persistence and energy. 95Wine Enthusiast This wine's dense tannins and bold black fruits are balanced by its fine acidity and a fresh element that cuts through the dark chocolate and black plum flavors to give a fine lift to what will be an impressive wine as it matures. Barrel Sample: 93-95 94Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2020 Clinet offers up aromas of minty cherries, blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of licorice, loamy soil and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and rich, with a layered mid-palate underpinned by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish, it's impressively balanced for a wine at 15% alcohol, but it remains a rather burly, powerful Clinet. Best After 2025 93Wine Spectator Sports spicy toast and warmed fruitcake out front, backed by a solid core of steeped cherry and blackberry notes to match. This is all wrapped up with singed vanilla and sweet tobacco on the finish, along with a tug of warm earth. Shows solid range, if a bit reliant on the toast. A strong effort for the vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
  2. Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui. Roy, thank you for keeping the maps accurate. It rained overnight, but we did not get the strong storms that other parts of Florida did. Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with everyone. Praying that the road to your upcoming surgery is not too painful. Today I will be getting a new phone - preferably one that bounces. Mine is five years old and has had two protective film replacements. I am as hard on my phone as I am on my fingernails. Actually worse, since I can’t drop my fingers. Bindi walks, chores & a visit to my favorite wine bar to pick up an order from last week’s wine tasting. Should keep me busy. Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, the loss of a loved one, trauma. The caregivers. Terry, think of you & Tana. Cheers to all who are celebrating! May we each find a reason to smile today! ********* Domaine De Chevalier Rouge 2020 This stellar red blend has lots of fans and is easy to find. Its superb - classic ratings result in a price outside of my budget. Online prices start at $72.99. Winemaker Notes Deep dark red color in appearance, with a shiny black shimmer in the center. Great nose. Intense, flowerly expression mainly on the fruit. Black cherry, blackcurrant, blueberry. Delicately peppery and vanilla spices. Aromas of tannins and earth. On the palate, an impressive sensation of density of tannins, without any astringency. The flesh of the wine is fine, firm and freshly fruity. The fruit, precise and intense, is everywhere. Power, balance, maturity, concentration, length, freshness, tension. Everything is there for a great vintage to keep. 99James Suckling The purity of fruit is really something here, with blackcurrants and blackberries, together with orange, stone and granite character. Mind-boggling in many ways. Full-bodied with very fine tannins that are polished and pure. Such a fine texture. Lots of primary fruit. Like picking wonderfully ripe grapes. Great length. One for the cellar. 97Jeb Dunnuck From an estate that’s been on fire over the past decade, the 2020 Domaine De Chevalier is another brilliant wine in the making and checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Offering impressive cassis and darker berry fruits, it has complex notes of crushed flowers, violets, and damp earth-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins and a silky, layered, seamless texture, it shines for both its richness and its balance. It also shuts down quite quickly, so if you’re going to drink bottles, try one in its youth. Otherwise, be sure to give bottles 7-8 years in a cold cellar. It should have 30-40 years of overall longevity. Barrel Sample: 95-97+ 97Wine Enthusiast This impressively rich wine is centered on great swathes of black fruits. The tannins, with their stylish swagger, are a fine complement to the fruit, giving the wine structure and the potential for elegant aging.Barrel Sample: 95-97 95Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is a touch more tightly wound than the brilliant 2019 out of the gates, but it seems likely to equal that vintage with a bit of time. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis mingled with notions of burning embers, spices, rose petals and orange rind, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a deep core of fruit, powdery structuring tannins and a long, saline finish. As I wrote last year, this estate in recent vintages has arrived at a sort of stylistic contemporary classicism that evokes the great wines of yesteryear from this address, and the 2020 continues that trend. Best After 2028 Rating : 95+ 95Decanter Concentrated ruby red colour, a little subdued on the nose, built with structure and power, concentrated and should age well. Classical, powerful, not exuberant, an impressive Chevalier that has tannins and fruit and freshness, nothing shouting too loud. As it opens, you see a peony floral edge that is very attractive. Easily among the best in Pessac. Barrel Sample: 95 95Wine Spectator Well-built, pulling ample and weighty waves of cassis, plum reduction and blackberry preserves along, atop a broad spine of warm loam, smoldering tobacco and singed alder. Long and deep through the fine-grained finish, with a warm paving stone note that won't quit, thanks to well-buried acidity—not an easy feat in this vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
  3. Holy Crap, Dixie! Glad no serious injury. Hope that lady learned a lesson.
  4. Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui. Roy thank you for the maps and the additional information about the Key Bridge disaster. It is a bit cloudy, but if the marine layer burns off the way yesterday’s did, it will be a gorgeous day. Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with us in spite of what you are going through. I am not sure I could do it. Praying you get permanent relief with the next step. The last of my visitors left yesterday, so Bindi’s & my lives will return to normal with a couple of check ins with my Sister & Brayden. Bindi walks, manicure, chores & HIIT class will keep me busy. Vanessa, I believe you can take my Sister off the lists!🤞🏻 The rest of her journey is up to her. Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, the loss of a loved one, trauma. The caregivers. Terry, thinking of you & Tana. Cheers to all who are celebrating. May we each find a reason to smile today. ************* Matua Lighter Sauvignon Blanc This SB sounds perfect for a hot, humid Summer day/evening. I appreciate the distributor’s info about New Zealand’s different wine growing regions. Easy to find, priced to try - online prices started at $8.97. Distributor notes Matua Lighter Sauvignon Blanc is a lighter calorie expression of the classic Sauvingon Blanc. This wine is just as bright, flavorful and crisp as the original, but with 80 calories per serving! Matua Lighter Sauvignon Blanc In the Maori culture of New Zealand, a Ta Moko is a traditional tattoo that is very precious. They are often applied to the face, the most sacred part of the body, and are the ultimate statement of someone’s identity. Each symbol signifies the wearer’s story – their family, tribe, place in society and knowledge. Matua’s Ta Moko is a real treasure, a gift that we treat with the upmost respect. In Maori, Matua means ‘head of the family’, and our Ta Moko tells our story. Scroll down to find out what each symbol of our Ta Moko means. Aotearoa (said “Ow-taya-rowah”) is the name of New Zealand in Maori. It means Land of the Long White Cloud – it’s long and skinny, pretty and green… and has some amazing spots for growing grapes. From the north to the south, New Zealand’s wine growing regions all offer something special. The top island is sub-tropical and down the southern end it can get pretty chilly! We source our grapes from New Zealand’s most renowned wine regions – Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago. Hawkes Bay Hawke’s Bay is a real suntrap, perfect for growing our award-winning Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes. Its growing conditions have been compared to Burgundy and Bordeaux in France with hot, dry growing seasons making for red wines packed with red fruit flavours and whites that are tropical with a dash of natural minerality. Marlborough Marlborough is the most famous wine region in NZ thanks to the incredibly unique style of Sauvignon Blanc it produces. But there’s a lot more to Marlborough than just crisp, fresh and zesty Sauvy! Its cool climate is turning out some pretty impressive Pinot Noir filled with red fruit flavours, citrusy Chardonnay and beautifully floral, aromatic Pinot Gris and Riesling. Central Otago We reckon it’s not going to be long before the world notices that Central Otago is the next big thing – especially with Pinot Noir. What’s more, Matua is now the single largest producer of Central Otago wine! We select our Matua Single Vineyard Pinot Noir grapes from fantastic sites perched amongst the mountains. The region’s diurnal temperature extremes and dry autumns make for dark, brooding Pinot Noir with a unique flavour profile.
  5. Thank you for today’s FR&D, Jacqui! Roy, thank you for your maps. The sun is just breaking through the marine layer on this lovely morning. Yesterday was jam packed, but in a great way. I am finally getting back to my normal gym schedule and Bindi is getting her normal walks. We really celebrated my Sister’s birthday yesterday. She had a stellar day, her most active yet. And she drove her car for the first time in 4 weeks. So many reasons to be thankful. And thank all of you for your good wishes and prayers. Vanessa, thank you for keeping our lists so diligently. Praying that your road to surgery is not too horrific. April 22nd sounds far to me and I am not the one suffering. Gym, Bindi walks, a gazillion chores (I have a ton of leftovers to organize) and checking in with my Sister & Brayden. Should keep me busy. Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, loss of a loved one, trauma. The caregivers. Terry, thinking of you and Tana! Cheers to all who are celebrating! May we each find a reason to smile today. ********** Château Pavie 2020 Start saving your Pennie’s. This amazing wine is so tempting. I confess to being a fan of wines with a sense of blackberry. A surprising number of distributors with online prices starting at $287.49. Professional Ratings 100James Suckling This opens up on your palate like a butterfly. It takes your breath away. Purity of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry. Lavender. Very, very impressive. Full and chewy with tight and polished tannins that go on and on. Energetic and structured. Crisp and vivid. Superb finish. Better after 2029 but a joy to taste. 100Jeb Dunnuck Pure perfection in red wine, the 2020 Château Pavie checks in as 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, all raised in 75% new French oak. Absolutely incredible in every way, it has a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, smoked tobacco, chocolaty oak, graphite, white truffle, and hints of flowers. Pure, full-bodied, and concentrated, with perfect integration of its fruit, oak, and tannins, it's one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed. Hats off to the Perse team for not following trends and for continuing to make a truly Grand Vin that offers a rare mix of power and elegance. 99Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Composed of 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Pavie weighs in with an alcohol of 14.82% and a pH of 3.61. It is aging in French oak barriques, 75% new. Opaque purple-black colored, notes of plum pudding, blueberry pie and dark chocolate-covered cherries charge out of the gate, followed closely by hints of eucalyptus, star anise, unsmoked cigars and fertile loam with a hint of cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, offering very firm yet wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins and seamless freshness to support the densely laden, muscular black and blue fruits, finishing very long and with loads of mineral-laced layers. As hedonic as it is cerebral this year, it is a beautiful paradox. Barrel Sample: 97-99 97Decanter Smooth from the get go, still tense as you’d expect with a straight backbone, but the creamy texture is lovely with a beautiful balancing acidity and suaveness overall. More calm and quiet than I was expecting, certainly not shouting but with clear depth and length to the chocolate, blackcurrant, liquorice and graphite. Detailed and nuanced, not trying too hard with energy and plumpness yet retaining a serious, savouriness that brings you back to Pavie and to the terroir with clear minerality in the lick of wet stone on the finish. Well constructed with care. 96Wine Enthusiast Big, bold and rich with solid black fruits and dense tannins that are definitely not shy. This solid wine is packed with structure. The fruit and freshness of the year are almost overwhelmed by the wine's richness. The wine is redeemed by the perfumed, balanced finish. Barrel Sample: 94-96
  6. It is such devastating news, Roy. I can’t imagine what the search and rescuers are dealing with. Not just the wreckage, but the icy waters. The pictures are chilling.
  7. Cocoa Beach a bit to the South Cape Canaveral Titusville is a bit North
  8. Thank you Sandi. She has a long road ahead of her. And she has a lot of work to do.
  9. But Terry, as difficult as Tana’s condition is, she has not given up, nor let it define her. Her attitude may not eliminate her issues, but it helps. There are so many different disabilities that people rise above and adapt to - because they have a good attitude and haven’t given up. I actually agree with Mr. Hamilton.
  10. Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui! Roy thank you for our maps. Some big clouds to the West this morning giving the Moon a beautiful hazy veil. It is supposed to start warming back up, so maybe my visitors in April will be able to enjoy the pool. Vanessa, I hate that your pain has returned so quickly. Praying that your upcoming surgery gives you permanent relief. Gym, Bindi walks, chores, then up to my Sister’s. We are celebrating her birthday today. Happy that she gets to celebrate it at home. Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, trauma. The caregivers. Thinking of you & Tana, Terry. Cheers to all who are celebrating. May we each find a reason to smile today. ******* Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava This Cava sounds delightful. Great for a celebration! Fairly easy to find and reasonably priced. Online prices start at $16.98. Distributor notes Ratings: 91 John Gilman - View from the Cellar This is really a lovely bottle of sparkling wine. The grapes for this bottling are all handharvested and the secondary fermentation takes place in bottle à la Champagne. The deep and complex nose offers up a vibrant blend of apple, grapefruit, great minerality, lovely leesy tones and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite crisp, with lovely complexity and focus, reasonably refined mousse and excellent length and grip on the refined and minerally finish. This is a really lovely bottle of Cava that shows every sign of being able to age gracefully for a decade in the cellar. 2011-2020+ 90 Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate My favorite of the two sparkling Cavas is the non-vintage Brut Reserva Cava. Made from a classic blend (for this area) of Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada planted in limestone and clay soils, the wine spends 24 months on its lees before disgorgement. It is an excellent value for consumers looking for alternatives to French Champagne. Lemon/lime, crushed rock and white currant notes are present in this crisp, elegant, refreshing, zesty, dry sparkler. Hints of wheat thins and brioche add complexity. Product Detail Country Spain Region Cava Sub-Region Color White ABV 12.5% Varietal(s) Xarel lo, Macabeo, Parellada Cava
  11. Thank you for today’s FR& D, Jacqui! Roy, thank you for our maps! A very windy start to our day, after an evening of torrential downpours and one very close lightning strike & thunder BOOM. Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with all of us. Praying that your upcoming surgery takes care of your problem - for good. An almost normal Sunday for me. Gym, Aldi, Bindi walks and then heading to my Sister’s to see what is happening. She let me know that she slept from 8 last night until 6 this morning. She was so happy to be in her own bed again. Prayers for all who need our support. Those suffering from pain, debilitating conditions, loss of a loved one, trauma. The caretakers. Thinking of you & Tana, Terry. Cheers to all who are celebrating! May we each find a reason to smile today. ********** Beronia 2015 Gran Reserva Tempranillo (Rioja) This Rioja sounds lovely, and I would love to add a bottle or two into my wine “cellar “. A decent number of online distributors with online prices starting at $28.99. Winemaker Notes Beronia Gran Reserva is a deep maroon colour. On the nose it displays many different aromas, from fruit such as strawberry and blackberry to cocoa and black licorice, with notes of cedar reminiscent of the wood in its natural environment and notes of menthol that add tremendous freshness. It delivers distinct notes of fruit and nuts on the palate, which provide structure and tannin. The wine is long, very complex, balanced and also sophisticated. Professional Ratings 92James Suckling Peppercorn and chili chocolate to the blackberries with a hint of bark. Savory, medium- to full-bodied on the palate with dusty tannin's and a long, creamy finish.
  12. Thank you Jacqui, Vanessa, Roy, Debbie & Dixie! The clouds are moving back in for another rainy morning. Vanessa, though I was happy to read that you and your neurosurgeon have a plan, I am sorry that you need to have surgery. Let this step work! Early morning duties done. Sipping coffee. Will head out to pick my Sister up in a bit under two hours. I know she can’t wait to get home. Her Son & Daughter-in-law should arrive at her place right around the time that we do. Later this afternoon, I have a wine tasting event. I will enjoy decompressing for a couple of hours. After taking care of Bindi, I will rejoin the family to see what the plan is. Prayers for all who need our support. All of you suffering from pain and debilitating conditions, the loss of a loved one. The caretakers. Terry, thinking of you & Tana. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Happy Birthday @seagarsmoker May we each find a reason to smile today. ********* Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023 This SB is delightful. I am glad that it put New Zealand on the wine map, because New Zealand has some amazing wines. Easy to find, reasonably priced. Online prices start at $24.99. Winemaker Notes Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc put New Zealand on the map with its captivating flavor. The 2023 is enticing and appealing, with notes of honeydew melon, passionfruit, citrus and blackcurrant leaf. Professional Ratings 93Wine Spectator Leaps out of the glass with effusiveness, featuring flavors of apple blossom, Key lime, Honeycrisp, lemon thyme and fresh grated ginger. Notes of passionfruit, pineapple and lemon candy linger on the long, expressive and mouthwatering finish.
  13. Vanessa, praying that this is the solution. May the pain not be too horrible over the next few weeks.
  14. Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui! Roy thank you for our maps. It is raining today. Much needed and a much more gentle rain than Monday’s wild T-storm. Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with all of us. Praying that your neurosurgeon can find a permanent solution to your pain. Soon. My Sister is ready to come home tomorrow. Her PT & OT gurus have really shown her how to manage to be independent and provided a path for her to grow stronger. Now she just has to do it. Brayden is going to be her coach. She has a tendency to play victim so Brayden will need to be strong. Brayden put together the rollator his Uncle ordered, and the tub transfer seat that we ordered last night. We installed the transfer seat this morning and the rollator is in the back of my car already for tomorrow. We are all ready for this to happen! Prayers for all who need our support. Terry, thinking of you and Tana. Cheers to all who are celebrating. May we each find a reason to smile today. ************ Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 I used the 2020 vintage info, since it should still be easy to find. A gazillion distributors with online prices starting at a very reasonable $12.98. Distributor notes The Francis Coppola Diamond Collection began in 1997 as an ambitious endeavor to make wines of character and complexity at an affordable price. Sourced from California vineyards that not only have proven track records but are also managed according to winemaker Corey Beck's rigorous standards. Their Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic California expression of the varietal, with immediate drinkability. Offering a fruit-forward, multi-dimensional flavor profile, this is a perfect California Cabernet Sauvignon when you just want to grill on the BBQ and enjoy a glass of wine. The Wine Buyer: 91 Points "Harmonious, with plenty of flavors of black cherry, plum, wild berry, anise and leather that fold together nicely into a structured long finish. The tannins are evident and will provide at least 2-3 years of aging.
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