Canyon Oaks Chardonnay

Name: Canyon Oaks
Color: White
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: California
Region: Various
Price: $5
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

This is one of our favorite inexpensive wines. It's a clean, crisp, refreshing Chardonnay from Canyon Oaks that sells for about $5. I think the 1.5 liter is around $8, perfect for parties or to stick in the fridge for a few days of drinking. Despite the word "Oaks" in the name of the winery, we like this Chardonnay because is decidedly un-oaky. The nose and taste are dominated by citrus fruit, mostly apples and pears.

We each drank a glass last night with Mahi filets, pesto pasta, and spinach salad. The dinner was excellent and the wine was just what we expected. We'll definitely polish it off tonight!



What a great day -- Kentucky knocked off Louisville, completing the football/basketball season sweep. It's amazing to see the complete disparity in talent levels between the Commonwealth's team and their little brother. Despite horrible free throw shooting, terrible 3 point shooting, and virtually no contribution from Darius Miller or Darnell Dodson, UK won rather convincingly. The 'Ville showed a little fight for a brief stretch in the 2nd half, but John Wall slapped them silly and put them to bed. It was quite clear after watching the game that Kentucky, on a normal day, is about 25-30 points better than the dirty birds. It's nice to see order returned to the state as UK has taken its rightful place as the dominant college basketball (and football) force in the state!!


I enjoyed a couple glasses of Maker's Mark during the game...

"We're Back, Baby!!!"

"What are you, using my baby's?"...This classic line from Seinfeld seems appropriate since it feels like the last time Kentucky basketball has seen this much excitement was back when Seinfeld was still on the air. Of course, this is an exaggeration and isn't meant to diminish the joy we've all shared in watching players like Tayshaun, Bogans, E.D., Chuck Hayes, G Fitch, Cliff Hawkins, Azubuike, Ravi Moss, Sparks, Ramel, Joe Crawford, Rondo, Meeks, Patterson, and all of the other players who gave their all to the Big Blue Nation only to come up empty (in terms of Final Fours and Championships) over the past 10+ years...

Thanks to the arrival of Coach Calipari and what could possibly be the best recruiting class ever (John Wall (above), Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Jon Hood, Darnell Dodson, and Daniel Orton), excitement is at NCAA Tournament level and it's only May. But even if they don't turn out to be the best class ever, they have already succeeded in something perhaps more important --- they have combined to make Kentucky relevant again. At UK, championships matter (SEC championships, SEC tournament championships, National Championships), being the winningest basketball program in the country matters, but deep down most Wildcat fans want a team they can be proud of, a team that is in the discussion for the Final Four...That's all we really want...A team that is in the mix...a contender...a team that matters. With this class plus Patterson, Miller, and probably Meeks, this team matters. That's enough for now.

This quote from an ESPN.com article by Dana O'Neil accurately sums up the views of the majority of UK fans:

"Kentucky is Kentucky because of its fan base. Capturing their hearts and loyalty is vital to a coach's success. Rick Pitino mastered it. Tubby Smith only partially did.
Gillispie's gravest miscalculation was that he failed to recognize how much all the non-basketball stuff mattered."

Now we have a coach who completely gets it...He knows what's important to Kentucky fans and he seems to genuinely enjoy and respect their passion. All that's left to be seen is if he can get these guys to buy into a team first approach, to sometimes put their individual success on hold for the greater good of the team. I'm confident he's the right man for the job.

I can't wait to see this team play. I'm sure at times it won't be pretty since they will be really young, but the athleticism and collection of raw talent certainly reminds me of the heyday of the Pitino era, when he trotted out teams loaded with talent --- DA, Antoine, Mercer, Delk, McCarty, Sheppard. Those teams destroyed everything in their path. I don't know if this team will be able to recreate the success of the mid-1990's Wildcats, but the pieces are in place and I can't wait to find out!!

Welcome, Coach Cal!!!

A new era kicked off today in Lexington, as John Calipari was introduced as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky basketball program. I really think Mitch Barnhart and Dr. Todd got the right man this time, after the disastrous Billy Gillispie era. I think Gillispie is a good coach, but it was clear that he just didn't have the right personality to be the head coach at UK. Coach Cal, on the other hand, just gets it. Plus, he can flat out recruit and coach. I can't wait to see what kind of athletes he brings in to run the Dribble Drive Motion Offense in the Bluegrass.

Calipari really killed it at his introductory press conference. He started off by noting the anniversary of the death of Mr. Wildcat, Bill Keightley. He mentioned talking to former coaches Joe B. Hall, Tubby Smith, Eddie Sutton, and Rick Pitino, and former players Jeff Sheppard, Tayshaun Prince, Nazr Mohammed. He knew that Richie Farmer is the secretary of agriculture in Kentucky. He recognized Herky Rupp in the crowd. Kentucky fans appreciate those gestures and eat that stuff up. Coach Cal is the perfect fit for this job. I can't wait until next season!!!


Coach Cal's ready to return the Cats to the Final Four:

Team Turnover is done....

After an incredibly disappointing season, the 2008-09 version of the UK Wildcats has played its last game. The Cats were defeated by Notre Dame last night in the NIT's version of the Elite Eight. Despite a valiant run in the second half, sparked by a Jodie Meeks explosion, the Cats were never really in this game. Too many 3's by the opponent and too many costly turnovers by the Cats, constant themes throughout the season, contributed directly to this last loss. The Cats' spirited second half run was killed for good after they cut a 17 point lead to 5. With the ball and a chance to trail by 3 or 2, UK committed an unforced error by throwing the ball out of bounds, giving the ball back to ND to close out the game. I couldn't have been less surprised. Oh well....Time to turn the page to next year. Some questions for next year:

• Will Patrick Patterson return for his junior year? Maybe.


• Will Jodie Meeks return for his senior year? Probably.


• Will DeAndre Liggins transfer? Who knows with this kid.


• Will AJ Stewart transfer? Might as well.


• Will Dan Issel join the front office? Hopefully.


• Who will be coaching this team next year? Billy Gillispie? John Calipari? Billy Donovan? Jay Wright? Rick Pitino?......Steve Masiello??? I vote for whoever can recruit kids who care as much as this guy -----
  

More players with heart like Anthony Epps and fewer head cases like Liggins would be a good thing.

Cats Headed to Elite Eight...of the NIT

Nice win for Kentucky last night over a fired-up, scrappy Creighton team. The fans were clearly excited to see a big name school come to their place for once. The Cats did everything in their power to lose this game. Patrick Patterson only played 20 minutes due to two early first half fouls. Jodie Meeks sat for an extended period in the second half, but still managed to lead the team in scoring with 16, including the game winner. Perry Stevenson played all but 2 minutes, contributing 13 points and 10 huge boards. Ramon Harris continued his hard work, scrapping and diving for every loose ball and rebound.

Despite the fact that no UK fan is happy about the team playing in the NIT, the team has really taken the right approach, playing inspired, hard-nosed basketball. Maybe it will be enough to save Billy Gillispie's job, or maybe it won't. We should find out more in the coming days and weeks. For now, the Cats should be proud of their effort last night. Next up is Notre Dame on Wednesday night. If they can get past the Irish, it will be on to the Final Four in New York....