New Painting about Vineyards

For the last two years my paintings have evolved from very abstract to more recognizable.

"Taking Root" 5'x5' oil and wax on mounted linen

Wineries and terroir fascinate me. What it takes to create great wines, such as place, soil, temperature, water, sun, surroundings, and of course, the winemaker.
Here is one of the latest.

"Territorial Road" 24"x48" oil and wax on mounted linen. 

This one was inspired by Benton Lane Winery on Territorial Road near Monroe Oregon.

Women's Night at Brigadoon

Baco Noir and Tomatoes

Tasting a '12 Chateau Lorane Baco Noir. Nose , smoky, dried prune, dark fruit, leather.
Soft mouthfeel, tannins now completely balanced and none of the somewhat harsh bite and toothiness

 are here. Long notes of fresh blackberry and very subtle cumin. 
Trying it with heirloom tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella, reduced balsamic, fig balsamic, oil, and finished with Jacobson's sea salt.
As it opened it became even softer and more aromatic. I am very glad I have a few bottles left and plan on keeping them down for a few more years.

Organizing Wines

I long for the days when I would buy a bottle of wine, take it home, and drink it with dinner.
Those days are long, long gone. Now I trade art for wine, buy cases instead of bottles, and have magnums stacked in closets.
Organizing them and trying to remember where and why I got them has become a burden. 
Some of the tools I have used over the years are just not working so I am looking for new toys.
Last night I downloaded an app from Cellar Tracker and will see how that works. So far I have too many wines that they do not track so I have to take photos and send them in so they can load them.
Here is a pretty concise listing of the ones that Christopher Null put together on TechHive. Nice information and well written.
Well, the search may be over! I just downloaded VinCellar and have been very pleased. Easy to follow, good list, and if your wine is not one the list you can enter it manually. Free!
It interacts with FB and Twitter also and there are reviews of a lot of the wines.
Feedback on what you use will be posted with this article.
Well, we have found a winner! I love this VinCellar app! I spent the afternoon loading my wines in to the data base and found out that it pulls reviews from other sources, adds ratings, and it tells you "drink by" dates!

Two New Wines From Abbelone

#1
Named after their daughter,

Abbelone's new wine, "Camilla", has caused great confusion in the household..."Is "Camilla" in the fridge?" "Did you bring "Camilla" for dinner?", but they are getting used to it.
This Pinot Noir Blanc (think champagne before bubbles) is Abbelone's 2015 version, the first they have made. It it 95% Pinot Noir with 5 % Viognier and you need it in your cellar.
As you wine nuts know, Viognier is the only white grape allowed in red blends due to its ageing quality. In this case it will carry the wine for a very nice aging, I would say 2 to 5 years.
This is a very light peach color, almond and cream caramel on the nose with hints of bittersweet citrus. The mouthfeel is pleasing, with caramel, Bosch pear, brandy , and toast. Long finish of dried apple.
Keep in mind I am tasting this at room temperature.
I would recommend this to be chilled to 60 to 65 degrees and paired with pasta. A cream sauce would be perfect, but it really is a food friendly wine that will make any food, except perhaps peanut butter and jelly, but I would not hesitate to try.

#2

Remarkable! This is Abbelone's VSP Cuvee '14.
Jewels floating in a lush, mouth friendly blend of Viognier, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. Absolutely beautifully balanced. Mouthfeel is soft with just enough tannins to give a bit of tootheyness (and age well). This one will, as it ages, lose a bit of the tooth and soften. 
Tiny hints of anise, very subtle clove, and ripe blueberry, soft black fig.
The taste is of black currant, blueberry pie, with a long finish of gamey wild RIPE blackberry.
Drink now and you will have a food friendly wine for almost any style of food or a "drink alone" wine that will make you smile. Age for two to three more years and this one will be stunning!