Black Bass Hotel - Lumberville, PA

Today was a great day to hop in the car and go for a nice little drive.  One of my Facebook followers made a mention to me of a wine shop in Stockton that I haven't visited in quite a while, so it was on my agenda for today.  That said, I figured a seat at the bar at The Black Bass was the perfect place for lunch.

Walked in and asked for a seat at the bar and had the bar to myself.  Nice crowd in the dining room, overlooking the Delaware, but a seat in the cozy bar was right up my alley today.

Sat down and ordered a glass of Cali cabernet, and ordered the Grilled One-Half Pound All Beef Burger , topped with double cheddar cheese, crispy fried red onions, lettuce, tomato and kosher dill pickle; served with French fries.

The burger was cooked nicely, with good grilled flavors.  The fried red onions were nice, and the fries were good and crispy.  Was this the best burger in the area?  No, not by any means, but it hit the spot today.

Look forward to heading back soon for dinner so I can have the crab dish that they are famous for.  Good stuff!  Cheers!

Black Bass Hotel
3774 River Road
Lumberville, PA 18933
Phone:  (215)297-9260
E-mail:  info@blackbasshotel.com
http://www.blackbasshotel.com/dining/

2005 Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery Secolo

This was a recommendation on one of our friends at Canal's in Lawrenceville. Toni has never given us a bad recommendation, and we always look forward to what she has to offer. When popped an poured, had I been blind folded, I would have sworn that from the nose and by taste that this was a Zinfandel. But as the wine opened up, it became more and more obvious that the blend had some cabernet and merlot. Once you know it's in there, the malbec is also a stand out.

The nose was overwhelmed by black cherry and plum, with a cedar-y hint of cigar box and some plum. Upon getting the bottle home to finish it, I could also smell some gingerbread and maybe a hint of cinnamon/anise. The palate had some blackberry and black cherry, but that is all that really stood out to me, however, I could taste some plum on the short, but pleasant finish.

All in all, a very solid wine, however, I do think tha if I were going for a wine of this style, that I would opt for a Stefania Haut Tubee or a Bogle Phanton. Sure, neither of these wines would be considered identical to this wine, but I think either would be a welcome substitution. Regardless, this paired nice with a tomato pie from Delorenzo's Robbinsville, and is worthy of 86 points. Cheers!

RELEASE ALERT - 2005 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

Received the mailer today for the 2005 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium. This is the 2nd release from Chris, and I am sure it is going to be stellar, and worthy of aging for some years to come!

From the website:
2005 MAYBACH MATERIUM

100% Cabernet Sauvignon
614 cases produced

75% new French oak14.8% alc.

A review of last years release can be seen here:
2004 Materium Robert Parker Review

SECOND RELEASE of Maybach Materium, from a single block of the Weitz Vineyard, which sits at 1000 feet elevation on the eastern hillside of Oakville, a bonded growing area unique in all the world. The vines here struggle to grow among boulders and stones and in shallow soil, giving deep concentration to the fruit.

If you want high end cabs ($110 per release price)that you can cellar for years to come and enjoy down the road, then these are the ones to buy. You have officially found what you are looking for. That being said, sign up for their mailing list now at: http://www.maybachwine.com/ This is a must buy, and we were allocated 3 bottles.

More information available at:
Maybach Family Vineyards
P.O. Box 31
Oakville, CA 94562

info@maybachwine.com

Cheers!

2000 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

This bottle was a gift from our good friend "Dee," and we enjoyed it tonight at Delorenzo's Tomato Pies on Hudson Street in Trenton....the original Delo's, and still the best!

The 2000 was pretty impressive, with a nice young purple color in the glass. Maybe this wine is still very young and needs more time in the bottle. I would have to guess that this is still going to get better for another decade or so, but what do I really know? Not as much as I wish!

Both the nose and the palate detect plenty of dark fruits. This wine is well structured, with very little tannins. Unfortunately, the finish was very short, almost non-existent which still has me a bit puzzled. We will re-visit this wine tonight after another 24 hours in the bottle.

24 hours later this wine was velvety smooth! Just goes to show how much better wines can get with air and time. And all I did was put a vacuum on the bottle and threw it in the fridge. The fruit really came out upon doing so, and it turned into a great jammy Cabernet. Next time, we'll decant the bottle for some time before drinking!

All in all, a good cab, but not sure it is worth the price tag of what you see it for in the store. Regardless, it made a great gift, and I would love to drink another bottle. Thanks Dee!

91 points out of 100!