When I think about this class photo of me from high school (that my mother holds dear enough to prominently display in her home), I never anticipated that confronting this image 20+ years after it was taken would give rise to a range of emotions including (but not limited to):
- horror
- embarrassment
- shame
- nostalgia
I don’t know where to begin. The background? The feathered hair? The single (faux) diamond earring? The gargantuan-sized 80s sweater? The unibrow? (Which I still have, but my glasses obscure its unruly, untamed manner.) The pose? Egads. It looks like I’m praying for something. Like, “Please don’t let this picture exist two decades plus into the future. Or, if it does, I pray it resides hidden in the back of a deep, dark dresser drawer, never to see the light of day.”
I would be equally oblivious if during the adolescence of my wine-drinking life you asked me about German Pinot Noir. (It’s hard to reflect or anticipate while you’re in the moment.) I’d probably say Germany was home to Riesling, which was too sweet for me. But, just like I eventually stopped feathering my hair, I also learned that keeping an inquisitive outlook and an explorer’s mentality can lead you to remarkable places in wine and in life. Which was why it was exciting to discover the 2009 Becker Estate Pinot Noir from the Pfalz region of Germany. With plenty of earthy (not dirty, but more like the pleasures of a fragrant cheese) tones as you breathe it in, the Becker Estate shifts gears into an elegant and smooth wine.
This is a top Pinot Noir because it offers much more interest and complexity for a wine that you can usually find for under $25. That it’s from Germany makes it a conversation-starter and, long-term, might get you reconsidering what you can expect from German wines. Just like I’m reconsidering that sweater.
Cheers to Vino Verite for the recommendation.
true panache my friend.
Much appreciated, not the least because it comes from The Handsome Blogger.
Great sweater! Thanks for sharing. Awesome stuff.
I’ve had this wine. Tasted it blind and though it was from Oregon. I said 88 points: A little green and twangy. Low viscosity. Pretty, but not my favorite.
Cheer Jameson!
Robert,
Thanks for your comment; I hope the image of that sweater does not haunt your dreams. I’m partial to the low viscosity and pretty factor of this wine. It was a little stinky on the nose, and it’s challenging to describe a wine in that way and not think lots of people will recoil in horror. Also, I dig “twangy” as a descriptor!
Best,
Jameson
Really glad you liked that wine, Jameson. It seemed just the kind of “get your attention” style you so often appreciate.
And by the way, there’s a photo of me with a perm out there somewhere. I opened my high school’s alumni magazine once and there it was.
Thank you for the recommendation! A perm? Wow. I’m starting to feel (a little) better about my photo.