WTN: A 45 Degree Angle of a Pinot

What a disappointment.

A friend brought out a Pinot Noir to have with our poolside nosh, and I thought, "Hmmm. Chalone. Could be good."

Unfortunately, it wasn't "the" Chalone, just a Chalone. Chalone Monterey Pinot Noir 2005, to be exact.

If we had served it in Jellystone glasses, it might have been more appropriate: this stuff is nothing but kool aid, thin and tart, and lean to the point of anorexia.

2005, huh? So, what, capitalize on the Pinot Noir trend and get ahold of any fruit you can, ferment it quickly, and rush it to market? Shame on you, Chalone.

Shame on you, Chalone.

Amen, Padre Hoke. It's not like they don't have other labels for their plonk-ier wines. Hasn't anyone learned anything from the Mondavi's marketing eff-ups?

Amen, Hoke.

BTW, what is your avatar?

Makes me feel like I'm playing Google Image Labeler.

Lots of fun, that.

Regards, Bob

My avatar? It's a pic I took inside the Fundacion Joan Miro, on Montjuich in Barcelona. Spectacular place by the way, both in its natural setting overlooking the hills and Barcelona below, and in the contents.

Miro had a hand in the architecture and the placing of many of the artworks.

When you enter the main part of the museum you walk into a huge room. On one wall is a massive, two story tall textile wall hanging by Miro, with the most vibrant colors and incredible curving shapes, and the sculpture you see in the avatar is of two figures relating to each other.

When we entered this room in the museum, we saw a huge gaggle of first graders and their chaperones herding them into the room. They all sat around the main floor, gazing at the wall tapestry and the figures in wide-eyed and quiet amazement. It was a delightful moment.

Google Fundacion Joan Miro, Barcelona, and you'll see the sculpture full size. It's a place well worth visiting.

[Robin Garr]

Makes me feel like I'm playing Google Image Labeler.

Ack! Time waster! I got into it and couldn't stop!

Boy, you can really tell whether you've drawn a smart or stupid partner, too ...

Agreed -- it's great when you see someone with lots of guesses. Pays to be very simple minded -- "man", "boy", "woman". Hit pass early -- you may still get a hit.

So far my best pairing gave us 1400 points, but 100 is also common.

Lots of fun and makes the brain cells active, they say.

Regards, Bob

"Fundacion Joan Miro"

Thanks, Hoke. Beautiful site. Someday ...

Schedule it sooner rather than later, Bob.

There are few cities I've been in with the sheer vitality of Barcelona. The entire city is a vibrant, pulsating buffet of energy and art. The amount of public art is truly amazing---and I'm not just speaking of the architecture, although that is remarkable in and of itself, but the amount and diversity of public art that is available every time you turn your head.

The Museu Picasso in the Barri Gothic (old Gothic Quarter) is one of the most richly satisfying museums I've ever been in. It is composed of five distinct mansion/town palaces interjoined, so that as you move through the chronology of Picasso's life/art you move from one mansion to the other---as Picasso's life changes, his art changes; as his art changes, the surroundings change as well.

The Fundacion Joan Miro is equally impressive, albeit in an entirely different way. Sitting on the top of Montjuich, so that at times you feel as if you might totter over the side and tumble down into the city far below, the museum is organically integrated into the scene. Barcelona is as much Miro as Miro is Barcelona. Not often that a "static" art museum can so closely capture and reflect the nature of its surroundings. Hard to think of the Miro as static though, because inside it is all flowing forms and vibrating colors and variating textures. It's a place that stays embedded in your consciousness long after you've left.

But then you could say the same thing about Barcelona in general, too.

The folks in Barcelona made a tremendous improvement in the city by putting on the Olympics in 1992. They made fundamental changes in the city plan, making the port an integral part of the center. Very few venues have gained so much from hosting the Olympics.

I'm eager to visit and enjoy not only the city and the art, but the wine in the hills nearby.

Freddie Mercury also wrote them a great song.

Thanks for the suggestions, Hoke.

Regards, Bob