November 28, 2011
It’s Been A While…
Raise your hand if you’re a bad blogger {hand raised}. Sad face.
Sorry Jessup lovers. I totes left you hanging over the past month. Blogging + unemployment was easy breezy. Blogging + employment on the other hand, I’ve learned is no small fry task. And I have zero excuses because Alan, Morgan, and Scott have managed just fine. I clearly have some multi-tasking chops to develop. As Joey Tribiani says… “I’mmmmm saaaawwwrrreeeee” {with finger quotes}. I promise to be a better blogger. One that actually blogs.
Alright, so moving on, we have a lot of catching up to do. Here’s the long-story-short of everything Jess + Jessup since October.
First off, the TASTING! {it’s been awhile, you can catch-up on the pre-deets here} It was great – a perfect mid-week reunion for all of us workin’ folk. People were actually coming from work so I kept the set up simple. We had four Jessups to enjoy and each wine was propped with pairings to help explain the tasting profile.
- 2010 Sauvignon Blanc :: dried mangoes | Izze sparkling green apple soda
- 2009 Pinot Noir :: Strawberry jam thumbprints | black pepper Pop Chips
- 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon :: dark chocolate covered cherries | cinnamon dusted almonds
- 2008 Table For Four :: blueberry vanilla goat cheese | dried dark fruits
As I talked through each wine, people tasted the wine with each of the pairings. Once we got through all four, everyone poured a glass of their favorite and sipped + munched + mingled the night away. The intent was to balance Jessup edumacation with the warmth of old chums gathering together. There were tasting notes left by each bottle so people could remember what they liked about each one and keep exploring + discovering on their own. Oh, and fun fact :: it’s obvi that our business school days are over. We pooped out after a couple of hours and had A LOT of wine leftover.
Jessup’s Minneapolis debut had a part duex the following weekend at an unofficially official Ladies Get To Know You dinner. There are twenty-ish of us gals who all started work on the same day for the same company in the same job. I love these girls – our first attempt at a GTKY night was so good that we have another one lined up for the holidays. Angela was our hostess with the mostess for the night and the rest of us all brought something to share… which of course means that I brought some Jessup to share. There were a lot of hits that night, but I’d like to think that Jessup had a good piece of the spotlight. It was shared though by one of my current obsessions {scroll down}:: Pistachio Chocolate Marble Cake with a side of Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake. ‘Nuff said.
While I was bringing Jessup to Minne, 
more Minneapolites made their way to Jessup! Favourite Co-Worker Andy brought a party posse of vino lovers to Napa and made a stop to see Bob & Co. at Jessup’s tasting room. Some of Andy’s friends were already Jessup Wine Club members and after their tasting room experience, Andy joined too. Yessss…. More Jessup bottles shipping to the Midwest! Don’t be surprised when I start showing up on your doorstep Twice Yearly Andy!
While Andy headed west, I headed east to visit friends in NYC. 
Never mind that it SNOOOOOWED crazy ice pellets while I was there… the best part of the weekend was that I finally got to meet Morgan Steele Connacher in the flesh! Morgan + her husband {who’s also from So Cal – holla!} met up for some vino in Chelsea. It was great to have some blogger bonding time. I think a Jessup Blogger Summit in Napa is in order now. Maybe if Jessup puts me on blogger probation for my MIA-ness then we can all go to Napa after I prove I can blog on time???
The weekend after NYC, we had a girl’s weekend in Minne. It was Minneapolis PHat Camp fo’ sho :: good eats + day-time vino + night-time vino + brunch for lunch + boutique-ing + girl-talking. It doesn’t get any better than that… except when you include Jessup in the mix. It was a good reason to open a bottle of Table For Four {even though we were a table for six}. We sipped on TF4 and Jessup Pinot Noir while munching on Raincoast crisps + Trader Joe’s pumpkin cream cheese. Jessup is great on its own with the right meal, but it’s sooooo good when it’s surrounded by a table full of gabbers. Miss you ladies, thanks for visiting!
The week after that, I had a work dinner with some folks from a company I can’t mention for the job that I try hard not to mention. However, it came up that I blog for Jessup so I pinky-swore to said company that I’d mentioned their wine picks. I was the only left-coaster at the table and it was to my delight that our night was filled with solidly good California reds. A 2005 Cabernet from Jordan Winery and a 2007 Cabernet from Frog’s Leap. Definitely not the same as my beloved Jessup Cabernet {which is seriously my favorite cold-weather red… it’s like Christmas in a glass}, but both paired nicely with what ended up being a GInormous meal {a seafood tower skyscraper, massive cuts of meat, and piece of chocolate cake bigger than my face}.
And speaking of cold-weather vino, in the most recent weeks, the change in weather has had me indoors a lot more. Happy hours seem to be less frequent, my restaurant exploration has tapered a bit… but don’t worry, I’m always on the lookout. My new fav spot to stay *toasty* with vino is Toast Wine Bar & Café – I heart this spot, except for the fact that I have no off-switch when it comes to their crostinis + vino. Oh well, there’s never too much of a good thing. Everything in moderation except for things you don’t want to moderate.
Until next time {which I swear won’t be six weeks from now..}, I’ll leave you with my current obsessions… just two this week…
Nutmeg’s Bakery :: Full disclosure, I know the cake master 
behind this gem of a bakery. Regardless of my plug, her flour power speaks for itself. If you were smart, you’d try to convince her to send her cakes across state lines and into your homes bellies. If you were smarter, you’d fly to Minneapolis, drink some Jessup with me, and then visit Megan and try her cakes at the Bloomington Indoor Farmers Market. Meg’s favorite? Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Layer Cake. Dizzzaaamn.
Real Ryder Bikes :: Holy freaking cow. This bike is crazy pants. 
Think spin bike meets mechanical bull. Crazy. And amazing. So yeah, it’s true… I’ve only ridden a bicycle outside twice in the past 10 years. Whatevs. I own spin shoes. I’m strong. I can hang with crazy intense spin workouts. Real Ryder on the other hand…. You use your core and thigh power to balance on the buckin’ bronco while spinning furiously in a heated room. My legs are jell-o today. I’m hooked.
*Xo.
Jess
