A Nippy Snapper-3 Corks

Snapping Turtle Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
It’s about 15 degrees outside. The wind is blowing 10-12 mph. This is the South. It is not supposed to be this cold. I’m in Atlanta attending WordCamp being held at the Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design. There’s still snow on the sidewalks and ice on the streets left over from a snow storm that hit Thursday night. (My apologizes to my Michigan in-laws. I doubt this rates as being a “storm.”). It’s a balmy 20 degrees back in Augusta (will hit 40 in the afternoon-won’t even hit 32 here in Atlanta).

Mrs. Dan and I came over to learn more about blogging with WordPress. That is the app that makes this website function. I thought maybe I can learn how to make a better site so people like you will keep coming back. Okay, enough of the sales job. Instead of slipping and sliding around Atlanta after the Friday night session we decided to curl up in front of the TV at the Hampton Inn located aross from the North Avenue Trade School (Georgia Tech), laptops in hand and do the nerd thing. Might as well improve the evening so I brought a bottle of Snapping Turtle Cab. I actually bought it because it has a cool label art. Don’t have a clue when I bought it or how much I paid but I know it was under $10. (There website says it is available at Kroger).

Having been raised in the South it is the duty of every dad to scare their sons into avoiding a snapping turtle because “If it bites you it won’t let go until it hears thunder.” My dad told me. All his fishing buddies told me in between poker hands at Mr. Odum’s pond. It ain’t true but it’s one of those things that dads do because they don’t want to have to listen to some kid scream their heads off when they get bit or don’t want a curious 5 year old bringing a hissing snapping turtle in the house to play in the bathtub.

I had to laugh when the label said “Never touch a Snapping Turtle–for if you do, it will not let go until thunder rumbles in the sky.” I guess a group of sensitive winemakers sitting watching a sunset pontificating about snapping turtles wrote that. That sounds like if you touch a snapper it will grab you with its little hands. No one says “never touch a snapping turtle.” You can touch them all you want just make dadgum sure he doesn’t bite you. Touching a snapping turtle to a Southerner is a lot like a Northerner daring someone to stick their tongue on a frozen flag pole. (I guess we could be trying that dare this week in Georgia). If you are stupid enough to do either then you deserve to get bit or left out in the cold until things warm up. I digress.

This cab has a bit higher acid bite to it that I generally like but after the first taste your tongue has gotten over it. I smell fresh blackberries in the aroma. It has no legs to speak off. The finish is a bit dry but for a simple cabernet to sit and drink without benefit of cheese, crackers or the leftovers from the doggie bag it will do. It has very strong fruit flavors at the start but they are gone by the time the increasingly dry finish hits.

I’d say it works pretty good for a nerd date night.
From: Napa, California
Winery: Snapping Turtle Vineyards
Cost: $Under 10
Year: 2007
Stopper: Cork

1 Cork: Give it to Drupal programmers
2 Corks: Give it to PHP programmers complaining about WordPress only supporting PHP 4.
3 Corks: Share it with a some fellow WordPress addicts