Mondays always turn into “weekly planning meeting” days for me.  I sit down with my staff assistant to go over the schedule for the week.  My division has an hour-long staff meeting.  I usually have a conference call with one my counterparts in another division to make sure that we’re both on the same page for the week.  The list goes on.  And, while all of these meetings are helpful individually, when I stop to think about my day, I can’t help but feel that I have a lot of meetings to talk about the meetings I have scheduled for later in the week.  This past Monday was no different.  It was busy, and it felt productive while I was going through my day, but it was almost all meetings about the upcoming week.  Such is my workday on Mondays.

Monday evenings have been a little different this fall because I’m taking tennis lessons.  That means I come home from work, eat a sandwich, change my clothes, and head out to the courts for an hour and a half.  This past Monday was my second last lesson, which is probably good timing because it’s really cold at night.  By the time I got home, it was 50 degrees and after 9pm.  I had just enough time to open some wine and catch up with Hubby before calling it a night.  I decided to stick with my Halloween-themed options and opened a bottle I’ve had since last winter.

The 2009 Phantom (winery) is a red blend made with 52% Zinfandel, 46% Petit Sirah, and 2% Mourvèdre grapes and is from Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg, California.  The wine was a deep ruby with a clear, watery rim.  On the nose and in the mouth, there were blackberries, raspberries, hints of cedar, pine needles, and black pepper.  The wine had a medium body, medium tannins, and high acidity.

Is this worth a glass after work? Definitely!  If you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed.  At $18, it’s a perfect every day wine.  And, as you’re thinking about what to bring to this weekend’s Halloween parties or what wine to open while you’re handing out candy to all the little monsters knocking on your door, this wine has a Halloween-appropriate name and label, and it’s a great under $20 option.  My local store is carrying the 2010 vintage, and if it is anything like the 2009 vintage, you won’t be disappointed.

As for me and Phantom, admittedly, I paired the wine with some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Nestle’s Crunch Bars.  Someone had to taste-test the Halloween candy we’re giving out, right?  The wine went surprisingly well with the chocolate.  Overall, it could have used a little more body, but it had great flavor.  It was definitely enjoyable, and there is no question that it was the perfect way to relax after a day of meetings about meetings and an evening of tennis.

Question of the Day:  Do find that you have some workdays where all your meetings are about upcoming meetings? 

Price: $18
Purchased at Harris Teeter
Overall: 4 Corks