Do you ever wonder if life can get any more hectic? If you add one more thing to your plate, it’ll just crack under the pressure? This describes my month of May. The month began with a potential business deal that would have made me about ¼ owner of a local winery. That deal fell apart about half way through the month. I was bummed, but now realize that this just gives me more time to pursue world domination.  The crazy hectic month continued with two TV appearances, one newspaper mention, and an interview with a magazine (article comes out in June).  DrinkNectar.com was also nominated for a poodle, uh errr award, for best new wine blog (voting has ended, now we wait).

On top of all of this, a team of Washington writers has been planning WAWine on June 3 and I’m a media sponsor for Taste Washington on June 6. I managed to sneak in a trip to NYC for business, where I met Jon Troutman and Kristen Murphy from Cork’d and Wine Library.  I also took my wife on a wine tasting weekend to Chelan, WA. To top it all off, there were 34 posts on the blog (thanks to some amazing guest bloggers) and 4 posts on Cork’d. Within those trips and posts, there were over 110 different wines sampled resulting in 37 formal reviews (including wine from Texas, Michigan, South Africa, Greece, and Chile)! The month ended with a Memorial weekend trip to Portland where I had the pleasure of meeting and sipping wine with great wine people Tamara Belgard (@SipWithMe), Mary Cressler (@vindulge) and Jack Colby (@nwwines).

So, what were the highlights? Who / what receives the Nectar Monthly Honors for May?

Wines of the Month

Best Value Under $15

2009 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc ($13) – Reviewed Here

• The Stuff: 100% organically grown Sauv Blanc from the San Antonio Valley; 13.5%abv; screwcap
• The Swirl: Very pale yellow green color
• The Sniff: Very tight on the nose with only slight floral blossom and citrus present
• The Sip: What was lacking on the aroma comes out to gently play on the palate. The Cono Sur is what you would expect from a traditional Sauv Blanc. Tropical fruit, pineapple, good minerality. Wine blogger, winefoot, described this wine as a grassfield creamsickle. I couldn’t agree more.
• The Score: At only $13, this classic presentation of Sauv Blanc showcases the potential of this Chilean variety. I score this wine a 4 out of 5. Easily the best value Sauv Blanc I’ve had in a while!

Runner Up: 2007 Duck Pond Cellars Red Blend ($12) – Reviewed here

Best Wine

Selecting this month’s ‘best wine’ was very difficult. I had the pleasure of trying some amazing wine that in previous months would have easily made the cut. I decided to select one winner and three runners up. Any of these four wines could be the top, but alas, there is only one winner.

2006 Penche Argent ($40) – Reviewed Here

• The Stuff: 40% Cab, 38% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec; 20 months in new French oak, 14.8%abv 289 cases
• The Swirl: Dark purple with softer tones. Edges move toward jewel tone garnet. About 90% opaque
• The Sniff: A wonderful representation of each of the five Bordeaux grapes. The bright cherry fruit is softened by black cherries and cocoa. A whiff of blueberries graces the nose as well.
• The Sip: A smooth mouth feel from front to back. The fruit that presents itself on the nose is also present on the palate with lively flavor all across the mouth. The tannin is less pronounced than on the Penche Cab, but still provides enough structure to pair with food
• The Score: At $40 I score this wine a 4+ out of 5. It is a large wine that is graceful like a offensive lineman in ballet class. It’s bold, smooth and elegant without losing the strength of the Cabernet grape.

Runner Up #1 – 2003 XSV Cabernet Sauvignon – Reviewed here ($38)

Runner Up #2 – 2007 Mer Soleil Barrel Fermented Chardonnay – Reviewed here ($35)

Runner Up #3 – 2007 Barrister Merlot – Reviewed here ($25)

Other Highlights from May

Post that made me spit wine out my nose: Robert Dwyer explores the tweets of @bparkerchuk to determine who is the man behind the mash up of Robert Parker and Gary Vaynerchuk. You’ll score this 100* with added thunder! VIEW POST

Most Tired Story: While bloggers like to rehash some of the same tired stories of debating the 100 point rating system, traditional versus new media, the enclosure debate, etc, Palate Press presents a very well thought out insight into credibility and how Robert Parker may have hurt his street cred by introducing something better than 100 points. VIEW POST

Most Creative Post: Challenged by a Facebook friend, Joe from SuburbanWino did not one, but two creative movie and wine pairing posts. His approach was humorous and insightful while maintaining a sense of satire. VIEW POST

Best Wine Images: Shared by Tweeter @augustbriggs this is a gorgeous shot of a rainbow over the roadway in Napa. VIEW PICTURE

Creative Wine Labels: I’m a sucker for branding and good advertising. This post was shared by @alawine – 40 Beautiful Wine Labels and Logo Designs VIEW POST

Most Unique Wine Review: This one comes from Joshua Sweeney from Wine(Explored) @wineaccguy – Josh explores wine tasting as part of his brothers graduation present. This is a refreshing and unpretentious look at wine from a newbie. VIEW POST

Best Blog Advice: I saw this post from @frankloveswine about 9 Quick and Easy SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Tips. This often overlooked piece to successful blogging can add to your blogs traffic and increase your awareness and influence. Thanks for sharing, Frank. VIEW POST

Most Viewed DrinkNectar Post (not about WAWine) – I’m very excited to share that the most viewed post for May was a video, picture and text recap of our journey to Lake Chelan, WA. VIEW POST

Biggest Whiner AND Most Predictable

This is a no brainer. A recent post by Ron Washam, AKA the Hosemaster of Wine was a predictable entry in light of the Wine Blog Award nominations coming out. Ron uses a lazy and thinly veiled attempt at satire to rail against those he envies the most, bloggers. I envision Ron being a little man, possibly with hose envy of some sorts. While many of his posts are humorous and creatively crafted, the recent entry was a lazy attempt resulting in playground humor. The latest post could have been crafted by my 13 year old with references to retardation, ejaculation, oral sex, marijuana, boobs and porn. It’s obvious that with 100 comments and counting that it doesn’t take much to stir up his cadre of readers.