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Storyline by: Bastardo
HTML and photos by: The Director
Mo'Cool graphic by Cindy Baldwin
Mo'Cool/WayCool animation by: The Director (who thanks Cindy Baldwin for being a sport about letting The Director play around with her graphic)

Another August had rolled around, and another Birthday-thon had been celebrated, which could only mean one thing. IT WAS TIME FOR ANOTHER MO’COOL!

Based on our rave reviews of the previous summer’s festivities, we were quite jazzed that fellow Gangsters Canadian Zinfan, Zinchick, califusa and the Bored Doughnuts would be joining us in attending. Plans were made, califusa flew into town the day before things officially got under way, and the rest is history. 

Because so many of the Gang would be in the same place at the same time, it was felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to hold our own alternative tasting to the Friday night Mo’Cool dinner.  Bree, who flew in from Cloudy Bay, was somewhat miffed. As he put it, with tongue planted firmly in cheek:

"I am rather irked that my visit will coincide with this so-called wine 'cyberfestival' Mo'Cool, that is audacious enough to declare itself an ABC [anything but California] event. Who do these people think they are? I certainly cannot allow this insult to proceed unchallenged."  As an alternative, and in protest to this travesty, he suggested that we inaugurate "the first annual NBC (Nothing But California) wine event in the Ann Arbor area – ‘Way'Cool’."

This thought was punctuated emphatically by the fact that Bored Doughnut had some very tempting bottles of Howell Mountain Zinfandel from various producers, including two ‘96 Howell Mountain Vineyards selections not yet released for retail sale, received from Mike Beatty himself. The rest of us had additional bottlings from this appellation to include as well, so B.D. invited us all out to Chateau ‘deauxnut for what would prove to be an afternoon and evening of eating, drinking, swimming, singing and Gang camaraderie. Canadian Zinfan and Zinchick arrived in the early afternoon, and shortly after that we were saddled up and riding to that pretty little lake in Bum Fork, Michigan.

On to the wines and tasting notes....

WAY’COOL HOWELL MOUNTAIN ZINFANDEL TASTING