A View of BSG from Tulbaugh Mountain

The fourth season of Battlestar Galactica premiered last night so naturally I packed up some buttery, aged goat cheese, the 2004 Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Syrah Mourvèdre, and padded over to Shawn and Kyle's.

I was glad to get into the wine before the show started. Tulbagh Mountain's Syrah Mourvèdre — 85% of the former, 15% of the latter — is certified organic and whereas many South African wines have that burnt-rubber aspect, this is a big, smoky, spicy wine that has tons of depth and grace. Blackberries and blueberries both, some meaty aromas, lots of ground black pepper, more acidity than I'd expected, and flint for days. And man, was it good with that aged goat cheese. Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards show that even with very young (5 years old) vines, impeccable farming and winemaking (no yeast innoculations, very low 25ppm sulfur) can yield a really, really good wine. It's an expensive wine, but as far as I'm concerned, it was $36 very well spent.

It was a big and nimble wine for a big and nimble episode. The opening battle sequence was probably the most dizzying and impactful I've ever seen in SF/fantasy; that the show's creators could sow such chaos without losing the viewer's understanding of events is stunning. They artfully blended New and Old Testament allegories into Gaius Balthar's arc. We all screamed when Tigh raised his gun, we murmured in astonishment as the Cylon Raider scanned Sam, and if I was slightly doubtful of Starbuck's specific act at the end of the episode, it ably demonstrated that she is different now, possessed and obsessed. Who is the last Cylon? Given her reaction when arriving at the Ionian nebula I voted for President Roslin, but Graeme pointed out that she has the blood of a half-Cylon coursing through her veins, which perhaps accounts for it. I will be forced to miss the next two episodes, as I'm taking a trip to Mexico, but I will catch up with it very shortly after returning.