Falesco, Lazio IGT, Pomele 2003 Lots of raisined fruit and alcohol in the nose and fresh sweet berries in the mouth – perfect for a lightly sweet berry dessert as there is refreshing acidity to balance the residual sugar. 100% Aleatico from the Pomele estate and 10% RS though it does not seem to be [...]

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In this flight we see two tiers of wine from Nicodemi.
Nicodemi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2006 There’s tar and black fruits mingled with a bit of cheese rind and earth in a very tannic profile. This wine features a pronounced sense of the horse saddle – yet it works in a rustic way. Estate bottled in [...]

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ColleStafano, Verdicchio di Matelica DOC 2007 Minerality and stones fruits come out in the nose. The mouth is refreshing and fruity like peaches with the acidity of a lemon – nice. The grapes are organically grown. Estate bottled in Castelraimondo 13% $15.99 at Traverso’s ColleStefano
Belisario, Verdicchio di Matelica DOC, Vigneti del Cerro 2005 Tasted last [...]

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Fontana Candida, Frascati DOC, Superiore, Secco 2006 There’s a light sense of herbs and flowers in the nose and melons after about 15 minutes. The mouth is rather light on flavor and acidity with a bit of heat. Bottled in Monteporzio Catone 12.5% $7.69 at Bottle Barn Fontana Candida
Castel de Paolis, Frascati DOC Superiore 2005 [...]

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Mountain Grove Cellars, Ozark Mountain, Ruby Port nv There are prunes and a touch of alcohol in the nose. The mouth follows through with the same with a baked fruit and walnut tart character – moderately sweet making it a hit with bittersweet chocolate. P&B in Mountain Grove, MO 19% $10 at Missouri State University [...]

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Selvapiana, Vin Santo del Chianti Rufina DOC 2001 Raisins and a spiritous character in the nose. The mouth features caramel and toffee and a subtle sweetness that would make it best consumed by itself after dinner in the cold of winter in front of that roaring fire. Estate bottled in Rufina 13.5% $46.99 at Bottle [...]

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Tenuta Argentiera, Bolgheri DOC Poggio Al Ginepri 2006 There’s a light earthiness and a sense of brambles in the nose. The mouth is soft and easy drinking with leather, a moderate amount of tannic grip and acidity. Estate bottled in Castagneto Carducci 14% $25.95 at Traverso’s Argentiera
Casanova della Spinetta (La Spinetta), Toscana IGT, Il Nero [...]

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Sergio Mottura, Orvieto DOC 2006 There are fresh tropical fruits and garden herbs in the nose. The mouth is rather broad with moderate acidity and a little warmth and a bit of astringent grip – a little disappointing. The grapes, Procanico, Verdello and Grechetto, are farmed on 123 hectares since 1292 and certified organic – [...]

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Domaine Monpertuis, Vin de Pays du Gard, Vignoble de la Ramiere, Cuvee Counoise 2005 Unfortunately this wine has quite a bit of brett and lots of astringency and is just too rustic for many. 13% $9.99 at Bottle Barn

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Firestone, Central Coast, Vineyard Select, Riesling 2006 The smell of stone fruits and citrus greets you in the glass. In the mouth the wine is fresh, moderately acidic and graced by obvious residual sugar. The acid levels will seem faint to those who live on the Rieslings from the Eden and Clare in South Australia. [...]

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Fred Peterson has a winemaking resume to rival many. He’s been at some of California’s most famous estates, working in Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains and Sonoma County. Just over 20 years ago he took up the building of his own brand under his name. Such a wealth of experience elevates some winemakers into an [...]

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Small Vines, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir 2006 This is a wine of dense concentration from biodynamically farmed grapes. Upon first pouring the nose is quite tight so give it some time to open. The mouth is packed with red fruit flavors, framed by ample acidity and amplified by a little warmth – truly a [...]

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Dutcher Crossing, Dry Creek Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This Sauvignon smells of sweet and ripe tropical fruit. The fresh fruit continues on the palate where there is a softer, rounder feel than with many Sauvignon. Don’t get me wrong, I love an in-your-face, herbaceous, acid-dominated Sauvignon as much as the next fellow. But isn’t it [...]

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Sebeka, Western Cape, Chenin Blanc 2008 This is a softer version of Chenin than you might expect from South Africa. While the Chenin produced at Mulderbosch and Thelema have electrifying acidity, this has a softer touch of the acid hand and 6.5g/l of RS to round out the mouth. Light-bodied and clean, the wine sports [...]

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Downtown Healdsburg has become a destination for luxurious wine and food experiences. One of the venues in which to indulge, just off the square, is the tasting room of Williamson Wines.
The beauty of the tasting that Bill and Dawn Williamson organize is the emphasis on food and how their wines interact with food.
Bill grew up [...]

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Les Clos de Paulilles, Banyuls Rimage 2005 There are stewed fruits and raisins to smell while the mouth is a supple presentation of evolving fruit and moderate sweetness that is crying out for dark chocolate. The grapes are 100% Grenache Noir. Rimage derives from the Catalan for vintage and this wine represents a selection of [...]

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Meo-Camuzet, Morey-Saint-Denis 2004 At Les Grands Jours in the spring we were treated to a few of the domaine wines which were everything the reputation leads one to expect. With this wine we taste a bottle from the negociant line from a difficult vintage. Nonetheless, there’s more than a pittance of cherries and brown spices [...]

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Robert Groffier, Bourgogne, “Pinot Noir” 2005
The house style does not oppose earthiness and the bit of brett I picked up earlier in the spring is a bit more in the horse blanket zone now. In the mouth the earthiness comes through with tart cherries and a light coating of tannins; give it one hour [...]

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Louis Jadot, Beaujolais-Villages 2007 Clean berry and cherry fruit with a little minerality. The mouth is fruity with a light body, characteristic acidity and just a hint of tannic greenness – an easy picnic quaff. Eleve et mis at 71570 in France (It’s got to be Beaune, right? Or is that postal code the [...]

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William Fevre, Chablis, Champs Royaux, 2007 There’s a sense of stones and wet pavement in the nose. There are tangy green apples in the mouth that go on for a long time – very refreshing. Champs Royaux is a special selection from assorted parcels. P&B in Chablis 12.5% $17.99 at Bottle Barn and $19.99 at [...]

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Verget, Macon-Vergisson, “La Roche” 2006 Lots of fresh ripe red apples in the nose – you can taste them in your mouth with a nice tang of acidity in this light-bodied wine. From Jean-Marie Guffen, whose Chardonnays have been a spot-on value. 13% $14.99 at Bottle Barn

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Cantina Terlano, Alto Adige, Gries, Lagrein, Riserva DOC 2004 This is still a baby with ample structure and notes of tar and earth. There’s a sense in which this reminds me of a young and reductive Northern Rhone Syrah. Let this one sit for 5 years or pair with salame and cheddar for dinner this [...]

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Barbolini, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC nv The Barbolini family bought the vineyards in 1966 along the Giardini road that climbs up from Modena toward the mountain pass at Abetone. White earth soils, Grasparossa is a Lambrusco clone; style is typically dry to off-dry while the Lambrusco Reggiano made from 2 other clones is typically [...]

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Bastianich, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Tocai Friulano DOC 2006 Herbaceous with a sense of canned vegetables, lowish in acidity with a creamy character – disappointingly low in concentration. Estate bottled in Cividale del Fruili 13% $18.00 at Traverso’s
Bastianich, Venezia Giulia, Rosato, Refosco IGT 2007 Stewed cherries and moderate acidity; there’s a sense that this wine [...]

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Banfi, Rosa Regali, Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2007 This ‘07 is perfectly fresh with plenty of flowers and fresh strawberries. Serve this with fresh berries after dinner to match the sweetness. The ‘05 tasted one year ago was sweet and with a bit of a phenolic edge, some grab as if the tannin was showing a [...]

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Cinzano, Vermouth Rosso nv This has proved to be a good value vermouth, not with the intensity of those of Carpano or Quady, but the price is right when you’re on a budget; it’s also more widely available. You could pick this up in most supermarkets around America whereas the Carpano vermouths require a trip [...]

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Leo Steen Dry Creek Valley Saini Farms Chenin Blanc 2007
This wine was excellent in ‘06 and even better this time around. There is the mineral nerve that we associate with Savennieres and the ripeness of fruit that we associate with California sunshine.  You can smell lime and tropical fruits and the the mouth is full [...]

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Dutton Estate Every Friday through the end of September and most of October, Cynthia Newcomb at the Dutton Estate is creating a special dish to pair with one of the wines on offer in the tasting room. When I visited recently, she dazzled the guests with a Grilled Chicken Salad with Peaches and Avocado to [...]

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Stone Hill, Hermann, Estate Bottled, Norton 2005 The nose features the smells of black fruit, compost, tar, cinamon and floral notes like violets. There’s equally a vast medley of flavors on the palate with plenty of backbone. The tannin and acidity make it a keeper or a perfect partner now with a thick slab of [...]

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Marques de Caceres, Rioja, Reserva DOC 2000 The house style is soft and oaky with an appropriate acidic frame. The 2000 at this stage, 8 years on smells delightful; there’s sweet vanilla, earth and some stewed, evolving fruit and veg. The acid shows nicely, the tannins are subtle and there are long flavors of cocoa [...]

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