McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate, South Eastern Australia, Riesling 2007
Lime and petrol combine in the nose with a bit of fresh, sweet flowers. In the mouth there is a nice sweetart character; this light-bodied Riesling is clean and refreshing. The RS is 6 grams per litre with plenty of acidity for balance. V&B in New South [...]

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Weingut Zahn, Saale-Unstrut, Kaatschener, Dachsberg, Riesling, Trocken 2007 In the nose their are fresh limes cast over minerals. This wine is tart and tangy, light-bodied, with persistent acidity. There is 5.6 grams per litre residual sugar but you won’t notice it with the acid level of this wine. Special thanks to Mike Lerner for bringing [...]

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Six Sigma, Lake County, Rooster Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine is amazingly fresh for an ‘06 California Sauvignon. There’s plenty of citrus in the nose as well as some freshly mown grass. In the mouth, the acidity is dazzling and there is a bit of honeyed roundness – very nice. The high acidity and [...]

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deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2006 This is rich and tropical with a lovely sense of dried apricots and balancing acidity. The botrytised grapes behind the wine are 55% Muscat Blanc and 45% Semillon, harvested at 29.9 degrees brix. The final wine has 126 g/l RS. P&B in Geyserville 11.4% $15.79 for [...]

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Carol Shelton, Russian River Valley, Fanucchi Vineyard, Sweet Caroline, Trousseau Gris 2006 This is a light-bodied dessert wine from a grape that makes some very acidic table wines. There’s actually a grapy character to this wine that I associate with labrusca grapes, e.g., Concord. The grapes were harvested at 30 degrees brix and the final [...]

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Haywood, Sonoma Valley, Los Chamizal Vineyard, Estate, Zinfandel 2006 The nose puts together many facets of Zin.  There’s pruniness, black pepper and a sense of Port. In the mouth, this is a structured Zin, supporting plenty of fruit and a long finish. Grown, produced and bottled in Sonoma 14.6% $30 at the winery Haywood Winery

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Rodney Strong, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Reserve, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose is shut down and the mouth is fairly astringent. I suspect a low level of TCA is cloaking the true nature of this wine. Tom Klein owner and Rick Sayre winemaker P&B Healdsburg 15.2% $50 at the winery Rodney Strong

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Woodenhead, Russian River Valley, Buena Tierra Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
There’s liqueur-like black fruit in the nose and a supple, ripe mouthful of berries.P&B in Forestville 14.5% $55 at the winery Woodenhead

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Acorn, Russian River Valley, Alegria Vineyards, Sangiovese 2006 Cherry and vanilla mark the nose while the mouth features cherry fruit, Sangiovese’s characteristic acidity, a light dusting of tannin and a bit of creaminess – nice. The grapes for this wine are 98% Sangiovese (7 different clones), 1% Canaiolo and 1% Mammolo. Winegrowers Betsy and Bill [...]

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Bedrock Wine Co., Sonoma Valley, Ode to Lulu, Rose of Mourvedre 2008 This is a broader style of rose reminiscent of the south of France with hints of brick to see a little added weight on the palate. The grapes for this wine came from vines planted in 1888. After crushing, the grapes were allowed [...]

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Balletto, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2008 Fruity and dry rose for the upcoming heat! P&B by Laguna Oaks Vineyards & Winery in Santa Rosa 13.6% $10.99 at Bottle Barn Balletto

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Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The smell of this wine is quite rich and the mouth follows suit. Yet the rich buttery oakiness is balanced by a lemony essence, keeping it bright – delicious. The wine was barrel fermented and then aged for 13 months. The oak was French and 50% [...]

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Cline, Los Carneros, Viognier 2007 This is beautifully aromatic, very floral and clean. In the mouth there is a fatness to the feel, lowish in acidity with the taste of peaches and a bit of the bitterness that you might get from a bite of the stone inside. Estate grown & bottled in Sonoma 14.5% [...]

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Benziger, Russian River Valley, Shone Farm, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 There’s a pleasant grassiness to this wine with plenty of citrus. In the mouth it is bone-dry and very concentrated. This bottle that we’re tasting tonight has evolved a little prematurely. The wine was fermented in stainless. This back vintage was kicking around in storage. P&B [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut Tradition nv In the nose there is citrus, bruised apples and brown spices as in an apple pie. In keeping with the house style, the acidity is quite profound. This wine is quite tight, very long, very much a baby at this point. Tasted again in August the complexity is [...]

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Sparkling Pointe, North Fork of Long Island, Brut Seduction 2000 In the nose there are fresh and browned apples.  In the mouth there is also a sense of citrus, with pastry richness and note of custard. This is an elegant bubbly – very nice. It took the big award at the Chronicle Competition in January. [...]

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Charles Heidsieck, Champagne, Brut Reserve nv This wine has developed toastiness, nuttiness and a sense of bread dough. The texture is lovely, creamy yet refreshingly acidic. This new bottling was disgorged in 2008 and given a hefty price increase over the previous batch on the market which sold for just under $30 retail.
The base wine [...]

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Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne, Perle de Vigne, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a moderate level of concentration and a good deal of complexity for the price which I swear was about $15 but alas the price tag has vanished. The grapes behind this methode traditionnelle are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligote. Primary ferment [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2006 As in previous vintages, there’s a nice sense of green apples through and through, making this arguably Korbel’s best and most refreshing sparkler. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; the style was instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% dosage, P&B Guerneville. 12.5% $10.69 [...]

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Robert Oatley, South Australia, Pinot Grigio 2008
This is 100% Pinot Grigio; most of the grapes were sourced from Currency Creek, south of my alma mater Adelaide and a bit came in from the Alpine Valleys of Victoria. Production was all stainless, the final RS is 4 g/l and the wine is bottled under the upscale [...]

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Peter Michael Winery, Knights Valley, L’Esprit des Pavots 2005 There’s chocolate, oak, leather and Cassis in the nose. In the mouth this wine is quite structured, with great depth of flavor, a sense of glycerine adding to the viscosity while at the same time there is the taste of bittersweet chocolate – very complex and [...]

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Speedy Creek, Knights Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 This is a very rustic style of Cabernet with a good whiff of the horse, herbaceous notes and a chewy texture. Proprietors the Burton family. P&B in Geyserville 14.9% $25.99 at Bottle Barn Speedy Creek Winery

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Annapolis Winery, Sonoma Coast, Zinfandel 2005 This is a very jammy Zin. Proprietors are the Scalabrini family. P&B in Annapolis 16.6% $26 at the winery Annapolis Winery

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Hirsch Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s lots of sweet vanilla, loads of oak. This is very ripe, the essence of berries in the mouth with a supple texture. P&B in Cazadero 14.5% $59.99 at Bottle Barn Hirsch Vineyards

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Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Armagh Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
This is a sweet smelling Pinot, full of cherry liqueur. The mouth is driven by cherries as well, with plenty of acidity. This is a light-bodied wine with a bit of grip as well. The previous vintage of this wine won big at the Chronicle Wine Competition. [...]

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Peter Michael Winery, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 The oak comes through in a big way – overtop of the fruit. In the mouth this wine is quite rich, tropical and oaky with a glistening viscosity and great length. Besides the Sauvignon there is 9% Semillon in the mix. The grapes for this [...]

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Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Hummingbird Hill Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine smells of candied citrus. In the mouth it is ripping with acidity yet rounded off a bit with some silkiness. There is also a sense of the alcohol showing. 35% of the wine was barrel fermented and the wine spent 6 months [...]

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Domaine de Montille, Corton, Clos du Roi, Grand Cru 2005 The nose is a bit closed yet but you can see the concentration in the mouth. There’s plenty of structure and a core of red fruit and an underlying note of oak to add complexity. This is from the famous family of Volnay. 13% $114.99 [...]

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Handley, Anderson Valley, Pinot Noir 2006 This year the AV Pinot is a little warmer than in the past, with veery ripe berries showing through in the mouth. Winemaker Milla Handley. P&B in Philo 14.5% $23.99 at Bottle Barn Handley

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Deux Montille, Chambolle-Musigny, “Les Babilleres” 2006 This is a very refined Burgundy, showing the charm associated with the appellation and the skillful winemaking of Alix. The acidity is a hallmark, encasing the cherry fruit along with an elegant mouthfeel. The grapes for this wine were sourced from Les Babilleres, situated between Les Charmes and the [...]

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