Wine Regions & Grapes
Sampling of Wineries
Acorn Andrea Oberto Atlas Peak Benziger Beringer Blandy's Bodega Navarro Correas Burgans Cantina Terlano Chimney Rock Chronicle Domaine Carneros Domaine de la Mordoree Dow's Dr. Loosen Emilio Lustau Fonseca Foxen Gaston Riviere Glen Ellen Hess Collection Innocent Bystander Kendall-Jackson Korbel La Caudrina Luna Vineyards Madeira Wine Company Martin Codax Masi Merryvale Mulderbosch Navarro Vineyards Pahlmeyer Roederer Estate Ruggeri Sawyer Cellars Sbragia Six Sigma Winery St. James Steltzner Vineyards Trinchero Winery Trione V. Sattui Winery William Fevre Wilson Winery
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Napa Valley superstar wines
Shelter, Napa Valley, The Butcher, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 The nose features vibrant black currants with notes of tobacco and the cigar box. In the mouth there is nice density, the acidity shines and the tannins are very ripe. This is … Continue reading
Robert Mondavi Moscato d’Oro 2007
Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley, Moscato d’Oro 2007 In the nose you’ll find a light waft of the orange blossoms we associate with Muscat. In the mouth the wine is clean and fruity, a light expression of Muscat as dessert, fresh … Continue reading
Posted in California, Late Harvest White, Muscat, Napa Valley, White Dessert
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Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Stonegate, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley, Spaulding Vineyard, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 This wine delivers chocolate wrapped in black fruits with a healthy dusting of oak on a big structure. The acidity carries the flavors a long way and while … Continue reading
Howell Mountain Bear & Lion Zinfandel 2006
Howell Mountain Vineyards, Napa Valley, Bear & Lion, Old Vine, Zinfandel 2006 The fruit in the nose has a very fresh grape juice quality with a note of blackberry liqueur. In the mouth the wine is jammy, soft and light … Continue reading
Posted in California, Napa Valley, Zinfandel
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Napa Valley Cabernet Franc
McKenzie-Mueller, Napa Valley, Estate Bottled, Cabernet Franc 2005 The black fruit in the nose is very sweet smelling, with notes of pencil shavings and cedar. In the mouth it is light to medium-bodied with a sense of vanilla and chalky … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Franc, California, Napa Valley
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V. Sattui Los Carneros Chardonnay 2007
V. Sattui Winery, Napa Valley, Los Carneros, Chardonnay 2007 The oak is quite prominent in the nose, freshly split, with notes of tropical fruit, bananas and coconut. In the mouth the oak continues, with a healthy dash of butter on … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Chardonnay, Napa Valley
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75 Wine Company Sauvignon Blanc 2007
The Seventy-Five Wine Company, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 The nose on this wine packs some punch. Give it a bit of air to blow off the reductive character and then you can focus on the gooseberries, freshly mown grass … Continue reading
Posted in California, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc
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Mill Creek Sauvingnon Blanc 2008
Mill Creek, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose shows off notes of citrus and tropical fruits like banana. In the mouth it is full of orange and grapefuit,with plenty of acidity and a little … Continue reading
Pacific Rim Vin de Glaciere 2007
Pacific Rim, Columbia Valley, Selenium Vineyard, Vin de Glaciere, Riesling 2007 This wine features lots of dried apricot, with acidity to match the great sweetness, a wine that is very dense and very long. The grapes were grown at an … Continue reading
Berger Gruner Veltliner 2008
Berger, Niederosterreich, Gruner Veltliner 2008 In the nose there is a little sense of bread dough while the mouth displays lots of fresh lime, light-bodied and long. This wine has been a value and notice that you still get a … Continue reading
Posted in Austria, Gruner Veltliner, Niederosterreich
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Verget Meursault 2006
Verget, Meursault 2006 In the nose you’ll find sweet oak, toasted nuts and butter. In the mouth there is plenty of acidity, an expression of fresh lemons with complexity and a little thickness. Tasted again in July 2010, the wine … Continue reading
Posted in Burgundy, Chardonnay, Cote de Beaune, France, Meursault
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Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Vaucoupin 2006
Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaucoupin 2006 In the nose you’ll find a steely, flinty quality melded with apples baked in a pastry – yes a fresh apple tart. In the mouth the acidity is tempered by some viscosity with … Continue reading
Posted in Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, France
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Esterlina Estate Pinot 2007
Esterlina, Anderson Valley, Estate Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2007 The fruit is quite expressive in the nose – an explosion of red and black fruits with a smoky note for complexity. In the mouth the fruit shines again with plenty of … Continue reading
Posted in Anderson Valley, California, Mendocino County, Pinot Noir
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Muscardini Rosato 2008
Muscardini Cellars, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyards, Rosato di Sangiovese 2008 This is a zippy rose, a clean expression of Sangiovese’s cherry character with refreshing acidity – very nice. The wine was fermented and aged in neurtal French oak for … Continue reading
Posted in California, Rosé, Sangiovese, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
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Vignerons de Tavel 2007
Les Vignerons de Tavel, Tavel, Prestige des Lauzeraies 2007 Sweet cherry fruit marks the nose and carries over on the palate. The mouth is broad and weighty, the acidity low, the fruit flavors are compelling and the body is big … Continue reading
Chatom Sauvignon 2007
Chatom Vineyards, Calaveras County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 In the nose this Sauvignon features flowers and green herbs while in the mouth it is soft and viscous. Grown, produced and bottled in Douglas Flat 14.8% $16 at the winery, a gift … Continue reading
Coulee de Serrant 2004
Clos de la Coulee de Serrant, Savennieres-Coulee de Serrant 2004 The wine in this bottle is deeply golden, almost brown, the nose is very complex, the mouth is quite dense and the flavors go on for a long time. Yet … Continue reading
Posted in Chenin Blanc, Coulee de Serrant, France, Loire Valley, Savennieres
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Husch Renegade Sauvignon 2007
Husch, Mendocino, Renegade, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a rounder style of Sauvignon with the enhancement of oak. The wine takes its name from the ‘renegade’ yeasts that are allowed to ply their craft without the help of their cultured … Continue reading
Posted in California, Mendocino County, Sauvignon Blanc
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Belo Tawny 1996
Belo, Napa Valley, Vintage Tawny Port, Tinta Isabella 1996 The nose is pruny and spirtitous with some volatility. The mouth shows lots of caramel and nuttiness, like crunching up some almonds, wrapping them in milk chocolate and basting them with … Continue reading
Posted in California, Fortified dessert, Napa Valley, Port, Tawny Port
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Etude Pinot 2007
Etude, Carneros, Estate Grown, Pinot Noir 2007 This is sweet smelling Pinot with caramel and an almost jammy fruit character. The mouth is very concentrated with ripe tannins, punchy acidity and that sweet caramel on top of the black fruit … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Pinot Noir
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Paul Hobbs Hyde Pinot 2007
Paul Hobbs, Carneros, Napa Valley, Hyde Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2007 The nose features ripe black fruits, a bit of earthiness, cola and a toasty note. In the mouth you’ll find the characteristic mouthfeel that I find over and over again … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir
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Fotinos Pinot 2005
Fotinos, Carneros, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir 2005 The nose features very sweet brown spice notes, with ashes of the campfire. In the mouth there’s a fair amount of grip. Produced and bottled in Sonoma 14% $35 at the winery, a … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir
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Saintsbury Garnet 2008
Saintsbury, Carneros, Pinot Noir, Garnet 2008 This has always been a light and elegant Pinot and the ’08 is on target. By light I don’t mean thin and the creaminess enhances the mouthfeel. There’s a screw cap top for added … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Pinot Noir
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Montelena Chardonnay 2007
Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley, Chardonnay 2007 In the nose there’s a sense of brioche while the mouth sports green apple, with a patina of silkiness and very long acidity – very nice and always a personal favorite. P&B in Calistoga … Continue reading
Posted in California, Chardonnay, Napa Valley
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Pomelo Sauvignon 2008
Pomelo, California, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose sports citrus and freshly mown grass. In the mouth you’ll find lemon with a sense of both its juice and pith. The wine is soft, clean and light with a bit of petillance … Continue reading
Posted in California, Sauvignon Blanc
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Grey Stack Grenache 2007
Grey Stack, Bennett Valley, Dry Stack Vineyard, Grenache 2007 Grenache’s candy-like character comes through in the nose, sweet smelling and ebulliently fruity. In the mouth there is structure to match the fruit, a vision of Chateauneuf, where Grenache shows that … Continue reading
Pibarnon Bandol 2005
Chateau de Pibarnon, Bandol 2005 The nose is quite spicy, borrowing both brown and green entries from the spice rack. In the mouth this wine is quite substantial, big in structure and acidity that drives the flavor for a long … Continue reading
Posted in Bandol, France, Mourvedre, Provence
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Cline Mourvedre 2007
Cline, Contra Costa County, Ancient Vines, Mourvedre 2007 Give this some air as it is a little reductive upon first opening. In the mouth the black fruit is apparent with ample acidity and light body. P&B in Sonoma 15% $10.99 … Continue reading
Posted in California, Contra Costa County, Mourvedre
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Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage 2007
Alain Graillot, Crozes Hermitage 2007 In the nose you sense the classic black pepper along with a meatiness and herbal character, perhaps hinting at rosemary and thyme. In the mouth this is a structured Syrah, acidic and tannic, delicious and … Continue reading
Posted in Crozes-Hermitage, France, Rhône, Syrah
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