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: November 2009
Napa Valley Cabernet 2005
In this flight we are tasting wines from the 2005 vintage. Each is labeled Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. Mount Veeder Winery, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 There’s a good bit of capsicum in the nose with a note … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Napa Valley
Tagged Charles Creek, Louis M. Martini Winery, Merryvale, Mount Veeder Winery
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Wilson Petite Sirah 2005
Wilson Winery, Dry Creek Valley, Ellie’s Vineyard, Petite Sirah 2005 The nose is earthy and peppery while in the mouth the wine is chewy, possessing the structure you’re looking for with that prime rib. Proprietors Ken and Diane Wilson, GP&B … Continue reading
Posted in California, Dry Creek Valley, Petite Sirah, Sonoma County
Tagged Earthquake, Wilson Winery
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Sonoma County Pinot Noirs 2007
Balletto, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2007 Sweet, ripe fruit fills the glass, a blend of cherries and raspberries. In the mouth there is also a touch of caramel, light body, smooth texture and long acidity … Continue reading
Posted in California, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Tagged Balletto, Vision Cellars
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Sonoma County Sauvignons 2007
Rancho Zabaco, Russian River, Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 There’s a nice spot of grassiness in the nose, with green peppers and grapefruit zest. In the mouth the grapefruit comes through with a nice level of refreshing acidity. Produced & bottled … Continue reading
Six Sigma Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Six Sigma, Lake County, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 There’s a freshness to this Cabernet that focuses on blueberries and cherries, with the intensity of black currants fashioned into Cassis. The fruit is so available that you might suspect that this wine … Continue reading
Gallo Estate Chardonnay 2005 take 2
Ernest & Julio Gallo, Sonoma Coast, Estate, Chardonnay 2005 This wine is firing on all cylinders: the fruit, the acidity and the complexing agents of the winemaker.This is a wine that would make an aritisan in the village of Meursault … Continue reading
Posted in California, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County
Tagged Ernest & Julio Gallo
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S. Coquillette Les Cles
S. Coquillette, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut, Les Cles nv Give this some air to blow off the stinkiness then the complexity of baked apples emerges. In the mouth there is a soft profile, with lemony acidity and nice length. The … Continue reading
Pierre Morlet Champagne Grande Reserve
Pierre Morlet, Champagne, Premier Cru, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a lovely biscuit character in the nose, graced with flowers. In the mouth there is lots of green apple and plenty of acidity in the elegant sparkler. The grapes behind … Continue reading
Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Dry
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Pommery Brut Royal
Pommery, Champagne, Brut Royal nv Sweet flowers greet the nose when you smell this wine, with citrus and candy. In the mouth you taste fresh fruit, with a complementary dosage, roundness and lingering candy – nice. The primary grapes behind … Continue reading
Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Sparkling Dry
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Saint Esteve de Neri Blanc de Blancs
Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri, Blancs de Blancs, Methode Traditionnelle, Brut nv The nose features cooked stone fruits and orange marmelade. In the mouth there is a mix of caramel and baked peaches with a bit of bitterness. The estate … Continue reading
Cava
This flight features two methode traditionnelle sparklers from Spain. Parxet, Cava, Cuvee 21, Brut nv This Cava smells of herbs with a chemical note while in the mouth it tastes of green apples and there is quite an astringency – … Continue reading
Posted in Chardonnay, Macabeo, Parellada, Penedes, Spain, Sparkling Dry, Xarel.lo
Tagged Gramona, Parxet
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Sbragia Home Ranch Chardonnay 2007
Spragia Family Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley – Sonoma County, Home Ranch, Chardonnay 2007 This is a rich style of Chardonnay that strikes the balance between fruit, acidity, butteriness and oak. We always dissect these components in the classroom, looking at … Continue reading
Chronicle Pinot Noirs 2006
Chronicle, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose sports sweet cherry and raspberries, with vanilla and cinnamon. The mouth shows these fruits again in a sleek format, a texture that is silky and ripe – delicious. Think about this Pinot … Continue reading
Posted in Anderson Valley, California, Mendocino County, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County
Tagged Chronicle
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Prager Noble Companion Tawny Port
Prager, Napa Valley, Noble Companion, Tawny Port You’ll find golden raisins, dates, nuttiness and a sense of the spirit in the nose – but more than that. The fruit character is citrussy, like oranges stuck with cloves and drizzled with … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Fortified dessert, Napa Valley, Port
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Napa Valley reds from the 2000 vintage
Conn Creek Winery, Napa Valley, Limited Release, Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 The fruit is flagging in the nose where the sense of spirit has taken over. But the fruit still puts in an appearance when you put the wine in your … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux Style Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Meritage, Napa Valley
Tagged Conn Creek, Cosentino
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La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
La Jota Vineyard Co., Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 The nose if full of brown spices, cinnamon and cloves with a sense of minerality, candy and a spirituous character. Unfortunately the wine is drying out, … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Tagged La Jota Vineyard Co.
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Howell Mountain Cabernet 2004
Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 The nose features sweet and toasty oak with a sense of brandied berries warmed on the stove. In the mouth the wine is chewy and tart, craving a piece of red … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Tagged Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain Vineyards
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Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet 2005
Robert Craig, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 The nose combines the best of California’s fruit with Bordeaux’s leafiness. There’s cherry and vanilla with bay leaves and cigar box. In the mouth it is super dense, with the acidity … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Tagged Robert Craig Wine Cellars
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Nickel & Nickel Vogt Cabernet 2005
Nickel & Nickel Winery, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain, Vogt Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 I find an effusive sweetness in the nose, a signature ripe character that I consistently associate with the wines of this estate. There’s Cassis and vanilla, toasty … Continue reading
Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Tagged Nickel & Nickel
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Napa Valley Rutherford Reds
Trinchero Winery, Napa Valley, Rutherford, Chicken Ranch Vineyard, Merlot 2005 Give the wine a bit of air for 10 minutes or so to blow off a bit of funk. Then the plummy fruit combines with the wet forest floor and … Continue reading
Folie a Deux Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Folie a Deux, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a Sauvignon that smells quite pretty, blending flowers with citrus fruits. In the mouth the citrus story continues, with some thickness and a little viscosity – nice. The grapes are … Continue reading
Domaine Carneros Le Reve 2002
Domaine Carneros, Carneros, Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Le Reve 2002 There is the typical sweetness to this wine with a smokiness and an uncharacteristic herbaceous note. The grapes are Chardonnay with the possibility of some Pinot Blanc and the wine … Continue reading
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Champagne, La Grande Dame, Brut 1998 The nose features an evolving medley of dried fruits and nuttiness. In the mouth it is quite acidic, tasting of oranges and brown spices. The unfortunate thing about this particular bottle … Continue reading
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs up to date
Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Methode Champenoise, Blanc de Noirs nv This is a newer bottling than that reviewed back in the fall of ’07, with a change of appellation from Sonoma County to Carneros. There’s a stinkiness that stuck with this … Continue reading
Posted in California, Carneros, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Dry, Sparkling Lightly Sweet
Tagged Gloria Ferrer
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Allimant-Laugner Rose
Allimant-Laugner, Cremant d’Alsace, Rose nv There’s a light sense of fresh biscuits in the nose and tangy cherry fruit in the mouth with a lingering creaminess. This makes for a nice, clean, inexpensive alternative to Champagne when you would like … Continue reading
Posted in Alsace, Cremant d'Alsace, France, Pinot Noir, Sparkling Dry
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Segura Viudas Aria Estate Brut
Segura Viudas, Cava, Estate Brut, Aria nv Unfortunately this wine is displaying chemical notes and an astringent grip – not nice. This is traditional method sparkling, fermented in the bottle opened and produced in Torrelavit 11.5% $8.99 at Bottle Barn … Continue reading
Ruggeri Giustino B. 2007
Ruggeri, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Giustino B., Extra Dry 2007 This wine combines the classic sense of bubble gum with tropical fruit and the amplitude of a little sweetness. The grapes are all Prosecco. The Bisol family been making wine in … Continue reading
Family wineries in California
The Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers hosted a seminar and tasting yesterday to showcase the passing of the torch in California’s winegrowing families. Featured speakers included Warren Bogle, whose family has been farming in Clarksburg for … Continue reading
Posted in Anderson Valley, California, Carneros, Chardonnay, Clarksburg, Gewurztraminer, Mendocino County
Tagged Benziger, Bogle, Navarro Vineyards
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St. James Friendship School Red
St. James Winery, Ozark Mountain, Friendship School Red nv This is mildly sweet and light-bodied with a little grapiness. The grape behind this wine is the French hybrid Rougeon. P&B in St. James, Missouri 12.5% $7.99 at the winery St. … Continue reading
Alto Moncayo veraton 2007
Bodegas Alto Moncayo, Campo De Borja DO, veraton 2007 The oaky notes ring loud and clear with sweet red candy and a soft, rich profile. This wine is 100% Garnacha. Winemaker Chris Ringland from Australia. Estate bottled in Bulbuente 15.5% … Continue reading
Posted in Campo De Borja, Grenache, Spain
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