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 of caramel and a very chewy experience in the mouth. The grapes behind this wine include [...]

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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 in Healdsburg 14.2% $35 for the current release ‘06 at the winery, a gift to [...]

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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 – perfect for Sunday’s roast chicken. P&B by Laguna Oaks Vineyards & Winery in [...]

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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 in Healdsburg 13.9% $18 suggested retail, a gift to the class from the SFCWC
Rancho Zabaco [...]

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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 is younger than the vintage indicates. The structure is on the softer side making this [...]

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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 quite proud, where richness matches acidity, creating a wine to drink today yet able to [...]

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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 grapes behind this Champagne are all Pinot Noir. Elabore par Stephane Coquillette a Chouilly 12% [...]

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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 this wine are 74% Pinot Noir and 26% Chardonnay. Primary fermentation takes place in wood [...]

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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 this wine are Chardonnay from the Cotes des Blancs. Produced in Reims 12.5% $34.99 at [...]

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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 farms 13 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Luberon. The grapes for this wine [...]

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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 – unfortunate. The grapes behind this bubbly are Pansa Blanca, Macabeo and Parellada. Elabaorado in Tiana 11.5% [...]

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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 them individually and how asking they work as a team. The teamwork is what [...]

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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 when you want one to drink straight away; the soft profile makes it immediately accessible.
[...]

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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 brandy in preparation for a cafe diablo.
In the mouth there is chocolate, even more so, [...]

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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 mouth,  with a sense of cranberries on a spread of velvet. The grapes are 100% [...]

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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, a bit past its best days. Produced and bottled in Angwin 14.5% $60 for the [...]

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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 meat. Produced and bottled in Napa 13.7% $85 at the winery, a gift to the [...]

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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 to make the fruit shine and a comparable amount of chewy tannin – very nice. [...]

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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 oak and chocolate. In the mouth the black currant flavor is vibrant, with obvious structure [...]

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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 a bit cedar in the nose. In the mouth plums and raspberries come through [...]

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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 all Sauvignon and the winemaking was all in stainless steel. Produced and bottled in [...]

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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 was aged for 6 years, before release. Estate grown, produced and bottled in Napa 12% [...]

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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 is the cork taint blurring the full enjoyment of what I would expect is a [...]

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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 wine. I didn’t want to believe it as it has always been such a consistent performer [...]

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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 a bit of bubbly from France. Mis en bouteille par Hubert Laugner in Orschwiller 12.5% [...]

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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 Segura Viudas

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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 the region since the 16th Century and this bottling is dedicated to Giustino Bisot who [...]

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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 6 generations. I’ve often featured their great value wines on this blog and in my classes. [...]

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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. James Winery

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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% $21.69 at Bottle Barn

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