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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Benziger, Sonoma Mountain, Tribute 2005 There’s a beautiful expression of fruit graced by oak in the nose. In the mouth the fruit is juicy, vibrant. The wine is structured for aging yet is accessible now along side a nice New York. The grapes are farmed biodynamically and the mix is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet [...]

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Rockpile Winery, Rockpile, Buck Pasture, Red Wine 2005 The nose is rather closed upon first opening this wine, with hints of Cassis and new oak. The mouth shows demonstrable acidity and lots of fresh oak to accent the black currants. I don’t have the varietal breakdown on this vintage but the ‘06 might be a [...]

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von Strasser, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 The sense of the mountain comes through in this wine, structured and able to age. The palate is chewing (I meant to say chewy, didn’t I - though it is interesting to think of the image, since we’re always speaking of wine as a livning [...]

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Crossbarn, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
The fruit is lovingly on display in this wine - think cassis with a hint of tobacco for complexity. In the mouth it is a delight, ripe yet with a polished structure. This label is the second wine from Hobbs. P&B by Paul Hobbs Winery in Sebastopol 14.5% $42.99 at [...]

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Chateau Rouget, Pomerol 2005 This wine shows the classic example of tolerated brett. There are Band-Aids competing with ripe fruits in the nose. With 30 minutes the fruit starts to strut into the open. The mouth features the same with a supple texture, rustic yet velvelty, with a juiciness to the fruit. The property is [...]

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Alvaro Palacios, Priorat DOC, Les Terrasses 2006 There’s an appropriate amount of brett in the nose, offering complexity to the red fruit notes. In the mouth this is a chewy wine, showing the structure we associate with this rugged region. Let this wine settle into the cellar for a few years or if you must [...]

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Bodegas Borsao, Campo de Borja DO, Crianza, seleccion 2007

There’s plenty of sweet oak to greet you when you pick up the glass. The mouth features more of the same with ripe fruit and enough acidity to make this wine a food friendly value. The grapes are 50% Garnacha, 25% Tempranillo and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon [...]

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Trione, Alexander Valley, Geyserville Ranch, Red Wine 2005
In the nose there is cassis and tobacco, a blend of California and Bordeaux. In the mouth, there is the taste of dark chocolate and berries and a fully-structured palate - just a baby. The grapes behind this wine are 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Petit [...]

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Canzona Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 There are sweet smells of caramel and vanilla, bright cherry fruit, cassis and a hint of cigar box. The mouthfeel is supple. Certainly the structure of Cabernet is there to experience, but the tannins are ripe and velvety, making this is an elegant Cabernet, a pleasure to drink [...]

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Jordan de Asso, Carinena DO, Crianza 2005 This wine features a great balance of oak and fruity flavors, driven by a long sense of acidity. The grapes behind this blend are 40% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Syrah. The wine was aged in 100% French oak for one year plus a year in bottle [...]

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Geyser Peak, Alexander Valley, Reserve Alexandre, Meritage 1999 The nose is drying out yet there is quite a bit of chocolate to enjoy. The mouth has reached a rather astringent phase, drying out. The acidity is carrying some nice elements of dried cherry along but honestly this wine has gone over the hill at year [...]

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Agricola Punica, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, Barrua 2004
Earthy notes dominate the nose initially along with dried and pruny fruit. The mouth features ripe New World-like fruit with substantial structure. Give this baby some time in the cellar. Bottled in Santadi 14% $49.95 at Traverso’s Agricola Punica

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Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse, Pauillac, Grand Cru Classe 2005 The nose features sweet black fruit, earthiness and wet stones. In the mouth there is an appropriate amount of acidity, a little on the tart side with ripe tannins and a moderate level of concentration. The style is fresh with an Old World sense of acidity making [...]

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Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux de Provence, Rouge 2006
As in previous vintages, the band-aids are working in tandem with the black fruits. The mouth also repeats a similar profile in that it is quite gripping with much astringency. The Reserve du Mas has always been a favorite of mine but this wine, the Cuvee [...]

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Carter, Napa Valley, Oakville, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 20009 Almost 9 years on this wine is hitting its stride. The nose shows the bottle bouquet development of exotic spices like sandelwood. There’s a healthy mix of dried fruits and herbs, cinnamon and orange, all speaking the sweet-appearing smells that develop with time. In the mouth, [...]

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Returning late after teaching my Wine Marketing class tonight I opened an innocuous Pinot Grigio while reading the mail. Linda made an extraordinary meatloaf the other night so I decided to open a red to drink with that after a quick reheat in the microwave. It’s after 10:00 p.m. and I wasn’t planning on writing [...]

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Dancing Bull, California, Winemaker’s Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 The nose reminds one of a dusty road with sweet flowers and fruit in the background. In the mouth, this Cabernet is a supple, easy drink, mildly sweet and easy. Besides the Cabernet there is a bit of Merlot, Syrah, Zin and who knows what in the [...]

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Sebeka, Western Cape, “Cape Blend”, Shiraz Pinotage 2007 There’s a sense of sweet black fruit and oak in the nose that carries through in the mouth as well. The wine is extremely soft and low in acidity with a touch of residual sugar. The grapes are 58% Shiraz and 42% Pinotage. V&B by Swartland Winery [...]

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Domaine de Trevallon, Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhone 2005 The nose sports the sort of lively, jammy fruit that we associate with California Zinfandel. Obviously it’s not, but its the intensity of the fruit that I trying to get at. With this, you have the green essences of Cab in a green pepper [...]

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The Rhone Rangers hosted a seminar yesterday featuring wines that pay homage to the grapes made famous in France’s Rhone Valley. The seminar was not bound by geography; there were wines from both sides of the Atlantic. The seminar was also not bound by tradition as we tasted blends based on combining Syrah and Cabernet [...]

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Flora Springs, Napa Valley, Trilogy 2001 There is a medley of brown spices in the nose and a supple, now is the time to drink this, profile in the mouth. There’s complexity and the acidic frame carrying on - nice. The grapes are 50% Cabernet, 30% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. P&B in St. Helena [...]

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Clos du Marquis, Saint-Julien 2003 There is vibrant sweet, black fruit in the nose. In the mouth you could swear this wine is from the New World. While the structure associated with Bordeaux is on stage in this wine, the fruit is vivacious and the tannins are quite ripe. This is the second wine of [...]

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Clos LaChance, Central Coast, Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Sourced exclusively from the winery’s vineyard in San Martin. You knew them first from the days in Saratoga 14.5% $30 at the winery LaChance

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Adobe Road, Knights Valley, Cabernet Franc 2005 This is perfectly ripe Cab Franc - no veg to smell at all, just lots of berries. The structure of Cab Franc is in the mouth combining with the fruit and filled out by the oak. This is very long and has time to age. Proprietors Kevin & [...]

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Ramazzotti, Sonoma County, Raffinto, Red Wine 2005
This smells like a walk in the oak forest where some of the trees have been freshly felled - an intertwining of oak and earth.  The mouth is vivaciously fruity with the oak to match and a smooth texture. This is the winery’s Super Tuscan offering, blending 60% [...]

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Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc 2004 The smells are a mix of earth, cedar, toasty oak and a fitting amount of the barnyard. The mouth if full of plummy fruit with grip. This is definitely leaner and tighter than the ‘05 which is quite seductive already. Give it at least 30 minutes to open up though the [...]

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This week I had an opportunity to visit with Joseph Otos to talk about his winemaking philosophy and the brands that he is putting on the map, Willowbrook and Owl Ridge.
Both brands are crafted in Sebastopol’s rabbit warren of entrepreneurship that I described during my August visit with Rick Davis and Greg La Follette. Joe [...]

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Corte Gardoni, Bardolino, DOC Le Fontane 2006 The previous vintage sported a Beaujolais-like character, in the Nouveau vein, a carbo-mac fruit bomb with very light body – ideal for lunch in the sun when you demand red wine. This current vintage was quite stinky at the outset, but the fruit popped out later, in a [...]

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Wine Cube, California, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 It’s definitely easier to maintain one’s self-delusional status by not talking about or tasting or drinking wine from a box. Yet we have to speak out when the wine is serviceable and the carbon footprint of all we eat and drink is a hot topic of conversation.
First the wine [...]

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Some heavyweights are elegant on their feet, others draw lots of money in their direction and some are quite big. This post explores famous names and rising stars across the price spectrum.
Quintessa, Rutherford Napa Valley, Red Wine 2004 There’s ample black fruit and subtle, integrated oak to smell. In the mouth the tannin is ripe [...]

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