Buena Vista, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2005 There is warm, sweet, stewed fruit with brown spices in the nose. The mouth is oaky, soft in texture with acidity to frame it yet it’s warm and the fruit is receding. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s Ramal Vineyard. The wine was aged in oak for 8 [...]

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Roche, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2006 In the nose there’s cherry liqueur, earth and a sense of oxidation. The palate is quite gripping. Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled in Sonoma 14.5% $27.95 at the winery Roche Winery

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Toad Hollow, Sonoma County, Eye of the Toad, Pinot Noir, Dry Rose 2007 Fresh, aromatic and fruity in the nose; plush and very fruity in the mouth. V&B in Sonoma 11.5% $7.99 at Bottle Barn Toad Hollow Cellars

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Schramsberg, North Coast, Reserve 2001 The nose is very smoky and toasty, with a sense of freshly buttered pastry. In the mouth, the wine is reminiscent of a fresh pastry made with lemon and custard and topped with lots of lime cordial - a sweet-tart essense that is quite long. This wine is very rich, [...]

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Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Late Disgorged, Carneros Cuvee, Brut 1998 There is lots of perfume in the nose and the mouth is soft and a bit sweeter than other bubblies labeled as brut, a sparkler with candy-like flavors. The grapes are 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The base wine was created from the 1998 vintage. [...]

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Chateau du Cedre, Cahors, Cedre, Heritage 2004 The grapes are 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot. The nose combines the rugged side of wine-love, with horse blanket, cheese and ripe berry fruit. In the mouth the wine is quite tannic and strongly reminiscent of the horse, certainly too much so for many drinkers. This is the [...]

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Barry Collier has created a paradise for his grapes above the Dry Creek Valley. If you were a grape, you would want to be planted under his care. The hillside vineyards are steep and the views are incredible. The highest points are above the fog line, where the grapes benefit from a bigger bath of [...]

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Kendall-Jackson, Santa Barbara 63% and Monterey County 37%, Grand Reserve, Pinot Noir 2005 There’s sweet, candied fruit smells and a supple, fruity palate graced by the sweetness of oak. The grapes are all Pinot Noir. The wine was aged in 100% French oak (36% new) for 9-10 months GP&B in Soledad 14.5% $25 at the [...]

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Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir 2000 This winery just won sweepstakes red at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for one of its 2005 single vineyard bottlings from the Sonoma Coast. This regional bottling takes us back in time 8 years from the date of this tasting. The nose has developed dried and [...]

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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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deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2004 The nose combines bananas, caramel and minerality. The mouth is viscous without being cloying showcasing the tropical fruit in a rich way, as if dazzled with honey. The botrytised grapes behind the ‘04 are 56% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Muscat, 169 g/l RS. GP&B [...]

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Lincourt, Santa Barbara County, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s cooked fruit, cherries and plums that you might warm through for topping your ice cream. The palate shows the follow-on in the mouth in a supple format. This wine is a compilation of fruit from the Santa Maria Valley and the Rancho Santa Rosa property that is [...]

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Rosenblum Cellars, Lodi, Ripkin Ranch, Late Harvest Viognier, Lot 34 This is peaches in a glass with a thick mouthfeel, a little heat and the low acidity that often marks Viognier. The fruit was botritised and harvested at 36 brix. The final RS is 10%. P&B in Alameda 14% $14.49 for a 375ml bottle at [...]

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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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R, Clarksburg, Salman Vineyard, Cabernet Franc 2006 The nose combines vanilla with red fruits and a little cedar. There is suppleness to the palate and a moderate amount of Cab Franc’s natural acidity with plenty of California fruit. The vineyard is located on Sutter Island. If you haven’t been to Clarksburg you must make the [...]

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Voss, Napa Valley, Rutherford Estate Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 There’s a sense of gooseberries, candied tropical fruits and a little bell pepper. The fruitiness comes through even more so on the palate in a refreshingly dry yet not austere way.
The grapes were picked in mid-August and treated to a 24 hour cold soak after crushing. [...]

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Domaine Frank Millet, Sancerre 2007 Citrus and grassiness come to the top of the glass. In the mouth, there’s a real sense of grapefruit, with its acidity and an appropriate touch of bitterness. This has been a perennial value from the appellation. Sourced from grapes grown near the domaine in Bue. Mis en bouteille a [...]

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