Clif Family Winery, California, The Climber, White Wine 2008 The fruit is dazzling when you pour this in the glass. There’s lots of ripe citrus with floral and tropical notes. The focus on fruit continues on the palate, where the acidity is crisp, framing the taste of fresh orange and tangerine - very nice.
The grapes [...]

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Six Sigma, Lake County, Rooster Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine is amazingly fresh for an ‘06 California Sauvignon. There’s plenty of citrus in the nose as well as some freshly mown grass. In the mouth, the acidity is dazzling and there is a bit of honeyed roundness - very nice. The high acidity and [...]

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deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2006 This is rich and tropical with a lovely sense of dried apricots and balancing acidity. The botrytised grapes behind the wine are 55% Muscat Blanc and 45% Semillon, harvested at 29.9 degrees brix. The final wine has 126 g/l RS. P&B in Geyserville 11.4% $15.79 for [...]

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Carol Shelton, Russian River Valley, Fanucchi Vineyard, Sweet Caroline, Trousseau Gris 2006 This is a light-bodied dessert wine from a grape that makes some very acidic table wines. There’s actually a grapy character to this wine that I associate with labrusca grapes, e.g., Concord. The grapes were harvested at 30 degrees brix and the final [...]

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Haywood, Sonoma Valley, Los Chamizal Vineyard, Estate, Zinfandel 2006 The nose puts together many facets of Zin.  There’s pruniness, black pepper and a sense of Port. In the mouth, this is a structured Zin, supporting plenty of fruit and a long finish. Grown, produced and bottled in Sonoma 14.6% $30 at the winery Haywood Winery

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Rodney Strong, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Reserve, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose is shut down and the mouth is fairly astringent. I suspect a low level of TCA is cloaking the true nature of this wine. Tom Klein owner and Rick Sayre winemaker P&B Healdsburg 15.2% $50 at the winery Rodney Strong

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Woodenhead, Russian River Valley, Buena Tierra Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
There’s liqueur-like black fruit in the nose and a supple, ripe mouthful of berries.P&B in Forestville 14.5% $55 at the winery Woodenhead

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Acorn, Russian River Valley, Alegria Vineyards, Sangiovese 2006 Cherry and vanilla mark the nose while the mouth features cherry fruit, Sangiovese’s characteristic acidity, a light dusting of tannin and a bit of creaminess - nice. The grapes for this wine are 98% Sangiovese (7 different clones), 1% Canaiolo and 1% Mammolo. Winegrowers Betsy and Bill [...]

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Bedrock Wine Co., Sonoma Valley, Ode to Lulu, Rose of Mourvedre 2008 This is a broader style of rose reminiscent of the south of France with hints of brick to see a little added weight on the palate. The grapes for this wine came from vines planted in 1888. After crushing, the grapes were allowed [...]

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Balletto, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2008 Fruity and dry rose for the upcoming heat! P&B by Laguna Oaks Vineyards & Winery in Santa Rosa 13.6% $10.99 at Bottle Barn Balletto

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Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The smell of this wine is quite rich and the mouth follows suit. Yet the rich buttery oakiness is balanced by a lemony essence, keeping it bright - delicious. The wine was barrel fermented and then aged for 13 months. The oak was French and 50% [...]

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Cline, Los Carneros, Viognier 2007 This is beautifully aromatic, very floral and clean. In the mouth there is a fatness to the feel, lowish in acidity with the taste of peaches and a bit of the bitterness that you might get from a bite of the stone inside. Estate grown & bottled in Sonoma 14.5% [...]

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Benziger, Russian River Valley, Shone Farm, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 There’s a pleasant grassiness to this wine with plenty of citrus. In the mouth it is bone-dry and very concentrated. This bottle that we’re tasting tonight has evolved a little prematurely. The wine was fermented in stainless. This back vintage was kicking around in storage. P&B [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2006 As in previous vintages, there’s a nice sense of green apples through and through, making this arguably Korbel’s best and most refreshing sparkler. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; styled instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% dosage, P&B Guerneville. 12.5% $10.69 at Bottle [...]

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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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Annapolis Winery, Sonoma Coast, Zinfandel 2005 This is a very jammy Zin. Proprietors are the Scalabrini family. P&B in Annapolis 16.6% $26 at the winery Annapolis Winery

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Hirsch Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s lots of sweet vanilla, loads of oak. This is very ripe, the essence of berries in the mouth with a supple texture. P&B in Cazadero 14.5% $59.99 at Bottle Barn Hirsch Vineyards

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Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Armagh Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
This is a sweet smelling Pinot, full of cherry liqueur. The mouth is driven by cherries as well, with plenty of acidity. This is a light-bodied wine with a bit of grip as well. The previous vintage of this wine won big at the Chronicle Wine Competition. [...]

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Peter Michael Winery, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 The oak comes through in a big way - overtop of the fruit. In the mouth this wine is quite rich, tropical and oaky with a glistening viscosity and great length. Besides the Sauvignon there is 9% Semillon in the mix. The grapes for this [...]

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Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Hummingbird Hill Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine smells of candied citrus. In the mouth it is ripping with acidity yet rounded off a bit with some silkiness. There is also a sense of the alcohol showing. 35% of the wine was barrel fermented and the wine spent 6 months [...]

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Handley, Anderson Valley, Pinot Noir 2006 This year the AV Pinot is a little warmer than in the past, with veery ripe berries showing through in the mouth. Winemaker Milla Handley. P&B in Philo 14.5% $23.99 at Bottle Barn Handley

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Fleury Estate Winery, Napa Valley, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2007 The smell is sweet, as of cherries and cream. In the mouth,the taste is reminiscent of cherry pie, with some brown spices and the texture is silky perfection. We tasted this at the winery on Saturday and tonight it’s a delight to taste it again. Proprietors [...]

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Siduri, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pisoni Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2007 The smell combines berries and the forest floor. In the mouth, the fruit is almost a bit liqueur-like, very ripe and a little warm. P&B in Santa Rosa 14.1% $47.99 at Bottle Barn Siduri Wines

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Trecini, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine offers the pleasure of Sauternes at a good price - honey, complexity and zippy lemons. The grapes for this wine were harvested at 44 brix, 11 degrees higher than the previous vinatage. RS is 100 grams/litre. P&B Santa Rosa 11.5% $19.99 for [...]

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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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JC Cellars, Rockpile, Rockpile Vineyard, Haley’s Reserve, Syrah 2005 This is a sweet smelling Syrah, like candy with a little spike of spirit. The mouth is quite dense, with vanilla overlapping the fruit. The texture is plush and refined, displaying just a little warmth. The grapes are grown by Rod and Cathy Park at 2000 [...]

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Kistler, Sonoma Mountain, Athearn Estate, McCrea Vineyard, Chardonnay 2006 The nose is full-on butter and bread dough with flinty notes, a sense of minerality. In the mouth the richness quadruples, with boatloads of butter and hints of lemon and green apple coming through with time in the glass. The wine was barrel fermented, treated to [...]

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Orogeny, Green Valley of Russian River, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose is brimming with sweet black fruit, liquer-like, maybe pie-like as well. The mouth features berries in a jammy way. The acidic frame balances the wine and drives the flavor for a long time - very nice.  P&B in Santa Rosa 14.1% $27.99 at Bottle [...]

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Iron Horse, Green Valley of Sonoma County, Estate, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose features plenty of cherries and a sense of the forest floor. In the mouth, the cherries repeat with some cola, warmth, tart acidity and a bit of astringent grip. Grown, Produced & Bottled in Sebastopol 14.5% $32.49 at Bottle Barn
Iron Horse

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Chalk Hill Estate Winery, Chalk Hill, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine is quite smoky and full of toasty notes. In the mouth, the impression is of richness, a wine that is quite viscous despite the suppression of malolactic fermentation. There’s a bit of citrus zip to balance the richness, a lingering [...]

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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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