Quady, California, Vya, Extra Dry Vermouth nv The nose combines mint, ginger and a host of spices. In the mouth it is dry and spicy with a reminiscence of quinine’s bitterness – an intense mouth refresher!
The grapes are Colombard and Orange Muscat and the wine is infused with a bevy of botanicals. Winemaker Michael Blaylock. [...]

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Glen Ellen, California, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 There’s a sense of whole berries, sweet and a little tooty-fruity with a vanilla veneer.  In the mouth this wine is a bit sweet, quite fruity and fairly gripping – disappointing. Vinted and Bottled in Livermore and Ripon, CA 12.5% purchased for $3.59 at Bottle Barn

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Glen Ellen, California, Reserve Pinot Grigio 2008 It’s not terribly aromatic and it is a bit spiritous but it’s fairly dry and acidic and perfect for making a Kir. And the price is affordable. Vinted and Bottle no where near Glen Ellen, in Livermore and Ripon, CA 12% $3.59 at Bottle Barn

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Glen Ellen, California, Proprietor’s Reserve, Gamay Beaujolais, Valdiguie 2000 The nose is quite evolved, featuring raisins, tea, herbs. and some volatile burn. The mouth is quite delightful for the price and age of this wine, one that was not meant to be aged. It is soft and complex, showing the sweet expression of mature red [...]

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Ellipsis, Russian River Valley, Rose of Pinot Noir 2008 The color is in the range of cooked salmon and the nose has lost its expression of fruit. In the mouth the tanginess of raspberries is accompanied by a bit of creaminess. Given its evolution, it might be best to drink this up soon. Produced and [...]

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Benziger, Carneros, Chardonnay 2008 The nose features butter and vanilla and a bit of fresh oak. In the mouth the rich theme continues, with viscosity, butter and oakiness, with balancing acidity in the background. V&B in Graton 13.5% purchased for $10.99 at Bottle Barn Benziger

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Kelleher, Oakville, Napa Valley, Brix Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Toasty oak marks the nose along with Cassis. In the mouth this wine is supple and the oaky expression continues with a nice thread of acidity.The wine was aged in French oak for 2 years, 50% of which was new and 50% of which was once-filled [...]

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Raymond, Napa Valley, Reserve, Chardonnay 2008 The nose features the smell of fresh oak, stone fruit and a bit of coconut and banana. In the mouth it is smooth and restrained, showing richness without thickness – an elegant Chardonnay. This wine was fermented in stainless, 40% of it was aged in new and one year [...]

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Rusack, Santa Barbara, Chardonnay 2008 This is a toasty Chardonnay,with the oak out in force. You smell it immediately as your nose approaches the glass. In the mouth the oak is joined by tropical fruit and a bit of butter, making for a rich style of Chardonnay.
Produced & bottled in Solvang 14.2% $22.99 at Brown [...]

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Robledo, Lake County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This is a delightful Sauvignon.
The nose sports citrus and floral notes. In the mouth the wine is clean and vibrantly citrussy with a pleasant acidic zip. Produced and bottled in Kelseyville 14.3% $20 at the winery, a gift from a friend.
Robledo Family Vineyards

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Brassfield Estate, High Valley, High Serenity Ranch, Estate Bottled, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Give this a little air to allow the fruity aromatics to come to the fore. Then you’ll find pineapple and lemon laced with crushed green herbs. The mouth features a soft profile with moderate concentration.
The grapes behind this wine include 13.5% Semillon and [...]

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Domaine Chandon, California, Brut, Classic nv Unfortunately this wine was corked. The aromatics are dampened and the mouth is astringent. A sense of the dosage is the only element coming through.
I was concerned when I removed the foil from the top of the bottle. The smell of TCA was quite apparent. I removed the wire [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2007 In the nose you’ll find green apples and strawberries while in the mouth it is acidic, with a sense of apples that have been baked with brown sugar. 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay; the style was instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% [...]

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Beringer, California, California Collection, White Zinfandel 2008 You remember those hard candies, watermelon flavored?  Well here you have them in a glass, sweet and tart at the same time – very nice. 3 hours of skin contact provide the color. Based on previous vintages, the RS is about 3.5%. Vinted and bottled in St. Helena [...]

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Carol Shelton, Mendocino County, Rendezvous Rose 2008 The nose is vibrantly fruity, evocative of fresh raspberries and herbs. In the mouth it is dry and fruity, with a little warmth.  The RS adds some weight, filling our the wine and amplifying the fruitiness. The organically grown grapes are all Carignane sourced from the Cox Vineyeard. [...]

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Jayson, Napa Valley, Red 2005 This Bordeaux-style blend is opulently fruity and imminently approachable – no need to let this dawdle in the cellar. Our good friend Richard Trost brought this to dinner last night and we enjoyed it with a roasted pork tenderloin, served with a reduction sauce of pan drippings, white wine, mushrooms, [...]

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Kathryn Kenndy, Santa Cruz Mountains, Maridon Vineyard, Reserve, Syrah 2002 This was a delicious wine and I can’t tell you why for the notes are in a journal that I’ve misplaced. Yet I feel compelled to share the story – sometimes the deliciousness of a wine stands out strongly in memory even when the reasons [...]

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We had a great visit today with Kryss Speegle at Kenwood Vineyards. She took the class through a tasting of wines through the years so that everyone could experience the evolution a wine goes through, form early days to long term bottle aging. The crowning jewel of the tasting was this gem from the cellar:
Kenwood, [...]

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Luna, Napa Valley, Sangiovese 2007 This is a light-bodied and fruit forward Sangiovese to tickle the heart of died in the wool New World wine drinkers. I’m a huge fan of Sangiovese but often when I introduce a classic model from Tuscany, a number of people in class will be knocked over by the acidity. [...]

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Bodega Celdran, Sonoma County, Vinto Tinto, Reserva 2004
In the nose you’ll find read fruits and cedar with a bit of the sweet tobacco of Bordeaux. In the mouth the texture is supple, the fruit is ripe and an Old World sense of leather adds complexity – nice. The wine’s acidity is making my mouth water [...]

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I hope you don’t think that I’m on the payroll at Trione ’cause here is another review of a super wine. At the Chronicle judges’ dinner last week we were each given a gift-wrapped bottle of a wine to take home after dinner.
That meant that between Linda and I we had scored two bottles of [...]

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Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Pinot Noir 2008 In the nose you’ll find sweet red fruit with pastry notes, think cherry pie, warm and aromatic. In the mouth you’ll find a supple expression of that cherry pie, absolutely luscious. The fruit is sourced from a vineyard that the Trione’s have owned for over [...]

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This morning I visited with Henry Tennenbaum of KRON-TV 4. During our segment we sprinted through a tasting of these four Judges’ Choice Winners. My notes are just a brief snapshot from memory so pick up a bottle of each yourself and luxuriate in a slower pace over dinner to gain the full experience.

Navarro Vineyards, [...]

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Peterson, Dry Creek Valley, Timbercrest Farms, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 During my visit at Peterson earlier in 2009 I was enamored with the ‘08 Sauvignon and purchased a case. In May I wrote the following post: This wine is vibrant with citrus and accentuated by oakiness.
I often mention to my classes the pleasure and trepidation in [...]

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This flight provides a nice contrast of Sauvignon styles. You have the same winery, same county, same grape, same vintage, 2 vineyards and 2 takes on how to handle this grape in the winery. Both are great but as you’ll see in the notes, you might gravitate to one style or the other depending upon [...]

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Paul Hobbs, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 This is a truly delicious wine, showing the polish that you expect from Hobbs. Though it can improve in the cellar it is spot-on drinkable right now.
A good friend shared this with us at Christmas, when we paired it with Magret de Canard, with a reduction sauce made [...]

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This summer we had the opportunity to meet with winemaker Dave Galzignato. Our visit took us from Krug’s historical position in the Napa Valley to its modern incarnation, using a new sorting table to isolate the best of the best fruit, from vineyards that the family has seemingly owned forever.
This is the care that we [...]

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Josh Cellars, Lake County, Red Hills District, Amber Knolls Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 This is an ebulliently fruity Cabernet, featuring blueberries, blackberries and Cassis in the nose. In the mouth it is light-bodied and quite soft, very accessible right now, where the fruit is the key feature.
There’s no need to cellar this Cab. I’d open [...]

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Spragia Family Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 In the nose there is a blend of cedar, vanilla and black fruits. In the mouth there is a spot on integration of oak and fruit in a supple package, the structure of Cabernet behind the scenes, supporting the wine, while the edges are [...]

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Ottimino, Sonoma County, Zinfinity, Zinfandel 2006 The nose features vanilla and caramel, with a bit of black fruit, cocoa  and black pepper. In the mouth the fruit comes forward, a little jammy, in a light-bodied format, very supple and easy drinking. The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander [...]

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