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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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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Kent Rasmussen, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2006 There are very sweet, liquer-like aromas mixed with some barnyard notes for complexity. In the mouth this wine is supple and sweet-appearing, the fruit being quite concentrated. The finish goes on and on. P&B in St. Helena 13% $29.99 at the Wine Club
Kent Rasmussen Winery

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ZD, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2007

The nose features fresh and stewed fruits as well as leather. In the mouth the consistent acidity comes through making this a refreshing Pinot, lively and vibrant. This wine originates with Pinot grown in certified organic vineyards. The wine is then aged for 10 months in French oak. Winemaker Chris Pisani. [...]

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Bouchaine, Napa Valley - Carneros, Estate, Chardonnay 2006 The nose combines freshly split wood, vanilla, toast and stone fruits. The mouth is full-on with oak essence and butter layered over peaches and green apples. The wine received all of the bells and whistles from the winemaker, including battonage  as well as ML for 50% of [...]

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ZD, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2004 The black red fruits are jammy and sweet in the nose of this wine. This is developing nicely, with complexity coming with time in the bottle yet ample fruit at this youthful stage. This wine is very concentrated and has a polished texture - very nice. The wine was aged [...]

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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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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 ginger ale and candy-like flavors. The grapes are 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The base wine was created from [...]

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Buena Vista, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose is sweet vanilla while the mouth features red fruits, a light-body and vanilla sweetness. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s Ramal Vineyard. Produced in Sonoma and Bottled in Napa 13.5% $17.99 at Bottle Barn Buena Vista
Calstar Cellars, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 This is a concentrated [...]

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Angeline, Russian River Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 In the nose there are the competing smells of citrus, candy, flowers and a bit of mown grass. You taste the citrus with a sense of the lemon zest as well. There’s a frame of acidity as well to make this wine refreshing. This 100% Sauvignon comes to [...]

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Artesa, Carneros, Estate Reserve, Pinot Noir 2006 Artesa has been making some great wines and has shown greater success with their still wine program. This is a light-bodied, red fruit expression of Pinot with the warmth of alcohol. Winemaker David Dobson. P&B in Napa, 14.3% $50 at the winery Artesa
David Bruce, Santa Rita Hills, Pinot [...]

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Charles Creek, Napa County Carneros, Chardonnay, Por Favor 2006 There’s minerality and a touch of cheese in the nose and a bracing taste of stone fruits with some creaminess in the mouth. This Chardonnay is fermented in stainless and aged in neutral oak. V&B in Graton 14.7% $24.99 at the winery Charles Creek
Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis [...]

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Mumm Napa Napa Valley Devaux Ranch Methode Traditionnelle 2002
There’s lots of citrus with a hint of the zest and a touch of alcohol. The grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the wine was aged 3 years on the lees. P&B in Rutherford 12.5% $30 at the winery Mumm
Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Vintage Reserve, Royal Cuvee, [...]

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Here we take another look at variations on the taste and feel of dry red wine.
ZD Carneros Pinot Noir 2006
Lots of sweet cherries and palpable acidity make this a refreshing Pinot. This wine originates with Pinot grown in certified organic vineyards. The wine is then aged for 10 months in French oak. Winemaker Chris Pisani. [...]

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So many of us enjoy dry white wine. Yet what is dry is not one thing, as we see in the case of these two dry white wines.
Benziger Sonoma Valley MacLeod Family Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006
This is crisp citrus in a bottle. The Benziger family is a leaders in sustainable practices and encourages a similar [...]

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Tonight we taste 8 different bubblies on the pink side, from Spain, north to Burgundy and Champagne and finally back home to California.
Codorniu Cava Pinot Noir Brut nv
Earthy and coarse - a real disappointment. All Pinot Noir fermented in the bottle tasted, as in methode champenoise. Elaborador in Saint Sadurni d’Anoia in the Penedes 12% [...]

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This flight of 5, charts 3 vintages and 4 appellations. See the ‘Focus on Arlaud’ for the last of this flight.
Lost Canyon Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch Morelli Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
Raisins, evolving fruit and warmth show on the palate, with some astringency. P&B in Oakland, CA 14.6% $42 at the winery Lost Canyon
Robert [...]

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Etude Carneros Pinot Noir Rose 2006
Lots of strawberry to smell and the palate features refreshing acidity with a glistening sheen of creamy fruit. P&B in Napa 13.9% $19.95 at Traverso’s Etude

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Domaine Chandon etoile Brut
This is true to type with the house style of forward fruit and a soft profile. The fruit source for this wine is 54% from Napa and 46% from Sonoma. After primary ferment this wine was put in the bottle for its secondary ferment in 2001 and aged for 5 years on [...]

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Much of our North American Sparkling features Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This flight features one of each, in the full expression of their color.
Iron Horse Sonoma County Green Valley Estate Bottled Blanc de Blancs 2001
This wine sports tart green apples and toasty notes. As in Champagne production, this is 100% Chardonnay. The wine is fermented [...]

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Havens Napa Valley Carneros Albarino 2006
This wines has been a spot-on fresh example of Albarino; I only wish it was more widely available. P&B in Napa 12.5% $19.49 at Bottle Barn Havens

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Tasting through this flight of 3 can give you a sense of your favorite style of white wine. Perhaps you love the full on acidity of the Hanna, prefer the richness of the Benziger or find the light sweetness of the Lohr most appealing. Like me, you may enjoy them all, at different times and [...]

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Robert Stemmler Carneros Vin Gris Pinot Noir Rose 2006
As the winter comes on strong we might be inclined to skip the pink wine. Yet this wine can stand in well where you would normally think of serving a crisp white wine. P&B in Santa Rosa 14% $22 at the Wine Emporium Stemmler

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J. Wilkes Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vyds Pinot Blanc 2005
Clean, lime and candy like a Riesling, quite dry with perhaps a bit of warmth which disappearred with chilling, long flavor of lime Bot. in Sant Maria 14.1% $20 at the Wine Emporium.
Ancien Carneros Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Gris 2006
Fresh fruit galore to smell, lusch fruit, [...]

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Nelson Estate Sonoma Valley Bennett Valley Vineyard Malbec 2004
The nose is oak city and the palate is very supple with moderate acidity and a long finish. I think that many will find this wine agreeable and readily approachable. Aged in Fr oak for 18 mos. C&B in Healdsburg 13.6% $21.99 at Bottle Barn Nelson [...]

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This flight features 2 Best of Class Winners in the Fair. The first is the BOC Chardonnay under $20, which came up through our panel of judges. The third wine is the BOC Chardonnay above $20 that went on to take the sweeps. In between is a star from Burgundy for contrast and benchmarking.
Benziger [...]

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