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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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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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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Six Sigma, Lake County, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 There’s a freshness to this Cabernet that focuses on blueberries and cherries, with the intensity of black currants fashioned into Cassis. The fruit is so available that you might suspect that this wine is younger than the vintage indicates. The structure is on the softer side making this [...]

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Bell, Lake County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine speaks of grapefruit, crisp and refreshing. The grapes are all Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Rosenthal Vineyard in southern Lake. The wine was made exclusively in stainless. Cellared and bottled in Yountville 12.5% $15 at the winery though now sold out, a gift to the class from [...]

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Like Rosenblum Cellars on the San Francisco Bay, you can literally arrive by boat when you visit Ceago Vinegarden. The estate takes its name from a Pomo Indian word and is pronounced in the same way as Diego. It is situated in a gem of a spot on the northeastern shore of Clear Lake, in [...]

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With the 2005 vintage, Byron Kosuge is fully in charge of the winemaking at Tejada. In June we sampled the 05s with Ibo Tejada and his family at their estate in Lake County. The estate is noted for its focus on the grapes of Spain, cultivated organically.
Tejada, Lake County, Tempranillo 58% Garnacha 42% 2005 This [...]

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Guenoc, Guenoc Valley, Serpentine Meadow, Reserve, Petite Sirah 2000 In the nose there is black fruit and toffee, prunes and chocolate. In the mouth the tannins have simmered down while the acidity has remained taut, framing a cranberry-like fruit  – very nice 9 years on. The last bottle that I opened a month ago was [...]

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Ceago Vinegarden, Clear Lake, Kathleen’s Vineyard, Estate Grown, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 The nose assertively expresses gooseberries and herbaceousness when first opened and continues with stone fruits. In the mouth it is crisp and clean and reminiscent of fresh grapefruit with a little spritz that gives it a lively freshness – very nice.
The grapes at Ceago [...]

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Lake County Wine Studio features the wines of the region on Main Street in the town of Upper Lake, just a stone’s throw from the end of Highway 29. We all know the congested bit of this highway where the cars crawl through St. Helena. Where it ends near Upper Lake is anything but. [...]

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Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Lake County, Morine Ranch, Primitivo 2006 In the nose the fruit is stewed and evolving . In the mouth this wine is light-bodied and warm with a touch of sweet pruniness. The wine was aged for 9 months in French and American oak. P&B in Sonoma 14.5% $20 at the winery [...]

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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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Tejada Vineyards, Lake County, Tempranillo 50% Grenache 50% 2004 The spiritous character is starting to get ahead of the fruit in the nose. In the mouth the alcohol peeks out again, yet it works. There’s a great balance of fruit and structure. The acidity frames the fruit and there’s a dusting of ripe tannins. The [...]

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Bonterra, Lake County, Bartolucci Vineyard, Muscat 2007 The muscat perfume is there though not as vibrant and fresh as in previous incarnations. The mouth is moderately sweet and medium bodied, tasting of sweet ginger ale. This wine brings back memories of when the you could taste it at the beautiful Valley Oaks facility. The grapes [...]

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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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Bonterra, Lake County, Bartolucci Vineyard, Muscat 2004 This wine has been well-made since the good old days when the you could taste it at the beautiful Valley Oaks facility. There are the compelling floral notes associated with Muscat plus some pastry-like complexity with the age of this wine. Unfortunately, one of two bottles was off. [...]

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Rombauer, California, Zinfandel 2006 This has always been on the very rich end of Zin styles with perceptible residual sugar – nonetheless a crowd-pleaser. This vintage follows the same path. The fruit is 59% Amador, 24% Napa, 11% lake and 6% El Dorado Counties. V&B in St. Helena 15.5% $27.99 at Traverso’s Rombauer
Van Ruiten, Lodi, [...]

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Clarendon Hills Clarendon Brookman Merlot 2005
Roman Bratasiuk pulls no punches with his opulent wines. This Merlot features ripe fruit and the cigar box characters we often associate with Bordeaux. The texture is oh so plush. P&B in Blewitt Springs 14.5% $60 suggested retail in the United States Clarendon Hills
Geyser Peak Alexander Valley Reserve Alexandre Meritage [...]

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Bonterra 73% Mendocino 27% Lake Counties Viognier 2006
This has been a consistently fresh, aromatic wine across the vintages. The flowers and peaches are in full bloom followed by a lowish-acid fresh mouthfeel. All certified organically grown grapes from a brand that has long championed organic, despite being owned by the Neanderthal Brown Forman. Winemaker Robert [...]

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This flight features 4 wines to showcase the breadth of flavors found in California wine.
Guenoc Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Clean, light-bodied and straightforward value in Sauvignon from the home front. P&B in Middletown, up above Calistoga in the new star zone for Sauvignon Blanc 13.5% $10 at the Wine Emporium langtryestate.com
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards Russian River Valley [...]

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Wild Hog Vineyard Lake County Nova Vineyards Zinfandel 2003
Dried fruits, good acidity, some creaminess and a little warmth. Organically grown grapes. P&B in Cazadero 15.5% $24 at Traverso’s Wild Hog
Groom Barossa Valley Bush Block Zinfandel 2006
Intense smells of eucalyptus and the taste of black fruits with a tannic backbone. Sourced from an 8 acre vineyard [...]

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