Ariel, Dealcoholized, Merlot 2007 Simple and light-bodied. Made and bottled by J. Lohr in San Jose. Contains less than one half of one percent alcohol by volume, purchased for $6.49 at Bottle Barn
Ariel Vineyards

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Chateau Puy Arnaud, Cotes de Castillon 2005 The oak makes its presence known whey you smell this wine. In the mouth the full ripeness of the fruit comes through, with ample concentration and plenty of structure – a solid value in $10 Bordeaux. The grape behind this wine is Merlot, grown biodynamically. The vines average [...]

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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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Trinchero Winery, Napa Valley, Rutherford, Chicken Ranch Vineyard, Merlot 2005 Give the wine a bit of air for 10 minutes or so to blow off a bit of funk. Then the plummy fruit combines with the wet forest floor and a bit cedar in the nose. In the mouth plums and raspberries come through [...]

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Pride Mountain Vineyards, 56% Sonoma County, 44% Napa County, Merlot 2007 In the nose you’ll find tons of sweet oak and brown spices. In the mouth it is very smooth, suppleness defined, while at the same time very dense and possessing great length – very nice.
In addition to the Merlot 6% of the blend is [...]

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Winemaker Chris Millard had an opportunity to visit with our Napa Valley class to describe the wines that he is crafting at Newton. On top of the mountain overlooking St. Helena, he has an extraordinary amount of fruit to select from, giving him the luxury of selling off the lots that don’t make the grade.
Newton [...]

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Kendall-Jackson, Napa Valley, Stature 2001 There’s a nice ripe structure to this wine, giving it chewiness and the acidity to frame the still quite youthful fruit – nice. The grapes behind this Bordeaux blend are about 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Merlot with a little bit of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cab Franc. The wine [...]

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Pope Valley Winery, Napa Valley, Eakle Ranch, Merlot 2006 The nose if full of oak and chocolate. In the mouth the wine is supple with plummy fruit and plenty of acidity to make it a refreshing – an elegant wine.  This wine has the acidity and restraint a Francophile could love yet the ripeness to [...]

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Chateau Saint-Pierre, Saint-Julien 2005 This is pleasure in a glass, ripeness of fruit, great density yet rounded off edges. The structure supports the density of flavor while the acidity carries the flavor a long way – very nice. The estate is planted to 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Mis en bouteille [...]

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Chateau Gloria, Saint-Julien 2005 There’s a nice smoky essence in the nose while in the mouth you’ll find cranberries and dark chocolate. This wine is quite chewy and would certainly benefit from 6-8 years in the cellar. The estate is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Mis [...]

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Newton, Napa Valley, Unfiltered, Merlot 2002 In the nose you’ll find chocolate, the beginnings of nuttiness and a little spike of alcohol. The palate is a soft expression of fresh and raisined fruits laced with brown spices. Produced and bottled in St. Helena, or rather above St. Helena 15.8%, purchased at the winery over a [...]

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Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Napa Valley, POV, Red Wine 2006 This wine features a bevy of fresh blueberries and a complementary dusting of oak; it’s light-bodied with ripe tannins and a healthy acidity to encourage consumtion with a roasted pork tenderloin, sauced with fresh berries in a red wine reduction. I’m getting hungry thinking about this. [...]

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Grgich Hills, Napa Valley, Estate Grown, Merlot 2004 There’s lots of plummy fruit in the nose. In the mouth you’ll find the characteristic Merlot suppleness, with nice density, a healthy kiss of oak and a lingering creaminess. The grapes for this wine are 100% Merlot and were sourced from vineyards in American Canyon, Carneros, Yountville [...]

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Vall Llach, Priorat DOQ, Embruix 2005 The nose features a sweetness, black fruits with blackberry jam. In the mouth the sweet theme continues, with very ripe, jammy fruit, density yet suppleness, warmth, a bit of tannin and lowish acidity, a sense that this wine came from the New World, but it didn’t. The grapes were [...]

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Spragia Family Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Home Ranch, Merlot 2006 The nose features a strong blast of fresh oak. In the mouth that note carries through, with plummy fruit, a little warmth and a supple texture. V&B in St. Helena 15.6% $19.99 at Bottle Barn Sbragia Family
Charles Creek, Alexander Valley, East Soda Rock Vineyard, Malbec [...]

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Tenuta di Biserno, Toscana, Insoglio del cinghiale IGT 2006 There’s a sense of France in this wine from Tuscany, with black fruit, an herbaceous edge and tannic grip. The grapes are Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This winery is shepherded by Lodovico and Piero Antinori. Bottled in Bibbona out by that more famous town Bolgheri [...]

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Frostwatch, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County, Merlot 2006 Sweet toasty oak complements the plummy fruit in the nose. In the mouth this wine delivers ripe Merlot, with the tannins fully developed, a warm and plush texture and a toasty oak accent in the background. The Merlot in this wine is augmented by 14% Cabernet sourced from [...]

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Franciscan, Napa Valley, Magnificat 2004 This wine exudes sweet ripe fruit in the nose. This profile follows through in the mouth with chalky tannins and lingering acidity. Produced and bottled in Rutherford 14.5% $50 at the winery for the latest vintage ‘05 Franciscan
Chimney Rock, Napa Valley, Elevage 2004 The nose features caramel and the sweet [...]

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Post Familie, American, Merlot nv There’s a lively pluminess in the glass when you smell this wine. In the mouth there’s plenty of fruit as well, with a healthy dose of acidity making this a natural with food. You can sense the tannin in the background and the body is on the light side – [...]

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Chateau Aux Arc, American, Dragonfly Red nv The nose speaks of sweet oak while in the mouth this wine is smooth and light with a little warmth. Some of the fruit came from the estate’s Dragonfly Ranch, supplemented by imports from outside of Arkansas: 90% Merlot from Mendocino County and 10% Zinfandel from Altus, seemingly [...]

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Chateau Lascombes, Margaux 2005 This wine is super toasty in the nose with hints of dark chocolate and cassis. The mouth is quite structured urging a good 10 years and more in the cellar, yet already the black fruit is popping out. Fire up the grill for a big steak if you have to dring [...]

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We had a great visit to Rubissow with our Wines of California & Europe class on the first day of August. I’ll post the notes on the estate next week but in the meantime here are two of their stars.

Rubissow, Napa Valley, Mount Veeder, Rubissow Vineyard, Merlot 2005 This wine puts together the best of [...]

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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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Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan 2005 The nose smells of leather, earth, smokiness, horse blanket and a host of descriptors that get at a sense of brettanomycees as complexity rather than a flaw. That said, I know that this level of brett would be too much for those seeking a more purely fruity expression of [...]

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Chateau Giscours, Margaux 2005 The berry fruit is ripe and expressive in the nose, with a sense of cedar and a light touch of earthiness. The fruit comes through on the palate, with some chewy though ripe tannin and a touch of creaminess. 80.5 hectares of vines are planted on gravel and sand. The mix [...]

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Chateau Rolland-Maillet, Saint-Emilion, Grand Cru 2005 Upon first opening this bottle was uncharacteristically rustic for a Rolland wine; patience is rewarded with 10 minutes or so of air. In the mouth however, the fruit is immediately apparent and the texture is supple – very approachable and ready to drink.
A second bottle opened in November ‘09 [...]

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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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Tentuta San Guido, Toscana IGT, Guidalberto 2006 Cassis combines with earthiness in the nose. In the mouth it is quite concentrated, with extract to match its structure. I like the way this wine combines the fresh fruit of the New World and the structure that one associates with the great wines of Tuscany. Put this [...]

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Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri Rosso DOC, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2006 The nose features ripe black fruits. The mouth sports great acidity to frame the fruit, making this Bordeaux-style blend a natural for a dinner table laden with cinghale – yummy just thinking about it. This is the second wine of the famous Super Tuscan estate [...]

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Paloma, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District, Merlot 2006 Sweet liquer-like fruit fills the glass. In the mouth, the expression of fruit is dynamic and kissed by oak. Also, there is the acidity lacking in many of Merlot’s flabby cousins – a treat. Proprietors Barbara and Jim Richards. P&B in St. Helena 14.8% $54 at Traverso’s [...]

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