Wine Regions & Grapes
Sampling of Wineries
Acorn Andrea Oberto Atlas Peak Benziger Beringer Blandy's Bodega Navarro Correas Burgans Cantina Terlano Chimney Rock Chronicle Domaine Carneros Domaine de la Mordoree Dow's Dr. Loosen Emilio Lustau Fonseca Foxen Gaston Riviere Glen Ellen Hess Collection Innocent Bystander Kendall-Jackson Korbel La Caudrina Luna Vineyards Madeira Wine Company Martin Codax Masi Merryvale Mulderbosch Navarro Vineyards Pahlmeyer Roederer Estate Ruggeri Sawyer Cellars Sbragia Six Sigma Winery St. James Steltzner Vineyards Trinchero Winery Trione V. Sattui Winery William Fevre Wilson Winery
Category Archives: Monterey County
J. Lohr Monterey Riesling 2008
J. Lohr Estates, Monterey County, Bay Mist, White Riesling 2008 Over the years this wine has been spot-on with light RS and balancing acidity. The ’08 offers up tropical fruits like fresh melon graced with kiwi. In the mouth it … Continue reading
Chalone Chenin Blanc 2006
Chalone Vineyard, Chalone, Estate Grown, Chenin Blanc 2006 I’m a huge fan of Chenin so I come at this review in a bit of a quandary. We visited the winery last week and had an opportunity to see the vines … Continue reading
Scheid Sauvignon 2007
Scheid Vineyards, Monterey, Estate Grown, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 This wine features a nice burst of grapefruit, moderate concentration and a little warmth. 90% of the wine was produced in stainless while the remaining 10% was aged in three year-old French … Continue reading
Posted in California, Monterey County, Sauvignon Blanc
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J. Lohr Riesling 2007
J. Lohr Estates, Monterey County, Bay Mist, White Riesling 2007 The nose features minerality and a little petrol. Over the years this wine has been spot-on with light RS and balancing acidity. 100% Riesling with some botrytis, all stainless, and … Continue reading
Posted in California, Monterey County, Riesling
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Claiborne & Churchill 2007
Claiborne & Churchill, Central Coast, Dry Riesling 2007 Fortunately I had the opportunity to try this wine again after the corked bottled discussed previously. In the nose are stone fruits, flintiness and a bit of the petrol character we associate … Continue reading
Posted in Arroyo Seco, California, Central Coast, Monterey County, Riesling
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Graff Viognier
Graff Family Vineyards, Chalone, Viognier 2007 Smelling the glass is like getting close to a bottle of perfume – very pretty and enticing. There’s loads of peaches in this wine with a sense of acidity in the background making this … Continue reading
Posted in California, Chalone, Monterey County, Viognier
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Siduri Pisoni Pinot 2007
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 … Continue reading
Santa Lucia Pinot 2006
Belle Glos, Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands, Las Alturas Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s smoke, liquer-like fruit and dusty cedar in the nose while the mouth follows through with warmth and earthiness on a supple blanket. Winemaker Joseph Wagner of … Continue reading
Ventana Riesling 2007
Ventana Vineyards, Monterey, Arroyo Seco, Riesling 2007 I only had a fleeting chance to taste this wine during the segment with Henry on KRON when we blasted through the sweeps winners of this year’s Chronicle Wine Competition. Tonight I get … Continue reading
Posted in Arroyo Seco, California, Monterey County, Riesling
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Savannah-Chanelle Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2000
Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir 2000 This winery just won sweepstakes red at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for one of its 2005 single vineyard bottlings from the Sonoma Coast. This regional bottling takes us back in … Continue reading
Foghorn’s favourite Chardonnay
Hahn, Monterey, Chardonnay 2006 The smell of fresh oak is alive in the glass with some tropical fruit in the background. There’s oak to chew on in your mouth along with the flavors of butterscotch and caramel and a viscous … Continue reading
Posted in California, Chardonnay, Monterey County
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Halloween Chardonnay
Ghost Pines, Sonoma Napa and Monterey Counties, Winemaker’s Blend, Chardonnay 2006 Tropical fruits and toasty oak make up the nose. The oak follows through in the mouth without being overbearing and the little bit of butteriness enhances the mouth rather … Continue reading
Posted in California, Chardonnay, Monterey County, Napa Valley, Sonoma County
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South of Steinbeck
Line Shack, San Antonio Valley California, Roussanne 2006 There are faint smells of stone fruit and some perfume. This is a light-bodied wine, a bit thin but not offensive with lowish acidity. C&B in Santa Maria 13.5% $18 at the … Continue reading
Posted in California, Monterey County, Roussanne, San Antonio Valley
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Mature Fogarty
Thomas Fogarty, Monterey, Gewurztraminer 2003 Kudos to Fogarty for continuing to produce this wine. Earlier this summer we tasted the ’06 which was showing these youthful characteriestics: spicy floral notes, a hint of RS and the taste of fresh lychee … Continue reading
Posted in California, Gewurztraminer, Monterey County
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Pinot please
Papapietro Perry Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2006 intensely concentrated berry, liquer-like fruit and a little warmth. P&B in Healdsburg 14.25% $38.49 at Bottle Barn Papapietro Perry Sonnet Santa Lucia Highlands Tondre’s Grapefield Pinot Noir 2004 Smokey oak and cherry … Continue reading
Further differentiation between Riesling and Gewurz
Domaine Weinbach Alsace Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling 2006 This wine is the middle offering of the domaine’s Rieslings designed for savoury food. There’s a beautiful perfume , lots of flowers and Riesling’s characteristic racy acidity. This dry wine is very … Continue reading
Posted in Alsace, California, France, Gewurztraminer, Monterey County, Riesling
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Beyond Cannery Row
Joelle Santa Lucia Highlands Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 Stony and warm with vanilla overtones. P&B in San Francisco 14.8% $44 at the winery Joelle Truckee River Winery Santa Lucia Highlands Garys’ Vineyard 2005 Black fruits, cola, green herbs … Continue reading
3 White Wines, 3 Different Styles
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 … Continue reading
Sweet Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson Arroyo Seco Late Harvest Chardonnay 2005 We’re featuring the wines of France tonight. As we don’t have a bottle of the Thevenet’s Late Harvest wine from the Macon, I thought we would taste one of the few late harvest … Continue reading
Racy Riesling
This flight features 4 Rieslings from trocken to Spat and Germany to Monterey Carl Loewen Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Varidor Riesling Trocken 2005 Grapes sourced entirely from the Varidor Vineyard, wild yeast ferment and aging in neutral oak fuder. Terry Theise Selection, Qualitatswein … Continue reading
Posted in California, Germany, Monterey County, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Riesling
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