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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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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Proprietor Mike Hengehold was on hand at ZAP today in San Francisco to showcase his Zin portfolio. He is sourcing fruit from vines that were planted in the Russian River long before I was born. The fruit hangs well into October yet achieves sugars of only 24 brix.
Why not higher? Well life can move slowly [...]

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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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The final round of judging in the 2010 Pinot Noir Shootout was held today at Bistro Boudin on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. I was asked to join about 30 other judges to pick the best of the best from over 250 entries across the world.
It was an easy day of judging, tasting just 32 [...]

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Balletto, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2007 Sweet, ripe fruit fills the glass, a blend of cherries and raspberries. In the mouth there is also a touch of caramel, light body, smooth texture and long acidity – perfect for Sunday’s roast chicken. P&B by Laguna Oaks Vineyards & Winery in [...]

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Rancho Zabaco, Russian River, Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 There’s a nice spot of grassiness in the nose, with green peppers and grapefruit zest. In the mouth the grapefruit comes through with a nice level of refreshing acidity. Produced & bottled in Healdsburg 13.9% $18 suggested retail, a gift to the class from the SFCWC
Rancho Zabaco [...]

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Tandem, Russian River Valley, Porter-Bass Vineyard, Chardonnay 2005 With 4 years since the harvest this wine is developing some nice complexity. The nose sports wet stones, toastiness, tropical fruits, hay and lanolin. In the mouth there is a richness of texture, an unctuous quality that is counterbalanced by acidity and minerality. The wine has great [...]

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Ancien, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose speaks of sweet cherries sprinkled with brown spices. In the mouth this is a supple Pinot with polished oak in the background to enhance the fruit – very nice.
The majority of the fruit is sourced from 2 acres planted by Gilbert Perez in the southwest [...]

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Graton Ridge, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Paul Family Vineyard, Estate, Pinot Noir 2007 There’s a lovely cherry pie essence in the nose, a sweet expression of fruit and oak. In the mouth there is vanilla, caramel and cherries baked in the oven, with a supple texture and a little warmth. Grown, produced and bottled [...]

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Hart’s Desire, Russian River Valley, Ponzo Vineyard, Late Harvest, Zinfandel 2008 The nose features candied black fruit. In the mouth it is a blackberry jam, in a liquid form – with an acidic streak for balance – delicious. 7% RS after 35 degrees brix at harvest Bottled in Geyserville 14.2% $17.99 at Bottle Barn for [...]

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The Davis Family brand has stood for great Pinot and you see that in the latest crop of wines which garnered honors at this year’s Harvest Fair in Sonoma.
Davis Family, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir 2007 Sweet caramel combines with raspberries in the nose. In the mouth the wine is all suppleness, enhanced by a [...]

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J. Keverson, Russian River Valley, Alton Lane Vineyard, Zinfandel 2007 The fruit is very bright in the nose and graced by a healthy dose of black pepper. In the mouth the fruit is framed by acidity. This is one of the great things about a number of Russian River Zins – acidity adding structure and [...]

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DeLoach, Sonoma Coast, Golden Coast, Chardonnay 2007 The nose features plenty of fresh oak. In the mouth there is more of the same with green apples and warmth. The wine was barrel fermented and the lees were stirred. P&B in Santa Rosa 14.5% $45 at the winery.
DeLoach, Russian River Valley, OFS, Chardonnay 2007 This wine [...]

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Carol Shelton, Russian River Valley, Fanucchi Vineyard, Sweet Caroline, Trousseau Gris 2006 This is a light-bodied dessert wine from a grape that makes some very acidic table wines. There’s actually a grapy character to this wine that I associate with labrusca grapes, e.g., Concord. The grapes were harvested at 30 degrees brix and the final [...]

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Rodney Strong, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Reserve, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose is shut down and the mouth is fairly astringent. I suspect a low level of TCA is cloaking the true nature of this wine. Tom Klein owner and Rick Sayre winemaker P&B Healdsburg 15.2% $50 at the winery Rodney Strong

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Woodenhead, Russian River Valley, Buena Tierra Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
There’s liqueur-like black fruit in the nose and a supple, ripe mouthful of berries.P&B in Forestville 14.5% $55 at the winery Woodenhead

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Acorn, Russian River Valley, Alegria Vineyards, Sangiovese 2006 Cherry and vanilla mark the nose while the mouth features cherry fruit, Sangiovese’s characteristic acidity, a light dusting of tannin and a bit of creaminess – nice. The grapes for this wine are 98% Sangiovese (7 different clones), 1% Canaiolo and 1% Mammolo. Winegrowers Betsy and Bill [...]

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Balletto, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2008 Fruity and dry rose for the upcoming heat! P&B by Laguna Oaks Vineyards & Winery in Santa Rosa 13.6% $10.99 at Bottle Barn Balletto

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Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The smell of this wine is quite rich and the mouth follows suit. Yet the rich buttery oakiness is balanced by a lemony essence, keeping it bright – delicious. The wine was barrel fermented and then aged for 13 months. The oak was French and 50% [...]

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Benziger, Russian River Valley, Shone Farm, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 There’s a pleasant grassiness to this wine with plenty of citrus. In the mouth it is bone-dry and very concentrated. This bottle that we’re tasting tonight has evolved a little prematurely. The wine was fermented in stainless. This back vintage was kicking around in storage. P&B [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2006 As in previous vintages, there’s a nice sense of green apples through and through, making this arguably Korbel’s best and most refreshing sparkler. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; the style was instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% dosage, P&B Guerneville. 12.5% $10.69 [...]

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Chalk Hill Estate Winery, Chalk Hill, Sonoma County, Estate Bottled, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine is quite smoky and full of toasty notes. In the mouth, the impression is of richness, a wine that is quite viscous despite the suppression of malolactic fermentation. There’s a bit of citrus zip to balance the richness, a lingering [...]

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I had an opportunity to visit with Paul and Kathryn Sloan of Small Vines Wines on Sunday, during their open house at the winery in Santa Rosa. We retasted the ‘06 Russian River and ‘06 Sonoma Coast which I reviewed back in the fall of ‘08.
These two wines are carrying on beautifully.  They capture the [...]

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Patz & Hall, Russian River Valley, Dutton Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The nose speaks buttery richness from the get go, with toastiness and apples. The mouth is full-on thick with butter yet balanced by acidity – very concentrated. Proprietors Donald & Heather Patz, James Hall and Anne Moses Cellared and bottled in Sonoma 14.2% $31.99 at [...]

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Hanna, Russian River Valley, Estate Grown, Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Notes back through the 2004 vintage show a consistent thread of bright citrus and high acidity.
The ‘08 repeats that scenario with tropical notes as well. Give it a bit of air upon opening to blow off a bit of reductive character. Bottled under screwcap.
This wine has been [...]

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Acorn, Russian River Valley, Alegria Vineyards, Dolcetto 2006 There’s a great complexity of smells working in the nose, including fresh and stewed fruits, green herbs and eucalyptus as well as a sense of oakiness. In the mouth, Bill has worked the tannin into submission on this wine, so that it is a feature in the [...]

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We recently visited with Carol and Mitch at their winery in Santa Rosa. Carol makes Zin from grapes sourced throughout the state of California. One of the gems that we tasted was sourced from San Bernardino County while two others hailed from nearby in Sonoma County.
Carol Shelton, Russian River Valley, Robert Rue Vineyard, Wood Road, [...]

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Dehlinger, Russian River Valley, Goldridge Vineyard, Estate Bottled, Pinot Noir 2006 This wine is all about warm and concentrated sweet fruit. P&B in Sebastopol 14.8% $59.99 at Bottle Barn Dehlinger Winery

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