Ernest & Julio Gallo, Sonoma Coast, Estate, Chardonnay 2005 This wine is firing on all cylinders: the fruit, the acidity and the complexing agents of the winemaker.This is a wine that would make an aritisan in the village of Meursault quite proud, where richness matches acidity, creating a wine to drink today yet able to [...]

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Chronicle, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 The nose sports sweet cherry and raspberries, with vanilla and cinnamon. The mouth shows these fruits again in a sleek format, a texture that is silky and ripe – delicious. Think about this Pinot when you want one to drink straight away; the soft profile makes it immediately accessible.
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Fort Ross, Sonoma Coast, Fort Ross Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Rose 2008 There are cherries and raspberries in the nose and the mouth is bone dry with a little warmth. P&B in Napa 14.2% purchased for $9.69 at Bottle Barn Fort Ross Vineyard

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Ernest & Julio Gallo, Sonoma Coast, Estate, Chardonnay 2005 The nose features toasty oak and freshly baked biscuits. In the mouth the richness of the notes described in the nose is accentuated by a thickness and viscosity yet there is nerve, acidity as if from fresh green apples. This is one of those Chardonnays that [...]

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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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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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MacMurray Ranch, Central Coast, Pinot Noir 2007 Give this wine a good 20 minutes of air and the perfume will come through in the nose, with candied fruit and floral notes. In the mouth this light-bodied wine has refreshing acidity with a nice glaze of sweet caramel. A large portion of the fruit is sourced [...]

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Mayo Family Winery, Sonoma Coast, Balletto Vineyards, Unwooded, Courtney’s Cuvee, Pinot Gris 2007 Unfortunately this wine is corked masking the potential of the wine in the bottle.  The wine was fermented and aged in stainless. Winemaker Michel Berthoud. P&B in Glen Ellen 12.9% $19.99 at Bottle Barn Mayo

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La Crema, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay 2007 In the nose there’s a sense of biscuits, croissants and other freshly baked doughy things with hints of oak and vanilla. In the mouth this wine is rich with oak yet the apples and pears come through, showing a sensible balance of the grape and the art of the [...]

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MacMurray Ranch, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Gris 2008 In the nose there is a strong sense of candied fruit with a light dusting of green herbs. In the mouth the stone fruit comes alive with a little warmth in a medium weight wine – lighter than many from Alsace and broader and a little heavier than [...]

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Annapolis Winery, Sonoma Coast, Zinfandel 2005 This is a very jammy Zin. Proprietors are the Scalabrini family. P&B in Annapolis 16.6% $26 at the winery Annapolis Winery

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Hirsch Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s lots of sweet vanilla, loads of oak. This is very ripe, the essence of berries in the mouth with a supple texture. P&B in Cazadero 14.5% $59.99 at Bottle Barn Hirsch Vineyards

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Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Armagh Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2006
This is a sweet smelling Pinot, full of cherry liqueur. The mouth is driven by cherries as well, with plenty of acidity. This is a light-bodied wine with a bit of grip as well. The previous vintage of this wine won big at the Chronicle Wine Competition. [...]

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Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Hummingbird Hill Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 This wine smells of candied citrus. In the mouth it is ripping with acidity yet rounded off a bit with some silkiness. There is also a sense of the alcohol showing. 35% of the wine was barrel fermented and the wine spent 6 months [...]

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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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Flowers, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2007 The cherries combine with forest floor and a touch of rubber in the nose. In the mouth, the cherries are enhanced by the acidity but there is also an uncharacteristic sense of astringency. P&B in Cazadero 13.4% $51.99 at Bottle Barn Flowers Winery

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La Crema, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2007 Cherries and brown spices are out front in the nose with a sense of toastiness. The mouth features a supple carpet of black and red fruits, sweet-appearing in their ripeness and burnished with a kiss of oakiness – very nice. Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse. P&B in Windsor 13.9% $19.99 [...]

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Tin Barn, Sonoma Coast, Coryelle Fields, Syrah 2004 The nose sports loads of oak while in the mouth the oak adds to the richness of this ripe, black fruit driven, supple Syrah. Managing Partner and Winemaker Mike Lancaster 14.2% $28 at the winery
Tin Barn Vineayards

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James Family, Sonoma Coast, Stony Point Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2007 The nose features sweet fruit, earthiness and a little warmth while the mouth is a delicious combination of red fruits, earthiness and brown spices. P&B by the James Family in Sebastopol from the fruit that they grow on the Cotati Grade 14.3% $34.99 at the [...]

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De La Montanya, Sonoma Coast, Flying Rooster Ranch 2005
This wine shines with sweet smells.  There’s candied fruit and perfume overlayed with earthiness.  The mouth features a boatload of fruit framed by ample acidity and a rising note of brett that adds appropriate complexity. In May of ‘09 its popping out a bit more and there’s [...]

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Moshin Vineyards, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2007 This wine has sweet cherry fruit and perfume in the nose while the mouth is a supple display of the same with a sweet kiss of oak. Rick Moshin is making great Pinot yet is still riding under the radar. This wine is kissed by the sweetness of [...]

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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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Williams Selyem, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 There’s a sweet medley of cherry, berry and vanilla notes in the nose. In the mouth the wine is pure elegance. I consistently see this thread in Bob Cabral’s wines, what the French often look for in expressing Pinot character without amping it up over the top – [...]

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Kanzler, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2007 This is a barrel sample from the family’s vineyard out in what is called the Sebastopol Hills, about 3 miles west of town. While dense, the wine is very polished with a slather of new oak that will integrate with time down the road. ‘07 is the 4th release [...]

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Small Vines, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2006 Like the Russian River bottling, this Pinot is packed with flavor. There’s a backbone of acidity to keep this wine going a long time in your mouth and a long time in your cellar – excellent.The source of the fruit is the MK Vineyard above Occidental. The wine [...]

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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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Taft Street, Sonoma Coast, Rose of Pinot Noir 2007 Mild but muted strawberries and an astringent profile. Unfortunately this wine has a sub-threshold level of TCA that’s blocking the fruit. The grapes come from the Pasta King, Art Ibletto. P&B in Sebastopol 12.5% $11.99 at Bottle Barn Taft Street
Ramazzotti, Dry Creek Valley, Zin-Giovese, Rose 2007 [...]

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Clarbec, Sonoma County, Pinot Gris 2007 There’s fresh tropical fruit and subtle oak in the nose. The fruit comes through in the mouth with a caress of acidity and a little bit of richness – very nice. The grapes were sourced from the Lila Lane and Clarbec Vineyards. 33% of the wine was fermented in [...]

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When Vacu-Dry ceased operations in Sebastopol, California, many bemoaned the continuing decline of the apple industry in Sonoma’s West County region. Yet from those ashes many a high-flying phoenix has taken flight.
The large and rather dingy industrial complex that used to house Vacu-Dry has been turned into a rabbit warren of artisan winemakers, each with [...]

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Abadia Retuerta, Sardón de Duero, Seleccion Especial 2004 Herbaceous notes like in Cab Franc in the nose. The mouth is full-bodied with acid and ripe tannins at the time of the original post with an oaky backcurrent. A year later the tannins are drying out and overtaking the wine. The current vintage is 75% Tempranillo, [...]

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