Barry Collier has created a paradise for his grapes above the Dry Creek Valley. If you were a grape, you would want to be planted under his care. The hillside vineyards are steep and the views are incredible. The highest points are above the fog line, where the grapes benefit from a bigger bath 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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deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2004 The nose combines bananas, caramel and minerality. The mouth is viscous without being cloying showcasing the tropical fruit in a rich way, as if dazzled with honey. The botrytised grapes behind the ‘04 are 56% Semillon, 24% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Muscat, 169 g/l RS. GP&B [...]

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J. Keverson, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir 2006 In the nose there are brown spices, perfume and cherry cola. In the mouth we taste cherry fruit and earthiness with acidity to match. This wine was a huge hit in class just a few weeks ago.
J. Keverson Wines

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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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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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Alexander Valley Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Redemption Zin, Zinfandel 2006 A moderate amount of jammy fruit and black pepper drive the nose while the palate is gripping, light-bodied and a little warm. P&B in Healdsburg 14.5% $18.99 at Bottle Barn AVWine
Robert Rue, Russian River Valley, Wood Road, Reserve, Zinfandel 2006 The fruit is lovingly sweet [...]

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Adobe Road, Knights Valley, Cabernet Franc 2005 This is perfectly ripe Cab Franc - no veg to smell at all, just lots of berries. The structure of Cab Franc is in the mouth combining with the fruit and filled out by the oak. This is very long and has time to age. Proprietors Kevin & [...]

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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 This is a concentrated Pinot [...]

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Ramazzotti, Sonoma County, Raffinto, Red Wine 2005
This smells like a walk in the oak forest where some of the trees have been freshly felled - an intertwining of oak and earth.  The mouth is vivaciously fruity with the oak to match and a smooth texture. This is the winery’s Super Tuscan offering, blending 60% [...]

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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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Mayo Family Winery, Sonoma Valley, Laurel Hill Vineyard, Methode Champenoise, Brut 2003 There’s plenty of green apple and tart cherry as well as a little toastiness. P&B in Lower Lake 12.5% $27.99 at Bottle Barn Mayo

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Lynmar, Russian River Valley, Rose of Pinot Noir 2007
Again, the pale side of Pinot is truly worth the departure from its more opaque cousin. Like the Williams Selyem, there is the quintessential smell and taste of strawberries. There is also a sense of creaminess that adds the rich texture that we embraced in the Chardonnay. [...]

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Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma County, Fume Blanc 2007 There’s plenty of citrus and herbaceous notes to smell. In the mouth the acidity stands out as well as a sense of lemon peel. This wine has been a good standard for a budget Sauvignon and they just took the sweepstakes award at the Sonoma County Harvest [...]

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Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc 2004 The smells are a mix of earth, cedar, toasty oak and a fitting amount of the barnyard. The mouth if full of plummy fruit with grip. This is definitely leaner and tighter than the ‘05 which is quite seductive already. Give it at least 30 minutes to open up though the [...]

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Ray D’Argenzio continues making great wine from his location just across the highway from the Santa Rosa Junior College. He’s in the second year of his Amarone project, drying grapes from the ‘08 harvest. Breanna, back from a year of study in Tuscany, showed me the clusters of Petite, Zin and Cab, hanging like Christmas [...]

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