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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We had a great visit today with Kryss Speegle at Kenwood Vineyards. She took the class through a tasting of wines through the years so that everyone could experience the evolution a wine goes through, form early days to long term bottle aging. The crowning jewel of the tasting was this gem from the cellar:
Kenwood, [...]

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Bodega Celdran, Sonoma County, Vinto Tinto, Reserva 2004
In the nose you’ll find read fruits and cedar with a bit of the sweet tobacco of Bordeaux. In the mouth the texture is supple, the fruit is ripe and an Old World sense of leather adds complexity – nice. The wine’s acidity is making my mouth water [...]

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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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Peterson, Dry Creek Valley, Timbercrest Farms, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 During my visit at Peterson earlier in 2009 I was enamored with the ‘08 Sauvignon and purchased a case. In May I wrote the following post: This wine is vibrant with citrus and accentuated by oakiness.
I often mention to my classes the pleasure and trepidation in [...]

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Spragia Family Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 In the nose there is a blend of cedar, vanilla and black fruits. In the mouth there is a spot on integration of oak and fruit in a supple package, the structure of Cabernet behind the scenes, supporting the wine, while the edges are [...]

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Ottimino, Sonoma County, Zinfinity, Zinfandel 2006 The nose features vanilla and caramel, with a bit of black fruit, cocoa  and black pepper. In the mouth the fruit comes forward, a little jammy, in a light-bodied format, very supple and easy drinking. The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander [...]

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Wilson Winery, Dry Creek Valley, Ellie’s Vineyard, Petite Sirah 2005 The nose is earthy and peppery while in the mouth the wine is chewy, possessing the structure you’re looking for with that prime rib. Proprietors Ken and Diane Wilson, GP&B in Healdsburg 14.2% $35 for the current release ‘06 at the winery, a gift to [...]

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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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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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Spragia Family Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley – Sonoma County, Home Ranch, Chardonnay 2007 This is a rich style of Chardonnay that strikes the balance between fruit, acidity, butteriness and oak. We always dissect these components in the classroom, looking at them individually and how asking they work as a team. The teamwork is what [...]

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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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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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Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma County, Fume Blanc 2008 This Sauvignon is light and steely, smelling of freshly cut oranges and crisp with acidity. It is a regular favorite, garnering awards annually at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Production is all stainless. 13.5% $9.99 purchased at Bottle Barn Dry Creek Vineyard

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Matanzas Creek, Sonoma County, Sauvignon Blanc 2007 In the nose you’ll find citrus, lemon, lemon zest and green herbs. In the mouth the citrus comes through, with a commensurate dose of acidity, as well as a roundness and depth of flavor – nice.
21% of the wine was fermented in French oak, 2% of which was [...]

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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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Mill Creek, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Estate Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc 2008 The nose shows off notes of citrus and tropical fruits like banana. In the mouth it is full of orange and grapefuit,with plenty of acidity and a little warmth. Grown, produced and bottled in Healdsburg 14.5% alcohol, purchased for $13.99 at Bottle Barn
Mill [...]

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Muscardini Cellars, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyards, Rosato di Sangiovese 2008 This is a zippy rose, a clean expression of Sangiovese’s cherry character with refreshing acidity – very nice. The wine was fermented and aged in neurtal French oak for 5 months. Proprietor and winemaker Michael Muscardini. Vinted and bottled in Kenwood 13.8% $22 at [...]

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Grey Stack, Bennett Valley, Dry Stack Vineyard, Grenache 2007vGrenache’s candy-like character comes through in the nose, sweet smelling and ebulliently fruity. In the mouth there is structure to match the fruit, a vision of Chateauneuf, where Grenache shows that it makes more than candy bombs – well done.
Winemaker Russell Bevan and Vineyard Manager Chris [...]

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Grey Stack, Bennett Valley, Dry Stack Vineyard, Marie’s Block, Syrah 2007 This Syrah brings a sense of the northern Rhone to Sonoma County. There’s tar on top of the black fruit in the nose, with meatiness and a floral component like lavender. In the mouth this wine has structure! Wow, Syrah with acidity and ripe [...]

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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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Mazzocco, Dry Creek Valley, Aguilera, Reserve, Petite Sirah 2005 We picked this as our BOC Petite in the recent Harvest Fair. The competition was strong with many a great Petite. The beauty of this Petite is that the structure we associate with this grape is matched by a deep concentration of fruit. Add to that [...]

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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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