White wines of California
Kenwood, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 2008 This wine is always crisp and citrussy and a consistent value in Sauvignon. Vinted and bottled in Kenwood 13.5% $10 at the winery, a gift to the class from the SFCWC Kenwood Vineyards Husch, Mendocino,...
Red Wines of Lake County
Six Sigma, Lake County, Cuvee Pique-Nique 2007 As the name implies, this wine is fruity and immediately accessible, light-bodied and quaffable, with underlying acidity to make it refreshing and some earthiness to give it complexity. Proprietors...
White Wines of Lake County
Gregory Graham, Red Hills Lake County, Sauvignon Blanc, Rolling Knolls Vineyard 2008 This wine is opulently fruity, from the nose through to the lingering finish. Produced and bottled in Lower Lake 12.5% $26 for a full bottle at the Blue Wing...
Calera Mt. Harlan Viognier 2009
At the Wine & Spirits Magazine tasting today we found a number of delicious wines, among them this gem from an icon estate in the Gavilan Range. Calera, Mt. Harlan, Viognier 2009 This Viognier showcases floral notes and minerality in the nose....
Lucia Lucy 2009
Lucia Vineyards & Winery, Santa Lucia Highlands, Lucy, Rose of Pinot Noir 2008 This deeply colored Pinot rose has the scent of strawberries and raspberries - very fresh indeed. In the mouth the fruit continues to shine with a creamy, rounded...
Starkey’s Court Chardonnay 2008
Starkey's Court, Carneros, Green Acres Vineyard, Chardonnay 2008 This is a luscious style of Chardonnay, sporting the scent of toffee and muffins spiked with brown spices and orange. On the palate, the richness is in full force, with a sense of...
Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe
Gonzalez Byass, Jerez, Tio Pepe, Fine Muy Seco, Palomino, Fino, nv The nose features a nice sense of the traditional bruised apples, coupled with fresh apples and minerality. In addition there is nuttiness and spicy floral notes – very complex. In...
St. Francis Intatto Chardonnay 2009
On Monday the team at Sonoma State took a trip to St. Francis in the Sonoma Valley. We met with President and CEO Christopher Silva to see the operation from start to finish. What is striking at St. Francis is the degree to which the winery focuses...
Plantagenet Chardonnay 2007
This wines sport a nose brimming with freshly toasted bread and brown spices. In the mouth the ripeness of tropical fruit is matched by the richness of an oak accent - nice. The grapes were grown around Mount Barker in the Great Southern....
Haut-Colombier Bordeaux Clairet 2009
Chateau Haut-Colombier, Bordeaux Clairet 2009 This is a deeply-colored rose, approaching what you see in some Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. In the nose the fruit shines through with some earthy notes as well. In the mouth it is fruity and structured,...