Hanna, Russian River Valley, Estate Grown, Sauvignon Blanc 2010  Notes back through the 2004 vintage show a consistent thread of bright citrus and high acidity. The latest release, 2010, couples the citrus with freshly cut grass as in the '09. A...
The team at VESTA joined today's tasting of wines from Southern California. Ray's sense of time zones (or lack of sense) led to us beginning at 4:00 p.m. Central Time, giving us the jump on the group tasting in Temecula. Here's a preview of two...
Innocent Bystander, Victoria, Moscato 2010 This wine is delightful - ebullient with the smell and taste of fresh strawberries, sprinkled with sugar. The body is light and the bubbles add lift, creating a refreshing sensation for the summer. Bottled...
Shooting Star, Lake County, Riesling 2009 The new vintage gives a reprise performance of the '08: the nose features plenty of peaches with sweet floral notes while in the mouth the stone fruit is complemented by a moderate amount of residual sugar....
Ceago Vinegarden, Clear Lake, Del Lago, Estate Grown, Muscat Canelli 2009 The nose features fresh flowers, especially if you give it 15 minutes in the glass to open up – then you’ll find an explosion of orange blossoms and a true sense of...
Brassfield, High Valley Appellation, High Serenity Ranch Vineyard, Pinot Noir The nose sports fresh cherries and strawberries. In the mouth it is light-bodied, equally showy with red fruit and silky smooth – nice. Estate Grown, produced and...
Clif Family Winery, California, The Climber, Red Wine 2009 This is abundantly fruity, with a profound sense of blackberries, plums and I'm not sure what else. This recalls a recent discussion among with a group of colleagues who write and teach...
Viansa, Carneros - Sonoma Valley, Reserve, Chardonnay 2009 This is a rich style of Chardonnay, with the smell of apple pie - think of the freshly baked crust sprinkled with brown spices. In the mouth the theme of richness continues with butter and...
Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River, Siblings 2009 This vintage has 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Semillon in the mix. The nose features a combination of grass, citrus and gooseberry. In the mouth the citrus is pronounced, as if eating very ripe...
Kilikanoon, Clare Valley, Watervale, Mort's Block, Riesling 2009 The nose displays fresh flowers, apricots and a note of petrol. In the mouth, the concentration is intense, with lots of minerality, lots of acidity and great length - very nice. This...