Cliff Lede 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Heart Stags Leap District: This is a Rock Block Series wine, which bears a label that looks nothing like the other Cliff Lede labels. This series began when David Abreu was hired to manage the vineyards. Cliff began naming the micro-blocks after rock songs and albums, and every vintage features a specially-named "mash up" of two or more of these blocks.
Read MoreLast spring I tasted the first vintage of Laura Díaz Muñoz's Sauvignon Blanc from Ehlers Estate. She joined Ehlers just before harvest in 2018, so I was very curious as to how a vintage fully under her watch might turn out. As I predicted, it's incredibly tasty!
Read MoreGamble Family Vineyards 2019 Rosé Napa Valley: Composed of 51% Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon with 43% Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot, all aged 5 months in stainless steel, this wine is ready to be enjoyed. Only 575 cases were made this year, so make haste to pick up some soon!
Read MoreWhatever format I receive a wine in, I always taste it in a tasting glass. After all, I mostly receive 750-ml bottles. (No, I don't take swigs from the bottle or employ a straw.) What was full-on astonishing to me was the difference in tasting this wine from my glass versus tasting it from the can. The perceptions were smashingly different. Going forward, I'll definitely be tasting wines packaged in cans both ways.
Read MoreIn my experience, the FEL wines are made to emphasize freshness and varietal expression. The 2018 Chardonnay continues this theme. Blended from picking dates ranging just over a month from several vineyards planted with a wide variety of Heritage clones and Dijon selections, the wine is whole cluster pressed, fermented in neutral French oak barrels, limited in malolactic fermentation and aged on lies with no stirring for ten months.
Read MoreWinemaker Todd Graff has been making the wines at Frank Family Vineyards since 2003. The family calls him "our magician", which is a pretty endearing - as well as appropriate - term for a someone who orchestrates the production of about twenty very different wines every vintage. Not only does Todd utilize a wide array of varieties, he makes four sparkling wines, a port and a late harvest wine in addition to all of the still wines!
Read MoreJustin Vineyards & Winery - a pioneer in the Santa Lucia Mountains well before the Paso Robles AVA was even thought of - is known for its charasmatic, gusto-filled wines. Nearing its 40th anniversary celebration, the Justification and Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles, especially, show the gravitas of their legacy.
Read MoreMi Sueño Winery 2016 Syrah Napa Valley: This full-bodied, opaque wine carries its weight with style. This is hardly surprising for a Mi Sueño wine; they typically show very good balance. This Syrah is a textbook example of its Napa origin as well as its single grape variety.
Read MoreI recently tasted through several higher-end duos of varietal Paso comparisons. Between the different soils, climates, elevations, grapes and winemaking techniques, I couldn't come to conclusions on terroir distinctions via the selection below. However, I certainly can say that the wines are dependably good - as evidenced by the scores - and that there is a style for just about everyone.
Read MoreThe back label is signed "Viens Avec Nous", which means "Come With Us". While I wonder how many people understand that in the US, it does manage to seem appropriate for this blend of some of the Willamette Valleys "best of" (a nod to Jay Boberg's time in the music industry) vineyards. These include Nicolas-Jay's own Bishop Creek along with Temperance Hill, Hyland, Knight's Gambit and Momtazi.
Read MoreFEL 2017 Chardonnay Savoy Vineyard Anderson Valley: Scrumptious and demonstrative, this texturally fueled, gastro tasting experience is as dynamic as ever.
Read MoreThe environment friendly pedigree of the Cline Family Cellars wines definitely feels good. Their back labels lay out their vision: Sonoma County Sustainable, Vegan and Gluten Free (note: all wine is gluten free) with nods to "renew and reuse".
Read MoreI was intrigued to taste this wine when I read on the back label, "Hand-crafting fine wines since 1972." I'd never heard of Sullivan. However, it certainly doesn't lack pedigree: this 26- acre Rutherford estate was planted by James O'Neil Sullivan at the urging of Napa legend-by-way-of-Moscow André Tchelistcheff.
Read MoreChehalem Winery has a new 'do. Since the winery's purchase in early 2018, the font of the winery name went from "ALL CAPS" to "Sentence case". (The winery's founders previously used CHEHALEM to distinguish the use of the winery from the American Viticultural Area, or AVA, of the same name.) Then, this year, the label got a full makeover (now: sexy and sleek in black vs then: wine geeky and laid-back with colorful photos). My favorite part is the offer a new nugget of information: Chehalem is a Calapooia tribe word that means "Valley of Flowers".
Read MoreFrank Family Vineyards 2016 Zinfandel Napa Valley: Boisterous and youthful, this über everything save heavy. It's the kind of Zinfandel that makes me wish more of us drank more Zin more often. It's tasty and pleasure-giving.
Read MoreFEL 2018 Pinot Gris Anderson Valley: This is robust and vigorous with crunchy and broad tannins, a bit unusual for Pinot Noir. Black plums and açai make for an interesting palate combo, accented by a dusting of cinnamon. Full-bodied with slightly chunky glycerol and well-integrated acidity, this drinks nicely now.
Read MoreThough hailing from a chilly, rugged stretch of the Sonoma Coastline, it tastes definitively like a David Ramey Chardonnay to me. By that I mean that it avoids tasting lean and meager, like so many of the wines made from neighboring vines. David's Chardonnays always show balance and finesse, with a seamlessness and ease that only a master can consistently harness.
Read MoreGamble Family Vineyard 2018 Sauvignon Blanc: An impressively tropical and pristine clean expression leaps out of this glass of Gamble Family Sauvignon Blanc. Looking at the winemaking technique here, there seemingly is no stone left unturned. In 2018, there were seven different picks within ten days. The native yeast ferments were multiplied in their potential outcomes by three-quarters going into barrels and the rest lodging in stainless steel tank….
Read MoreMelissa Burr has been making wine at Stoller Family Estate for years. Moreover, she was born and raised Oregonian. Her wines taste like they are ready to be the centerpiece - even the host - of a great conversation. There's clearly a lot of heart, personal grit and local love that goes into her wines!
Read MoreI was with my husband's college friends and their spouses last weekend. While letting our husbands relive their days at Hamilton College - yes, named after the US Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton - all of the other women agreed (unprovoked by me) that they buy wine based on their favorite grape variety then on the wine label appearance. I encouraged a few to look into blends to expand their palate "horizons", and these Rodney Strong Vineyards Upshot wines are ones that I would absolutely recommend to them all!
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