1994 Schloss Schönborn Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese – $16.99

 

My comments

I returned home from a business trip today.  It was 80 and sunny in North Carolina, it is currently a cold and damp 52 here in Wisconsin.  It sounds like a perfect day for some Seafood Gumbo.  We make ours a touch spicy so a nice, off dry Riesling usually is a perfect match.  We drank through just about all of the cases of older Riesling I bought from Garagiste Wine a few years ago, but this is from that stash.  Luckily I have 3 more cases of older German Rieslings that will be shipping in the next few weeks so I’ll be able to restock the cellar.

 

Winery history

Located in the heart of the Rheingau valley, the Domänenweingut Schloss Schönborn has long stood for premium wine culture.  Many of the vineyards along the slopes bordering the Rhine river have been part of the Schönborn family estate since 1349, which has been added to continuously since then. Several top sites were acquired in the 17th and 18th centuries, giving the estate a real boost. The estate now covers 50 ha, of which 90% are planted with Riesling. The remaining vineyards feature Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. The Schloss Schönborn wine estate is one of the founder members of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) and has for many years been managing its valuable vineyards in tune with nature.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very nice looking golden yellow color.  There is petrol, apples, stony minerality, white peaches, white pepper, and orange zest on the enticing nose.   This is light to medium body with zippy acidity.  Luscious, juicy fruit and minerals on the palate with nice citrus notes adding depth.  The finish is full of fruit and citrus but only decent length.  The sweetness is fully integrated so this is not longer a sugary sweet wine, it seemed more off dry.  Not as rich and powerful as some of the older German Rieslings I’ve had, but still very enjoyable.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

We had some Seafood Gumbo to pair with the Riesling.  The Gumbo was fairly spicy with bay scallops, salad shrimp, lump crabmeat, and a ton of fresh okra from my father in law’s garden in South Carolina.  I absolutely love an aged Riesling and a spicy gumbo, to me it’s a perfect pairing.  Definitely opposites attract with hot versus cold and spicy versus sweet.  It was a delicious meal and now I can have some leftover gumbo for lunch next week and enjoy a glass of the Riesling while relaxing.  Life is good!

 

 

 

My wife had some nice bottles this week while I was traveling.  These are all 375ml half bottles that were on the counter to greet me when I got home.  The wines were a 2007 Novy Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah, 2009 Loring Clos Pepe Pinot Noir, and a 2006 Scherrer Alexander Valley Old and Mature Vines Zinfandel.

 

 

 

2009 Brassfield Estate Winery Eruption Volcano Ridge – $14.24

 

My Comments

This is a blend of 37% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah and 9% Malbec, from the High Valley AVA in the eastern part of LakeCounty in California.  I took a flier on a couple of bottles a few months ago at the local wine store.  We opened one that night and thought enough to grab six more bottles ASAP.  This was made from obviously very ripe grapes, but showed no raisin or syrupy notes.  I’m looking forward to trying it again.

 

Winery History

Brassfield Estate Winery & Vineyard is located in the western section of HighValley at High Serenity Ranch on a truly distinctive and remarkable winegrowing property. Our valley floor vineyards sit at 1800 ft elevation. The higher vineyard blocks rise to nearly 3000 ft. The temperatures of some parts of this unique vineyard are some of the coldest in CA, giving Brassfield a heat summation equivalent to a Region 3 or less in some vintages.

 

In 1973, Jerry Brassfield purchased the original 1,600 acres here as a cattle ranch and wildlife reserve. Over the next three decades Jerry acquired additional property. Today, the LakeCounty estate includes 2,500 acres across both the eastern and the western sections of HighValley, as well as the Round Mountain Volcano.

 

The Vineyards were investigated for their potential to produce world-class estate-grown wines in 1998. Vineyard planting began in 2001. As the vineyards matured, the winery has grown with a state-of-the-art winemaking facility.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  On the exotic nose there are blackberries, Asian spices, cracked black peppercorns, licorice, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, cherries, earthy tree bark, smoked meat, and plums.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and decent acidity.  The fruit and dark chocolate hit the palate first with some nice earthiness and spice coming in a couple seconds later followed by a touch of excess oak.  Nice length on the finish with is slightly marred by a bit too much oak.  This will benefit from some time in a decanter or even better a few more months in the cellar.  Earlier bottle that had been decanted a couple hours didn’t show as much oak.  Tasty but give it some air.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2001 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco Faset – $28.74

 

My Comments

This is a wine I bought from Garagiste Wine a few years ago,.  I opened one bottle but felt it still needed some cellar time.  I love a nice Barbaresco maybe even more than a Barolo, to me they are a bit more versatile to pair with food.  It’s hard to find a good quality Barbaresco for under $30, but this one could fill that void for me.

 

Winery History

In 1838, King Carlo Alberto of Savoy purchased the Castle of Verduno from the two charitable institutions and entrusted the management of his estate and wine cellar to the famous enologist General Carlo Staglieno.  Here, following the method suggested by Giulia Falletti Colbert, the ‘Oenotechnician General’ Paolo Francesco Staglieno made the first vinifications of the nebbiolo grape, laying the bases for modern Barolo.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine was decanted about 30 minutes.  The wine is a light to medium ruby with a fair amount of brick.  Earthy, cherries, fresh ground espresso, baking spices, dark chocolate, cedar, minerals, white pepper, and a slight floral note on the very pleasing nose.  Medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice earthy cherries, spice, and minerals on the palate with just a touch of oak in the background.  Fairly long finish which has an added slight herbal note that is in no way distracting.  Tasting very nice now, but this will hold and maybe even improve over the next few years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

My wife made her meat sauce that simmers for hours for dinner.  Add in a couple pieces of garlic-cheese bread and a touch of grated cheese and we had a fantastic dinner on this cool early Fall day.

 

 

 

2008 JC Cellars “The First Date” – $14.24

 

My Comments

I grabbed a few bottles of this from my local wine store at an end of vintage closeout sale.  I am a big fan of both red and white wines made from the grapes native to the Rhone region in France.  I’ve been looking forward to seeing what Jeff Cohn was able to do with this white wine.  I’ve been a big fan of Jeff’s red wines since his days at Rosenblum.  This wine is a blend of 75% Roussanne, 25% Marsanne.

 

Winery History

When Jeff Cohn was the winemaker at Rosenblum Cellars, annually he crafted more than 70 different wines.  Today, at his Oakland-based warehouse winery, the irrepressible vintner now limits himself to a mere 21 bottlings, focusing on Rhône varietals.  Cohn’s longtime relationships with some of California’s top growers and vineyards enable him to source some of the state’s finest fruit, including Rockpile in SonomaCounty, Fess Parker in Santa BarbaraCounty and Stagecoach in Napa.

 

My Tasting Note

A real nice, golden yellow color.  The wine has a rich and exotic nose with white peaches, pears, minerals, lemon curd, beeswax, spring flowers, spicy oak, and hints of vanilla bean, and apples.  This is medium body with decent acidity, and a creamy, oily texture on the palate.  Nice mineral laden, white fruit on the palate with some spicy oak in the background and citrus zest proving nice zip.  Seems a touch disjointed on the palate with the oak popping in and out especially on the finish when the wine is a touch chilled, at room temperature, the wine settles down and is much more enjoyable.  Pretty nice, but watch the serving temperature, this is much better served at “red wine temperature”.  (88 pts)

 

 

2007 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden – $34.99

 

My comments

Two Hands is probably my wife’s favorite non California winery.  Any time I pull one from the cellar, I get a big smile when she sees the bottle.  I grab as much of the wines as possible when I see them at a good price, because frankly, they are also a favorite of mine.  All the attention the winery gets from Wine Spectator is making it harder to find the wine at a decent price so I can grab case lots, so I make due with two or three bottles at a time.  Australian Shiraz may be a dead market according to most of the major wine writers, and that may be true, but now for Two Hands wines from Garden series down.

 

Winery History

Two Hands Wines was founded in early 1999 by Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz.

The original aim shared by Michael and Richard was to make the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized Shiraz growing regions throughout Australia. Their intention was, and still is, to showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz by highlighting regional characteristics and allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines. Two Hands refers to the very personable approach taken with each parcel of grapes, no matter how big or small. The wines are carefully guided through the viticulture and winemaking process by Michael Twelftree and winemaker, Matt Wenk.

 

In November 2011, Two Hands was named in the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 for the 9th consecutive year, an achievement that has never been equaled by any other winery in the world.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  There are crushed berries, minerals, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, smoked meat, black pepper, vanilla, black cherries, Asian spices, and violets on the very inviting nose.  This is fairly full bodied with nice, ripe tannins and good acidity.  The wine is big, bold, and ripe on the palate with no raisin or syrupy notes.  The palate features nice juicy, spicy berries with some oak in the background with minerals, meat, and dark chocolate.  There is a long, lingering finish with the spicy berries lingering seemingly forever.  This may not be for everyone, but if you want an in your face Shiraz, look no further.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

For dinner we mad a house favorite for the first cool weekend, a big pot of Paul Prudhomme’s Red Beans and Rice.  We usually freeze a nice ham bone with a fair amount of meat still attached just for the dish.  Add some andouille and we’re set for a nice, hearty meal.  The recipe is available online at http://bit.ly/SN9fMS

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Rudius

I’ve been on the Rudius mailing list since the beginning.  Rudius is Jeff and Brittany Ames.  Jeff’s name may not ring a bell, but here’s a bit of his bio:

In 2001 Jeff became Thomas Brown’s assistant winemaker at brands including Schrader, Maybach, Outpost, and Tor.  Two years later, Jeff was named the head winemaker at Tor, a position he still commands.   Rudius is the culmination of Jeff’s goal of owning his own wine brand.

 

I have purchased a fair amount of Jeff’s wines and every one that I have opened has been outstanding.  I have had several of his cabernets and wines made by the Rhone varietals.  I highly recommend the Rudius mailing list.  More information about Jeff and Brittany, Rudius, and most importantly a link to join the mailing list is available on their site.  Visit http://www.rudiuswines.com/

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

Herman Story

I’m not on the Herman Story mailing list, but a friend who is on the list shares some of his allocation with me.  These are big, ripe, bold wines and every once in a while that’s what I get in the mood for.  These wines aren’t for Francophiles.  If my friend wasn’t on the list, I’d join.  If you like that style of wine as much as I do, I highly recommend checking them out, perhaps you can get something from the just released offerings.  Visit http://hermanstorywines.com/ for more information.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2006 Steltzner Vineyards Claret – $15.19

This is perennially a bargain priced, good quality, Bordeaux blend from the Napa Valley.  This vintage is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot that was aged 16 months in mixed French oak barrels.  I have always felt the Steltzner Claret tastes good upon release, but is much better with a couple years in the cellar.

 

Steltzner Vineyards is a nice place to visit when you are in the Napa Valley.  It is directly across the Silverado Trail from Pine Ridge Winery.  I don’t know if they still make it, but they used to make a Stags Leap District Pinotage that was available to buy and on occasion to taste at the winery.

 

The wine is a fairly dark ruby color.  There is cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, black cherry, licorice, and some dark chocolate on the very nice and inviting nose.  This is medium body with fairly integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice lush berries and dried herbs dominate the palate initially with some spicy oak and a bit of earthiness and cherry coming in later.  Decent length on the finish which leans heavily on the dried herbs and spicy oak.  This is a nice, low cost, Bordeaux blend in its’ prime drinking window.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Finca Constancia Altozano – $24.00

I’m spending some time on the road for my real job this week.  I went to dinner with a few coworkers from around the country to a “gastropub” that had an Irish Pub theme.  The wine list was very low end, since I’m sure most diners go there for the beers.  A few people wanted wine, so I was assigned the task of selecting a bottle that would work with some very varied selections.  I always feel lower end Spanish Tempranillo is a decent crowd pleaser so I selected this wine.

 

The price is what was paid at a decent Irish Pub styled restaurant in Pinehurst, NC.  I’m sure this is available at retail for well under $10.  This is a dark cherry red color.  The nose has candied cherries, dark chocolate, some earthy underbrush, and plums on the easy going nose.  The wine is medium bodied with soft, ripe tannins and decent acidity, at best.  On the palate the wine seems a touch off dry with the candied fruit and savory elements more or less coexisting without melding together into one entity.  In a dinner with a few coworkers, the wine was decent, in any critical situation this would not show real well.  (83 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Torzi Matthews Shiraz “Schist Rock” – $16.99

This is a purchase from Garagiste Wine from a few years ago.  I’ve liked past bottles even though it is not your usual Barossa Shiraz.  Past bottles have shown nice ripeness, but the wine doesn’t push the ripeness level like some of these wines tend to do.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  On the very nice and fresh smelling nose there are blackberries, cherries, dark chocolate, smoked meat, black pepper, vanilla, and some fresh wild flowers, with just a hint of dried herbs.  This is medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice tart berries, cherries, and dried herbs hit the palate first with some black pepper and meat juices in the background.  This has decent length on the finish.  Not your typical Australian Shiraz that pushes the ripeness level to the edge.  This is a very nice week night wine that could use a bit more complexity on the palate and a touch more length on the finish.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Araldica Vini Piemontesi Barbera d’Asti Superiore Albera – $24.00

Once again we had a group going to dinner and once again the wine list was passed to me.  I like a nice Italian Barbera, and I felt it would pair fairly nicely with the varied dishes that were ordered.  Let’s see if I pick a winner or fall flat on my face.

 

The wine was a lighter maroon color.  This has a nice earthy nose with cherries, spice, and some underbrush.  The wine was medium body, at best with soft tannins and very nice acidity.  The palate had nice cherries with a fairly solid earthy overlay.  The finish showed a touch more fruit but was a bit short.  A decent value at a restaurant for mid 20’s, but there are much better Barbera wines out there that would fit in that price range.  The wine was dry and held up to the various meals, so I consider it a success.  On the critical end of the spectrum, a bit more complexity and more oomph on the finish would have helped.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Renard Grenache Unti Vineyards – $19.99

I bought several bottles of this from my local wine store on an end of vintage blow out sale at an exceptional price.  Past bottles have been very nice though a step or two away from being memorable.

 

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color.  There are cherries, earthy underbrush, dried herbs, some black pepper, and a slight herbal or stemmy note on the very nice nose.  This is fairly full bodied with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  There is nice spicy red fruit and spice on the palate with some earthiness in the background.  The slightly herbal note creeps in on the backend.  The finish is of nice length, but one again the herbal/stemmy note makes an appearance.  I would have preferred not having the herbal element, but it was not that distracting.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Estancia Reserve Meritage – $22.50

Still on the road, but we were able to hit a restaurant for steaks and their Thursday Special, half price for all wines.  I was able to get this wine for less than the average price paid on CellarTracker.  This is unheard of for a wine purchased at a restaurant.  This earns Tripp’s a gold best buy.  This appears to be a regional chain in North Carolina and Virginia.  If you see one on a Thursday, stop in for good food and great wine prices.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very nice nose has cassis, licorice, baking spices, black cherry, dusty minerality, dried herbs, and a touch of eucalyptus.  This was medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine had nice spicy fruit with dried herbs in the background and just a hint of eucalyptus adding a nice element.  The finish had decent length and nice spicy fruit.  Not a world beater, but a nice wine to pair with a steak, especially for just a touch over $20 at a restaurant.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2008 C.G. di Arie Interlude Estate Grown – $14.24

This has been a favorite since I grabbed a few bottles at a killer price on a close out sale at the local wine store.  This is a blend of 40% Zinfandel, 25% Syrah, 22.5% Petite Sirah, and 12.5% Primitivo from the Sierra Foothills of California.

 

A touch lighter than medium ruby color.  Brambly berries, white pepper, cherries, baking spices, dark chocolate, and a bit of earthiness on the open and inviting nose.  Medium body at best with ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Tart, spicy fruit on the palate with a touch of earthiness on the back end.  Decent length on the finish with spicy, tart cherries with a bit of earthiness and spicy oak.  This is not a big, overly ripe style of wine.  Much more delicate and balanced.  Outstanding for under $15.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Rudius

I’ve been on the Rudius mailing list since the beginning.  Rudius is Jeff and Brittany Ames.  Jeff’s name may not ring a bell, but here’s a bit of his bio:

In 2001 Jeff became Thomas Brown’s assistant winemaker at brands including Schrader, Maybach, Outpost, and Tor.  Two years later, Jeff was named the head winemaker at Tor, a position he still commands.   Rudius is the culmination of Jeff’s goal of owning his own wine brand.

 

I have purchased a fair amount of Jeff’s wines and every one that I have opened has been outstanding.  I have had several of his cabernets and wines made by the Rhone varietals.  I highly recommend the Rudius mailing list.  More information about Jeff and Brittany, Rudius, and most importantly a link to join the mailing list is available on their site.  Visit http://www.rudiuswines.com/

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

2008 Santi Ripasso della Valpolicella Classico Superiore Solane – $11.37

This has been a house favorite when it comes to a low priced, good quality, Italian Ripasso wine.  Granted it’s not as big and rich as most Ripasso wines, but it also doesn’t cost $30 or more.  This packs plenty of quality into an $11 bottle.  This is perfect with pizza or a week night pasta dish.  We’re trying out a new pasta dish tonight and I think this will pair perfectly.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  There are earthy cherries, licorice, baking spices, fresh violets, and a touch of dried herbs on the very appealing nose.  This is medium body with soft, ripe tannins and good acidity.  Nice spicy, earthy, fruit dominate the palate with some dried herbs and spicy oak providing nice depth.  Decent length on the finish which again shows a bit of excess spicy oak.  Not the biggest or richest Ripasso out there, but for a touch over $11, this is a QPR keeper.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

We made a Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta dish for dinner.  This is a Cooking Light recipe that is available at http://bit.ly/RXueAr

 

We used a hotter brand of sausage so the touch of richness in the Solane Ripasso held up well to the dish.  By the way, the dish is fantastic and is a very nice way to use any excess fresh tomatoes out of the garden.  As an added bonus, other than cooking the pasta, the dish takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah Madder Lake – $25.00

It has been a couple years since I had a bottle of this wine.  Every bottle I had was good, but I always felt there was more “under the hood” and additional cellar time would help bring it out.  This is my last bottle of three I originally purchased.  I sure hope the five year wait was worthwhile.  This was Copain’s lowest priced single vineyard offering at that time.  This is from LakeCounty on California’s NorthCoast.  The 2006 vintage, which I still have in the cellar, was Copain’s last offering from this vineyard.

 

The wine is a medium ruby color with some brick at the edge.  The very nice nose on the wine has smoke, blackberries, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, meat juices, black pepper, and a bit of earthiness.  The wine is medium body with well integrated tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine has nice spicy, peppery berries and some earthiness leading into a very nice, lingering finish.  This is in a prime drinking window right now, but should hold for a couple of years.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District – $24.69

This is another wine from the négociant California winery under the 3 Finger Wine Company umbrella.  These are generally very nice, value priced wines.  Most of the grapes are excess purchased from much wineries that were destined to go into more expensive wines.  I had a bottle of this a few months ago and felt it was very nice.  This should go very nicely with some juicy, Saturday burgers, hot off the grill.

 

The wine is a deep, dark garnet to purple color.  The outstanding nose has cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, licorice, minerals, and hints of baking spices, leather, and wildflowers.  This is medium bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice rich fruit and spice with dried herbs dominate the palate with just a touch of earthiness in the background.  This has a fairly long finish full of fruit and spice with the dried herbs lingering seemingly forever.  This is an outstanding bottle of wine that I imagine was destined for one of the big name, high scoring wines from the area.  You can sense the grapes in this wine were grown with the utmost case.  Glad I have another bottle, hopefully I can sit on it for a few years to see how this wine evolves.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Cellers Can Blau Montsant – $11.99

Needed some red wine to deglaze a pan and to add to a pot roast.  I’ve been wanting to open one of my remaining bottles of this for a while, this should work fine.  I’m actually looking forward to trying it again, I’ve liked the bottles I’ve had over the last several years.  This is a blend of  Carinena, Syrah and Garnacha, or as most Americans know them, Carignane, Syrah, and Grenache.

 

The wine is a fairly dark maroon color.  The nose has earthy berries, pine needles, well worn leather, cherries, meat juices, black pepper, dried herbs, underbrush, and a touch of licorice.  This is medium body with soft, fully integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has ripe, plush berries with a nice earthy overlay and dried herbs.  The finish is fairly long and very smooth.  This wine has aged very gracefully.  There are no rough edges or any out of balance elements on this well aged, bargain priced red from Spain.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Odeon Black Ridge Vineyard – $41.00

I’ve loved all the BigBasin wines I’ve had over the last couple of years.  I think they are one big score from one of the big wine publications from appearing on most wine drinkers’ radar.  Bradley Brown’s Rhone grape based reds are usually very big, ripe, and spicy that push the alcohol levels to the limit.  That said, the wines are generally big enough they can easily support elevated alcohol.

 

This is a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa CruzMountains area on California’s massive CentralCoast.

 

This was decanted for about 3 hours.   The wine is a deep, dark, purple color.  The very deep and interesting nose had cassis, blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, licorice, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, dried herbs, minerals, and some toasty oak.  This is full bodied with a nice tannic backbone and good acidity.  The wine explodes on your palate coating it with spicy fruit, dark chocolate, and dried herbs.  There is a some nice, spicy oak providing some background “seasoning”.  The wine has a long, lingering finish with just enough toast oak to add interest without over powering the fruit and dried herbs.  This is a big, ripe, rich wine that perfectly conceals the alcohol.  This wine has years of life ahead of it, but it is delicious today with some air.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

We had the Big Basin Odeon with a very tasty pot roast with rice and veggies.  They tasted fantastic together.

 

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

2009 Domaine Roche Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne – $16.14

There’s nothing, in my opinion, better than a nice Côtes du Rhône when you want something interesting without dropping a load of money.  I grabbed three of these from the local wine store several months ago but until tonight, have not opened one.  This is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah that aged in mostly cement, with a small portion in older barrels.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  There are cherries, licorice, roasted meat, dried herbs, minerals, black pepper, raspberry, and nice earthiness on the open and expressive nose.  This is medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Loads of fruit, spice, and minerals on the palate with some dried herbs and earthiness in the background.  The finish is fairly long and again showcases the spicy, mineral driven fruit.  Very nice today, but will last in the cellar for a few years, at a minimum.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

 2007 Clos La Coutale Cahors – $13.29

I’ve been a big Cahors fan for several years, but due to lack of a decent selection locally, I got my Malbec fix from Argentina the last few years.  I always loved the big and tannic 100% Malbecs from Cahors.  Unfortunately, I was in the minority.  Over the last several years, a lot of the wineries in the region have begun blending in varying amounts of Merlot to tame the tannins and allow for earlier drinking.  This one is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot.  I took the plunge on this one purely due to the #76 ranking in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2009 and the killer price.  I guess I’ll find out tonight if the risk paid off.

 

The wine is a dark, inky purple color.  On the deep and dark nose there are blackberries, fresh ground espresso, Asian spices, dark chocolate, black cherry, and some nice earthiness.  The wine is medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and zippy acidity.  Not as big and bold on the palate as the nose led me to expect, it is much more restrained and laid back.  There are nice fruit and spice flavors on the palate with the acidity brightening it up considerably.  In the background some dark chocolate, walnut, and earthiness add nice depth.  Decent length on the finish, where I wish it had a bit more length and complexity.  All in all, very nice for the price, but not what the nose lead me to expect.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek – $9.50

I perennial value priced favorite.  In this vintage, it seems to have a bit more oomph than most vintages.  Perhaps there was a surplus of very good grapes from some of the better vineyards or some grapes headed for single vineyard wines were declassified.  Either way, we’re the winners.  This is a jammy, fruity blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and Nebbiolo.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  Blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, licorice, underbrush, with some earth and violets on the very open and interesting nose.  This is medium body with soft, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  Loads of jammy, spicy fruit grab the palate, followed by some toasty oak and earthiness.  Decent length on the spicy fruit filled finish.  Not much complexity but very tasty.  Killer QPR for under $10.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Syncline Grenache-Carignan – $19.94

Just got back home from a business trip and was in the mood for something a little different.  This is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Carignan from the ColumbiaValley in Washington.  I’ve had a couple bottles of this wine over the last year, but felt it would be better with a bit of cellar time.  I guess it’s time to check in to see how it’s going.  As an added bonus, the wine is closed with a glass stopper.  In my opinion the best stopper for wines that will be consumed in three to eight years.  I need to see some research before I can extend the top end of that range.  I think these stoppers are a bit too costly to use on wines meant to be consumed not long after release.

 

The wine is a bit lighter than a medium ruby color.  This has a very nice nose with raspberry, meat juices, cherries, minerals, underbrush, licorice, fresh wild flowers, and baking spices with just a hint of an herbal note lingering in the background.  The wine is medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has a nice mix of fruit and spices with some earthiness and toasty oak adding depth and some complexity.  Decent length on the finish where the slight herbal/stemmy note reappears.  Not a big, overly ripe, and bold style of wine, but very tasty and refined.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

I was out of town on a business tip most of the week.  Instead of having my wife live without wine, I have a pretty nice selection of 375ml half bottles.  I currently have 20 different wines for her to choose from when I am away.  Here are the wines she enjoyed this week.  2004 Copain Garys’ Vineyard Syrah, 2006 Scherrer Old and Mature VinesScherrerVineyardAlexanderValley Zinfandel, and a 2006 ScherrerRussianRiverValley Pinot Noir.  Sorry, no notes on these wines, all I got from her was, “they were all good”.  Luckily I have at least one bottle of all of these, so maybe I’ll be able to try them the next time one is opened.

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2007 Stefania Haut Tubee – $18.00

This has been a very nice wine over the past few vintages.  This is a bit of a strange wine in that it changes the blend every vintage, sometimes drastically.  The winery uses left over barrels from their main wines, small lots, or whatever is available to create a unique blend.  This vintage is, per the winery 50% Syrah with Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache, and Mourvedre comprising the other 50%.   For comparison, the 2008 vintage is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Syrah, 15% Merlot, 10% Zinfandel, 2% Grenache, and trace amounts of Mourvedre, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and PinotGris.

The wine is a dark ruby to maroon color.  There are blackberries, cherries, black pepper, baking spices, cedar, licorice, dried herbs, with hints of smoked meat, and earthy notes on the very inviting nose.  This is medium to full body with ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is very nice and refined on the palate, loads of fruit and spice with dried herbs and earthiness in the background.  Decent length on the finish which I wish was a touch fuller.  A very nice bottle of wine for under $20.  Probably needs to be consumed over the next year or two at most.  (90 pts)

 

 

2008 R Wines Pinot Noir Permutations – $12.74

This is a Pinot Noir from the Victoria region in Australia.  It’s been a while since I opened one of these, so today is as good a day as any to unscrew my last bottle.  Earlier bottles have shown some bottle variation.  Some have been VERY earthy, others had nice fruit and spice with just a vein of earthiness.

This wine is a shade or two lighter than ruby with considerable lightening at the edge.  There are cherries, raspberry, baking spices, earthy elements and some fresh flowers on the very light and alluring nose.  This is light to medium body with silky tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has nice, juicy red fruits and spice with a streak of earthiness in the background.  The finish is a touch short, but all in all this is a nice, lighter bodied Pinot for south of $15.  (87 pts)

 

 

2008 Cosa Obra Proprietor’s Blend – $28.80

This is the initial release from this winery.  This wine is a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache and it is from SonomaCounty.  This was aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak.

I had a bottle about a year ago and it showed a lot of promise, but I felt it needed another year or two in the cellar to pull itself together and to open up.  I guess I’ll see today if my early guess held up.

The wine is a deep, dark, maroon color.  This smells like a fall day with blackberries, charcoal, smoked meat, hot asphalt, minerals, licorice, toasty oak, vanilla, white pepper, and a bit of cherry.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Big, bold, and ripe on the palate but everything holds together in perfect balance.  Nice meaty, spicy, fruit kick in immediately on the palate with just a touch of earthiness in the background.  A fairly long finish completes the package showcasing the fruit and savory elements with a bit of oak peeking in.  No hurry on this one, and another year in the cellar will be rewarded.  (93 pts)

 

 

2009 Grandes Vinos y Viñedos Cariñena Beso de Vino Seleccion – $8.48

I grabbed a bottle of this to try a couple years ago, based purely on a 90 point score by Wine Advocate.  It turned out the 90 points was by Jay Miller and not Robert Parker, so my expectations were greatly reduced.  This was actually a very enjoyable wine, loaded with acidity, and not syrupy and over ripe.  I actually felt it needed some cellar time for the acidity to integrate.

This is a blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Garnacha, briefly aged for 3 months in French oak.

This is a medium to dark ruby color.  There are blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, white pepper, plums, smoke, and vanilla on the slightly reserved nose.  The wine is a medium body, at most, with soft, ripe tannins and tart acidity.  Very bright, tart red fruit on the palate with spices and a touch of oak in the background.  With a bit of air, more spices and pepper also make it to the party.  Decent length on the finish with the tart, spicy, fruit fading a bit too quickly.  Not your typical, slightly sweet, soft, easy drinker usually seen at this price point from this area.  No complexity, but fairly tasty.  (87 pts)

 

 

2006 Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat – $28.49

On a whim, I grabbed a bottle of this wine from the local store when they were blowing them out.  I’ve had Franciscan cabernets in the past and they were generally pretty decent, especially if you found them at less then suggested retail price.  This is their top tier cabernet based blend in their “Prestige Wines” line.  As with most of the “Meritage” wines, the varietal breakdown changes every vintage, in this year the makeup is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot.

The wine is a deep ruby color.  There is cassis, crushed blackberries, dried herbs, cedar, smoke, baking spices, black cherry, and a slight herbal note on the soothing and comforting nose.  The nose is not an in your face style like a lot of the current release Bordeaux styled wines coming out of California.  I’m not saying that is a positive or a negative, just different, since I like both styles.  The wine is medium bodied with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine has a nice fruit and savory blend on the palate with a touch of spicy oak peeking through.  Decent length on the finish, I just wish it had a touch more length.  Once again, a touch of excess oak peeks out on the finish.  With some additional cellar time, the excess oak may integrate, but I don’t think there is enough fruit to help it hide out.  (90 pts)

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

Cheers!

 

 

Enoree River Vineyards and Winery

Newberry, SC

 

 

During a recent vacation to South Carolina to visit my wife’s family, I discovered a winery only a few miles away and decided we had to stop in for a visit.

 

I wasn’t expecting world class wines but figured it was worth a visit to a small, family owned winery in the middle of South Carolina.  I try to support all wineries since making wine is a life style I wholeheartedly support.

 

They have two classifications for their wines; the more international styled wines are made from juice brought in from Chile.  They also make fruit based wines and wines from grapes grown on site, Muscadine.  Muscadine grapes are native to the Southern United States from Texas to the Carolinas.

 

After accidently driving past the winery and having to make a U-turn, we arrived at the winery and tasting room.  Their new and very nice looking tasting room had shining hardwood floors, the prerequisite tasting bar, and several tables.  We stopped in on a Thursday afternoon and were the only people there.  We were told they get extremely busy on Saturdays.  As expected, their busiest time of the year is the month leading up to Christmas.  Everyone has to have some alcohol to successfully celebrate the holiday season.

 

I believe we were told they are getting ready for their 4^th harvest of their Muscadine grapes.

 

 

On the day we visited, they had 10 wines available for us to taste for a reasonable $5 fee.  We passed on a couple of the sweet Muscadine based wines, but sampled the rest.

 

1 – Sauvignon Blanc – This was made from juice brought in from Chile and it was very representative of the Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had from Chile and Argentina.  The wine had tart citrus with a nice herbal element.

 

2 – Riesling – Again made from juice brought in from Chile.  I have not had a Chilean Riesling, so I didn’t have a reference point for comparison.  The wine had nice tart apple and citrus.  This was made in a slightly off dry style and would be nice on its own or with some spicy food.

 

3 – Carlos (Semi-Dry) – This was a white wine made with the home grown Muscadine grapes.  Even though it is listed s semi-dry, it was very sweet to us.  This lacked the acidity needed to offset the sweetness so it came across as pretty soft.  This was not our style of wine, but I bet it is very popular to the sweet wine drinkers.

 

4 – Carlos (Sweet) – Based on the sweetness of the semi-dry white, we passed on this wine

 

5 – Noble (Semi-Dry) – This was a red wine made from the home grown Muscadine grapes.  Like the Carlos above, it was again very sweet and lacked the offsetting acidity.  This had a more cherry to berry flavor profile.

 

6 – Noble (Sweet) – Once again we passed on this wine because the Semi-Dry was sweet enough for our tastes.

 

7 – Merlot – This is again made with juice brought in from Chile.  The wine also includes a bit of barrel aged Malbec to add some earthiness, dark fruit, and spice.  An easy drinking style of wine, probably very popular for dry wine drinkers at holiday parties.

 

8 – Red Raspberry – A very nice, jammy style of wine full of, you guessed it, red raspberry.  This as well as the other two fruit based wines would probably be a crowd pleaser mixed with some sparking wine.

 

9 – Blackberry – Obviously made with blackberries, this was again off dry but with enough zippy acidity to help offset the sweetness.

 

10 – Apple – As expected, this was once again a sweeter style of wine full of sweet apples.

 

 

Here’s a shot of the vineyards.  I’m sure the rain they received over the last couple of weeks helped bring back the green color.

 

 

 

Here is a slightly closer picture of their vineyard.

 

 

 

Here are some while Muscadine (Carlos) grapes on the vine.

 

 

 

Here are some ripe Muscadine grapes about ready to be picked.

 

 

 

We bought a bottle of their Riesling and a bottle of their Blackberry wine.  The Blackberry will probably be used to make a very interesting Blackberry Cake from the Winery’s Recipe section of their website.  http://www.enoreeriverwinery.com/Recipies.html

 

The price for a tasting or a glass of wine is $5.00, souvenir glasses are $2, and wines cost $13 a bottle.

 

 

 

If you ever find yourself on I-26 North of Columbia, I recommend stopping by for a visit.  They are only about a half mile off the highway.

 

Their website is http://www.enoreeriverwinery.com/

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch – $22.00

I really liked the 2010 vintage of this wine; unfortunately we killed off the last bottle a few weeks ago.  The good news is we have a decent stash of the 2011.  I joined the Bedrock mailing list to get my hands on Morgan’s red wines, but his whites have been a revelation.

 

The wine is a bright straw color with glints of green and gold.  This has a fresh and refreshing nose full of apples, white peaches, stony minerals, citrus zest, eucalyptus, fresh cut grass, with a nice floral note.  This is light to medium body with crisp, citrusy, acidity.  This is bright and very lively with the fruit, citrus, and herbal notes taking turns enticing the palate.  The finish is fairly long with the eucalyptus making an appearance to lend a savory element to the fruit and citrus.  No hurry on this one, it should easily last a few years in the cellar, but as soon as you finish a bottle you will be drawn to open another.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2001 Boroli Barolo – $32.99

We very much enjoyed the early drinking 2000 vintage of this value priced Barolo.  Now that vintage has disappeared from my cellar, it’s time to check in on the 2001 to see how it is doing.

 

This was decanted for about 2 hours.  The wine is a nice dark ruby color, considerably lighter at the rim and just a hint of bricking.  Black cherries, berries, tar, rose petals, baking spices, and a very slight herbal note on the very elegant nose.  The wine is medium body with velvety tannins and very nice acidity.  This is very civilized on the palate for a youngish Barolo, nice fruit and spice and just a touch of spicy oak pop out in front with some earthiness in the background.  The wine has decent length on the finish which is still a touch ragged with some excess oak and herbal notes popping out.  Give this another year or two in the cellar and drink it over the following several years.  Even today this is outstanding with some upside potential.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Two Hands Brave Faces – $17.09

Two Hands is one of my wife’s favorite wineries and ranks pretty high on my list.  This is one winery that is not afraid to allow their grapes to get fully ripe before picking.  Some of their wines get awfully close to the over ripe and syrupy side of the line, but most of the time they don’t cross that line.  Remember, ripe fruit is not a flaw in a bottle wine.

 

I was able to grab a case of this wine from my local wine store during a blow out sale about a year ago.  To me, this was an absolute no brainer buy for a touch over $17 a bottle.  This is 65% Shiraz, 35% Grenache and 100% BarossaValley.  This is the type of wine that made Australia famous before the mass produced “critter wines” did their best to kill that reputation.

 

This was pretty much a pop and pour tonight.  This is a deep, dark maroon to purple color.  There are blackberries, charcoal, black pepper, smoke, meat juices. vanilla, black cherry, and baking spices on the warm and comforting nose.  The wine is fairly full bodied with velvety tannins and good acidity.  This is locked and loaded on the palate, full of fruit, pepper, and spice.  There is a long flavor filled finish full of spicy fruit.  As with most Two Hands wines, this is full of ripe fruit but it is not sweet or syrupy.  This is in a prime drinking window, drink over the next year or two.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Castle Rock Petite Sirah – $9.49

This is a bottle that slipped through the cracks, I had it marked to drink through 2010.  Even though it’s from the Lodi region, which tends to produce very ripe and high alcohol wines, this one is only 13.5% ABV.  If it’s dead, I have a few tons of other wine to choose from as a backup.

 

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color with just a touch of lightening at the edge.  On the very nice nose are blackberries, blueberries, baking spices, some black pepper, and a bit of earthiness.  This is medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity.  Nice spicy berries on the palate with just a bit of earthiness coming in on the backend.  The finish is a bit short and some oak is popping out as the fruit fades.  This is on the down side of its life but was still an enjoyable week night accompaniment with dinner, especially for an under $10, 8 year old bottle.  (86 pts)

 

The wine held up and had a nice nose and palate, the most obvious sign of old age was the quickly fading fruit on the finish leaving some excess oak.

 

 

 

2006 Magito Zinfandel Panorama Blend – $13.23

Even though labeled as a Zinfandel, the Blend part of the name is very applicable.  Per the label and website, this is actually a blend of 75% Amador, Napa and Solano County Vineyards Zinfandel, 8% Sonoma Mountain Scopa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Napa Valley Voyager vineyard Sangiovese, 5% Napa Valley Sarco Vineyard Syrah, 4% Mendocino County Merlot, and  2% Napa Valley Jonquil vineyard Petite Sirah.

 

I had a taste of this at the local wine store, and had to grab a couple bottles.  I remember the wine had a fair amount of acidity when I had sampled it a couple years ago.  I’m looking forward to enjoying this one tonight.

The wine is a medium ruby color.  There are brambly berries, black pepper, cherries, dark chocolate, dried herbs, and a touch of smoked meat on the very interesting and intriguing nose.  The wine is barely medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Lively black and red fruit on the palate with some nice spice and dried herbs, there is a touch of earthiness in the background.  Decent length on the finish which does show a touch of excess oak.  A nice zinfandel for a week night dinner, as long as you aren’t looking for a classic zinfandel flavor profile.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

August West Wine

The August West offer hit the inbox on Wednesday.  Included in this offer were the 2011 Pinot and the 2010 Syrah from the RussianRiverValley, 2011 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot, and the 2010 Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah.  Visit http://www.augustwestwine.com/ to sign up for partner/winemaker Ed Kurtzman’s wonderful list.  All wines are very high quality and under $40 a bottle.

 

 

Anthill Farms Winery

The latest offer from Anthill Farms hit the old inbox on Wednesday.  The initial allocations are guaranteed through September 26^th.  This release includes three single vineyard Pinot Noirs, an Anderson Valley Pinot, and one of the best mailing list bargains out there, their 2010 Sonoma Coast Syrah, which is only $18.  For additional information, visit http://www.anthillfarms.com/

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Wind Gap

Pax Mahle’s Wind Gap Winery had their latest offer go live on Thursday.  Included in this offer are a couple I’d love to try.  Included in this release are:

2009 Yuen Chardonnay, James Berry & Brosseau Vineyards, CentralCoast – $36

2011 PinotNoirSonomaCoast – $36

2011 Mourvedre, Bedrock Vineyard, SonomaValley – $32

2010 Syrah Armagh Vineyard, SonomaCoast – $40

Reasonable prices for Pax’s high quality wines.

As an added bonus, they also have some Library wines available.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

2008 One Time Spaceman Moon Duck – $22.79

This is a personal favorite.  This is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Tempranillo from Paso Robles.  The winemaker is Mark Adams, also the winemaker at Ledge and assistant winemaker at Saxum.

 

This was pretty much pop and pour.  The wine is a deep, dark, ruby to purple color.  This has an outstanding and expressive nose full of blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, licorice, cherries, underbrush, dark chocolate, and some nice earthiness.  The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  There is nice fruit and spice up front on the palate with layers of additional fruit and savory notes adding tons of depth.  There is a very nice, long, lingering finish full of fruit, spice, and earthy notes.  This is still very young and will reward additional cellar time.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Core Hard Core – $19.15

Core has been a favorite winery in my house for several years.  I used to be able to stock up on trips to Sam’s or Binny’s when I went to Chicago.  I no longer make that trip, so I get by on a few bottles here and there since it doesn’t make it to Wisconsin.

 

This is a blend of 37% Mourvedre, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah, 4% Grenache from Santa BarbaraCounty on California’s CentralCoast.  I’ve been wanting to try this wine for a while, Jeb Dunnuck from The Rhone Report loved the wine (92+ pts) and JL from WS trashed it (82 pts), my palate generally more closely aligns with Jeb’s, so I have no fear in opening this bottle.

 

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby color.  The captivating nose has black cherry, smoked meat, black pepper, cassis, vanilla, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness and cedar.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is rich and spicy on the palate with layers of flavors popping in, including nice dark chocolate and espresso grounds elements.  A fairly long finish full of fruit and dark chocolate with some nice, spicy oak and earthiness adding to the enjoyment.  An outstanding effort that will reward additional cellar time.  (93 pts)

 

 

One oddity was that the label says 2007, but the cork is branded with 2008.

 

 

 

 

 2011 One Time Spaceman MCA Rosé – $15.21

Since it was only a couple weeks ago, I’m copying my post from my August 13 – August 16 blog which is still 100% applicable.

 

I’ve had this a couple times and it’s a very nice, easy drinking, fruity Rosé.  It is a bit softer and shows a touch of sweetness.  This is a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend from Paso Robles.  The winemaker, Mark Adams, is a rising star in my opinion.  Besides the One Time Spaceman label, he has another label called Ledge.  I recommend doing a Google search for them and joining the mailing list.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for a small Paso Robles winery you may have heard of, Saxum.  In his spare time, he is also a musician.  Check out his latest offering, Panjanatan, I know it’s available on Amazon, probably other places as well.

 

The wine is a bright salmon color.  This has watermelon, strawberries, white peaches, white pepper, and a touch of earthiness on the soft and pleasing nose.  This is light to medium body with nice acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate the wine is full of sweet, juicy red fruit with some citrus kicking in on the backend.  This is a nice, easy drinking Rosé, perfect for a casual dinner on the deck or patio or to sip on a hot day.  (89pts)

 

 

 

2007 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli Vineyard – $34.00

Smoking up some ribs and hot links for dinner, so a big zinfandel was in order.  I had a hard time selecting between a Turley and one from Carlisle.  It’s been a while since I had a Turley, so it won.  As you can see from the bottle, the Turley fought getting plucked from the wine cellar, but I won.  Actually the scrape comes from the slightly too tight a fit in my wine cellar racking system.  It’s not a big deal to me since I buy my wine to drink, not to resell.

 

I generally like the Turley zins from Tofanelli Vineyard.  They usually show nice minerality and loads of pepper and spice.  The Tofanelli Vineyard is in about 26 acres on Dunaweal Lane, 1 mile south of Calistoga, in the NapaValley.

 

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  There are brambly berries, cherries, minerals, fresh ground black pepper, dark chocolate, ground dark espresso coffee beans, and a touch of earthiness on the very inviting nose.  This is medium to full body with nice, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice spicy, peppery, fruit on the palate with some dark chocolate and minerals coming in on the back end.  A fairly long finish which highlights the dark chocolate and briary fruit.  This is in a prime drinking window right now, but should hold for a couple of years.  Delicious!  (93 pts)

 

I smoked some ribs for our Sunday dinner.  Dinner was glorious with the ribs, hot links, and my wife’s macaroni salad.

 

Here’s the rack of ribs with the dry rub:

 

I wrapped these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator over night.  This allows the seasoning to be absorbed into the meat.

 

Here’s a picture of the meat platter for dinner:

 

The wine was a perfect pairing with the meat.  Both had nice spice and the tannins had softened in the wine enough to cut through the juicy meat but not clash with the spicy rub I use.

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic NapaValley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

Villa Creek Vineyards

Ordering a case from Villa Creek is always a no-brainer decision for me.  Generally, the hard part is trying to keep my order between a case and a case and a half.  This release had two of my favorite wines from Villa Creek, The Avenger and Mas de Maha.  These are both nice blends from Paso Robles.

 

The Avenger is a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the Mas de Maha is a blend of 50% Tempranillo, 25% Grenache, 25% Carignan.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

This week was a bit light, wine wise.  We left for vacation on Saturday morning, so we dialed down the wine list a bit.  I selected wine we would like but with an eye towards value priced wines.

 

 

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red – $13.29

This wine is usually a house favorite.  This is a kitchen sink blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.  This is usually a very nice wine with fantastic QPR when you can find it for under $15.

The wine is a fairly dark ruby color.  On the nose, this has blackberries, charcoal, smoke, vanilla, meat juices, earthy underbrush, some cherries and a faint herbal note.  Medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice fruit and savory flavors on the palate which carries no extra heavy extraction or over ripe elements.   Decent length on the finish which again, shows no excess weight.  I think this is a wine most Francophiles would enjoy, to me it seems more styled like a French wine than one from California.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Schild Estate Shiraz – $19.00

This was a very highly rated wine that was a major disappointment when tasted not long after release.  This was very disjointed, syrupy, and tart.  After about a year in the cellar it started to come together.  It’s been several months since my last bottle, time to see if the improvement has continued.

 

This bottle was decanted about an hour.  The wine is a deep, dark, maroon color.  There are blackberries, baking spices, licorice, blueberries, vanilla, pepper, bittersweet chocolate, a touch of cherry, and a slight herbal note on the nice nose.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and tart acidity.  There is a big blast of up front fruit and spice with dark chocolate and herbal elements in the background.  The finish is again fairly tart with some herbal notes over riding the fruit.  This bottle was again a disappointment.  I will either not touch a bottle for another year or allow for a much longer decant.  (85 pts)

 

This wine was number 7 on the Wine Spectator, Top 100 Wines of 2010.

 

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé – $18.00

We’re on vacation in South Carolina and it’s a very hot and humid day.  That makes it a perfect time to enjoy a nice Rosé, and this wine is guaranteed to be a perfect way to tame the weather.   This is one of my summer Rosé wines we enjoy.

 

A nice, light, pinkish salmon color. Minerals, strawberry, white pepper, melons, orange zest, and a bit of dusty earthiness on the very appealing nose. Light body with crisp acidity. A very dry rose with nice minerality and fruit with the white pepper and citrus making an appearance on the back end. Nice, lingering, mouthwatering finish. The real deal. Even those who like a crisp French Rose will find pleasure in this wine. (92 pts)

 

** Note copied from the July 30, 2012 To August 2, 2012 edition of Cliff’s Wine Picks. **

 

 

 

 

2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon – $19.00

Freemark Abbey was a winery I used to really like, but they seemed to go through a few off years.  Starting with the 2004 vintage they seemed to change course and put renewed vigor and effort into their wines.  The changes were fairly obvious by what they put in the bottle.  To me, they are once again a good, value priced winery putting out outstanding values.

 

This was decanted about an hour.  The wine is a deep, dark, inky ruby color.  Cassis, cigar box, vanilla, dried herbs, cherry, plum, and just a touch of licorice are on the very nice and inviting nose.  This is medium body with fairly solid but ripe tannins and nice acidity.  There are nice berries and spice on the palate with just a touch of oak peeking through on the backend.  This has nice length on the finish which picks up some dried herbs.  This was an absolute steal at $19.  No hurry, a little more cellar time will be rewarded.  (91 pts)

 

 

2008 Stanley Lambert Chardonnay Pristine – $7.13

One of our favorite, inexpensive white wines.  This is an unoaked Chardonnay from the Barossa Valley in Australia.  This wine doesn’t have the greatest distribution network, but luckily it is available in Wisconsin.  I’ve met the now retired winemaker, Lindsey Stanley multiple times and he is the epitome of every Australian stereo types out there.

 

The wine is a yellow to straw color.  On the nose, this wine has apples, pears, orange blossoms, minerals, and orange zest.  This is light to medium body with crisp acidity.  Nice apples and pears on the palate with the citrus kicking in on the backend with some minerality in the background.  This has a nice finish with the orange zest and minerals lingering and slowly fading.  This is still drinking very nicely and for a low cost Australian Chardonnay, there is no hurry on killing these off.  (90 pts)

 

 

2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Prologue – $17.09

I took a bottle of this to a friend’s home not long after it was released and it was a bit hit.  We both wanted to load up, but unfortunately it was sold out at the local store.  Luckily, I had bought 3 bottles, so I still had a couple in the cellar.  Tonight is bottle number two.

 

This is from a bottle that had been opened about two hours, but not decanted.  The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  A very nice and appealing nose of cassis, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, smoke, dried herbs, and a touch of toasty oak.  Medium body with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice spicy berries and oak influences on the very expressive palate.  One of the best California Cabs I’ve had for well south of $20.  I assume this has some purchased fruit since it is now designated as North Coast instead of Napa.  For the $17.09 I paid, I wish I had loaded up.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic Napa Valley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

Turley Wine Cellars

Turley’s latest release with a dozen assorted zinfandel and Petite Syrahs (their spelling) came out this week.  Am I the only person who loves a nice zin but just isn’t as enthusiastic over a new Turley release?  I may actually pass this time.

 

 

Keplinger Wines

Their Fall Release will open on Wednesday, September 12th at 8:30am PST.

This offer will include the first half of our 2010 vintage wines, all of which hail from our Sierra Foothills vineyards:

2010 Caldera, El Dorado

2010 Lithic, Amador

2010 Sumo, Amador

 

 

#CabernetDay

Save the Date: August 30, 2012 will be the third annual global celebration of Cabernet.  You have a couple weeks to pick out a bottle to open.  Let us know which wine you choose.  #Cabernet Day

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

Nice Wine Stuff

 

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

Cheers!

 

 

 

This end of the week was a bit light, wine wise.  We left for vacation on Saturday morning, so we dialed down the wine list a bit.

 

 

2009 Girard Petite Sirah Napa Valley – $17.09

This has been a long time favorite of mine.  My consumption has declined over the last few vintages as the price escalated.  My local store loaded up and offered the wine at a killer price via their e-mail list, so I had to “back up the truck”.

 

This was decanted for about an hour. The wine is a deep, dark purple color. There are blackberries, black pepper, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, dried herbs, underbrush, and some earthiness on the dark and pleasing nose.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  There is a lot of fruit and spice on the palate with just a bit of earthiness coming in on the back end with dark chocolate and black pepper.  Nice length on the finish where the dark chocolate really kicks into high gear.  This is very young but already very nice.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2007 JC Cellars Smoke and Mirrors – $15.19

We’ve had this wine a few times over the last several months.  To me, it has always been a bit of a disappointment.  This is a wine that could really use a big injection of tannins and acidity.  As is, I figured this would be a nice wine to sip in a hotel after 800 miles on the road.

 

This is a deep, dark garnet to maroon color. There are blackberries, blueberries, plums, vanilla, black pepper and smoked meat on the nose dark and brooding nose.  The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and marginal acidity.  This is a bit out of balance on the palate with loads of fruit and tannins but very soft acidity.  This is more of a party/cocktail wine than something to serve with anything more than a cheese/sausage plate.  This is tasty but a bit too flabby.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Clayhouse Vineyard Cuvée Blanc Red Cedar Vineyard – $22.99

I tried this about a few weeks ago as part of my review of a Super Flight Sampler from TastingRoom.com.  To me, based on the taste, this was a wine I had to buy.  Luckily, the Super Flight Sampler included two pre-paid bottles.  I selected two bottles of this wine.  This is a blend of 40% Grenache Blanc, 40% Rousanne, and 20% Viognier from Paso Robles.

 

The wine is a very pale yellow to straw color, just a step or two about water.  This has a very interesting nose of apples, white peaches, minerals, white pepper, pears, orange zest, and a lively floral note.  The wine is medium body at most with very nice acidity,  The wine is initially has a silky, soft, impact on the palate with the apples, spice, and white peach elements dominating, but then the other hammer drops and white pepper and citrus kick in adding immensely.  A nice, lingering finish with all the elements in perfect harmony.  This is a very interesting California version of a French white Chateauneuf.  I like this wine, a lot!  (92 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic Napa Valley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

 

 

#CabernetDay

Save the Date: August 30, 2012 will be the third annual global celebration of Cabernet.  You have a couple weeks to pick out a bottle to open.  Let us know which wine you choose.  #Cabernet Day

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!