California

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• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
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  • Russian River Valley
  • Sonoma Coast
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Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with grapefruits, slight lemon, and a hint of vanilla.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is lean but piercing (in a good way).  Grapefruit notes with just a bit of spice.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with lighter foods but also Salmon or Tuna steaks.  Drink over the next five years.  

This comes from the son of the owner of Sine Qua Non Wines, but Nikolas Krankl is making excellent wines that stand on their own.  This is a blend of 93% Syrah, 2% Grenache, 2% Mourvedre, and 3% Roussane.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats and herbs, and black pepper.  Lovely, slightly viscous texture.  This is a big, ripe wine but it is not heavy or plodding.  Delicious black raspberry fruit with black pepper and a gamey note on the palate.  Lots of energy and acidity.  Long finish.  This is still very young but for those who

A nice, solid Napa Cabernet.  At 15.6%, this is not shy although the alcohol is not noticeable.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cedar and spice.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks smooth and easy.  Cassis notes with a touch of cedar.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for the next five to eight years.  A nice wine with a steak or burger.  

This is a relatively inexpensive Cabernet that is a nice choice for a party or a reception.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some cassis, slight cedar and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherry fruit.  Nice finish.  This is tasty and easy to drink on its own.  It will work with grilled meats but also worked well with chocolate.  Drink over the next couple of years.

A delightfully seductive Chardonnay that veers away from traditional, California Chardonnays, this offers deeper, richer notes of resin, honeysuckle, butter rum, light orange zest, apricot, and quince. It has a creaminess and lithe viscosity that rolls over the tongue. With only 33% new oak used on this you might think it would be more prevalent, but the fruit itself shines forth, the volcanic soils providing and earthiness and minerality. ORIGIN: Russian River Valley, Sonoma. ALCOHOL: 14.7%

Ordered off the list at Craig's in Hollywood, CA.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon, lime, slight floral note and  slight  smoke.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, this is dry as a bone.  Delicious.  Lemons with slight lime.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Very food friendly.  Went great with a Veggie Burger.  Drink over the next ten years.

Cuvaison is best known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in 2012 they launched a sparkling program. Comprised of mainly Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, this brut was made in the traditional Champagne method. Using Pinot Dijon clone 115 planted in 1998, winemaker Steve Rogstad says these 25-year-old vines bring a “precocious beauty” to the wine, and I have to agree. This is a delicate wine with minimal sweetness, using the grace of the Pinot and the acidity and light salinity of the Chardonnay to make a very balanced, almost shy wine.

This winery specializes in unoaked wine.  As the label says, "Happy Wife, Happy Life" and Pam, the owner Roan's wife likes her wine unoaked.  This was the first time we tried the Cab.  An interesting take on Cab and a nice value at $16,  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, sour cherries and a slight pomegranate note.  Light to  medium bodied with very light tannins.  On the palate, sour cherries and some cassis.  This drinks easy and is refreshing.  More "light hearted" than a typical Cab Cab if that makes sense.  Nice on its own, this is very food friendly

Another solid effort from Ron Rubin Winery who specializes in unoaked varietal wines (Ron's wife prefers her wine unoaked).  This is inexpensive and a great value.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with Meyer Lemons, some grapefruit and a bit of minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the Meyer Lemons come thru with a slight touch of lemon-lime.  Good finish.  This drinks easily on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  This would be nice with fried appetizers at a party or on the back deck.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a very nice Sonoma County Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemons, green apples, slight vanilla, light toast, and slight buttery note.  Full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, lots of yellow grapefruit notes with some vanilla.  Plenty of depth.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own but will work well with sea food or vegetarian dishes.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.