Made with grape grown in California and shipped to Ohio.  Pale golden in color with a slight copper tinge to it.  Clear and bright.  The nose is a bit reticent at first, but opens to show Cantaloupe, along with a light lemon note and some minerality.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice, slightly oily texture.  Melons with some lemon. Nice, easy finish.  This  drinks nicely on its own, but a bit better with food.  It went well with stuffed mushrooms.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This is made from grapes grown in California and trucked to northeast Ohio to be processed.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemons, slight pear and hints of spice.  Medium bodied.  13.5% abv.  On the palate, this is tasty.  It has some depth to it.  Flavors of pears with a slight honey note.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks very well on its own and will work with seafood, poultry or veggies.  It went nicely with a mushroom pizza.  Drink over the next five years. 

This is made by MIchael Angelo's Winery which is located in Northeast, Ohio.  The grapes are grown in California and shipped (2-day) to Ohio to be processed.  Tasted from two bottles, the second was significantly better than the first (not sure if the first had been open, was from the same vintage, etc) so this note is based on the second, freshly opened bottle.  Made utilizing the Charmat Method.  Light silvery/golden in color.  A fair amount of froth with medium to small sized bubbles.  The nose is nice with lots of peach and slight limes.  With air a banana note came out (perhaps a bit o

We drank thru a case of this wine and this was the last bottle.  Ten were superb, one was off and one was corked which was about par for the course back in the day with sweet Loire white wines.  This was also superb, and if you have any, no hurry on them.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with orange peel, apricots, sea air, canned peach syrup.  Full bodied.  Slightly sweet.  On the palate, canned peach syrup, oranges, and slight caramel note.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this will work well with not too sweet (and no chocolate) desserts.  Drink up over the next fiv

This is maturing on a nice path is while not at peak, it is getting pretty gosh darn close.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with boysenberries, char, black pepper and bacon fat.  Medium to full bodied.  Well balanced.  On the palate, lots of boysenberry fruit with some black pepper and a bit of char.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own and will also work with food.  Cassoulet would be a classic pairing.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

My personal view of extended barrel age wines is that they take more time to be ready to drink than regular aged wines.  This one is from what might be a slightly lighter vintage, but held true.  It is a blend of 58% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre, 11% Grenache, and 3% Viognier.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, plums, black cherries, spice, roasted meats, and slight black olive.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is tight but with air has black raspberries, black cherries with underlying roasted meat and herbs.  A bit of black pepper comes out with air.

Goldeneye has been making wine in the Anderson Valley for 30 years. This current release is comprised of 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay. There is a lovely softness to the carbonation and viscosity of the wine itself. Pleasant notes of fresh, baked bread, golden delicious apple, apricot jam, blood orange and a slight honeydew melon fill the palate. Unlike many sparklers, this doesn’t lean towards sour apple, nor sweet, it straddles a middle ground of pleasant, soft notes, making this a delightful sipping wine with enough acidity for food.

The “better for you“ wine segment is a fast growing category including lower calorie, zero sugar, “all natural” and so forth. But the bottom line of these or any wine is, does it taste good? Because if it doesn’t taste good, lower sugar and fewer calories maybe a mute point. Happily this Pinot Noir from Chile is a terrific wine, and very good quality. There less overt acidity from the get-go, however, there is still nice raspberry strawberry, huckleberry, and boysenberry notes.

It’s not often you’ll find a white wine, especially a Pinot Blanc on shelves with this much age on it. But in the capable hands of the Böcking team, this is a great find. The vineyards are located in the middle of the Mosel. This offers crisp and clean summer citrus fruits with just a hint of sweetness, making this a delightful addition to your white wine roster. The mild notes of lemon verbena, lime kefir, Asian peach, and Bartlett pear are properly supported by a driving acidity and slight minerality.

This is a nice solid Napa Cabernet that often shows up on restaurant lists.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, coffee, slight chocolate and a slight herbal note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of cassis, some chocolate and just a hint of spice.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work great with a steak or burger.  Drink over the next five to eight years.