A lot of people will tell you that Oregon Pinot's do not age well.  Nonsense.  At age 14, this is still young and vibrant.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a bit of VA which mostly blows off leaving fresh cherries, slight cranberries, and slight woody notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, bright black cherries, cherries and slight spice.  Tight complexity.  Long finish.  This should continue to mature and drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Excellent on its own, this would work better with food.  Roasted chicken is a nice choice.  

Great showing for this Premier Cru from the excellent 2005 vintage.  Ruby/purple in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, chervil and spice.  Medium bodied. On the palate, this is bigger than on the nose.  Cherries, black cherries with some spice.  Long finish.  Drinking well at age 17, this should go another ten to fifteen more years.  Better with food, this would work well with a seared Tuna Steak with a seared crust.

These wines don't seem to get the respect that other Bourgogne's get and that is a shame.  This was delicious.  It is more understated, but that is not a bad thing in Burgundy.  Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cranberries, rhubarb, cherries and slight char.  Medium bodied.  A bit riper on the palate with cherries and slight rhubarb.  Light tannins.  Sour/tart cherries on the finish.  This works better with food than on its own.  Sweet and sour Pork would work well. 

The grapes sourced for the Cabernet is like a who’s who of exceptional areas: Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain, Calistoga – all definitive Cabernet growing areas. This wine offers rich and deep blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry with back notes of plum, macerated black currant, red raspberry and cocoa powder. Though the oak influence is evident  (aged 22 months in 82% new French oak) it is not overwhelming. This drinks beautifully - the kind of pure enjoyment you want in a Napa Cabernet. 663 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.5%

Like any good cuvée, this blend of Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, Calera and Mt. Eden showcases how a blend can exceed its individual components. A mix of fruit and earthy notes, this cuvée showcases Sonoma’s premier Pinot region, the Russian River Valley. There is subtle black cherry, red raspberry, rhubarb, cola, green tea leaf, boysenberry,  and firm tannins and an almost subversive acidity. The oak program is judicious and still allows the fruit to shine through while the oak provides some structure for the wine on the mid-palate and concentrated finish. 486 cases.

This is from a small producer in the south of burgundy.  Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, char and slight green/herbal notes.  Medium bodied.  Wispy tannins.  This is better on the palate with elegant cherry fruit.  Slightly complex.  Good finish.  This is a delightful Pinot Noir that drinks well on its own and is also great with food.  A nice wine for Roasted Duck.  

A nice showing especially considering the vintage.  Light golden in color.  A steady stream of smaller bubble.  The nose is clean with good minerality and slight pear notes.  Full bodied but overall the wine is more on the delicate side.  Clean.  On the palate, slight pear and nice minerality as well.  Long finish.  This should drink well over the next eight to ten years.  Very food friendly.  Nice to open a bottle of this with some popcorn.  

A difficult vintage in Champagne, but this one is drinking very well.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  A persistent bead of small bubbles form a nice mousse.  The nose is big with apples, pears, yeast and salinity.  Full bodied but good acidity.  On the palate, apples, salinity and slight yeast.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is drinking well but should easily go another five to eight years.  Very food friendly, this would be very nice with spicy Thai food.  

This is a sparkling wine from Spain.  It is a blend of 45% Xarel.lo, 40% Macabeo, 12% Parellada and 3% Malvasía de Sitges.  Golden in color.  A fair amount of smaller bubbles.  The nose has char, and lemons.  Nice mouthfeel.  Good backbone of acidity.  The lemons carry thru to the palate.  Shorter finish.  Drink over the next five years.  Very food friendly, this makes a nice starter with appetizers for a holiday party or dinner.  

A delicious cooler climate Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and black olives.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is going strong.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black pepper.  Good balance.  Long finish.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  Nice on its own, but works well with food.  It went well with a vegetarian sausage casserole.