Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
This is part of the new lineup of Penfold's wines that are from other than Australia. This one is from Napa. I believe it is supposed to be a Napa version of their Bin 407 from Australia. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis and an interesting scent that I have notice rarely in other wines that can best be described as the fat off a fresh corned beef sandwich at a Jewish delicatessen. There is also a bit of baking spices. Medium to full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this is ripe fruit with a lot of cassis. Some underlying char/smoke. Nice finish
Although young, this wine is a beauty. Kistler used to have a lot of oak on its Chardonnays. Some loved it, some didn't, but this wine seems to have backed off a bit on the oak and upped the acidity. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has some pineapple, and lemons. With air, a lemon candy note comes thru. There is a fair amount of oak showing too coming thru as caramel and vanilla but it is already integrating. Full bodied with a lovely viscous, oily texture. On the palate, this is crisp with nice minerality. The lemon/lemon candy comes thru. Long finish. This drinks ni
This is a well endowed, Bordeaux blend from Napa. It is full throttle and delicious although some may not like that style. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, plums, graphite, cedar, and anise. Firm tannins. Full bodied. On the palate, the black raspberries come thru in spades with some underlying char and graphite. Great lush texture. 15.6% abv. Long finish. No noticeable alcohol on the palate other than the texture. This drinks better on its own right now, but would work with roasted meats or fowl. Drink over the next few years to enjoy the
This is a value priced Zinfandel that makes easy drinking. Darker ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has nice cherries with some spice. Medium bodied. On the palate, nice cherry fruit. This goes down easy. Ever so slightly sweet. This should be drunk in the next couple of years. Nice on its own, this will work well with burgers or ribs.
Another example of why Rhys is one of my favorite Chardonnay's from anywhere. Light golden in color with slight green hues. Clear and bright. The nose is gorgeous with lemon curd, minerality, and vanilla. Full bodied. Solid acidity. On the palate those flavors carry thru. Lemon curd and vanilla with great minerality. Just delicious. The bottle is drained quickly. Long finish. These drink so beautifully young, they do shut down a bit after a few years and then re-open at around age 7 to 10 for another decade. Great on their own, these work great with crisp or lighter foods.
This is a very nice fruit forward Napa Cab. Purple/ruby in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, chocolate, and tobacco. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, there is ripe cassis fruit, some oak showing and slight dry earthiness. Nice finish. This is easy going and will make nice drinking over the next ten years. A great choice with a burger off the grill.
This is the basic Cab from Mending Wall whose winemaker is Thomas RIvers Brown. A delicious Cab that is drinking very well right now. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, gravel and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, solid cassis fruit over a gravelly base. This should continue to drink well for the next decade or so. A nice match with grilled or roasted meats or veggies.
