California

• Amador County
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• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
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  • Best of Sonoma
  • Dry Creek Valley
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One of my favorite producers of Sonoma Chardonnay, this is their base wine.  It may be a step behind the single vineyard offerings, but it is still outstanding.  Light golden/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great.  They do use noticeable oak.  There is a nice lemon curd, along with a bit of vanilla and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is crisp with lemons, minerals and spice.  Nice finish.  Obviously young, this drinks great now but will continue to mature.  It should drink well for the next ten years.  Great on its own, this will work well with salmon or chicken dis

This is drinking great right now.  Everything one could want in a Santa Cruz Pinot Noir.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose has cherries, candied cherries and slight cherry cough drops with just a hint of clean earthiness.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has layers of cherry fruits with underlying earthiness.  Lovely, slightly lush texture with a slickness that makes it so drinkable.  Nice finish.  This seems to be closing in on peak but may still develop more.  Either way, it should easily do ten to twelve more years.  

A very unique expression of Grenache.  These wines are big but they have such energy and hide the alcohol very well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Lots of black cherry fruit with a bit of earthy funk.  Also, some dust and spice.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Raspberries, black raspberries with light tannins over earth and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking great is a bit on the younger side of maturity.  It should continue to drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with roasts or stews.  

From Magnum.  This was tasted right after some older Bordeaux's and the difference was obvious.  Both styles were good, but even at age 17, this was about fruit and sunshine while still showing some tertiary development. Purple in color, opaque and bright.

This is the top bottling offered by Realm.  They take the best lots in the cellar and blend them into a proprietary blend.  Very little is produced.  In 2017, the fires forced Realm to only utilize fruit that was picked early  on in harvest, so it is likely a different blend that typical.  This is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, spice and cedar.  On the palate, this is more about black cherries with some cherries and some black raspberries.  It has a wonderful texture.  Very concentrated.  Medium to firm tannins.  Nice finish. 

This was opened and allowed to slowly oxidize for 12 hours prior to serving, but that was not enough.  It needed more air/time.  It took over night to really open and was better on day 2.  Despite this being a Robert Parker 100 point wine, this is not what people think of when talking about "Parkerized" wines.

What a beautiful showing for this red wine.  This has aged beautifully despite having 15.5% abv.  Another in a long line of high alcohol Napa Wines that have stood the test of time.  It is a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, and 1% of each cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, leather, spice and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is vibrant with layers of fruit over a nice earthy/leathery base.  Cassis and black cherries.  Medium tannins.  This is mature but not old by any means.  This sho

I am a huge fans of the many wineries that Thomas Rivers Brown makes wine from and this is one more.  A delicious, modern but not over the top Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color with a thin ruby rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, slight char, and baking spices.  Full bodied.  Nice acidity.  Lively energy.  The palate has a very nice cassis with underlying char.  Long finish.

One of my favorite Zinfandels.  This is a robust Zin, but not over the top.  It is quite concentrated and delicious.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, bramble, and slight pepper.  Full bodied.  Great, almost silky texture.  On the palate, juicy black raspberries, black cherries over a slight gravel base.  A bit candied but very concentrated.  Long finish.  This is so good now, but will continue to evolve a bit.  It depends on what you like in Zins as to how long to hold.  This should drink well for at least fifteen years, but that energy and robust qua

This is a blend of 72% Cabernet Franc and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is really in a nice place right now.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, slight tobacco, spices and slight dried floral notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice backbone of acidity.  Cherries and black cherries with some underlying forest floor/tobacco.  It unwinds in the glass to show a nice complexity.  Good finish.  This won't get better but should be outstanding drinking for the next ten to fifteen years.  It drinks well on its own but is better with food.  Roasted poultry would