Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Santa Cruz is perhaps my favorite area for Chardonnay anywhere. It has sunshine but the wines remain crisp and not blowsy and have depth. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lemons, slight vanilla, and great minerality. Full bodied. Light tannins. Great energy and balance. On the palate, lemons, lemon curd, minerals and char. Crisp acidity. Long finish. This is delicious on its own but will work for many foods. A nice choice with Tuna Steaks off the grill. Drink over the next ten to twelve years.
This is Syrah with a bit of Petite Sirah and Viognier from Paso Robles. A great value. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, roasted herbs, crushed rock, and slight roasted meats. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Good acidity. On the palate, this drinks easy. It is delicious. Lots of black raspberry fruit with some underlying spice, pepper and char. Good finish. Nice on its own, this will work well with roasted meats or veggies. Drink over the next five years.
This is a blend of 54% Syrah, 29% Grenache, 13% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, and 1% Terret Noir. Ruby in color with some purple hues, mostly clear and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, cherries, plums and spice. Medium bodied. Juicy acidity. On the palate, this drinks easy. Flavors of black and red raspberries, black and red cherries, plums and spice. Moderate finish. This is nice on its own and very food friendly. A great choice for pizza or burger night. Great value for an everyday drinker.
Once again proving that these Chardonnay's age very nicely. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lemon creme, vanilla, and spice. Full bodied. Crisp acidity. Great balance. On the palate, this is deep and complex and delicious. Flavors of lemon creme, vanilla and minerality. Long finish. Delicious on its own and worked well with vegetarian Mideastern food. This may be at peak but if so, just, as there wasn't any old age showing. Still at age 16, its good to check in on it.
