Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
This is a Cab made especially for Flaming's Steak House. It is solid if a bit generic. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with cherries and some cassis. On the palate, this drinks easy. Light tannins. Not a lot of complexity. Cassis fruit. Slight earth.
Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black olives, white pepper and slight bacon fat. With air, some slight grilled meats. On the palate, black raspberries with a bit of bacon fat. This is ripe but still drink rather Northern Rhone-ish. Good balance. Long finish. worked well with food.
Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cassis and dust with a bit of spice. Warm. On the palate, this has cassis, tart cherries, a bit of baking spice and slight herbal notes. It drinks like pretty classic Napa Cab. Not super ripe but not under ripe either. I can see this being a bit divisive for those who want a fruit bomb. This is not that. Showing a tight layering, it unwinds in the glass. Has a nice complexity but there is some upside to come. It was popular at the dinner table with our friends.
Light golden in color. The nose has spice and lemons. On the palate, this has a loose/fat texture but at the same time a crisp acidity. While a bit more precision is nice, the overall package is very pleasing. Nice lemons notes on the palate. Good finish. Clean and very drinkable Chardonnay. Worked well with food.
One of my favorite white Rhones from California. Served a bit too cold, this needed to warm up a bit. Then it was great. Green/gold in color. The nose is lemony with a slight waxy note once warmer. Also a nice mineral streak. On the palate, this is crisp and bright. Lots of energy. Lemons with that mineral streak. Long finish. Worked well with food. Its hard to guess on the ageing trajectory of these wines, but it seems very young now and enjoyable. I will hold at least one to age a bit and see.
Alesia is produced by Rhys with their non-estate fruit. Alder Springs is one of the idiosyncratic vineyards in California. North of Sonoma and right on the coast, the vineyard can be drastically different from year to year and they grow a host of different varietals. Truthfully, I wondered if this fruit got ripe enough in 2011, but now worries. Not a fruity wine, but enough for sure.
Wow. Yes, this is expensive but this is truly an amazing wine. Purple in color. The nose is just amazing. Cassis, blueberries, slight spice and sandalwood, some cedar. Deep and complex. On the palate, open for business. Bevan wines drink better younger than any luxury wines I know of. Cassis, blueberries, slight earth/minerals. Deep and complex. Great mouthfeel. Damn delicious. One of those wines where each sip leaving you wanting another one. Then the bottle is drained. Hard to say if this will get better, maybe so with some maturity.
A classic Napa Chardonnay. Light golden in color. This has seen a lot of the oak integrate over the last year or two which is good. There is still some vanilla on the nose but also some nice lemon cream. On the palate, this has good acidity. Lemon with spice and vanilla. Decent finish. This is not their top of the line and is priced accordingly. As such, it presents some value in the Napa Chard world. Not a stunner but certainly a wine most people at least enjoy. There is still some possible room for this to improve with a couple more years of cellaring.
Purple in color. This is a GSM blend. The nose has jammy black cherries and cherries. Spice and slight roasted notes. On the palate, this is jammy fruit. Dark cherries and cherries with a peppery note. Some depth. A very good wine that seems like it will be better drunk in the next five years.
Saxum just killed it in 2007 and now that the wines have shed their baby fat and some of the exuberance, they are rocking. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and gamey meats (in a good way). On the palate, wonderful texture. High energy. This is a big wine but so light on its feet. Lots of alcohol but it never shows in anywhere. Delicious. Deep and complex. Still, may have some upside as this ages. Easily has a decade, probably two. Just a fantastic wine.
