California

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• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
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  • Sonoma Coast
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What begins as a soft and velvety Pinot Noir, light and delicate, turns to a beautifully structured wine that offers excellent fruit, acidity, light tannins and layers of flavor. Typical of many Pinots, this begins with noticeable strawberry, red raspberry and black cherry notes, but then delves into more complex, green tea leaf, cedar plank, wild grass, light earthiness, cola, rhubarb and a hint of resin. At first blush this seems like a lovely Pinot Noir to have with dinner, but upon spending time with it, you realize the various facets.

This is a field blend of Negrette, Zinfandel, Mondeuse, Petite Sirah and Carignane.  An interesting red.  Lots of cherries with some milk chocolate and a bit of cedar.  Still some tannins showing although mostly integrated.  Tasty wine that drinks well on its own and will work with with roasted chicken or Turkey.  A nice choice for Thanksgiving.  Drink over the next five years.  

One of my favorite chardonnays.  Golden in color.  There is some oak on the wine but it is well done and mostly integrated on release.  After a couple of years in the cellar, it drinks amazingly.  The oak presents itself as a vanilla note which works well with the lemon cream and slight citrus of the Chardonnay.  Almost seamless texture.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own and a great match with swordfish or salmon.

Such a fun wine.  The biggest issue I have is that I tend to drink this on (or near) Halloween as soon as I get it.

This is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7% other Rhone varietals.  It is in a great place right now and seems to be at peak.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The  nose has black raspberries, bramble, gravel and smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, great texture.  Plenty of ripe black raspberry fruit with some underlying char.  Nice finish.  Nice on its own, this will work well with grilled or roasted foods.  Drink over the next five years.

The styles of Pax wines have changed over the years.  The newer ones, like this, use 100% stems, and are aged in concrete or neutral vessels and usually have lower levels of alcohol (under 14%abv for Syrahs).  Inky purple in color, opaque and shiny bright.  The nose has black raspberries with spice, and slight tobacco notes.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with black raspberry fruit.  While personally, I would like a bit more oomph, there is no denying this is a hell of a wine.  It is still young and will benefit from five years in a good cellar

This is middle of the road inn terms of RRV Pinot Noir.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cola, slight forest floor and baking spices.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries, black cherries with spice and a slight forest floor note.  Nice finish.  This is young but drinking well.  It should mature a bit as it ages.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  It drinks well on its own and should work well with fowl.  It would also work well with Hunan/Chinese.  

My first time trying "The Cutrer".  It is a bit rounder than the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  It just depends on style preferences as to which one you might prefer.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has apples, some butter, baking spices and a touch of nuttiness.  Full bodied.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, apples and baked apples with some baking spices.  Good finish.  This is very nice on its own but struggled a bit with a vegetarian lasagna.  That said, on its own it is very accessible and also has some depth.  Drink over the next five years.  

Screw capped.  Light golden in color with a slight greenish hue, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with apples, a slight nutty note, and baking spices.  Perfect for autumn.  Medium to full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, apples with some oak notes.  Persistent finish.  This is a really enjoyable Chardonnay that works well on its own but is crisp enough to work nicely with food.  It went well with a variety of cheeses.  For the "oak adverse", give it a couple of years or a nice decant, but otherwise, this should drink well for five to seven years.  

Clearly made as nothing but an enjoyable glass of wine, which wine always should be, The Mill Keeper offers an incredibly viscous, smooth and velvety texture, leading to soft notes of blueberry, blackberry, and light mocha notes. In the background, vanilla, red raspberry, and Rainier cherries fill out the profile. What’s unusual about this wine is that it is pulled from multiple vintages and vineyard sites. The fruit is sourced mainly from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma that utilize sustainable management programs.