California

• Amador County
  • Shenandoah Valley
• Carmel Valley
• Carneros
• Central Coast
  • Edna Valley
  • Mt. Harlan
  • Paso Robles
• Contra Costa County
• El Dorado County
• Lake County
• Lodi
• Mendocino
  • Anderson Valley
  • Yorkville Highlands
• Monterey
• Napa Valley
  • Atlas Peak
  • Best of Napa
  • Calistoga
  • Conn Valley
  • Diamond Mountain
  • Howell Mountain
  • Mt. Veeder
  • Oak Knoll
  • Oakville
  • Pope Valley
  • Rutherford
  • Spring Mountain
  • St. Helena
  • Stags Leap
  • Yountville
• North Coast
• Santa Barbara
  • Santa Lucia Highlands
  • Santa Rita Hills
  • Santa Ynez Valley
• Santa Cruz
• Santa Maria Valley
• Sierra Foothills
• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
  • Bennett Valley
  • Best of Sonoma
  • Dry Creek Valley
  • Fort Ross/Seaview
  • Moon Mountain
  • Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
  • Russian River Valley
  • Sonoma Coast
  • Sonoma Mountain
  • Sonoma Valley
  • Knights Valley

One of the best "Classic" producers of California Pinot Noir.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, cherry blossoms, spice, slight fennel and char.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Great acidity.  At age ten, this is getting close to mature but still very fresh, vibrant fruit.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries, spice and slight rose notes.  Long finish.  This should have another five to eight more years before it slowly fades.  Great with some cheeses, this will work on its own, but better with food.  A nice choice would a creamy Mushroom Chicken

My first time trying this Chardonnay made by  Michael Browne (formerly of  Kosta Browne).  I liked the wine but this is not the style of Chardonnay I look for.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is big  with marzipan, red apples, char, oak, vanilla and alcohol.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit nutty with apples, char, oak and alcohol.  Long finish.  The oak, char and alcohol were somewhat difficult for my palate and these did calm down a bit on day 2.  Good acidity.  These may yet develop and turn out more to my liking with a few years rest.  Right now, these will be a

The Nightwing Chardonnay, which I have reviewed favorably for several vintages, again nails something unusual – a Chardonnay that encompasses all the best of Chardonnay from everywhere – great acidity, expressive fruit, tactile mouth feel, pure pleasure, and lastly, a great food companion. You’ll notice lemon meringue, apricot, white peach, Asian pear, blood orange, a whisper of butterscotch and resin, and lime kefir. Keeping the fruit lively the wine was barrel fermented, aged on the lees for 10 months and only used 23% new French oak.

Plush is not a usual descriptor for a wine, however this Cabernet is like velvet; smooth, silky, tactile, luxurious…effortless. The moderately tight tannic structure supports black cherry, boysenberry, blueberry and huckleberry fruit notes, while the wood influence provides a sense of stability, almost like a guardrail, keeping the fruit, acidity and tannins in check. This is one of those wines that when you drink it you are reminded of how different iterations of Cabernet can be, and at this moment, the polished feel of this wine is like an old friend, comfortable and welcomed.

This is Bedrock's interpretation of a Domaine Tempier (Bandol) Rosé made in California.  It is a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache and 5% Syrah.  Pale pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with strawberries, cherries, wild thyme, and spice.  Light to medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is more than a light Rosé.  There is some substance and depth.  Flavors of strawberries, slight watermelons and herbal notes.  Tasty.  I suspect this drinks well for a while, but to be safe, drink over the next few years.  Very food friendly, this will work with just abo

This is obviously very young but surprisingly accessible.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, graphite, gravel, spice, and char.  Great, plush texture.  Good acidity.  Lots of vibrancy.  On the palate, firm tannins.  Loads of boysenberry fruit with underlying char.  Tighter on the palate, but opens nicely with a few hours of air.  This will improve with a few more years in the cellar.  Hold for another three to five and drink for ten to fifteen after that.  Nice on its own, this worked well with vegetarian Indian cuisine. 

Great showing for this wine.  It is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 28% Syrah, 27% Grenache and 5% Counoise from California's Central Coast.  This wine has matured brilliantly and if you have a bottle, definitely worth opening right now. ... I'll wait. ....

Calera is unique in that it is not in the typical Pinot Noir growing regions in California – it is unto itself. Therefore, the wines coming from here offer a unique perspective. The acidity and minerality along with earthy volcanic soil and higher elevation growing makes these interesting wines. The Jensen Vineyard Pinot offers black cherry, strawberry, lingonberry, light huckleberry and blueberry fruit notes. Additionally there are light notes of pomegranate, sandalwood, Douglas fir, candied almond and Rainer cherry.

As the name suggests, this Pinot grows at an average elevation of 1,300 feet, a scant 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. There’s a wonderful rustic quality to this, given that the Santa Cruz Mountain are comprised of ancient soils. The fruit is restrained, more earthy and mineral driven, just the sort of style that works well with a variety of different foods. Yes, there is black cherry, pomegranate, huckleberry, but also a light dried raisin note. There as also great acidity, a whisper of candied almond, sandalwood, resin and boysenberry.

The allure of Kosta Browne wines has been that, though they are very expressive wines, they are subtle. Shunning the in-your-face-Pinot-with-a-dash-of-Syrah, these wines are meant to reflect the place where they are grown, and the proof of this is that they taste like it. To further this point I received five Pinot Noirs to sample and opened one blind and tasted it. My first thought this was Sonoma Coast, and after looking at the label, it was.