Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Santa Cruz has become my favorite spot for Chardonnays from California. And, Jamie Kutch and Trout Gulch Vineyard are a perfect match. Medium golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is great with slight lemon, lemon cream, char, spice and a hint of grapefuit. Full bodied. Light to medium tannins. Great energy. On the palate, this is delicious. The lemon and lemon cream come thru with a touch of oak and minerality. Long finish. This is still young and will develop but is delicious now. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. It will be perfect with Grilled Salmon.
This is a classic, old school Napa Cab that has not gone crazy on pricing and now it is a relative value. At age 12, this bottle is mature and drinking beautifully (if well stored). Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, earthiness/forest floor, leather and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Complex. On the palate, flavors of cassis with slight black cherry. Good finish. This will drink well for another decade but it should start heading south in the next few years, so maybe drink well. A nice choice for Roasted or BBQ meats.
