Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
This is a blend of mostly Rhone grapes (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvede, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah) with 31% from Sonoma and 69% from the Sierra Foothills.
This is part of the Cliff Lede family of wines. From Mendocino County (north of Napa). Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has some apples along with a bit of lemons and slight pineapple. Medium bodied. Nice texture. There is a hint of sweetness here. The apples and lemons come thru. Nice finish. Served cooler on a hot summer night, this was very refreshing on its own. It will work nicely with fruit salads. Figs would be nice too. Drink over the next few years.
This is an old vine Chenin Blanc from vineyards in Santa Ynez and Paso Robles. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has a bunch of granny smith apples with a touch of chamomile tea. Medium bodied. On the palate this has a nice minerality. There is some green apples. Dry. Clean. This drinks easy. Nice finish. Although Chenin ages well, and these are old vines, it should probably be consumed over the next five years. It might be interesting to lay one down for ten or more though. This will go well with seafood. Oysters are a good call.
The is 100% Grenache from California's Central Coast. Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, herbal notes and moist forest floor. Medium bodied. On the palate, nice black cherry and cherry fruit with underlying earthiness. Seems to be fully mature and at peak. Tannins all resolved. Nice finish. This is a food friendly wine that went well with Pasta Primavera with summer vegetables. Drink over the next few years.
This is part of the new lineup of Penfold's wines that are from other than Australia. This one is from Napa. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, baking spices, and smoke. Medium to full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this is nice cassis fruit, spice and some underlying char/smoke. Nice finish. Drinking well now. It will make great drinking over the next five to seven years. It is probably better on its own but will work with bigger flavored foods. The big question is if this improves with bottle age or not. Time will tell.
This is quite young but still delicious. It is a blend of 64% Grenache, 16% Mataro, 14% Syrah, 6% Carignan. Deep purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, black raspberries, slight blueberries, some black licorice, floral notes and spice. Full bodied. Vibrant with lots of energy. On the palate, loads of black raspberries and black cherries with medium tannins. It takes some time to open in the glass but then shows a nice minerality. Delicious. Long finish. This needs another seven to ten years to hits its peak but is delicious today
Another amazing Syrah from John Alban. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is complex and beautiful with black raspberries, roasted meats and roasted herbs, slight dark chocolate and a slight floral note. Full bodied. Great plush texture with more than enough acidity to tie everything together. The palate has flavors of black raspberries, roasted herbs with a nice earthiness underneath. Long finish.
This is a blend of 38% Merlot, 18% Petite Sirah, 17% Petit Verdot, 11% Syrah, 9% Charbono, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% other reds. It is a very approachable, easy drinking red wine. 15.1%ABV. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, some char, and bit of black cherries. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, this is tasty. Black cherry and black raspberry fruit with a great texture. Good finish. This should drink well for the next ten years. A nice wine for burgers or ribs off the grill.
Another gorgeous Syrah from John Alban. Inky purple, opaque and bright. The nose is big with black raspberries, chocolate, slight black olive and leather. Full bodied. On the palate, this is a huge wine. Lush black raspberry fruit, chocolate, slight black pepper and baking spice. A nice bit of acidity works well. 15.2% ABV but not noticeable on the palate or nose. Delicious. Long finish. This still shows quite young and will calm down a bit with age. This can do another twenty years but those who don't like big wines probably won't like this. It drinks great on its own and will
From Magnum. Very nice showing. Light golden with green hues. The nose is nice with slight lemon curd, vanilla, a bit of lemon rind and smoke. Full bodied. This is crisp and clean. On the palate, plenty of depth The lemon and lemon rind come thru with some underlying char. The oak is there but deftly used. Great balance. Long finish. This worked well with assorted cheeses, potato chips, and even a salad. A 750ML will be more advanced but it seems like it easily has another eight to ten years.
