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Hess Collection is more known for its rich and extracted red wines (especially Cabs), but they a make mean white. The Allomi Vineyard sits at the base of Howell Mountain in a remote area of Napa Valley, spending its days in tourist-free peace. It’s an enviable spot. Can you say secret, trespassing picnic? Read more: Wine review: Hess 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Allomi Vineyard Napa The Clif Family — yes, the same people who make the cand…er… “nutrition” bars — started making wine in 2004 after moving to Napa Valley. Like their bars, they source from sustainably and organically-grown vineyards (link) in northern California. Winemakers Sarah Gott and Bruce Regalia do an outstanding job with all the Clif wines, especially whites like this one. Read more: Wine review: The Climber 2009 Sauvignon Blanc California It’s probably a smart idea for the producers of these wines not to tout that the grapes hail from Greece. Although this region pretty much invented wine, Greece hasn’t exactly sustained a stellar reputation in recent years. But maybe Elios can break that cycle. Read more: Affordable wine reviews: Elios Mediterranean Red and White As the American outpost of the famed French Champagne house Taittinger, vintage after vintage, Domaine Carneros the best way to drink Champagne-ish on a craft beer budget. Great value for the money. Read more: Sparkling wine review: Domaine Carneros 2006 Brut Cuvee Petite Sirah, the re-emerged bastard French wine child from royal pedigree, is called Durif in many parts of the world. It was engineered in the late 1800s by a French guy named — you guessed it — Durif. He cross-pollinated the venerated syrah grape with an obscure French peasant grape called Peloursin and created a highly marketable, mildew-resistant variety. Foppiano Vineyards has been growing and bottling Petite Sirah since the early 1970′s, so they’ve had a few years to get it right. Prosecco, the name of a perfumey grape as well as a lightly fizzy, refreshing sparkling wine from Italy, can be absolutely beautiful but also complete crap. Shopping by name or specific region is imperative and Martini and Rossi is always consistent (you might have heard of their sweet Asti Spumante? Not the same thing). Read more: Wine review: Martini Prosecco DOC The Mettler Family’s grapegrowing roots date back to the 1770′s, so they’ve had a couple of years to get the farming formula in California’s Lodi region right. Their 2007 Epicenter Zin is not a wine for those seeking light-hearted red wine. Burly, muscular, concentrated flavors don every drop. Read more: Wine review: Mettler 2007 “Epicenter” Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi Gawd… this is yet another fabulous example of delicious Washington State Merlot. Butch and Jerry Milbrandt came from a long line of families who “worked the land” and they planted grapevines in 1997. But it wasn’t until 2007 that they launched a brand with their name on it. And what beautiful Merlot they made in their first attempt. Read more: Wine review: Milbrandt 2007 Traditions Merlot Columbia Valley Unlike many labels that lure you in with clever labels (this one is designed by Ralph Steadman), the juice inside this bottle isn’t plonk. The Hugel family brand from France’s Alsace region is known for its quality, 370 year history and dedication to the land. Read more: Wine review: Hugel 2006 Pinot Gris Classic Alsace Known for its Zinfandels and Naked Chardonnay, Four Vines Winery is capable of so much more. Creative and fun, these guys boast wines named Biker and Heretic, and the aforementioned “Naked” line, indicating its lack of oak usage in the Chardonnay. Sourced from Paso Robles, where warm weather rules and Four Vines resides, this juicy, full-bodied syrah reaches ripeness levels resembling blackberry, black raspberry and blueberry pie. |
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