My first time tasting this brand, a super small production winery that focuses on single-vineyard production wines from around California. Austere and food-friendly, you can’t call this “fruit forward” since it doesn’t bowl you over with its berryness.
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Affordable wine review: Trapiche 2009 Pinot Noir Mendoza
Huh? A Pinot Noir from Argentina? Not exactly what they’re known for… Malbec, yes. Pinot, not so much. But I apparently was impressed with Trapiche Pinot with their 2004 vintage as well, so they’re consistently tasty.
... Read More »Wine review: Heron 2009 Pinot Noir California
Heron Winery out of San Francisco might be what you’d call an “alternative” winery. They don’t own vineyards, don’t have a tasting room and make wines from grapes sourced from all over the world. Really tasty wines like this $15 Pinot Noir.
... Read More »Wine reviews: A to Z 2007 Riesling Oregon and A to Z 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon
A to Z, a winery whose clever slogan is “aristocratic wines at democratic prices”, is a partnership of some of the best talent in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. If you’ve tried (and enjoyed) wines from Penner Ash, Rex Hill or Chehelem, you’ll love what’s in bottles ... Read More »
Wine review: Wallace Brook 2008 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
This second label, brought to us by the famed Adelsheim Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, couldn’t be better. Most of the time, a second label is where a winery tucks in their lesser grapes — those that didn’t make the cut for the flagship bottling, especially during ... Read More »
Wine and cheese pairing: Elegant pinot noir and Nettle Meadow Kunik
A blended cheese for a blended wine. Nettle Meadow Kunik also “tastes like elegance defined.” It’s made from a blend of Jersey cow’s cream and goat’s milk on a small farm in upstate New York, north of Albany. Rich and creamy with a white bloomy rind, this kind of cheese is ... Read More »
Wine review: Sea Smoke 2007 “Ten” Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills
It’s rare that I review expensive wines. But occasionally one runs across my tongue that sends tingles through my nervous system that channel through my fingers. Happened recently when I popped open a Sea Smoke, a cult winery from the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County in southern California. ... Read More »
Wine review: Erath 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon
This pinot pioneer winery was started by Dick Erath in the early 70’s. I visited Erath early in my wine career and had the fortune of staying at their winery guesthouse while in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. On the Saturday we stayed there, the toilet backed up and Dick Erath himself (a ... Read More »
Wine and cheese pairing: Bellwether Farms Carmody & Pinot Noir
NYC Cheese consultant Raymond Hook suggests a California cheese for a California wine. Bellwether Farms Carmody from Sonoma County is a delicious, slightly-young Jersey cow’s milk cheese. Jersey cow milk is higher in butterfat than traditional Holstein milk, which makes for a great mouthfeel ... Read More »
Wine review: Bogle 2008 Pinot Noir California
Tasty, inexpensive pinot noir made by a hands-on, family-owned winery.
... Read More »Wine review: Willakenzie 2006 Pinot Noir Pierre Leon
This pinot house has been cranking out incredible wine since 1995, when high-tech biz man Bernard Lacroute saw an ad for Oregon land in the Wine Spectator. 420-acres of cattle land to be precise. Back then, the price for Yamhill dirt wasn’t as offensive as it might be today.
... Read More »Wine review: La Crema 2007 Pinot Noir Carneros
I tried this same wine a year ago and didn’t like it. But it aged into submission. Soft, plush tannins and feminine fruitiness with cherry, tart cranberry and salavacious acidity. Vivid flavors with a nice finesse and very little rustic-ness.
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