Thursday, June 28, 2007

Bighorn Cellars 2004 Los Carneros Camelback Vineyard Chardonnay

Bighorn Cellars was founded by Bill Hill in the 1970's and his mission is to produce wines from exceptional vineyards in the best growing regions for each varietal. The Chardonnay is therefor grown in Carneros while other varietals are grown in other areas. Pinot Noir for example is grown in Willamette Valley and Sonoma Coast.

The 2004 Los Carneros Camelback Vineyard was barrel fermented in 100%, 1 to 2 year old, French Oak. After that allowed to go through secondary malolactic fermentation. Then bottled without filtration and aged in the bottle until release.
It has a golden, light straw color in the glass. Initially on the nose, buttery oak overshadows everything else, but letting it sit in the glass for 5 minutes very different aromas appear. This time soft floral and citrus steps in with the oak and leaves a more balanced impression. Tasting the wine, ripe apple and pear, with citrus and some tropical fruit shows up. The mouth feel is round and soft with creamy oak that doesn't step over the line to become buttery. Moderate acidity brings it all together leaving you with a creaminess that still has a freshness to it.

I had this wine with Poached Salmon, Sauteed Spinach and Orzo in a Basil Sauce. It made a great pairing.
Enjoying this chardonnay I would not hesitate to pay $19.99 for it again at my local BevMo. If you want a better deal you can find it online at Wine-Searcher.com from $16.10. A good price for a nice chardonnay.


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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Long Meadow Ranch 2004 Ranch House Red Napa Valley


The Long Meadow Ranch 2004 Ranch House Red has a very dense, dark red color in the glass with a touch of cloudiness. On the nose black cherries, spice, earth, wet stone, and a hint of sherry like aromas. On the palate again the black cherry, with red cherry, black currant, and some peppery spice. Again a hint of that sherry quality, that I am not a fan of. The fruit is at first intense but loses strength quickly and gives way to tart tannins on the medium length finish.

This is not a wine I would recommend. I do not like the sherry associations I get on the nose and palate, and the wine is not very well balanced. For $19 I can easily find a wine that fits my palate better.


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Monday, June 25, 2007

Artesa 2005 Carneros Chardonnay

The 2005 Artesa Carneros Chardonnay has a pale straw color in the glass with a slight green tint. On the nose I pick up pear, green apple, citrus, and some yellow peach at the end. On the palate the apple and citrus comes through really nice, with a smooth, round, creaminess. The wine is however not to buttery but instead quite lively and fresh. This character comes from 2/3 of the wine being fermented in oak and 1/3 in stainless steel tanks, plus the fact that only 1/2 of it went through the secondary malolactic fermentation. The malolactic fermentation is the step in wine making that gives the wine its buttery creaminess. Since only half went through it, you still keep some fresh fruit character. It lacks a little bit in complexity, but it is over all a really nice white.

I enjoyed this chardonnay thanks to the fact that it was not overly oaky, or to buttery/creamy. If I had to pay the winery price ($30) I would opt for something else, but when finding it at Wine-Searcher.com from $9.99, I had to admit that it is a really great price for a good wine.

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Au Bon Climat 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

I have enjoyed this wine many times (of different vintages) and it hit me tonight that I have never shared it with you. So here it is...

I can't share my thought on this wine with you without starting with some history, because the wine maker, Jim Clendenen, really deserves it. He started as the assistant wine maker at Zaca Mesa Winery in 1978. In 1982 he went on to found, with ex-partner Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat. Jim Clendenen has been a ground breaking wine maker and force in Santa Ynez Valley ever since. He has won several accolades and awards during the years and was named "Wine maker of the Year" in 2001 by Food and Wine Magazine.

So, on to the wine. The Au Bon Climate 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay consists of grapes from two vineyards, 65% Bien Nacido Vineyard and 35% Rancho Vinedo Vineyard. It is barrel fermented and aged in French oak. It has a pale, golden, straw color in the glass. Sticking you nose in the glass, pear, buttery toast, citrus and a hint of tropical fruit and white floral, shows. On to the palate: ripe pear and citrus are the main components, with a nice, mouth full, rich, round creaminess. At the same time though, right there with it, pretty good acidity, to still keep it relatively refreshing and light.

This is a wine I've been drinking through the years as a budget/good value chardonnay. For $13.99 at Wine-Searcher.com I would say that it meets the expectations when it comes to the dollar value, and even surpasses it. Give it a try and let me know what you think. At least in California it is widely available in grocery stores. If it's not where ever you may live it is easy to find online...


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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Jessica Foster Confections


I had the fortune of receiving a box of truffles for my b-day from Jessica Foster Confections out of Santa Barbara.
Jessica Foster launched her brand in 2003 after years of working in restaurant in Santa Barbara and along the central coast, as a prep cook, then pastry chef and finally specializing in chocolate. Using Belgian chocolate for her creations she finds her inspiration for the many flavors in as diverse places as the local Farmers' Market, to her travels abroad.

I received a box of the Hot Chili Truffle Selection. Four different chili flavored truffles were included.
Dark Chocolate Cayenne was the first one to disappear without a trace... This truffle was coated with cocoa power and made from luscious, smooth, dark chocolate with no initial taste of the cayenne. But right as you let it all melt in your mouth a medium strong heat sets in that lingers in your mouth long after you swallow. You know that great kind of heat that sneaks up on you.
The Dark Chocolate Habanero was up next. Again the dark ,velvety, chocolate, this time rolled in granulated sugar. Just like the Cayenne truffle it had not initial heat but you are barely done swallowing when a stronger heat sets in that stays with you in your mouth and upper throat for a long time. This one had a really nice kick to it. Just in case you are not aware: the habanero is one of the strongest chilies in the world, along with the Scotch Bonnet, so you wouldn't expect anything less from this truffle.
Dark Chocolate Chipotle was next in line, coated with cocoa powder, and this one displayed the traditional smoked chili beautifully. You can smell the smoke, earth, and chili right upfront and taste all the same components. This truffle has the most pronounced flavor of them all, but just enough to give the chocolate a nice flavor, but not over powering it. Again you have an increasing heat after you finish your bite.
Last but not least the most interesting of them, the Dark Chocolate Ancho and Cumin. This truffle was again coated with cocoa power and had a nice initial taste of chili and also a subtle taste of cumin that made this piece really intriguing and different from the others in that aspect. The chili and cumin is a traditional pairing in Mexican food (among others) and worked really well together in chocolate as well. Another difference was that this truffle had no lingering heat to talk about compared to the others. For good and bad...

Over all impression of this chocolatier is very good. The truffles are very smooth and velvety in texture with a really good quality dark chocolate flavor. The spices (or herb, fruits, berries etc. in other cases) are very much present but in no way overwhelming. Jessica Foster manages to find the perfect marriage between flavoring components and chocolate in every piece.
I can't wait to try some more of her creations and I suggest you do to...


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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Bonaccorsi 2004 Sanford and Benedict Pinot Noir

Bonaccorsi makes some fantastic Pinot Noirs from the central coast. I've had quite a few of them before and also reviewed a couple for them. Read my four earlier reviews here. This is however my first bottle from the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard and I was anxious to see how it compared to the other vineyard designated Pinots.

The Bonaccorsi 2004 Sanford and Benedict Pinot Noir shows a very dark, ruby red, medium dense, color in the glass. On the nose big, black cherry, blackberry, earthiness and a hint of vanilla, greets me. Moving on to tasting it dark raspberry, round, dark plum, and black cherry initially leaves a big impression. As it moves toward the finish, silky tannins and juicy acidity steps in, along side the fruit and berries, and gives this medium to full bodied wine a long beautiful finish, with pencil lead leaving you a final impression at the very end.

This wine is definitely up there with both the Melville, and the Fiddlestix Vineyards that Bonaccorsi also makes (among others). I see this as a little bit more silky and smooth compared to the other two. But considering that the last three ones I have had all have been from different vintages they are not really comparable.

This one, just like the rest of their bottles, is hard to get a hold of and I can only find one source on-line, Wally's Wine and Spirit for $64.99. Pricey, I know. But if you are looking for something special this definitely fits the bill...


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Monday, June 18, 2007

Thank you to all my devoted readers and voters!

Just in time for my birthday I finally reached top 10 on The Blog Top! What a birthday present!!! I owe a BIG thank you to all of you who have voted for me day after day for a long time. Thank you so much, I was so excited to reach top 10!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Lodi Wine Tasting

My birthday is coming up and yesterday my two good friends Robyn and June picked me up in the morning to go to a, for me, unknown destination for a day of fun.
An hour or so later we arrived in Lodi. Now, I have never been to Lodi before, but I do know that they make quite a bit of wine there, so of to wine tasting we went.

We started off with Jewel Winery were the majority of the wines are under $10. They pride themselves with offering great wine for a great price. I started of by tasting the 2005 "Un-Oaked" Chardonnay ($9.99). Not to bad at all for the price. Good amount of fruit while refreshing from the acidity, and non existing oak. Got myself a bottle of this one. The 2004 Firma (blend of Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah), has a nice balance of dark fruit and smooth tannins. For $9.99 it is not to shabby as a crowd pleasing table wine. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99) was really not all that bad either but it was lacking a bit in structure with to much fruit, although not to ripe, and not enough tannins and acidity to carry it up. The 2005 Petite Syrah ($9.99) had a good amount of dark fruit but was way to high in firm, edgy tannins. Did not enjoy this wine. Last up was the 2002 Estate Raffaele "Diamant" ($24.99). This was the most complex of the wines poured. I did however not care for it a big deal considering the price. I can find better bottles in this price range. Over all I do think they achieved their goal. These are good wines for the price you pay.

Lodi Wine and Visitor Center

Next we visited the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center where they pour wines from many different wineries in Lodi. We had a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable young man pour us the wine and he really enhanced our experience. Thank you Fungai! We started with the 2005 Vino Brio Pinot Grigio ($16). It had very soft, muted nose and palate with not enough acidity to make it interesting. This wine did not really do it for me. Moving on to the 2005 Gustavo Thrace, Mohr Frey Ranch, Sauvignon Blanc ($16.50) I kind of had the same experience. These are certainly not bad wines and nicely chilled they are a good option for a hot summer day, but not much more then that. On to some red wines we were poured the 2005 Jessie's Grove "Ancient Vine" Carignane. This was a real surprise coming from 117 year old vines. It is not very often you see a "pure" Carignane wine (81% Carignane, 15% Petite Sirah and 4% Syrah) as it is mostly used as a blending grape, especially to a high extent in France. This wine however was full of dark red fruit and berries with nice supporting acidity and tannins to give this very smooth medium bodied wine a medium length finish. Had to get a bottle of this one... The 2004 Mettler Syrah was up next. This Syrah was made in a more elegant style than many other syrahs, with just medium dark fruit and less spice than usual. At the first sip I really liked it but then I discovered a funky note on the nose of wet hay. Can't say that the wine was spoiled or defected, maybe a stylistic approach, but not to my liking... Last up was a Cabernet Sauvignon and the sad thing is that I really enjoyed it but I do not remember the maker or vintage... Oh well...

From here we just walked a few steps to have lunch at Wine and Roses (a hotel, restaurant and spa resort). I have read about this place and I was very excited that my friends had planned for this as our lunch stop. We started of by trying the Dungeness Crab Cocktail, with mango, avocado, and topped with wonton chips. The crab tasted super fresh and was deliciously sweet and well paired with the avocado, mango and some other ingredient that I can not recall. We also tried the Squash and Zucchini Soup with green zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and some additional vegetables in a broth. Light but so incredibly flavorful. A great soup for the summer.

For entree I had the Grilled Scottish Salmon glazed with a BBQ sauce, on Israeli couscous, sauteed pea tendrils and baby organic beets. The salmon was perfectly moist and the beets soft and sweet. Altogether an awesome dish! I would have it in a heart beat again. After that I was surprised with a birthday dessert. The plate consisted of three chocolate items. A Chocolate Irish Cream Mousse with a Butterscotch Cream Center sitting on top of an Oatmeal Crust. To die for! On the side was a Dark Chocolate Ganache Chip studded with chocolate chunks and a creamy, Frothy Vanilla Drink with a Chocolate Dipped Tuille. Trust me when I say that I was in heaven after this meal. Outstanding! If you ever pass by Lodi make sure to stop here for a meal or two...

Lunch was over and we were stuffed as we headed of to the next winery, Van Ruiten Family Winery. The 2004 Rose of Cab-Shiraz ($12) was bone-dry with nice rose petals and raspberry on the nose and palate. I am usually not a big rose fan but this one was actually really nice. Next up was the 2003 Cab-Shiraz ($15) that had nice full body, with dark fruit, dark cherries, black currant and some spice, but nothing special. My favorite from this winery was the last pouring, the 2002 Old Vine Zinfandel ($18) It had dark, ripe, lush fruit and berries with a nice spiciness from pepper and good acidity and tannins as backbone.

Last stop was the Michael David Winery. I had not heard of them before and to my surprise they produce the wines I so often see in the grocery store, like Seven Deadly Zins, Seven Heavely Chards, Incognito etc. We tasted to many wines for me to keep track of here, but let me talk about the ones I do remember. Sparkling Duet is a sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Without giving to much detail (because I do not quite remember), it was slightly sweet, but light and refreshing. I am guessing a nice little bubbly, but since I did not take mental note of it I suspect nothing extraordinary. The 2005 Seven Heavenly Cards ($13) is a crowd pleasing, tasty chardonnay with fresh citrus, apple, some creaminess and good amount of acidity to keep it relatively light and refreshing. One of my favorite here was the Don's Lodi Red because it is so simple and plain but still satisfying to an extent. This is a blend of Carignane, Syrah and a touch of Symphony. A great everyday wine that I can see working great with meaty pasta dishes. A fruity, pleasing, simple blend that will not blow anyone away, but will be sure to please a lot of people as an all around table wine. On to the 2005 Seven Deadly Zins ($15). This is another budget favorite year after year. This zinfandel has great dark fruit with, black cherries, blackberry, and some pleasing peppery spice. Unfortunately it has to heavy oak for my taste, but on the other hand the majority likes this. This wine would be better (for my palate) with less oak and a little bit firmer tannins. Last but not least was a new interesting wine from the winery. The 2005 Petite Petit is a blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. I did not take any specific tasting notes for this wine but I remember it having pleasant flavors of dark fruit and relatively balanced, and I brought home a bottle and I'll make sure to review it in the near future. What made my whole day in the end was that Don, the father of Micheal and David, was in the store and when he learned that my big


Robyn, myself, Don and June


three zero was coming up he came up and wished me happy birthday and gave me a bottle of his Don's Lodi Red and signed it with a birthday wish for me. Plus he threw in a bottle of the Seven Deadly Zins. What a kind man and what a great way to end our wine tasting! Thank you Don! And thank you Mark, (the tasting room guy who poured us the wine and entertained us), you did an awesome job!

What a day! And as if that was not enough my friends now took me back to Wine and Roses for a 90 minute ultimate spa treatment. I do not get spa treatment very often but when I do it is usually at pretty descent places around the world, and I have to say that this was one of the best ones I have ever had. Thank you June and Robyn for an absolutely wonderful day!!!
Cheers!

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir


The grapes for this wine comes from Lafond Vineyard and Arita Hills Vineyard, located in Santa Rita Hills. It was aged in French and Hungarian oak, 18% new oak.
The dark ruby red color with a hint of purple, has a touch of cloudiness in the glass. It expresses a meaty, toasty nose with red cherry and raspberry. On the palate the red cherry returns with black raspberry, cranberry, and a hint of oak. This wine is a little bit thin on the palate, and is made in a slightly elegant style, with decent acidity and medium firm tannins. The finish is medium long with fruit and berries, and the lingering impact of the tannins.

Considering the price this is a pretty ok bottle, but nothing outstanding. I paid $19 at sale at my local grocery store. You can find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $15.99, and the winery sells it at its web site for $22.
Worth a try but do not expect anything extra ordinary.

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Fess Parker 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir


Not my first Fess Parker Pinot Noir and certainly not the last. We got this bottle in our wine club shipment from Fess Parker a while back and tonight it was time to try it with a Chicken Pasta Primavera.
With a clear, deep, garnet color this wine shows black cherry, plum, raspberry, floral notes, and oak, on the nose. In the mouth flavors of black cherry, plum and a nice spiciness emerges. This is supported by good amount of acidity and silky tannins with a firm edge.

For the price range we are talking about, $20-25, this is a pretty decent pinot noir. I would not hesitate to get this bottle again and if you have a chance pick it up and give it a try as well.
I do not have my records left on this bottle but I believe we got charged $22 for it through the wine club. You can find it at WineZap.com from $21.99, and that is a pretty good deal for this quality level of wine.

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Saturday, June 09, 2007

Capiaux 2004 Garys' Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir


After having the Capiaux 2005 Chimera Pinot Noir a while back I had to try the "one step up" pinot noir from them as well. They have several of the these and I picked the Garys' Vineyard having had many pinots , from other wineries, from this appellation before and always enjoying them.

This wine shows a slightly cloudy, dark ruby red/purple color in the glass. Aromas of dark and red cherry, raspberry, perfumy floral, and smoke, hits you on the nose. Tasting it, black currant, red cherries, and smokey oak, shows up. This is a medium to full-bodied wine with supple acidity and relatively smooth tannins with a long beautiful, complex, finish.

This is a really good pinot that I hope to enjoy many more times in the future. It is a great pinot if you do not like some of the "fruit bomb pinots" that are being made out there. It is very well balanced with great structure. Give it a try!
I bought this at a local wine store for $55. You can find it for as low as $40 at Vinfolio.com. I know it is kind of pricy, but definitely worth it.

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

Morgante 2005 Nero D'Avola Vendemmia Sicilia

This wine is made of 100% Nero D'Avola, a varietal unique to Sicily. It is highly recommended by several wine critics (one of the being Robert Parker), and I thought I would give it a try ($15.99 at local store).

A deep ruby red color in the glass gives me a hint that this is going to be a wine concentrated in fruit. On the nose, dried, dark cherries with spice. It is overwhelmingly powerful in the fruit and I am not to excited about tasting it. It is equally super, overly, powerful on the palate with dark cherry and raisin, and an almost sherry-like quality. This is not my style of wine at all...
This is the first time for me tasting this grape and I am not quite sure if I missed a flaw in this specific bottle or if it is just not something I would enjoy. I suspect the later...
Can not recommend it at all. I took a couple of sips and then the whole bottle went down the drain...
I would love to hear your comments on this wine! Give me your opinion!

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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Step Rd. 2005 Black Wing South Australia Chardonnay

Only $9.99 at my local grocery store and with some great reviews, I just had to try this wine.



The Step Rd. 2005 Black Wing, South Australia, Chardonnay has a medium-light straw color with an ever so tiny hint of green in the glass. On the nose it shows ripe pear, citrus and pineapple. On the palate the pear shows up again with nice citrus and a hint of vanilla. The mouth feel is initially round with a slight buttery creaminess, that is washed away by the plentiful, fresh, mouth watering acidity. This is a medium bodied, to a certain extent ripe, but still "cooling", chardonnay with a really nice finish of lingering fruit and the acidity that holds it's grip until the very end.

I really liked this wine and plan to get some more for summer entertaining.
Find it at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com from $9.99. This is a must try for the dollar spent!


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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens


Time for a new video blog. This time I am cooking up a warm pasta salad that is the perfect dish for the summer. It's a one-dish-entree that is easy to make, very flavorful and looks pretty on the plate. All things good.


Episode 11: Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens.

Recipe follows.

Orecchiette with Hot Italian Sausage and Sauteed Greens

3/4 lb Orecchiette pasta
2 tbsp butter
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausage (can be substituted with sweet Italian sausage)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (5 oz) bag of baby arugula
6 Swiss chard leaves, central rib removed and coarsley chopped
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions. When draining reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
In the meanwhile saute garlic and scallions with butter in sauce pan until softened. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour into blender, add 1/2 cup of water, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Saute Italian sausage with olive oil in skillet, breaking up with wooden spoon into bit size pieces as you cook it, until lightly browned and cooked through.
Whipe out pasta pot and add olive oil, arugula and Swiss chard. Cook over high heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add pasta, scallion-garlic sauce, sausage and reserved pasta water. Stir together and simmer until sauce thickens. Take off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

I am pairing this dish with a Chianti, the Frescobaldi family's 2003 Nippozano Riserva Chianti Rufina. This is a medium bodied red wine with plum and nice spice on the palate, that works really well with the peppery greens and spicy sausage, but is not to heavy for the creaminess of the mascarpone. Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $15.88.

Enjoy!


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Sunday, June 03, 2007

Frank Family Vineyards

This weekend we went wine tasting at our local wine merchant, Capitol Cellars. Frank Family Vineyards was pouring four of their wines, and I thought I put together a little review on those, as we enjoyed the tasting.

First out was the 2005 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($34). Medium straw color in the glass with citrus, ripe apple, and a hint of white floral on the nose. On the palate the apple and citrus plays an initial role before the round creamy mouth feel steps in. This is however not an overly oaky chardonnay. It has refreshing acidity that balances the creaminess out and gives it a fresh and somewhat crisp finish. Over all a very nice chardonnay.

The 2005 Napa Valley Zinfandel ($34) was up next. This zin has a dark red/purple, but relatively clear/thin, color in the glass. On the nose it displays raspberry, strawberry and a spicy note from pepper. On the palate darker fruit with black raspberry and blackberry emerges with mouth watering acidity and high in firm tannins. You are left with the firm tannins at the end of the finish and I wish the fruit held up a little better against it. Might benefit from decanting an hour or so before consuming.

The 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) has up front dusty, black cherry with spice notes and a touch of vanilla. In the mouth black cherry, black currant and black berry dominate with not to firm tannins. Balanced wine altogether made in a more delicate style.


2003 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($85) was our favorite of the four wines poured. It has a beautiful ruby red/purple color in the glass. Aromas of plum, black cherry and blackberry greet you on the nose with a touch of vanilla caramel at the end. On the palate black currant, black berries and cherry with relatively smooth, but still somewhat firm, tannins. The great balance between the different components gives this wine a long memorable finish. Not to bad of a Cabernet Sauvignon...


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Saturday, June 02, 2007

Senders 2005 Carneros Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir

We picked up this bottle today at our local wine merchant after the owner recommending it to us.
I have never heard of this pinot before and trying to do some research online I found...nothing... The website given on the label is not active, I could not find any reviews or prices anywhere...
I did not get the story behind the wine when purchasing it so I am not quite sure if it is a new winery or what is going on...

Oh well, on to the wine. It has a very clear, not very dense, ruby red color in the glass. The nose offers red cherry, red raspberry, cranberry and a touch of oak. The cherry and cranberry follows through to the palate with medium acidity and sleek tannins. That is, tannins are definitely there, but are not to obtrusive, and on the other hand, not overly smooth either. A little thin on the fruit on the mid palate and finish for my taste, but never the less a very nice wine.

This, I would say, is a really good pinot to pair with food. Very good on it's own indeed, but it will match many different dishes easily because of it's not to overly fruity, more delicate structure, with acidity and tannins to support it.
I payed $ 34.95 for this bottle. For my palate I have a few pinots in this price range I would pick before buying this bottle again, but do not let that statement discourage you. This is a very nice pinot if this is the style you prefer, and I really would have no problem paying this price for this bottle of wine again. I can't recommend a place for you to by it since I could not find any, but if you run into it give definitely give it a try.

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Friday, June 01, 2007

Easton 2004 Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc

When we went up to El Dorado wine country in April earlier this spring I picked up a bottle of this Sauvignon Blanc at the Terre Rouge/Easton winery. Tonight, beeing Friday night, BBQing in the backyard, I thought this would be a great wine to start with as the food is cooking. I reviewed this wine briefly before, after our wine trip. Today I will go a little more into detail.

This wine was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in neutral French oak on the lees for 9 months. The majority of Sauvignon Blanc are aged in stainless steel to keep it clean and crisp. The oak, in this case, gives this wine a certain creaminess. It did however not go through malolactic fermentation which gives it the characteristic crispness we usually see in Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine has a clear, light straw color in the glass. On the nose light tropical fruit, pear, citrus and a hint of butter scotch vanilla. On the palate there is citrus, light peach and pear, with a slight round creaminess on the mid palate. The finish approaching, a more crisp and clean taste emerges from moderate acidity, with minerals at the very end.
This wine has a nice roundness while still maintaining it's crisp and refreshing qualities. It lacks a little bit in fruit, but overall I enjoyed it.

You can find this wine from $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com. Although a couple of other Sauvignon Blanc comes to mind in this price range, that I enjoy more, this is still a fair price.

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