Walter Hansel 2005 South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Last night we opened and old favorite of a new vintage, the Walter Hansel 2005 South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.
The apperance in the glass; a light, clear, garnet red color.
The nose showing raspberry, red cherry, slight hint of strawberry, herbal tea, and touch of basil at the end.
The palate tasting of fresh raspberry, cherry, earth, and pencil shavings at the very finish. This pinot has great acidity and young but relatively soft tannins.

A beautiful elegant style Pinot Noir with bright red fruit and good structure. We really enjoyed it , as we have earlier vintages of this wine, and at $ 33.99 I dare to say that it is good value for the buck at this level of quality.
Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $33.99.


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1994 Cristal, 1995 Chateau Gazin and 2001 Pahlmeyer

We spent last weekend at Lake Tahoe with good friends who brought a magnum of the 1995 Chateau Gazin, Pomerol, Bordeaux Blend (among others). It was opened a couple of hours prior to dinner and at first we thought the wine was a little bit off and did not particularly enjoy it. We wondered if it could have gone past it's peak. However after enjoying some champagne, 1994 Cristal Champagne, Louis Roederer, (that unfortunately according to my palate was past it's peak) we revisited and discovered a major improvement.

But first, let's back up to the 1994 Cristal Louis Roederer. It had a relatively dark straw color with a beautiful stream of small bubbles rushing up the glass. The nose showed dominent aromas of green apple, with citrus and slight caramel notes, accompanied by the traditional yeast and earth components. Our friends insisted on chocolate/mocha notes but I could not pick it up. I wish we would have opened this bottle a couple of years ago at what point I think it would have been more vivid and "refreshing". Never the less a great champagne that you don't have the opportunity to enjoy to often...

Find it at WineZap.com from $369.90.

After breathing for a little bit over 4 hours the 1995 Chateau Gazin Pomerol was starting to come into it's right. Deep ruby red in the glass with a slight brick color. The nose surprisingly vivid with fruit and berries, backed by spice and oak. The palate showing more restrained and subtle fruit with currant, cherry and raspberry, along with earth, smoke and a meaty quality. A medium to full bodied wine with refined, elegant, medium length finish. Certainly a wine that is best enjoyed with a meal. In this case a whole roasted beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, roasted beets, pureed parsnips, and a cauliflower-broccoli- spinach gratin.

Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $82.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

After the Pomerol we moved on to a 2001 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, Napa Valley. This wine is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Aged in 100% new French Oak and the bottled unfined and unfiltered.

This wine showed massive, lush fruit on the nose with dark cherry, black raspberry, blackberry and heavy vanilla. The palate did not disappoint. Dark cherry, black currant, blackberry with earthy smoke, made us all happy. Full bodied with well integrated tannins and good acidity. This powerful wine was a great end to the evening and perfect with my Maldon and vanilla salt topped fudge brownies with vanilla bean ice cream.

Find this beauty at WineZap.com from $102. Definitely worth it's price.

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Recchiuti Confections

I spent they day in San Francisco yesterday, and having lunch in the Ferry Building, I walked through the Market Place and salivated, as usual, upon the sight of fresh bread, cheeses, oils, caviar, wine bar, chocolates, cultivated mushrooms, and all the other incredible food, beverages, and merchandise that is offered there.

We had an incredible lunch at Boulettes Larder, where I also picked up honey and vanilla sea salt (amazing sprinkled on a chocolate souffle or on vanilla ice cream). After that I stopped by Recchiuti Confections to pick up a few truffles.

I have tried Michael Recchiuti's chocolates before and today I thought I would write a short review on it. I was a good girl (it took all of my will power) and did not touch them until later when I got home and had finished my dinner.

I started of with the Fleur de Sel, a pleasantly chewy burnt caramel with fleur de sel (French sea salt) coated with dark chocolate. This is a combination I always enjoy immensely and can never resist, and Recchiuti was not an exception.

Lemon Verbena was up next. A dark chocolate ganache with a bright and clear taste of Lemon Verbena, and it's lemon and herb aromas. Coated in dark chocolate with a white beautiful leaf pattern adorning the top surface. Rich and refreshing at the same time.

Ecuador Varietal, 65%, made from plain chocolate with vanilla/caramel and earth notes. Beautiful.

Burnt Caramel, a dark chocolate ganache with burnt caramel. Nicely balanced flavors as you foremost see this as a truffle, and secondarily discover the pleasant caramel.

Force Noir. This was my favorite truffle made with extra bitter chocolate ganache and vanilla bean. The extra bitter chocolate gives a pure, clean, intense chocolate experience and the vanilla bean give that sweetness you need to balance the bitterness. Beautiful and intense.

All truffles had perfectly smooth and dense textured ganache, with intense flavors of high quality chocolate. This is a chocolatier I can highly recommend. Do not miss out if you are in the Ferry Building Market Place, San Francisco. If you can't get here simply online order and enjoy at home. Their Easter boxes are beautiful and I might just treat some friends this year...

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Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir

Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Melville fruit from their Los Alamos Estate. Aged in 20% new French oak.

The wine has a ruby red color in the glass with slight cloudiness.
The nose shows ripe lush raspberry, strawberry, sweet red cherry, sweet floral, and a hint of baked rhubarb.
The palate displays raspberry, cherry, and red fruit with spice. Soft and round on the palate with young tannins matching the fruit, good acidity and a long savory finish.
The wine is medium bodied, fruity, and was really nice with salmon, or great just to sip on it's own.

Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $19.99, a great price for this very enjoyable wine.


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Lorca 2001 Gary's Vineyard Monterey County Pinot Noir

Lorca Wines is located in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and produces Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with grapes from Monterey County, Pinot Noir form French-clone vines of Gary Pisoni and Gary Francione of Santa Lucia Highlands, and an old vine Petite Syrah from Napa Valley.

The Lorca 2001 Gary's Vineyard Monterey County Pinot Noir has a dark ruby red color in the glass with a hint of purple.

The nose is pretty intense and complex with dark cherry, raspberry, dried herbs, earth with a hint of smoke, vanilla, and a trace of liquorice.
The palate is less intense with more dusty earth accenting the black cherry and dark raspberry, all with a touch of spice. The tannins are somewhat smooth but still has a "wood" quality to them. We are not talking splinters in the mouth but still a notable amount. Moderate acidity.

I found this wine at my local Total Wine & More for $23.99 and it is sold for a surprisingly higher price online. They best deal I could find was at WineZap.com from $45.99.

This was an enjoyable wine for the price I paid. However if I have to pay closer to $50, as seems to be the case in most stores, I have several better options in mind.

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