Melville 2006 Estate Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay

Melville Vineyards and Winery puts out a good quality Estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir year after year. The Melville 2006 Estate Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay is no exception.

It has a light golden straw color with a hint of green in the glass.
The nose displays light citrus, pear, and tropical fruit. The aromas are elegant and subtle in character. (I suspect my wine is a smidge to cold as well...)
The palate is round and soft with creamy citrus, light green apple, tropical fruit, and a light note of caramel at the mid palate. Slightly round mouth feel from 10% malolactic fermentation, but remains soft, crisp and fresh. The acidity is sufficient, but I would have wished for just a tad more to accentuate the crisp and fresh side of the wine.
Despite a relatively high alcohol level of 15.3% there is no trace of heat on the palate, which definitely is a big plus.

Over all a nicely balanced, very good quality wine that is sure to please many palates. Especially if you like me prefer the not overly oaked, buttery Chardonnays. This one offers a more round and soft palate that is refreshing, lively, and not to heavy. I know I'll be pouring, and enjoying, it this summer...

Buy it directly from the winery for $30 or find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $22.99. A great deal for this wine!


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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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Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards wine tasting

Spending the weekend in Santa Barbara I decided to go to the Alma Rosa wine tasting at East Beach Wine Company last night. Stepping into the shop the place was packed and it took a minute before we reached the counter and could pay for two tastings and get our glasses. To our delight the owners, Thekla and Richard Sanford was there themselves, with their daughter Blakeney, to pour and talk to the customers. Nothing beats the opportunity to talk to either the owners or wine maker as you taste a winery's wine. Both Thekla and Richard where very nice and pleasant, and spent quite a bit of time with us. It was a true pleasure to talk to them, and you could tell how passionate and excited they are about their wines.

A short bio: Richard Sanford was the first to plant Pinot Noir in Santa Rita Hills in 1970. 1981 him and Thekla started Sanford Winery, and after parting with it in 2005, they founded Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards at the location of their old winery. All grapes are grown organically with sustainable agricultural methods.

The tasting started of with the Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Gris. A light crisp white with pear, citrus and notes of honeysuckle. Nice acidity and minerals on the finish.
Next up was the Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Blanc. This wine showing creamy citrus in a dry, still very crisp wine.
The Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay was fermented in partially new French Oak and then aged in stainless steel tanks, not undergoing malolactic fermentation. I really enjoyed this clean, crisp chardonnay, with notes of tropical fruit. Perfect poured chilled a warm spring or summer day.
The Alama Rosa 2005 El Jabali Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay went through a different process. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in 20% new French Oak. The grapes comes from a older vineyard then the 2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay and you can tell the difference. This wine is heavier/denser in the fruit on the palate, with ripe tropical fruit, white fragrant floral, and round oaky vanilla notes. Still on the lighter side and with good fresh acidity, but the first Chard was my favorite.
On to Pinot Noir, which is what I really came for.
The Alma Rosa 2005 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir has light bright fruit with raspberry, red cherry, and notes of oak/vanilla. All wrapped in good acidity and integrated, but slightly woody, tannins.
The Alma Rosa 2005 La Encantada Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir shows darker, deeper fruit with black raspberry, cherry, blueberry, herbs, and spice. While the 2005 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir is made from all six clones in La Encantada vineyard this is only made from two of them. In this case resulting in a more concentrated Pinot.

Find all these wines at Alma Rosa's website.

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Epiphany Restaurant and Bar in Santa Barbara

My brother is visiting from Sweden and last night we had reservations for dinner at Epiphany Restaurant and Bar while in Santa Barbara over the weekend. We have been there a couple of times in the past for a drink in the bar, but never for dinner.

The restaurant is located at 21 W. Victoria St, and the building in which the restaurant is located, was built in the 1800's. The decor is warm and modern with rustic architectural feature like the brick archways in between the small intimate dining rooms.

After arriving, being seated, and presented the menu, we were served an Amuse Bouche, White Asparagus Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette on Endive. Very light with subtle flavors. The salad also contained Granny Smith apples which added a juicy, sweet/tart crunch to the dish.

Warm, rosemary foccacia was placed at the table with olive oil and balsamic vinegar prior to our starters arriving.

For starter I had the California Halibut Ceviche ($12) which was served in butter lettuce cup. The halibut was tossed with citrus segments in a citrus/sesame marinade, and topped with semi dried, grated, carrots. Wonderfully fresh and delicate, with quite a bit of punch in the flavor. The serving was huge and would have been sufficient as a lunch, or even lighter main course.


The Dungeness Crab Cake ($14) my brother ordered was a big hit with him. Served with a cucumber/radish salad and a chipotle butter sauce. I had a bite and the cake was dense with fresh crab and the sauce added a nice spicy note.


My husband's Celery Root and Cauliflower Soup ($8) was also great according to him.

For main course I just had to have the Cracked Pepper Filet Mignon with Chive Mashed Potatoes ($32). Served with a cognac shallot cream sauce, topped with mushrooms, and on the side tender green beans and carrots. This dish was very satisfying. The filet was cooked exactly as ordered and the meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. A great dish!

Both my husband and brother had the Pan Roasted Herb Chicken ($25) with roasted golden potatoes, green beans and carrots, and natural jus. They both agreed that the chicken was moist and delicious. Not the best they had ever had but pretty darn good...

At this point we were all stuffed, but upon finding out that there was a chocolate souffle on the dessert menu, we decided to order one for the table. The Fire and Ice Molten Chocolate Souffle ($9) with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry coulis was warm, gooey, outrageously good, and way to small, we realized as we fought over the last crumbs.


Now you can't have a good meal without a good bottle of wine, and last night was no exception. We had a bottle of the Demetria Estate "Jours de Bonheur" Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Unfortunately I forgot the vintage but I suspect it was a 2005. The wine showed medium bodied qualities with dark cherry and raspberry with good acididty and well integrated, relatively smooth tannins, and a nice earthy complexity. Quite nice wine that worked well enough with the whole meal (although I would have preferred a big Cab with my steak).

The service was attentive, but relaxed, throughout the dinner and the staff was knowledgeable when asked questions about the wine list. I love when they actually have tasted the wines and can speak from first hand experience.
We will definitely put Epiphany on our list of restaurants that we return to frequently.

Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Today I am starting of with a fun little trivia: The name of the winery, Taz, is short for Tasmanian devil, which is winegrower Robert "Taz" Steinhaur's nickname.

The grapes for the Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir comes from Northern Canyon Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. 1/4 of the wine was aged in new oak and the rest in neutral barrels.

This wine shows a clear, bright, ruby red color in the glass.
On the nose red berries, red currant, a hint of blueberries, vanilla and some floral notes come through.
When tasting the wine darker berries emerges with dark cherry, ripe raspberry and spice. The acidity is good and tannins, although slightly light and tart, are also there in sufficient amount.

This wine is relatively light and lacking a little in complexity, but despite that I really enjoyed it. Bright, fruity and with the slight spice it is a great wine considering I only payed $14.99 at Costco. Normally price at $25 at the winery, this was a real find and a great value.

You can also find it at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com from $17.95.


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Fiddlehead Cellars 2003 Lollapalooza Santa Rita Hills Fiddlestix Pinot Noir

Only 312 cases was made of the Fiddlehead Cellars 2003 Lollapalooza Santa Rita Hills Fiddlestix Pinot Noir.
Lollapalooza is an old English word for "the best of its kind".

A clear, dark, ruby color, with a touch of purple, meets you in the glass.
The nose shows dark cherry, raspberry, spice, and from 15 months in French oak, vanilla and oak.
The palate has similar character with dark cherry, ripe red currant, raspberry, nice, light spice, and brandied cherries at the very finish. Great acidity and well integrated, silky tannins, with a firm touch at the finish makes this wine a winner.

We had this wine about a year ago in a restaurant and picked up a bottle to enjoy it again at home at a later time. It is as good as I remembered it to be and wish I had picked up some more... Great balance between the fruit, acidity and tannins. The fruit is supple, beautiful, and not overwhelming. This is a great wine to enjoy with a meal, or by its own as we did.

Hard to find online but available through WineZap.com from $50, which is a good price for this bottle.


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CraftSteak at MGM Grand Las Vegas

While in New York earlier this year we dined at Tom Colicchio's CraftSteak. My husband loved the meal and I thought it was very good as well, and when given the opportunity to dine at CraftSteak in Las Vegas we had to try out this "sibling restaurant".

The restaurant is located next door to Emeril's, Fiamma and other fine dining restaurants at the MGM Grand. The space is contemporary and has a sleek, clean look with dark wood, leather, stainless steel, warm colors at the walls, and a large bar at the entrance.

As a party of six we got seated promptly at arrival. We all started of by sharing some starters as the portions are huge and more than enough for two. I had the Roasted Baby Beets, red and pink beets slowly rated in the oven and served over a few micro greens. Simple, flavorful and delicious. I also tasted the Arugula Salad tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Fresh and light. The third couple had the Romaine Hearts "Caesar" and gave it thumbs up.

For entree I choose the Rack of Lamb and my husband and friend shared the Porterhouse for Two. When I ordered my lamb I was recommended to order it medium as it is two thick pieces of meat that will come out more like medium-rare, my usual preference. I ordered as suggested and to my disappointment, cutting into it upon arrival at the table, it actually came out as a true medium. Never the less a very nice cut of meat with great flavor. The Porterhouse came out as ordered and was juicy, tender and full of flavor as well.

We shared an array of side dishes at the table. Trio of Mushrooms, a blend of roasted chantarelles, hen of the woods, and baby shitake was my favorite, along with the Yukon Gold Puree, the most delicious, rich and creamy potato puree I have ever tasted (I do not even want to think about all the butter that went into that dish). The top pick at the table as it did not last long.
Other good side dishes were the Green Beans topped with almonds, and theFries that was perfectly seasoned and crisp.

Moving on to dessert we were all stuffed but me and my friend had to try a couple of them and we picked the Liquid Chocolate Cake with Persian Mint Chip Ice Cream, and the Pumpkin Cheesecake. Both wonderful although the chocolate cake disappeared of the plate very quickly.

When it comes to the wine selection I started by ordering the Brewer-Clifton 2005 Cargasacchi, Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, which I have enjoyed before and turned out to be a great start for the meal.
For the entree I selected the Barnett Vineyards 2002 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon. Big and chewy with plenty of fruit and balanced tannins, this was a "crowd pleaser" at the table, and went perfect with our steaks.

Over all everybody in our party thought that the dinner was great, and I was very pleased to see that the quality in service and food that we experienced in New York also made it to the Las Vegas location, which is unfortunately not always the case when a restaurant branches out. If you are looking for a good steak house next time you are in Vegas this one should definitely be on your list.

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Bonaccorsi 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Saturday night and we are revisiting an old friend of ours, the Bonaccorsi 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills. I had this bottle for the first time in Dec-06 in Las Vegas (after which I had to get some for home), could not wait and opened one in January this year. Time for a new taste tonight, and then there is only one bottle left in my stack for future enjoyment.

The color in the glass is a dark ruby red with a slight purple shade. The nose is still bursting of bright fruit and berries, with dark cherries, dark raspberry, plum and for the first time I am noticing an herbaceous note. On the palate the dark cherry rules again with dark raspberry, and oak notes. The acidity is mouth watering and the tannins are well integrated and have mellowed down a bit from last time I had this wine, at that point I remember them being firm with an edge. The edge is gone...

Hard to get a hold of I found just a fews site online where you can order it, Wine-Searcher.com for $54.99. Winezap.com also has it for a slightly higher price.

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Foley Estates 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir

A couple of nights ago we popped a bottle of the Foley 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir. We used to drink a lot of Foley and Lincourt (same owner and wine maker) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but for some reason it has been a while since last time we had one. Opening a bottle tonight I immediately, at the first whiff and first sip, recognized the style, and it felt like seeing an old friend...

This wine was fermented in open top fermentation tanks and had its cap punched down three times per day, then aged in 30% new and 70% used French oak for 12 months in small barrels.

It shows a dark garnet color in the glass. The nose is vibrant with red and black cherry, dark raspberry, black tea, and earth. On the palate, red and black cherry, blackberry, good acidity, and firm but integrated tannins. Rich, fruity, and medium to full bodied. Not bad at all... I really enjoyed this wine. You can taste and feel that maritime influence in this wine. It is fruity and voluptous but on the other hand has a more elegant, sublime side to it. This is my cup of tea.

If you like fruity but not over the top Central Coast Pinot Noir this is the one for you. Find it at WineSearcher.com from $24.99 or at the winery for @40.00.

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A.P. Vin 2004 Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

We picked up a new Pinot Noir today at Selland's Market while getting some of their unbelievable carnitas to bring home for dinner. Selland's has a small but extremely well chosen selection of wine, thanks to Josh, and there is always a new small production winery among all the other options every time you go there.

Today's choice for us was the A.P. Vin 2004 Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Having had wine from several producers from this vineyard before I was expecting a wine that I would enjoy. This wine was aged in French oak for 11 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 50 cases made.

In the glass a dense, slightly cloudy, dark garnet color. The nose promise me great things to come with black raspberry, blackberry, some floral, thyme, and wet stone. I take my first sip and can't help but smile. This is gooood..... Dark berries dominate the palate again with some dark cherry and light notes of earthiness. The oak is there but does not stand out, just playing a supporting element together with good acidity and relatively firm but well integrated tannins. The long beautiful finish with earthy berries makes this a wine to remember.

Owner and winemaker is Andrew P. Vingiello has a pretty impressive list of people to thank for advise and help through his start up years. Read more here. No wonder his wines are so high in quality...

At $44.99 this is not cheap wine, but oh so worth it. I am sorry to say that I can't find it online available for purchase. Give Selland's Market above a call for a bottle or two.

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Demetria 2005 Gaia Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay

The grapes for the Demetria 2005 Sta. Rita Hills are from Gaia Vineyard (as the label suggest). What you might not know is that Gaia Vineyard is the former Ashley's Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. 600 cases was produced of this wine. The estate owner, John Zahoudanis, has hired Michael Roth as winemaker. Micheal Roth has previously made wine in Napa Valley, Sonoma County and at Koehler in Santa Ynez Valley.

This wine shows pale straw color in the glass. Sticking your nose into the glass citrus, tropical fruit, and bread yeast stands out, with a hint of oaky vanilla. On the palate, pronounced citrus, ripe apple, wrapped up in a round mouth feel. Towards the end mineral steps in with high acidity which balances the slightly creamy, round palate perfectly. It all makes this wine medium to full-bodied with a refreshing lingering finish.

I really liked this Chardonnay as it showed some round creaminess and oak, but to my taste it was immediately complemented and balanced by really good acidity. Round and refreshing at the same time. Perfect!

Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $22.62, a price that I would easily pay again for this gem.

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Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

We had the Rusack Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it , so when I saw the Chardonnay the other day in the store, I just had to grab it to give it a try.

The grapes for the 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from Bien Nacido and Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Huber Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa in Santa Rita Hills. Both are cool climate appellations with maritime influence. It went through partial malolactic fermentation (70%) and was aged 9 months prior to bottling, in 32% new and 68% older French oak.

This wine has a golden straw color in the glass. On the nose ripe apple, citrus and pronounced oak. Tasting it, the apple and citrus steps out again with some light tropical fruit and the buttery creaminess from the malolactic fermentation and oak. It has a round soft mouth feel, and moderate acidity. I wish it had some more to stand up to the buttery creaminess. Our neighbor on the other hand who prefers her Chardonnay in this style thought it was very nice and well balanced. As always, it is all about preference...

Conclusion: Although nice fruit and good acidity I thought it was a little bit to oaky and creamy for my taste, but just slightly. So, if you like the round, buttery, creamy chardonnays (just for your comparison it is not as oaky/creamy as a Rombauer Chardonnay) I think this would be a great wine for you. It has a good price as well, only $18.88 at Wine-Searcher.com. For that price it is certainly a good deal for a good quality Chardonnay.


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Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

I thought we would try a, to us, new winery tonight. The 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir from Kenneth Volk Vineyards seemed like a good candidate on the shelf in the grocery store.

This wine is a blend from several vineyards from Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. It was aged in 60% new, 20% one year old, and 20% three to four year old French oak using barrels from several different coopers.

A clear dark ruby color with a touch of purple reflects in the glass. On the nose, red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, light strawberry and traces of oak. Moving to the palate blackberry and cherry are the main components, with raspberry and oak in the background. This Pinot has good acidity and firm tannins, that together with the pronounced fruit makes for a great balanced wine with very decent complexity and a medium body.

I got this at my local "natural food" market for $ 23.99 and I think that was a good price for this very nice wine. Finding it online for only $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com, it is a really good deal.

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Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115, Santa Rita Hills, Pinot Noir

Yeah... Tonight we popped open a bottle of Pinot Noir from one of my favorite wineries in Santa Ynez Valley, Foxen. I only purchased 2 bottles to start with and the first one we consumed back in December of 2004, and we were semi impressed and decided that it seemed like it would improve with age. Tonight it was time for bottle number 2, and what an improvement it was!

The Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115 Pinot Noir was aged in 70% new French Oak for 16 months prior to bottling, unfined and unfiltered. 230 cases made.

It has a beautiful dark red/purple color in the glass. On the nose a complex array of amazing red and black cherry with blackberry, raspberry, and a touch of tobacco hits you. Taking your first whiff and then tasting it the wine express red cherry, dark raspberry and nice touch of spice on the palate. The acidity is plentiful and the tannins are soft with that nice edge to it to make sure you notice it's presence. For being aged in 70% new oak I can't really say that the oak is a major component of the wine, and that suits me perfectly.

I REALLY think this is an outstanding bottle of Pinot from the Santa Rita Hills. I wish I had another one or two. Unfortunately I can not find a single site online that carries it... But just so you have an idea about the potential cost, I paid $60 for this bottle in 2004. If you have the good fotune to come across a bottle, grab it and run!

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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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Sea Smoke Cellars 2004 Botella Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Tonight we are having a wine loving guest over and I opened the Sea Smoke Cellars 2004 Botella Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. This is an absolute favorite since a couple of years back. Very hard to get a hold of unless you are willing to pay twice the price of original "retail price".
I was lucky to get a hold of a couple of bottles at $55 at a local wine shop when it was first released.

This wine displays a clear ruby red/purple color in the glass. The first thing that greets you on the nose is black cherries that opens way for the black berry, lingon berry and subtle oak.
Sipping this beauty you discover that there is more fruit/berries on the nose than on the palate, although it displays wonderful black cherry and black currant with a spicy note. It is well balanced with firm tannins and good acidity that provides a nice back bone. Full bodied with a long savory finish. Over all a great Pinot Noir that will last quite a few more years in the bottle! This was my last bottle and I wish I had some more.

For those of you that don't mind paying a big mark up, it can be found at Wine-Searcher.com from $104.95. No matter how delicious this was I can't get over the fact that that price should give me two bottles...

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Rusack 2005 Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

When we were in Santa Barbara last weekend we picked up a bottle of Rusack 2005 Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. After having the 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir not to long ago (and really enjoyed it) we were very excited about this one-step-up bottle.
The Reserve Sta. Rita Hills is a 50/50 blend of grapes from Fiddlestix Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa. 445 cases produced.
It has a great bright, dark red, color in the glass. On the nose I got dark fruit with a sweet touch of oak with caramel at the end. Swirling it in the mouth, black berries and medium dark cherries emerges with enough acidity to give it some structure and kind of firm, but still smooth tannins (what do you call that kind?). Overall it has medium to dark fruit/berries, showcased in a more elegant style. This felt like a very food friendly wine. We really thought this was a very good wine for not to bad of a price ($35.99).
Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $29.99 or at
Rusack's website for $38.

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Hartley Ostini Hitching Post 2005 St. Rita's Earth Pinot Noir

Owners Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley

Thursday night we tried a new Pinot Noir from Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Winery. The 2005 St. Rita's Earth, Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. The grapes for this wine comes from Sanford & Benedict, Fiddlestix and Clos Pepe Vineyards.

Medium dark red, cloudy color in the glass. On the nose red cherries and not overly ripe, dark fruit, with a hint of vanilla. On the palate the red cherry follows through with blue plum and berries. Medium acidity and some what firm tannins, in play with the fruit, gives this wine a long savory finish.
We really enjoyed this wine, but I would give it some time in the bottle, if even just 6 months or so, to settle down a little bit, and I think it will show even better.
Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $29.99.

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Bonaccorsi 2002 Melville Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot noir

Bonaccorsi rocks! I've said it before and I'll say it again... (Review here, here, and here.)
The Bonaccorsi 2002 Melville Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir has a dark, dense reddish purple color in the glass. The very first moment you pour it in the glass and inhale, you get a whiff of strong cinnamon. That wears of almost immediately and after that I can not quite detect it again. Dark, ripe, cherries and fruit shows on the nose, with the dark cherries following the wine to the palate, accentuated by dark berries and pleasantly neutral, but very much existing, acidity, and firm tannins. This all wraps up in a nice clean finish with a trace of spice. This is a fruity but very much structured Pinot Noir with the pleasant fruit and berries that are not to overwhelmingly fruity or jammy. It has that nice fruit you are longing for in a slightly more elegant style...
Only 200 cases was made of this wine and the only place I can find it online today is at RaedersWines.com for $57.99. Pricy, but oh so good!

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Samsara 2005 Ampelos Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Going wine tasting this afternoon in our local wine store we picked up a bottle of the Samsara 2005 Ampelos Vinyard Pinot Noir ($48.95) from the Pinot Noir section to try something new.
Samsara was founded in 2002 by proprietors Chad and Mary Melville. Chad is also assistant winemaker and vineyard manager at his dad's (Ron Melville) winery, Melville, since 1997. Deciding to start his own venture as well, Samsara was created. A little philosophy behind this name to give some thought: Samsara is sanskrit for the eternal cycle of life, the world we live in now, one of passion, oneness, harmony. It talks about each individual human being longing to be in control of every aspect of life. When it comes to farming, as so many other things in life, you can not control everything, no matter how hard you try, and the final result is a harmony of the power of nature, things beyond our control, and the human desire to reach perfection. This will ultimately result in the expressions of the finished wine.

This Pinot Noir has beautiful, bright, dark ruby red color in the glass. On the nose a big burst of dark, ripe raspberries with black berries, and a hint of tea and vanilla. On the palate the dark raspberries carries through with red cherries, some spice and a touch of freshly cut herbs. Juicy acidity and firm tannins, in symphony with the berries and spice, gives this wine a medium length, savory finish. This 2005 Pinot Noir is very drinkable at this point but I would opt to let it sit in the bottle for a couple of years to see what it has to offer at that point. Nothing short of great if I am predicting the aging of this wine somewhat close to what will actually happened...

This is a small production winery with only 96 cases made of this particular wine. I really enjoyed this bottle and I am excited to see how this winery will evolve in the next couple of years. It is definitely worth keeping your eyes on...
Find this bottle at Wine-Searcher.com or WineZap.com from $44.99.

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