Archive for the 'Wine Reviews' Category
(Chronologically Listed)
2006 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel
Since 1895 Seghesio Family Vineyards of Sonoma County have been producing award winning wines of distinct quality. Founded by Edoardo Seghesio, the estate vineyards have been hand farmed by the family for four generations. Seghesio has made the Wine Spectator top 100 wines list 3 times for their Sonoma Zinfandel, as well as many reputable scores given for their other various Zinfandel’s they produce. The winery has also been given much kudos for their family tables tasting, a glimpse into the past when tasting wines were private in a relaxed atmosphere and paired with foods other than a wine cracker or piece of cheese. Seghesio’s family tables tasting includes sampling of limited release wines along with small plates made from old family recipes. This offers a nice change from the crowded tasting rooms of today, where you are lucky to find a spot at the tasting bar without being elbow to elbow with other patrons. The wine I have in my glass is the old vine Zinfandel which is produced from some of the oldest vines in the county. The grapes used to make this wine come from Alexander and Dry Creek Valley with the average age of the vines being 90 years old. The wine offers raspberry and tobacco on the nose, with the spicy tastes of classic Zinfandel. I am a huge fan of Zinfandel wines and this one is very nicely made with just the right balance and structure where none of the elements over power one another. While this wine could stand up to some really bold flavors and pair nicely with a variety of foods, it is very easily consumed on its own. Check out the entire line of Seghesio Family wines at seghesio.com and check your local stores to purchase a bottle tonight.
Published by admin on February 10th, 2010 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »2005 Trefethen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Celebrating over 4 decades of 100% estate winemaking, Trefethen Vineyards motto is “one family, one estate, one passion. This motto shines through in the quality of their Napa Valley Cabernet. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines are planted in the estate vineyard location in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley that is known for the gravelly soil that heats up quickly in the spring. According to their website, the combination of the warmer area with limited yields produces Cabernet with bright, complex flavors. The 2005 vintage is comprised of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 % Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1 % Malbec…a winning combination if you ask me. Lots of ripe fruit flavors combined with rich spice notes and a long finish complete this wine. The hint of oak comes from 16 months in French and American Oak barrels. The wine drinks beautifully now, but will continue to improve over the next 4-6 years. Trefethen Cabernet has received accolades from various highly regarded wine critics and produces a wide range of wines that I will make it a point to try based on my liking of the Cabernet. I have decided that a visit to the winery is a must on my next trip to Napa in March. The tasting room is located on the ground floor of their 19th century building, designated a National Historic Landmark. I feel as though I have only touched upon the surface of what there is to know about Trefethen with my first purchase.
Published by admin on January 7th, 2010 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »Kingsford Manor 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
We recently found this gem in one of our local wine boutique stores. The 2007 Kingsford Manor Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. A small production wine with rich vibrant fruit flavors and a long silky finish. Tasting notes describe “A dark purple hue. This Reserve Cabernet has alluring aromatic scents of violets, dark raspberries and toasted vanilla oak. On the palate, well integrated tannins that are round and lush with good balance and complexity, Offering ripe fruit including black currants, black cherries and blueberries.” A complex full bodied wine aged in french oak barrels for 20 months, that is young but still very approachable now and should also cellar nicely for the next six years. The wine is bold enought to stand up to a wide range of foods. Very reasonably priced under the $20.00 mark, we strongly recommend trying this one.
Published by admin on December 11th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »Rodney Strong Cabernet 2006
We recently served wine to a large group of people and wanted to serve a good wine, while getting value for our dollar. While selecting the red wine we kept in mind that we wanted to serve a quality wine that was also easy drinking that would serve a variety of palates. We decided on a Rodney Strong 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and it was a perfect fit. Rodney Strong has consistently produced quality wine year after year that you can depend on. The Sonoma County Cabernet is what I consider their everyday drinking wine that never disappoints. The wine offers hints of blackberries, cassis and oak on the nose, with some layered tannins on the taste. To me I pick up a hint of vanilla as well. The wine is reasonably priced at under $20.00 per bottle. It can be served now or saved for another few years if you wish to store a bit. Since we have purchased Rodney Strong wines for many years, we decided to visit the winery while on a trip to California a few years back. We discovered a whole other selection of Rodney Strong wines that where either winery exclusive or not distributed in our area that we were very impressed by. Some reserves and different varietals where all fantastic to taste, one in particular that we purchased was their “Gentlemen’s Port”. For the current release of the Port, the blend is Zinfandel, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. Even for non port lovers, this port is outstanding. Be sure to pick up a bottle of any Rodney Strong wine you can find and also visit the website at rodneystrong.com.
Published by admin on November 5th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »Ramey 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sometimes I go to the liquor store and just do what I call window shopping. Stroll around the store and look for new wines that I might like to try. I don’t ask anyone for help; actually I decline help when it is offered. I just look around, read labels and reviews. Mostly the reviews influence me which is one of the reasons I like to write reviews for our website. I feel at least one persons opinion can influence another’s purchasing decisions and I am hopeful I can help someone else chose a new wine to try. One of the well known names in the industry, Robert Parker always catches my eye when I see a review or point scoring with his name. Although, I do not always agree with his scoring, I do find I have similar tastes to his liking so I do try a lot of the wines he reviews. You know what I am referring to, the tags that hang off the shelf with a few tasting notes. That such type tag influenced me to try a 2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon. Ramey consistently gets high scores from Robert Parker on a variety of their wines, including the 2005 I purchased that came in with a score of 91 points. The 2005 is a deep purple in color with lots of ripe berry flavor, some chocolate notes and a hint of oak. A smooth finish with mild tannins is typical of its Napa Valley origin. The wine can be enjoyed now, but could also be stored for 10-15 years.
Published by admin on October 25th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »The Other Red wine 2007
If you have ever seen a bottle of “The Other” wine either in a red blend, or a white blend, you will know the label is somewhat seductive with the silhouette of the backside of a naked women showing. Well, if that is not enough to get the old mind going, the fact that the label simply states “The Other” makes you start wondering “the other what?” The other woman, the other bottle, the other wine…? In reality all it stands for is the “The Other Red” and “The Other White”, pretty clever though, huh? A nice marketing tactic if you ask me. These tastefully seductive and sin-sually delicious (yes, right off the clever label) wines are produced by Peirano Estate Vineyards in Lodi, California. A fourth generation wine making family, Peirano makes reasonably priced quality wines. I am currently drinking The Other Red, but have sampled the Heritage Collection Petite Sirah and enjoyed that Peirano wine as well. The Other Red is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Syrah. The bouquet on this wine is mostly that of ripe cherries with just a hint of oak, but when tasted the wine offers much more oak than the nose would lead you to believe. A long finish rounds out this lovely easy drinking red. Pick up a bottle today and I recommend trying other varietals in the Peirano Estate family of wines as well.
Greg Norman North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Tonight we are sampling the 2007 California Estates, Greg Norman North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow, Greg Norman, the man, the golfer, the legend, the entrepreneur, and wine producer. I’d say the man also known as the shark has had two careers most of us would only dream of. Both a golf career and wine career are about passions in life, not just a paycheck or another day in the office. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure he has worked very hard at his passions in order to be as successful as he has, I’m just thinking it has to be a little more fun than what I am used to in a day’s work.
Back to the wine, Greg Norman first made wine in Australia and then in California. According to his California Estates website, Greg first experienced California wines when he was chosen to represent Australia back in 1976 for the World Cup of Golf. I guess you could say the rest is history. His passion for wine continued to grow and in 1990 with the help of some winemakers from Beringer Blass that Greg partnered with, he founded Greg Norman Estates.
The North Coast area consists of land in the Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties, where some of the best fruit is grown. This wine exhibits a dark ruby red color with blackberry, black cherry and herb flavors. The tannins are particularly mild for a young wine, although we did decant for one half hour based on the age of the wine. A mild smooth finish completes this wine with just a hint of oak at the end. I would certainly try other varietals of Greg Norman wines as well as purchase the Cabernet again and encourage our readers to do the same. I should also mention the Cabernet is a good value, priced under $20.00.
Published by admin on September 22nd, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »2006 Bogle Phantom
2006 Bogle Phantom is here!! We anxiously await the arrival of the new vintage release of Phantom each August and it arrived this week on the shelf at Liquor Outlet, our favorite wine shop. Bogle produces this “scary” good blend each year in somewhat limited quantities. While you can purchase more than just a few bottles, when it is gone, it is gone until next year. The red blend is always comprised of 3 varietals, Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zinfandel & Old Vine Mourvedre with the percentage of each varying in each vintage.
The 2006 current release is 49% each of Petite Sirah and the Zinfandel, with the remaining 2% Mourvedre. The prior vintage was 54%, 43% and 3% respectively. While I am a huge fan of the bold, spicy, complex flavors the Phantom wine has to offer each year, I believe I like this year’s vintage a bit more than the last. Aged in 1, 2 and 3 year old oak barrels there is just enough vanilla and oak imparted to offset, as well as compliment the black pepper flavor from these varietals well known for their spicy richness.
The wine can stand up to your most hearty dishes without going overboard. Phantom is reasonably priced around $20, but you can find as low as $15.99 per bottle. While the 2006 is very approachable, it will continue to age in the bottle for years to come. Remember to stock up now before it is gone.
Published by admin on August 29th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »Histoire Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Mendocino
We recently sampled a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon called Histoire by Forth Vineyards in Healdsburg, California. Besides the wine, I love the label, it reads histoire means story…..every wine has one…..every life has one…stories tell us who we are and who we can be…..stories told around the table bind us together….to learn the story of this inviting Cabernet, chapter one, and to share your own story with us visit www.histoirechapterone.com How intriguing, how true. It makes you want to try the wine, it makes you want to visit the website, not just drink the wine, educate yourself on the wine and maybe have a little fun telling a story on their website. This Cabernet drinks more like a Napa Cabernet than one from Mendocino. It is a must try offered just at the $20 price point. It is for anyone who appreciates a big Cabernet without the big price tag. While the wine is full bodied, it is not overly tannic and offers layers of ripe fruit and I also detect a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.
Published by admin on August 4th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah 2003
In light of my upcoming week in Napa Valley that will begin on Friday July 3, I have opened a little taste of what reminds me of a good neighbor. I’ll elaborate on the neighbor part by saying Freemark Abbey Winery is within walking distance of the Wine Country Inn where we stay each year, so they are indeed a good neighbor to me while I spend time in the Valley. A few years back on the July 4th weekend, we attended the Red, White and Blues festival in the courtyard of Freemark Abbey. We had a fantastic time sampling the wines, listening to the blues band that was playing and enjoying the food that was served from another neighbor close by, the Silverado Brew Pub. While we won’t be attending any parties this year, we will be visiting Freemark Abbey for a tasting of their latest vintages and although I’m sure it goes without saying, to purchase some wine too. So in honor of the trip I have opened a 2003 Freemark Petite Sirah…WOW! I had forgotten the boldness of this wine. While this is a 2003 and has been decanting for over an hour now, it still packs one heck of a punch. Lots of ripe blackberry flavors with abundant amounts of black pepper and in my opinion still very high in tannins. You know the feel of cotton on your tongue! Anyway, back to the wine… I love it. I think it still could have used a little more cellaring to mellow it out a bit, but not too much more. This is a very limited production Petite Sirah from their Rutherford vineyards that is aged in both American and French oak barrels. I highly doubt you will find this limited production Petite Sirah as I believe it is a winery only selection. I have though noticed other Freemark selections at my local wine shops. I look forward to visiting Freemark Abbey and purchasing more wine for my cellar, and if you visit the valley I recommend a stop at Freemark!
Published by admin on June 30th, 2009 | Filed under Wine Reviews | Comment now »
