Wine Library
- Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Paso Robles Justin creates old world wines with Bordeaux varieties. Justin continuously releases some of the most interesting blends coming out of California.
- Review: Marchesi De' Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2008 If you are ever in pinch, whether at a restaurant or wine store, there is a good chance you can find a Frescobaldi wine. The Nipozzano has had consistently good vintages --2005 being my favorite thus far. The 2008 is a bit more rustic compared to the '05 with more terroir and less fruit. However, the 2008 is still a brilliant offering and outstanding example of what a midlevel sangiovese should taste like.
- Oriel 2005 Il Gattopardo Nero d' Avola Review The 2005 Oriel Il Gattopardo Nero d' Avola is a perfect Sicilian offering. This particular wine was made by rockstar wine maker Peter Vinding - Diers, who has been making wine for over 40 years. Vinding - Diers made a name for himself in Bordeaux...
- Tasting Notes | Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2007 The wine is very sweet with explosive flavors of fig, cassis, vanilla, blackberry; minerality is present but lacking. The balance is top heavy with alcohol and sugar reigning over complexity. Pride sets out to make “big reds†and this one is a giant.
- Tasting Notes | ZD Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2005 Opulent aromas invade the senses. ZD’s flavors explode and run amuck, in a good way! One of the most unique Cabernet’s I’ve ever tasted, in that there is so much fruit flavor and yet it miraculously works and avoids becoming another California Cabernet Cliché.
- Tasting Notes | Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2005 Reminiscent of a first growth Bordeaux, the wine, which has small amounts of cab franc and petite verdot, displays an exquisite balance of earth, grape, sugar and alcohol with layers of flavor and aroma unfolding with each sip.
- Daily Drinker | Tobia Crianza Tempranillo, Rioja 2003
A bargain at $15, the Tobia drinks like a $35 Rioja. 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha. Hand picked from Rioja Alta, Basa, and Alavesa. Malolactic fermentation in oak casks. Aged 14 months in new French and American oak.
- Tasting Notes | Piper-Heidsieck Brut, Champagne 2000 Tight bubbles reveal strong aromas of vanilla, papaya, and coconut. An exotic palate unfurls flavors of honey, smoky tea, and fresh golden pear. Nuances of ginger and tobacco are also present.
- Tasting Notes | Etude Pinot Noir, Carneros 2006 Etude’s Pinot could very well be renamed the Fonz because of its inherent smoothness. Blankets of flavor commiserate to make this one of most complex and dashing Burgundian style Pinot’s I’ve tasted out of California.
- Daily Drinker | Damilano Barbera d’ Asti, Piedmont 2008 Medium body. Ruby color. Lively young bouquet of violet and berry on the nose. Flavors of raspberry, black plum, fresh cherry. Lovely minerality, high acidity, and low tannin combine to make this barbera a vibrant and fresh well thought-out wine.
- Tasting Notes | Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2006 The color is burnt crimson. The flavors are dense and complex. Black cherry, spice cola, sassafras, tar, mocha and cassis. Alcohol is high at 15% but tidy. Acidity and sugar are stoically balanced...
- Tasting Notes | Moraga Red, Bel Air 1993 This Bordeaux doppelganger is somewhat of an oddity coming out California. More odd, Moraga is made in LA, Bel Air to be exact. Moraga Red is made in the Bordeaux fashion; cabernet sauvignon and merlot predominate, with small amounts of cab franc and petite verdot. If you were to close your eyes and sip the ‘Red’ you would think, Bordeaux-First Growth-Latour?
- Daily Drinker | Villa Antinori Rosso Toscana 2005 This bottle serves as a good introduction into Italian wine, particularly sangiovese. Peiro Antinori was one of the first winemakers to commercially produce the ‘Super Tuscan’ (Tiganello -1971)...
- Daily Drinker | Fleur De California Pinot Noir, Carneros 2007 Not what you would expect from a California Pinot, much less one from Carneros. This bottle is light, tart, young, and like Jude Law's last movie, forgettable.
- Daily Drinker | Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2006 For a company known for their outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay sure does ferment a mean mid range pinot ($30). Hints of lavender, spice, and bark on the nose mix well with the soft velvet tannins and palate of fat and subtle blueberry.
- Daily Drinker | GRATEFUL PALATE Shiraz 3 RINGS Reserve 2007 The color, viscosity, and alcohol are all typical Barossa Valley; (Blackish purple, very viscous, and 15%). Atypical of most Barossa shiraz is the balance (and complexity) of the competing notes. On the first sip my olfactory system was kicked into fifth gear.
- Daily Drinker | Gary Farrell Pinot Noir, Russian River 2006 Russian River is eponymous with quality California Pinot Noir. The name Gary Farrell eventually comes up when discussing Russian River, as Farrell has been making hit wines in the region since the 80’s.
- Tasting Notes | 2007 Enkidu Humbaba Smooth nose, with notes of blueberry, oak, tar, and grey poupon. The tannins are on the heavier side, as is the chewiness, the body is semi complex (pulling from the three different regions), the alcohol and sugar are well balanced. The syrah has a characteristically California feel with its larger body and heavier tannins…
- Tasting Notes: 2007 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench A Ridge flight goes down fast and easy…but one bottle in particular embodied smoothness. The 07 East Bench Zin is like drinking velvet sprinkled with dirt and topped with blueberry.