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Ramey Wine Cellars wine tasting
2008-05-04 06:16:00 Saturday we went to our local wine store, Capitol Cellars in Roseville, for a Ramey Wine Cellars tasting. Five wines were poured, and to my excitement they tasted one of my favorite Napa Valley wines, the Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard. But let's stat at the beginning...First to be poured was the 2006 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($39). A round chardonnay with tropical fruit, creamy lemon, cooked apple and oak notes, with good acidity. A good start indeed with nice acidity backing up the fruit and oak.Next was the 2006 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($39). This wine had some more complexity to it and was fitting my palate better with tropical fruit, citrus, white floral, and again the slightly buttery oak. Good acidity balance the fruit and makes it complex, and refreshing/crisp, at the same time.The third wine was one of their vineyard designated Chardonnays, the 2006 Hyde Vineyard ($61). This chardonnay was the most multifaceted of the three. It shows tropical fruit, white floral, pin...
By: Tastes of Life
Walter Hansel 2005 South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2008-03-21 17:30:00 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.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
By: Tastes of Life
Marshall Family Wines 2006 Barry's Blend California Pinot Noir
2008-01-08 16:50:00 The Marshall Family Wines 2006 Barry's Blend California Pinot Noir is made from grapes from Russian River Valley and Mendocino, and was aged in French oak prior to bottling.The color in the glass is dark ruby red and slightly cloudy. The nose shows dusty berries of cherry and raspberry, earth, and floral notes. On the palate medium to full bodied, with a meaty quality, cherry, dark raspberry, earthiness, and spice. Good acidity and young, green tannins on the relatively long finish. This Pinot Noir can be found at Wine-Searcher.com from $19.95 or at the winery's website for $25. This pinot has a slightly different style than I prefer. The more fruit forward tend to be my favorites but this was certainly not a bad bottle at all. For $20 I would say it's a good value, although I would most likely pick another bottle for that price range.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
By: Tastes of Life
Trecini 2005 Vicini Vineyard Russian River Valley Sonoma County Merlot
2007-12-28 23:20:00 It is not very often that I buy a Merlot but when I saw the Trecini 2005 Vicini Vineyard Russian River Valley Merlot as a half bottle I had to give it a try.Trecini Cellars was founded in 1999 by John and Cathy Vicini and their son David. Originally from Tuscany, Italy, John comes from a long tradition of wine, actually around 150 years. In 1994 the family started growing grapes in Russian River Valley and after that it was only a natural step for them to start their own winery. They are offering five varietals at this point, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Merlot Rose, Zinfandel, and Syrah.This Merlot shows an intense ruby red color in the glass.The nose offers ripe red fruit, herbal notes and rather heavy vanilla with creme brulee character.On the palate, bright fruit with slight tartness, black cherry, boysenberry, plum, and vanilla. The long finish has plentiful fruit, decent acidity, and round, soft tannins with an ever so light green edge at the finish.I was pleasantly surprised by t...
By: Tastes of Life
Barham Mendelsohn 2003 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2007-12-17 02:26:00 This wine is made by winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. His only bottling from Russian River Valley. 800 cases produced.It shows a medium dark ruby color in the glass with medium dark berries, floral perfume, tea notes, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla oak on the nose. The palate shows young red fruit/berries, tart red currant, earthy spice, and a hint of black liquorice (?) and minerals at the very finish.This medium bodied wine has good acidity but slightly harsh, still green tannins that shows on the the full length of the palate. The nose unfortunately promises more fruit than the palate carries.Nice effort but, to me, not worth the $35 I paid for it. At $20 I could have seen it as a good value. The tannins and the tartness of the fruit did not quite fit my palate. It might however be the perfect match for someone else... I would love to hear your opinion if you have had it, and agree or disagree.If you are interested in giving it a try it can be found at Winerz.com for $28.8...
By: Tastes of Life
Vino Volo and Caymus Vineyards 2005 Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
2007-12-06 02:39:00 Going to Las Vegas last weekend our flight out of Sacramento was delayed for 4 hours, which gave us plenty of time to kill in the airport's wine bar, Vino Volo. Vino Volo is a chain of airport wine bars with five current locations; Seattle, Sacramento, Washington DC, Baltimore and New York, and with plans to expand and open many more locations in the upcoming year.Having the option to visit Vino Volo made me very excited as airport food and drinks, in general, gives me the shivers... Vino Volo adds a touch of sophistication with good quality wine by flight, glass or bottle. Small plates are also served. We tried the cheese plate, chicken panini and the New York skewers with mashed potatoes and peas. All a step above all other airport food I have ever had. I started of with the Pinot Noir wine flight featuring a California pinot from the Molnar Family 2005 Poseidon's Vineyard, from France the Louis Latour 2002 VOLNAY, and from New Zealand the Nevis Bluff 2003 Pinot Noir. A nice fli...
By: Tastes of Life
Martinelli?s Tasting Room: A Tasting Experience Lost in a Dollar per Square
2007-08-27 16:26:00 Helen Turley is the most important figure in wine making today. She is a pioneer and leading expert of a generation of California wine making brilliance. Her talents and abilities have been well documented by some of the most outstanding artistic creations California has to offer the wine loving world. She is to wine ...
Iron Horse Vineyards: Finest Tasting Room in Green Valley Appellation of Ru
2007-08-27 01:23:00 In what has to be the only “outdoor” tasting room in the Western Hemisphere, tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards is a truly unique experience. Imagine driving to a remote location, down a secluded unpaved trail, up the side of a hill, to reach the top where you are treated ...
Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2007-07-12 06:43:00 The Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from the Cameron and Balletto Vineyards and consists of 95% Pinot Noir and 5% Syrah.It has a beautiful, clear, garnet color in the glass, and displays big perfume on the nose upfront. With it black cherry, dark raspberry, pronounced oak with a slightly smokey quality, earth, and a hint of thyme shows nicely. Swirling it in my mouth the big, soft black cherry and dark raspberry sticks out. In the back ground again the oak and a medium spicy quality. This is a overly smooth, soft Pinot Noir with moderate plus acidity and plush tannins with a slight edge. The finish has a slightly spicy bite at the end mingling with oak and soft, lingering fruit.Overall this does not really have the true characteristics to a Pinot Noir, to me, although it is a nice, decent wine... It is more like a Syrah without the spiciness and bite a Syrah brings...I found this at my local grocery store for $24.99, which I realize was a good deal ...
By: Tastes of Life
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