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Melville 2006 Estate Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay
2008-05-10 22:28:00 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 o...
By: Tastes of Life
Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir
2008-03-05 04:24:00 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.Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!
By: Tastes of Life
Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards wine tasting
2008-02-02 22:36:00 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 org...
By: Tastes of Life
Epiphany Restaurant and Bar in Santa Barbara
2008-01-19 21:55:00 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 halib...
By: Tastes of Life
Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
2008-01-17 19:53:00 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, t...
By: Tastes of Life
Fiddlehead Cellars 2003 Lollapalooza Santa Rita Hills Fiddlestix Pinot Noir
2008-01-14 01:00:00 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...
By: Tastes of Life
CraftSteak at MGM Grand Las Vegas
2007-12-10 01:00:00 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 La...
By: Tastes of Life
Bonaccorsi 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-09-30 04:47:00 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....
By: Tastes of Life
Foley Estates 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir
2007-09-15 21:49:00 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 t...
By: Tastes of Life
A.P. Vin 2004 Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-08-26 03:42:00 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, j...
By: Tastes of Life
Demetria 2005 Gaia Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
2007-08-05 02:00:00 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...
By: Tastes of Life
Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
2007-07-27 11:40:00 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 v...
By: Tastes of Life
Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
2007-07-24 17:00:00 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.c...
By: Tastes of Life
Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115, Santa Rita H
2007-07-04 05:29:00 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% n...
By: Tastes of Life
Sea Smoke Cellars 2004 Botella Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-05-24 04:52:00 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 ...
By: Tastes of Life
Rusack 2005 Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-05-10 05:34:00 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 atRusack's website for $38.Vote for my blo...
By: Tastes of Life
Hartley Ostini Hitching Post 2005 St. Rita's Earth Pinot Noir
2007-05-06 02:59:00 Owners Frank Ostini and Gray HartleyThursday 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. Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog TopI am now in top 11!
By: Tastes of Life
Bonaccorsi 2002 Melville Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot noir
2007-04-30 05:39:00 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. ...
By: Tastes of Life
Samsara 2005 Ampelos Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
2007-04-29 04:40:00 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 finis...
By: Tastes of Life
Hitching Post and Long Meadow Ranch
2007-03-11 05:40:00 Tonight we had two really good wines with dinner. We started with the Hartley Ostini Hitching Post 2004 Fiddlestix Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. I have been drinking Pinots from Hitching Post for about 5 years now but this was my first time trying their Fiddlestix. Dark, dense ruby color in the glass. Jammy, ripe black berries and cherries with a hint of spice. A nice long finish. This is one of the most fruit forward Pinots that Hitching Post makes and I really enjoyed it. Only 220 cases made, you can find it on Winezap.com from $48.95.The second bottle we open was the Long Meadow Ranch 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Long Meadow Ranch is located in the Mayacamas Mountains high above the valley floor of Napa Valley. They not only produce wine, but also olive oil, grass-fed beef, eggs, organic vegetables etc. Visit their website to find out more.The 2003 Cab has dark fruit and berries on the nose with some tobacco and tea.On the plate the dark fruit is more restrained with some ...
By: Tastes of Life
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