May 19, 2020
Starts off with an engaging, controlled nose of dried flowers, candle wax and citrus zest. Tangy and rounded texture in the mouth as flavors of baked green apples, mangoes, Meyer lemons and river rocks take their turn. I really like the beeswax texture of the wine – I’d guess it is Semillon if tasted blind because who would guess Godello? Impressive how delicious this wine is at such a young age. This is 100% Godello (a grape native to the Iberian Peninsula) from Sonoma Valley. Grafted over from another variety in 2009, this was the first and maybe still the […]
May 13, 2020
Introduces itself with springtime flowers and blossoms, grapefruit and peach. Stone fruits, crisp melon, Meyer lemon and the mysterious “minerality” take turns in the taste. Typical high acidity is countered by a textured roundness (from 4 months lees-ageing is both steel and nuetral oak). It’s young, and I suspect my tasting notes will be more even more enthusiastic when I enjoy in fall 2020 and beyond. Speaking from experience, this 2019 Cave Dog Albariño is more than an aperitif wine. It went toe-to-toe with my home-made pesto pasta studded with spicy sausage and earthy broccoli greens, making a tasty pairing. I […]
May 12, 2020
An “aromatic white” through and through, the Onward Malvasia Bianca 2016 smells of lemon verbena, wildflowers, coriander seeds and white pepper. The taste is intense, smooth and filled with fresh lemon zest, crisp pear and citrus bitters flavors. Medium/light bodied, pure and penetrating, it’s an ideal wine to pair with similarly light and strong flavored dishes. Thai and Vietnamese food both come to mind. Onward and Farmstrong Wines is the creation and passion of winemaker Faith Armstrong Foster. I very much like her vineyard-driven winemaking and affinity for the esoteric while not being too much “out there.” Oh yeah, and the […]
May 5, 2020
Three grape blend of Grenache Blanc, Albariño, Verdelho, all from Suisun Valley vineyards. Orchard fruits and honeysuckle on the nose. Taste ripe pears and peaches, Meyer lemon and honeycomb (sans the sweetness). Creamy texture like Chardonnay yet with distinctly different flavor profile. Long, 20+ second finish of floral, fruit and pleasant lemon bitters. Really classy and flat-out delicious wine. A real bargain for $20-22/bottle. Onward and Farmstrong Wines is the creation and passion of winemaker Faith Armstrong Foster. I very much like her vineyard-driven winemaking and affinity for the esoteric while not being too much “out there.” Oh yeah, and […]
April 30, 2020
There are those Napa wineries that say they make a crisper, more refreshing style of Chardonnay, and then there is White Rock Vineyards who actually does it. They’ve been doing it a long time, too, and it seemingly keeps getting the better. The 2016 White Rock Chardonnay case in point. Granny Smith apple, ripe lemon, lemon cucumber, white peach and zesty pineapple. Medium bodied, zippy acidity, grand balance between ripe and tang. For what White Rock is trying to achieve with this wine, it’s absolutely perfect, and I love it.
April 23, 2020
Taking a page from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, Hudson White Study 2019 is a blend of 45% Ribolla Gialla, 45% Tocai Friulano and 10% Chardonnay. Sea shells on the ocean beach, crushed almonds and pear skins on the nose. In the mouth I get lemon zest, honeydew melon and slightly green banana. Then something cool happens as the texture, flavors and finish go to the darker side: roast almonds and brown mushrooms perhaps. The reasonably long finish will get much longer as the wine gets more time in bottle. Fermentation took place in a combination of steel, concrete and oak, […]
April 23, 2020
This rare, ancient grape of Corsica, central Italy or Greek origin is a cool oddity in Napa Valley. Not only is the grape seldom seen, it is almost never made into a white/Rosé wine. I can’t write never because that’s what this is! Grapes are pressed off their skin ASAP to make a honey-white colored wine. It’s a minerally, tangy wine with notes of celery hearts, quince, and lemon blossom. Its rounded texture on the mid-palate set it apart from crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Aleatico is in the Black Muscat family of grapes, but at my […]
April 23, 2020
Lightly toasted marshmallow, lemon custard and nutmeg introduce the Hudson Chardonnay 2018. These smells continue on in the mouth along with dark honey, roasted green apples and pears and ripe citrus. No doubt this is a rich, voluptuous style, but that’s not half the story. The great vineyard site and meticulous farming produce world-class quality grapes that partner with the layers of winemaking. Vintage to vintage the Hudson Chardonnay is in the conversation as the best California Chardonnay in the $50-$75 range. Lee & Cristina Hudson and the entire Hudson Ranch team close the circle of environment, land, farming and taste. […]
April 20, 2020
Botrytis-heavy, late harvest grapes from Navarro’s vineyards harvested primarily for their dry Riesling. Honeyed green apple, lemon-lime, mandarin orange, lemon verbena. High sugar, high glycerine, core of acidity to support the wine. This is a mouthful of fun. Navarro also bottles this wine in 750 ML bottles and sell it for $70. I base my value rating and value category on the 375 ML bottle. It’s true that dessert wines take longer to drink than dry wines. The good news is that the sugar is a preservative: Keep the open bottles in the wine and they stay almost as good […]
April 20, 2020
Awesome dessert wine. Harvested in mid-October with botrytis throughout the clusters. Honeyed pineapple, papaya, mango, heirloom apples, Meyer lemon. Very sweet and perfectly tangy too. May be the best California dessert wine I’ve ever had. I don’t care to fuss with food matches but prefer to drink it by its lonesome. If you do want a match, go for a high quality blue cheese or fried chicken livers. Navarro also bottles this wine in 750 ML bottles and sell it for $79. I base my value rating and value category on the 375 ML bottle. It’s true that dessert wines […]
April 17, 2020
A joy to drink, the Navarro Mendocino Chardonnay (3/4 Anderson Valley, 1/4 Potter Valley – SE of Ukiah) sports ripe melon, pear, apple and ripe citrus smells and flavors. Its round texture, classic for Chardonnay, comes from aging in neutral French oak barrels and a little lees contact. No conversion of malic to lactic acid, which helps keep the wine’s vibrancy (that and the cool-climate Anderson Valley grapes.) This is a happy wine! Navarro only sells their wine retail winery-direct in California and miniscule distribution outside the state. It is one of the few wineries that I purchase wine from […]
April 13, 2020
Classic fleshy, rich, creamy Chardonnay that’s also loaded with orchard and tropical fruits. Smell and taste apple butter, pineapple cake, caramel, buttered toast and apple pie crust. Citrus flavors lurk in the back, adding another subtle yet unmistakable layer. Creamy texture, sweet sensations and a jolly plumpness. This is a big-time crowd-pleaser offered at very fair price for high-quality Napa Valley Chardonnay. The fruit for the Fortunati Chardonnay 2018 comes from an Oak Knoll Vineyard just over a mile from Fortunati’s Estate vineyard and hospitality center. 95% malolactic, 20% new French oak aged, periodic lees stirring. Gary and Ellen Luchtel […]
April 1, 2020
California needs more wines like this! Tocai Friulano, aka Friulano in its homeland of Friuli, Italy and Sauvignon Vert in California (unless it’s Muscadelle…yeah, it’s confusing) has about 50 acres planted in California. That number recently went down when THIS vineyard, “Graziano” in Mendocino’s Potter Valley, was converted to Vermentino. Quoting Prima Materia’s Pietro Buttitta, it’s “probably a good idea, but a wistful one as this bottling has great tension and complexity.” This is true. Good Tocia Friulano needs to breathe and stretch. And enjoyed chilled not cold: 60 degrees is good. My Prima Materia Tocai Friulano 2017 tasting notes […]
March 1, 2020
Spicy, savory and taut, the 2018 Merisi Pinot Gris falls squarely in the very dry, Alsatian style. Smell and taste lemon zest, grapefruit extract, white pepper, dried pears and wildflowers. And white pepper, definitely white pepper. This is the type of Pinot Gris that tastes good, perhaps very good, by itself, and GREAT with the right food…like grilled lemon-garlic chicken thighs and yummy sausages you choose from the butcher counter. Sixth vintage of Merisi Pinot Gris. Merisi co-owner and winemaker Mandy Heidt Donovan is making tiny amounts of delicious, balanced, honest expressions of Pinot Gris, Grenache and Petite Sirah (sometimes […]
February 25, 2020
This grape of Gascony, France origin is sporadically planted in Northern California. These vines are REALLY spread out (see note below) in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. The Trinafour French Colombard 2018 is loaded with fresh lemon/lime, nectarine, crunchy pears and lemon balm. It’s perfectly tangy and pure. Great choice for those who reflexively choose Sauvignon Blanc. More Information I have to say this is one of my favorite California wines because of its originality points (and it’s so darn good too). 230 old vine French Colombard vines are interplanted in a field planting of mostly red grape vines in Redwood Valley, […]
February 24, 2020
Lemon, lime and kiwi nose that’s the faintest bit of cream and bread crust that softens the pungency. Tingly stone and citrus fruit flavors with lemon thyme, cucumber and jasmine giving complexity. Fermenting in neutral oak barrels gives the wine depth and guts but not the flavor of oak. This is a great choice for a crisp white to enjoy with appetizers, molluscs and crustaceans. (I took it to a local crab feed – it was a big hit.) More Information Wilson Foreigner is a two-family-owned winery. David & Christine Wilson live on their family vineyard in Napa’s Wooden Valley. […]
February 24, 2020
The Quigley Chenin Blanc starts off with smells of crisp green apples and crunchy pears, lemon blossoms and oyster shells. The taste is full of citrus with some kiwi and honeycomb in there, too. What REALLY sets this wine apart for me is the expansive texture (“volume” is the word Patrick Quigley uses) this has on the back palate…not unlike the best Chenin Blancs of Touraine, Loire Valley. Dynamite acidity throughout, especially in the long, “stony” finish. As an avowed Loire Valley Chenin fanatic, this wine hit me with all the best sensations from the Loire. And I tasted it […]
February 19, 2020
The fresh, luscious, aromatic Alder Springs Apex 39 is a blend of 27% Marsanne, 25% Picpoul Blanc, 24% Roussanne and 24% Voignier from Stuart Bewley’s vineyard in Northern Mendocino County. Smell citrus blossoms, jasmine, pear-apple and clover honey, moving to orchard and tropical fruit flavors with light caramel and sweet floral sensations in the mouth. I love the texture of this wine as well as the happy tang of acidity on the mid-palate. For a California Rhone-style white wine at 5 years of age, this is remarkably fresh and young. More Information While focusing on growing and selling grapes to […]
February 17, 2020
Made in a full-flavored style (barrel ferment, high malolactic, native yeast, 30% new French oak), it’s tricky to have it all: rich and strong AND fresh and bright. To me, Sojourn Cellars hit all the right buttons in their 2018 Sangiacomo Chardonnay. Fresh lemon zest and lemon ice, fresh brioche, light caramel, Granny Smith applesauce and jasmine smells and flavors from start to long finish. In the mouth the wine is textured, substantial and refined. A great buy in the realm of premium Chardonnay for $45.
February 17, 2020
A solid California Sauvignon Blanc start to finish, showing off smells and flavors of honeydew melon, papaya, lemon-lime and lemongrass. Pleasing tang of acidity in the mouth and a finish that fleshes out, leaving you with lemon zest garden herbs on the finish. Decoy’s umbrella-winery Duckhorn knows a thing or two about making premium Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. As a premium-value label, Decoy aims to delivery exceptional value. It sets up to bring us an exceptional $20 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, You’d be well-served to keep a stash of this wine for pop-in guests and weekday fish nights. It is […]
February 17, 2020
Lemon zest, wildflowers, warm candle wax and coriander lead the relatively restrained aromas. Taste ripe citrus, lemon verbena and crisp pineapple, followed by a dried floral/stony, tangy finish. The wine gets point by not being “too much” for an aromatic white, and for having refreshing acidity. If you or your friends tend to not like Rhone and Rhone-style whites, there’s a good chance you will enjoy this. Cowhorn “Spiral 36” is a blend of half Viognier, 30% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne from Cowhorn’s Demeter-certified Biodynamic and certified organic vineyard in Southern Oregon. Co-fermented in mostly neutral French oak then barrel […]
February 7, 2020
This 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Valley floor is tank fermented and tank aged with a significant amount of lees-contact for texture. It feels like a full RDA of fruit in a glass as melons, pears, apples, peaches and green banana flavors swirl about. Medium acidity for Sauvignon Blanc and pleasing richness in the mouth from the the lees contact. Dried lemon zest and lemongrass on the long, 20 second finish. I don’t often mention packaging in my reviews, but it’s worth noting the Azur Sauvignon Blanc bottle looks fantastic! (but it’s hard to photograph). Azur Winery is owned by […]
December 10, 2019
From Dancing Crow’s vineyard where Clear Lake meets Mount Konocti, a 40 minute drive north of Napa Valley. Meager soils challenge the vines, resulting in Sauvignon Blanc of character, intensity and ripeness…at 12.3% alcohol. Snappy citrus sensations throughout, including lemon zest and lemongrass (expect to pick up myriad lemon flavors in lower alcohol white wine, especially Sauv Blanc). White peach and mango poke their heads from around the corner. Long, leesy finish that reminds me of feta cheese. This winery-owned single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from a small winery based in Napa is unique for its quality and remarkable value. I’m […]
November 15, 2019
The complaints I usually hear about Chardonnay has to do with the oak. Sometimes it’s the butter, but usually the oak. Best parts of Chardonnay by most accounts, including mine, are the complexities of fruit and the texture. The best parts and complaints are addressed in this uniquely delicious Napa Valley Chardonnay. Lemon curd, Asian pears, mangos, almond paste and fresh pie crust. Refreshing acidity, layered, a little creamy and juicy. There are plenty of quality Chardonnays made like the Favia Carbone in Napa Valley. Somehow, this wine is more delicious than its peers. $48 stretches the limits of value […]