Honeyed aromas, very fruity, with honeyed, peachy flavors, and honey even in the finish. Fruit and citrus overwhelm the crispness you’d expect to find in a wine made from pinot grigio grapes. It’s a nice example of a modern sweet wine, probably a crowd-pleaser, but not really a pinot grigio.
Two weeks ago I returned home from The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, held at the Meadowood Napa in St. Helena the week prior to Premiere Napa Valley. I’m kicking myself for not accepting the invitation to stay for Premiere – the Napa Valley Vintner’s annual “bake sale,” as NVV
A baby that shows every sign of being a great grownup when it fully matures. Deep purple with a seductive nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, and rosemary. Great gobs of blackberry fruit and pistachios on the palate, with balanced tannins. Finishes beautifully and languorously. This has not yet been released at
How many of us haven't, at some point, fantasized about leaving it all to go run a winery? This dream always seems to entail lunch shared with friends and family, a light dish accompanied by a bottle of one’s own red wine, eaten al fresco and overlooking breathtaking views of
Sangiovese, barbera, primitivo…the classic Italian grape varieties most cultivated across Italy. But grown in Sonoma, California? They are and have been dating back to the late 1800’s and thriving today. The arrival of Italian grape varieties in Sonoma can be traced to 1881 and the founding of the Italian Swiss
Aromas of wild herbs growing on dry, late summer California hillsides – wild thyme, sage, juniper. At first it feels thinnish on the palate, but that’s only because the tannins are integrated into the dark fruit in a more refined manner than expected. Wild herbs show up in the finish
Opened for Open That Bottle Night 2012. Premiere Napa Valley is a special event, an annual fund raiser and auction. Wineries produce special bottles in tiny lots, 5-10 cases, for auction, available that one time and never again. This particular bottle was Lot No. 49, bottle 22 of 60, a
A cool, persistent spring was the beginning of the weather problems that would plague the 2011 California harvest, pushing back bud break to make the grapes almost three weeks behind schedule. May and June had heavy rains, and the summer heat never really spiked. Pinot noir and chardonnay seemed happy