Gallo Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Signature Series 2013
Yet another winner from Gallo’s Signature Series, the 2012 Dry Creek Zinfandel has a smokey countenance, followed by musky earth, steeped blackberries and Italian plums. Tons of intensity on the palate, a bit of char, and unbridled, racy acidity. This isn’t a sweet, heavy Zinfandel, rather it’s endowed with lots of power and punch. The […]
Edna Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014
A friendly and approachable Central Valley Pinot Noir, Edna Valley offers a dollop of pleasure for the budget conscious—finding decent Pinot Noir in the under $15.00 price category is a challenge. The 2014 edition emits strawberry and raspberry jam, with a whiff of crunchy, dry fall leaves. It’s fairly simple, but pleasant in the mouth, […]
Forge Cellars Sunrise Hill Vineyard Finger Lakes Riesling 2014
As with the other Forge Rieslings I’ve tried, the 2014 Sunrise Hill Vineyard is lithe and electric. it possesses tactile, nervy tension. The nose is somewhat reserved, though swirling reveals white flowers, lime zest, mint and a pinch of granulated honey. It feels very pure—at the core, a bracing, linear expression is accented by lemon […]
Napa Valley Distillery Old Hollywood Ginn
Intensely aromatic, Napa Valley Distillery’s Old Hollywood Ginn is perhaps my favorite out of the four craft spirit samples I’ve received. The distillery website refers to it as a “speakeasy style,” a playful nod to the founder, Arthur Hartunian’s penchant and passion for using old, pre-Prohibition recipes. The website also notes that Old Hollywood Ginn […]
Napa Valley Distillery East India Cocktail
From Napa Valley’s first bonded distillery since prohibition, this incomparable East India Cocktail. Owners Arthur and Lusine Hartunian craft all of their spirits using old pre-Prohibition recipes and their website notes that the East India Cocktail is from recipe an 1830’s recipe, and it’s very hard not to imagine old maps, steamer trunks and wicker […]
Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Franc de Pied 2013
Not the best vintage of Breton I’ve tasted, the 2013 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Franc de Pied offers dusky aromatics of decomposing roses, earthy funk, red forest berries, iron ore and green wood. As is typical of Cabernet Franc grown in this region, it’s acidic, but in this case, in this vintage, too acidic, […]
La Marca Prosecco NV
La Marca’s NV Prosecco sports the classic grapey Glera nose. It’s straw-colored and festively effervescent, with yellow apple, and acacia honey notes. On the palate, it’s soft, clean, and inviting—a perfect wine for springtime. Candied lemon peel and orange pastille round out the mid-palate. 1.70 g/100ml RS 11.29% ABV | Sample Cantine La Marca 8.8 […]
La Marea Mourvedre Spur Ranch Vineyard 2013
For those of you familiar with Ian Brand’s first label, Le P’tit Paysan, La Marea is produced with equal care and craft, and is dedicated to the production of single-vineyard Spanish varieties from San Benito and Montery County. The 2013 Spur Ranch Vineyard Mourvedre is sourced from vines that are at an 1,000 foot elevation […]
Domaine Jean David Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Les Levants 2012
As memory serves, this is one of my acquisitions from Garagiste, as is typical of Garagiste selections, Jean David is a very small producer, a husband and wife team from the village of Séguret who are committed to what Nicki refers to as “hyper- organic “farming. The vines are very old, though I can not […]
Gallo Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Another wine from Gallo’s Signature series, I’ll be the first to confess that I’m pleasantly surprised at how nice these wines are, given the extraordinary prices of most Napa Cabs. It’s a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, the bulk of which is from Gallo’s William Hill Vineyard, with a dash of […]