Cellar Notes

Notes about the wines we have tried recently.

Domaine des Bérioles Trésaille featured photo

Domaine des Bérioles Trésaille, Saint-Pourçain

Today’s cellar note takes us to the Loire Valley, France for a sip of the most remarkable wine. This wine tells the tale of Saint-Pourçain AOC located south of Moulins, family farming and a grape variety at risk of being lost. We purchased this wine from one of our favorite wine merchants, Les Marchands Restaurant & Wine Shop in Santa […]

Department 66 wines featured photo

Department 66 Wines by Dave Phinney

The seed for Department 66 wines was planted in 2008 when winemaker Dave Phinney visited Maury, France near the border with Spain. He was taken in by a very old vineyard planted on steep terrain. The more he saw of the region, the more he fell in love with it. Before he returned home from that visit he purchased a […]

Beatrice et Pascal Lambert 'Les Perruches', Chinon featured photo

Beatrice & Pascal Lambert ‘Les Perruches’ Chinon

Today’s cellar note has us savoring Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. This bright, balanced Cabernet Franc has just about everything I enjoy in cool-climate Cab Franc. This wine is not a tasting sample, we purchased this wine through a wine club. 2014 Beatrice & Pascal Lambert ‘Les Perruches’, Chinon — pale ruby in the glass with translucence at the […]

Yangarra Estate Vineyard featured photo

Yangarra Estate Vineyard: Southern Rhône Specialists in South Australia’s McLaren Vale

Yangarra Estate Vineyard is situated on more than 400 acres of creeks and native vegetation in the northeast portion of McLaren Vale, South Australia. The climate in this coastal region 45 minutes south of Adelaide is mediterranean, making it the perfect location for southern Rhône varieties. Today we are sipping two wines from Yangarra, both were provided to us as […]

Australian wine diversity featured photo

A Taste of Australia’s Vinous Diversity

Three wines, of course, cannot comprehensively survey the diversity of a whole continent full of wine. But three wines can be a starting point for the exploration of Australian wine and highlight its diverse regions, grape varieties and styles. And possibly pique your interest in Australian wine. We received all three wines as tasting samples. 2017 Tyrrell’s Wines Semillon, Hunter […]

Pasqua Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella featured photo

Pasqua ‘Famiglia Pasqua’ Amarone della Valpolicella

Today’s cellar note has us sipping a wine made in Valpolicella, north of Verona, near Lake Garda in northern Italy. Amarone della Valpolicella is a wine with ample body, intense flavors and a warming finish. It is just what you want to sip on a rainy, cold winter’s evening. We received this wine as a tasting sample.  Valpollicella is located […]

Prats+Symington featured photo

A Taste of Portugal’s Sunny Douro

If you can’t pack a suitcase and head off to a sunny location in winter, then pouring a glass of wine that brings the sunshine to you can be a liquid substitute. Today’s cellar note brings you exactly that…not Port wine, as you might expect, but dry red wine made by Prats & Symington in the Douro. We received both […]