Cellar Notes

Notes about the wines we have tried recently.

Photo of bottle and glass of 2023 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Napa Valley on a table with trees in the background

Flora Springs Soliloquy: A Harmonious Sauvignon Blanc Blend

Soliloquy is one of Flora Springs’ two flagship wines; the other, Trilogy, is a red blend. You would expect a Napa Valley winery to have a flagship red wine, but maybe not a flagship white wine. The folks at Flora Springs, however, are particularly proud of Soliloquy, also the name of the Sauvignon Blanc clone that is the basis for […]

Photo of wine glass and bottle of 2023 Pink Flamingo Gris de Gris in a garden setting

Pink Flamingo Gris de Gris: More than Just a Pretty Label

The Camargue is situated along the coast of southern France south of the city of Arles between two forks of the Rhône River. The Petite-Rhône forms the western boundary and the Grande-Rhône forms the eastern boundary of what is the largest river delta in western Europe. You may be familiar with the Camargue horse, a stocky, grey breed indigenous to […]

Photo of 2023 Domaine Bousquet LO CA Chardonnay and Malbec bottles and glasses of wine on a table with garden in the background

LO CA: Domaine Bousquet’s Low-Calorie Wines

One thing you may have gathered about the folks at Domaine Bousquet, from reading about them here and elsewhere, is that they never stand still. Jean Bousquet’s goal from the very beginning was to farm organically and make the best quality wines possible in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. Jean’s daughter Anne Bousquet and her husband Labid Al Ameri have for some […]

Photo of Alileo Young Bianco and Syrah boxed wines on a table

Alileo: Wine from Sicily’s West Coast in a Box

Many wineries are turning to bag-in-box (BIB) packaging for their wines to reduce their carbon footprint among other things. BIB wines are lighter to transport, take up less space and keep wine fresh longer than glass bottles. Alileo is one such brand packaged in a box. In addition to BIB, Alileo packages sparkling wine under crown cap and cork and […]

Photo if 2023 Copain Daybreak White Wine on a table with garden in background

Copain’s Daybreak White Wine: It’s All in the Blend

I am always impressed when a 100% varietal wine shines, but I am equally impressed by the art of blending grape varieties. Skilled winemakers know just how to combine grape varieties to fill in missing spaces, round out flavors and add complexity to a wine without losing the identity of each grape variety. Copain’s winemaker, Ryan Zepaltas, demonstrates that skill […]

Photo of a bottle of French Sparkling Cider and Crémant de Bourgogne on a table with lemon tree in the background

Sipping French Bubbles, But It’s Not Champagne

Today we are sipping French bubbles that are not champagne — one is a crémant and the other a non-alcoholic sparkling cider made in Normandy. We have tasted Crémant de Bourgogne before, but sparkling apple cider from Normandy is new to us. We received both as tasting samples. Cider has been made in France, primarily in Normandy and Brittany, since […]

Gurrieri Frappato bottle and glass of wine on a table with lemon tree in the background

A Taste of Sicily: Gurrieri Frappato

Unless you are familiar with Sicilian wines you might not be acquainted with the Frappato grape variety. It is indigenous to the southeastern corner of Sicily near Siracusa and Vittoria where it is mainly used as a blending partner for Nero d’Avola in Cerasuolo di Vittoria — Sicily’s only DOCG wine. But Frappato can also stand on its own as […]

Featured photo Geisen 0% Sparkling Brut bottles, glass and cork on a table

A Tasting of New Zealand’s Giesen 0% Sparkling Brut

No and low-alcohol wines are having something of a moment. There are more options than ever for those looking to eliminate or significantly reduce their alcohol consumption without completely abstaining from wine. Giesen 0% Sparkling Brut is one such wine. We received this wine as a tasting sample. Giesen Wines was founded by three brothers who immigrated to New Zealand […]