Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

Domaine de Cala Rosé featured photo

2020 Domaine de Cala Rosé — Welcome In My Glass Any Time of Year

Today we’re thinking of Provence, pretending we’re sitting at a shady table on a warm afternoon watching the sea and sipping rosé. We’re waiting for lunch to arrive and planning a lazy afternoon. Well, a girl can dream can’t she? The second best thing to being in Provence sipping rosé is sipping a glass of Provençal rosé at home on […]

Suisun Valley AVA featured photo

A Petite Sirah Welcome to California’s Suisun Valley AVA

Are you familiar with California’s Suisun Valley AVA? We weren’t until we drove an alternate route home from Napa Valley that took us over the mountains south of Napa’s Atlas Peak AVA, to Wooden Valley Road, Suisun Valley Road and through picturesque Mankas Corner before joining Hwy 12 in Fairfield. It was the Welcome to Suisun Valley AVA sign that […]

Sustainable Chile featured photo

Six Wines That Highlight Chile’s Sustainability Efforts

Certified sustainability initiatives have become a part of many wineries’ operations. These certifications are sometimes promoted by wine regions, sometimes individual wineries seek certification on their own, and sometimes, as is the case with Chile’s Sustainability Code for the Chilean Wine Industry (SCWI), they are the result of a country-wide effort. According to Wines of Chile (Vinos de Chile), a […]

Tablas Creek Vineyards photo

A Quick Stay in Paso Robles Wine Country

Recently we spent a couple of days in the Paso Robles wine region. The three-and-a-half-hour drive makes Paso too far away for a day trip, so we planned an overnight stay. For us, wine travel in the time of COVID means looking for lodging in a small rural property and for wine tasting experiences that are outdoors. Planning ahead is […]

Jumilla featured photo

Discover Jumilla With A Taste of Monastrell

Monastrell, called Mourvèdre and Mataro elsewhere in the wine world, comprises more than 75% of plantings in the dry, inland wine region of Jumilla located in Spain’s southeast corner. And Jumilla is home to Europe’s largest planting of ungrafted 90-year-old bush vines. What better way to discover Jumilla than with a tasting of wines comprised entirely of Monastrell? The three […]

Rodney Strong Vineyards featured photo

A Fresh Look At Rodney Strong Vineyards

Rodney Strong Vineyards has recently undergone a refresh. The most noticeable change to consumers who visit the winery will be in the remodeled tasting room; to anyone who picks up a bottle of Rodney Strong wine it will be the newly designed wine labels. But less visible changes have been going on behind the scenes for some time in the […]

Esporão in Vinho Verde and Douro featured photo

Esporão in Vinho Verde and Douro: Two Regions, One Winemaker

Winemaker José Luis Moreira da Silva, Zé Luis as he is known more informally, has the challenge of making wine in two Portuguese wine regions. The two regions could not be more different in terms of growing conditions and grape varieties. Fortunately the distance between Vinho Verde and the Douro is not too great, about 90 minutes by car. In […]

Kenwood Vineyards wine and cheese featured photo

Pairing Cheese With Wines From Kenwood Vineyards

Recently I was invited to sit in on a virtual tasting of Kenwood Vineyards wines paired with cheese. During the tasting Kenwood Vineyards winemaker Zeke Neeley gave us the behind the scenes details of each wine we tasted while chef and cookbook author Gaby Dalkin created a cheeseboard. I came away with a greater understanding of the different ranges of […]

Sosie Red Blend Rossi Ranch, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County photo

2019 Sosie Rossi Ranch Red Blend: Made For A Meal

Sosie Wines proprietors Regina Bustamante and Scott MacFiggen are well acquainted with the wines of France, and that influence is reflected in the wines they craft. They source grapes from a number of very special vineyards in Northern California and take a light hand in winemaking. Rossi Ranch in Sonoma Valley is one of those special vineyards. We received this […]

Priest Ranch Grenache Blanc featured photo

Priest Ranch Napa Valley Grenache Blanc: A Taste of The Unexpected

Summer is here, temperatures are rising and we’re enjoying lighter meals. We’re grilling and trying to keep cool. White wines are more likely to grace our dinner table this time of year and Grenache Blanc is a delicious choice to accompany meals or sip before dinner. Grenache Blanc from Napa Valley isn’t the most common of choices, but Priest Ranch […]