Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

Kenwood Vineyards Jack London Vineyard featured photo

A Taste of History With Kenwood Vineyards Winemaker Zeke Neeley

I gathered recently with Zeke Neeley, Kenwood Vineyards winemaker, and a group of wine enthusiasts for a virtual tasting of four wines sourced from the historic Jack London Vineyard located on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain. The story that unfolded is one of appreciation for the wilds of Sonoma Mountain, relationships solidified with a handshake and the delicious wine that […]

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Hey French: Pasqua Has Fun With Wine

Hey French You Could Have Made This Wine But You Didn’t is a wine with a very long name and more than a bit of attitude. This new wine, made by Pasqua in northeastern Italy’s Veneto region, is a multi-vintage blend of Garganega along with Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon. It comes with a graffiti-inspired label similar to the PassioneSentimento wines […]

2020 wines featured photo

2020: Wine That Helped Us Through the Year

It’s hard to remember a year more difficult than 2020. The loss of my parents marked the most sorrowful years for me personally, but collectively this is the most difficult year I can remember. The bad news has continued since February and the worst may not be behind us. Coronavirus, COVID-19, stay-at-home and social distancing became part of my everyday […]

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A Taste of Portugal’s Vinho Verde Region

Just when you expect us to be sipping red wine we’re reaching for the lively white wines of Vinho Verde. We know we’re swimming against the stream, but these energetic wines from Portugal are perfect with appetizers or to sip while cooking even if it’s too chilly to sit on the patio. And it’s so refreshing to take a break […]

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Sosie White Blend will Brighten a Winter’s Day

As I sit writing this cellar note it is foggy and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast is for a chilly day with no sunshine until this afternoon. And it’s the first day of winter. This white wine will be a delicious way to welcome winter this evening. We received this wine as a tasting sample. Regina Bustamante and Scott MacFiggen, […]

Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc featured photo

Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Paired with Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

There’s nothing quite as satisfying and warming as homemade soup. If the recipe is easy, so much the better. Pair that soup with a delicious white wine and your meal is complete. We recently proved that point after receiving a bottle of Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc from the winery as a tasting sample along with a butternut squash harvested […]

Domaine Bousquet fall featured photo

Falling for Organic Wines from Domaine Bousquet

The number of wines to choose from is literally endless. With so many countries and grape varieties to choose from why drink the same wine twice? Well, especially when you discover a winery making quality wines that suit your palate it’s hard to resist going back to a wine you know you will enjoy. And if that winery also follows […]

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Good Things Come in Small Packages from Robert Hall Winery

With all of us having smaller celebrations over the holidays this year it follows that purchasing wine in smaller bottles might be a good idea for many of us. And I like the idea of drinking better wine rather than drinking more wine. We’re happy to share these little gems with you that we received as tasting samples from Robert […]

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Organic Wines from Chile’s Ritual and Veramonte

The good news about these four wines just keeps on coming. All are imported into the US by González Byass USA, who sent these wines to us as tasting samples, and are part of the González Byass family of wines. That’s good news because these wines are widely available in the US and all are under $20, mostly by quite […]

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A Detailed Look at Wines from Chile

Change is a constant in our world and in the world of wine. It’s probably fair to say that change in younger wine regions is greater than in long-established ones. As viticulturists learn the intricacies of soil and climate, where varieties are planted can change. And viticulturists and winemakers must at least respond to changes in the climate if not […]