Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

2017 Theopolis Vineyards Pinot Noir, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County photo

Theopolis Pinot Noir, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County

I hope you are ready for another wine day celebration, because Pinot Noir Day (#PinotNoirDay) is right around the corner on August 18. We want to make sure you have Pinot Noir in your glass so, to that end, today we have a recommendation for you: 2017 Theopolis Vineyards Pinot Noir, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County. Theodora R. Lee is the […]

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An Introduction to Black Stallion Estate Winery

Black Stallion Estate Winery is situated not far from the Napa River along the southern end of the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. The winery makes its home in what was a large equestrian center called the Silverado Horsemen’s Center. There is more history to tell about the family that owns Black Stallion Estate Winery and the […]

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Cellar 503: The Wine Club for a Taste of Oregon Wine

Carrie Wynkoop established Cellar 503 out of a passion for Oregon wine and necessity. Specifically, she looked for a wine club that curated wines from small, boutique wineries throughout Oregon and couldn’t find one. So Carrie put her enthusiasm and knowledge of Oregon wines together with her prior business experience and established Cellar 503 in 2015. I recently met Carrie […]

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Celebrating Memories with Colmant Cap Classique

Several days ago we opened a very special bottle of wine: Colmant  Absolu Zero Dosage NV. Peter eased the cork from the bottle and poured both of us a glass. As we watched the bubbles rise in our glasses many fond memories of visiting Colmant Cap Classique & Champagne in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley came back to us. There is […]

Wines of Alentejo WASP wines featured photo

The Alentejo Wine Region Takes Sustainability Seriously with WASP

Portugal’s Alentejo wine region is a warm one. João Barroso, Director of Sustainability for Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program (WASP), recently told a group of wine media and writers during a teleconference that the region routinely experiences some of the warmest temperatures in Europe. It is also prone to drought. These factors coupled with climate change prompted the region’s wineries […]

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Recent Releases from Flora Springs

We’re sipping more white wine than usual this time of year and Flora Springs has us covered with several recent releases that hit the spot. And Merlot is always a welcome red wine even in summer. We received these wines as tasting samples. Flora Springs is a name that is familiar to most wine enthusiasts who are at all familiar […]

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Wines from Ron Rubin Winery

Today we’re sipping a collection of wines from beverage entrepreneur Ron Rubin, which we received as tasting samples. In 2011 he purchased River Road Family Vineyards and Winery in Green Valley and established Ron Rubin Winery where he makes the Ron Rubin and River Road lines of wine. Ron’s path to winery ownership was not a direct one, but it […]

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Tyrrell’s Wines: History, Semillon and Shiraz in Australia’s Hunter Valley

Before we visited Tyrrell’s Wines in October 2019, as part of the Wine Media Conference held in the Hunter Valley, I didn’t have a full appreciation for the history behind the winery. But standing beside the ironbark slab hut built by Edward Tyrrell, when he settled 320 acres along the Brokenback Range at Pokolbin in 1858, brought that history alive. […]

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Wines from Sicily’s Tenuta Regaleali for all Seasons

Today we are sipping four wines from Tasca d’Almerita’s Tenuta Regaleali. It is difficult to decide which qualities I appreciate most in these wines. All four are made using varieties indigenous to Sicily and all are 100% varietal wines. These wines are extremely versatile and will take you from summertime sipping all the way into winter. Then there is the […]

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Smith-Madrone: Elegant Wines from Spring Mountain District

Stuart Smith knew he needed to look to the mountains of Napa Valley, not the valley floor, to find a site that would allow him to make the elegant, balanced, acid-driven wines he enjoyed drinking. He found what he was looking for in a 200-acre property on Spring Mountain. The property had been home to a small vineyard in the […]