Tasting notes for individual wines.
Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery is tucked away in the Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA on Paso’s westside. The 16-acre property is home to an interesting collection of Italian grape varieties covering a hillside above Las Tablas Willow Creek Road. In a sub-AVA that is better known for Rhône-style wines, proprietor Janis Pelletiere Denner’s Italian heritage has inspired her […]
ZinFest is Lodi’s annual celebration of wine, food and fun that takes place at Lodi Lake. This year’s ZinFest Grand Tasting took place on May 18. As a prelude to ZinFest, a blind tasting of ancient vine Zinfandel was organized on May 17 by the Lodi Winegrape Commission. The tasting was held in the Ballroom at Wine & Roses in […]
Domaine Bousquet winery and vineyards are located in Tupungato within the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina. The location is high elevation, 4000 feet above sea level, where the soil is sandy and the rainfall scant thanks to the rain shadow caused by the nearby Andes Mountains. The vineyards are farmed organically and certified as such, as are the wines. Ameri […]
Today is Earth Day! Every year April 22 is the day set aside to celebrate environmental protection. Ideally everyone’s commitment to our environment extends beyond just one day, but the day can, at the very least, be a reminder to think of our planet and do what we can to protect it everyday. As a winelover one of the ways […]
Today’s cellar note has us sipping two new wines from the Hess Family Wine Estates Lion Head Collection. This is the debut vintage of Panthera Chardonnay and the second vintage of Lion Tamer Red Blend. We received both wines as tasting samples. Donald Hess first purchased acreage on Mount Veeder above Napa Valley in 1982. The site was originally settled […]
This year we are celebrating Malbec World Day in grand style by sipping five Malbecs from Argentina. And even though Malbec originated in France, the variety is now most closely associated with Argentina. We received these wines as tasting samples. When I open Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, including their Origins and Flavours by Jancis Robinson, […]
Flora Springs Winery sits at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains at the western end of Zinfandel Lane in St. Helena. This stone winery has a long history in Napa Valley and may or may not be home to ghosts. We recently received three wines from Flora Springs as tasting samples and there is nothing spooky about any of these […]
This month’s Wine Pairing Weekend (#winePW) challenge comes from host, Gwendolyn Alley. She thought Earth Month would be the perfect time for our group of wine and food enthusiasts to explore the world of biodynamic wine. Brilliant idea, Gwendolyn. The principles of biodynamic farming are complex and interdependent, but worth understanding. It isn’t necessary to understand every detail of biodynamic […]
Pinot Grigio has earned a reputation as a light, flavorless white wine. My friend recently told me a story that perfectly illustrates that reputation. Her friend, who when confronted with a wine list lacking wines familiar to her, orders Pinot Grigio because at least she knows what it will taste like. Water. Not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement of the variety. […]
Today’s Cellar Note brings you the warmth of sunny, southern France in your wine glass. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some sunshine and always look forward to something delicious in my wine glass. We received this wine as a tasting sample. Before we get to the wine, let’s take a look at the label. Domaine de […]
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
