Tasting notes for individual wines.
This wine is the fourth release of Dave Phinney’s F wine produced and bottled by Locations Wine. It is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and assorted Bordeaux varieties sourced from growers in the Rhône, Roussillon and Bordeaux regions of France.
Just in time for Thanksgiving Day here is a list of wines to accompany what might be your biggest meal of the year.
The Century Block vineyard is located on the east side of the Mokelumne River AVA (a sub-AVA of the Lodi Appellation) and was planted in 1905. The 3-acre vineyard is a tiny island among cherry orchards and much younger Zinfandel used for bulk wine production.
On May 24, 1976 Chateau Montelena’s fortunes changed for the better — and in a big way. Jim Barrett’s 1973 Chardonnay won the Judgement of Paris white wine competition. It wasn’t just any competition. The Judgement of Paris was organized as a blind tasting of California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon against France’s best Burgundy and Bordeaux. Not insignificantly the competition was in France and the judges were French.
Few things make me as happy as a glass of bubbly. Bubbles are beautiful in the glass and I love that explosive sensation once I take a sip. Often we think of bubbles as a celebratory beverage, and certainly bubbles can make any occasion a celebration, but it isn’t necessary to wait for a celebration to enjoy a glass of bubbly. An enjoyable Prosecco we recently received as a tasting sample proved just that point.
We don’t drink very much Grüner Veltliner. When we do it is usually at a wine tasting, a wine bar or in a restaurant with a diverse wine list. We always make a point of drinking adventurously when we dine out, as we do when at home, but on a daily basis we just don’t think of Grüner Veltliner. That’s a shame.
The Labor Day has come and gone signaling the end of summertime. Some will have their white clothes safely stored for next summer. Many more of us will continue to wear our white clothing year-round flaunting the rules just like Coco Chanel. Happily there is no such rule prohibiting the enjoyment of white wine year-round. If that were the case I would ignore that rule as well.
I am always drawn to a wine with an interesting backstory. And while every wine has a story my personal bias is going to take me in the direction of family winemaking and organic or biodynamic viticultural practices. Or in the direction of a winemaker resurrecting a forgotten style of wine. Winemaking in Old World wine regions using indigenous varieties will catch my eye […]
The best way to learn about a wine region is to visit the region, see the lay of the land, talk to the winemakers and taste the wines. When travel to a region isn’t possible virtual travel along with wine tasting can be an effective way to learn about a winery and by extension the wine region. We recently participated in a virtual tasting which included four wines provided to us as tasting samples. The virtual tasting was hosted by Snooth and we had the opportunity to taste the wines made by winemaker Robbie Meyer at Murrieta’s Well Estate Vineyard in the Livermore Valley as he told us about his winemaking and answered our questions. It was the next best thing to visiting the winery.
For the longest time I thought of Champagne as a strictly celebratory libation. What is more festive than a glass of bubbly to celebrate a marriage, a birthday, or a new job? A still wine just doesn’t have the same impact. Over time, though, I have discovered how versatile Champagne really is. Looking beyond the bubbles to the bright acidity (that wine made from cool-climate grapes often possesses) and complex flavors (that come from extended lees aging) you will discover Champagne pairs with a wide variety of food — and not just appetizers. Champagne is just as delicious with a meal as a still wine.
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.
