Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

Casey Flat Ranch — A Hidden Gem in the Capay Valley AVA

To say Casey Flat Ranch is remote is an understatement. The 6000 acre ranch is located in the Vaca Mountains northeast of Lake Berryessa and the Napa Valley. This remote area of Yolo county has a wine producing history dating back to the 1860s, but the Capay Valley AVA was only recently declared in 2002.

2012 Villa Pozzi Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine From Sicily — Gotta Love Those Local Varieties

I admit to not thinking much about Sicily with regard to wine and winemaking. True, I knew Marsala was Italian, but honestly did not know it was made in Sicily. A bit of reading about Sicily lead me to discover the island is a leading wine production region in Italy, right in there with Veneto and Puglia in terms of […]

How About A Ferrari Rosé for Your Valentine?

Ferrari is a well-recognized name around the world. The fast, red, sexy car might be your first association. But consider this. Ferrari is also about sparkling wine made in the north of Italy, in the Trentino region, and Ferrari Rosé NV is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Cabernet Franc – The Quiet Parent

A recent tasting of Cabernet Franc from around the world got me thinking about the variety. I love the flavors and aromas Cabernet Franc produces, that combination of dark fruit, berries and vegetal notes. But what I didn’t know is that Merlot the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère. Pretty impressive offspring, I’d say.

An Evening at Musée de Chablis

I think of wine grapes in much the same way I do of an artist’s set of paints. Both can be used to create a potential masterpiece. An artist’s set of paints can create anything from a modern abstract to something more evocative of the Old Masters. Will it become a Jackson Pollock or a Johannes Vermeer?

Red Wines For Everyday — From The Zonin Family of Wines

This is the second of two posts on a group of wines we received for review from Zonin USA. The selection of wine we received shows the range of wine production by Casa Vinicola Zonin S.P.A. Current generations of the Zonin family manage wine estates in seven well-known Italian wine regions (Veneto, Friuli, Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia) and the US state of Virginia at Barboursville.