Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for individual wines.

2019 Coeur de Vigne featured photo

2019 Coeur de Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Might Just Steal Your Heart

Coeur de Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious reflection of Napa Valley’s Rutherford sub-AVA and Sullivan Rutherford Estate. The estate was established 50 years ago, with the assistance of esteemed winemaker André Tchelistcheff, a friend of the original owner, James O’Neil Sullivan. This is the second vintage of Coeur de Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon we have tasted. As with the prior […]

Hawk and Horse 2019 Vintage featured photo

Hawk and Horse Vineyards: Organic and Biodynamic in the Vineyard, Delicious in the Glass

Hawk and Horse Vineyards is situated in California’s Red Hills Lake County AVA. Seven Lake County AVAs surround Clear Lake, one of the oldest geological lakes in North America. The Mayacamas Mountains lie to the west of Clear Lake and the Vaca Mountains to the east. Complex soils in the AVA were formed by a combination of volcanic and tectonic […]

Coastal Chilean Sauvignon Blanc featured photo

Coastal Chilean Sauvignon Blanc: Embrace the Variety

I was recently invited to attend an online presentation focused on Sauvignon Blanc grown in Chile’s cool coastal regions. The discussion, accompanied by eight coastal Sauvignon Blancs provided to us as tasting samples, greatly expanded my knowledge of the variety’s position in Chile and gave me a better understanding of its expression in this cool climate. The range of flavors […]

Siduri Pinot Noir featured photo

Siduri Pinot Noir: A Taste of Oregon and California

Siduri is a name synonymous with quality Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards as far north as Oregon’s Willamette Valley and south to California’s Santa Barbara County. Adam Lee and his wife Dianna Novy released their first wines in 1994. Between that time and early 2015 when Siduri and Novy Family Wines (a second winery the couple established focusing on Syrah […]

Davis Bynum featured photo

Davis Bynum – Wines Grown Exclusively in the Russian River Valley

Since 2007 Davis Bynum Winery has been a member of the family of wines owned by Rodney Strong Wine Estates. By the time Davis Bynum sold his winery to Rodney Strong it had a well-established reputation for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. Today Rodney Strong winemaker Greg Morthole has the responsibility of carrying on Davis Bynum’s […]

Jordan Celebrates 50 Years of Winemaking photo

Jordan Vineyard & Winery Celebrates 50 Years of Winemaking

If you are familiar with the wines made by Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg, California then you need no excuse to enjoy their wines. You already know Jordan’s focus is on two wines: Russian River Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You know Jordan doesn’t follow trends; their focus has always been on elegance and balance.  In case you […]

New Release Alta Colina Wines photo

Alta Colina: Rhone Wines and Fun in Paso’s Adelaida District

We have had the good fortune of meeting Alta Colina’s father-daughter team of Bob and Maggie Tillman twice. When we first met in early 2020 when Molly Lonborg had just assumed winemaking responsibilities from Bob. It is clear to us from both virtual conversations that they all take winegrowing and winemaking very seriously. It is also clear they take having […]