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The 2005 Sterling Three Palms Merlot had a dark ruby color. The nose was rather restrained with dark fruit, smoke. There was light vanilla, dark fruit and smoky complex flavors. Medium tannins, more than you would expect for a Merlot. Good acid and a medium length finish.
Years ago we purchased Chalone Wine Group stock so that we could participate in their annual summer picnics. They were a fun affair in the vineyards of Chalone outside Soledad near the Pinnacles. A large tent was pitched, wines from all of the Chalone Wine Group were available to taste and an excellent lunch was served. They were always themed […]
Inexpensive sparkling wines was the theme for our weekly tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton. The wines could be from anywhere in the world with the most expensive being less than $25.00. We had a pretty good turnout with some visitors from as far away as Idaho. We thought these would all be non vintage but it turned out that […]
The 2008 Catena Cabernet Sauvignon (Bodega Zapata) is made from grapes grown at high altitudes (3700 to 5000 feet) and has a medium garnet color. The nose is light with dark spicy fruit and cedar. The tannins are well integrated with nice acid and there are leather, tobacco, dark fruit flavors with a little vanilla. A beautiful complex wine with […]
This Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley has a light ruby, semi transparent color and a smokey, earthy nose. It has flavors to match the nose, earthy and smokey with tart fruit. There are moderate tannins and good acidity. The body is light with a moderately long finish of both flavor and tannins (alc 13.5%) The […]
This Thursday the wines for tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was advertised as domestic Merlot. However, George was up to his old tricks and slipped a Pomerol and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend into the mix. We had a pretty small group this week which made for an informal atmosphere and a great exchange of opinion.
The 2007 Bodega Norton Barrel Select Malbec from Mendoza is a dark ruby color with dark smokey fruit and a hint of tar on the nose. There are medium tannins and plenty of acid to accompany the flavors of dark fruit, tar, leather and smoke. The body is light and the finish is medium to long.
GSM wines were the subject of our Thursday night tasting this week. GSM stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the blend used in many southern Rhone wines. Our tasks for the evening were to choose our favorite wine and see if we could pick-out the predominant grape (G,S or M) in each wine. Alan presented the tasting and gave us […]
This wine from Oregon’s Domaine Serene’s Jerusalem Hill Vineyard was a light ruby color. There was a minimal nose of blackberries and smoke, decanting would probably bring out the nose more. There was a lot of fruit, fairly big wine with some smokiness, very flavorful. The tannins were smooth with good acid and a medium length finish.
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.