Merlot Archives

Thursday Night Wine Tasting — Central Coast Wines

February 15, 2011 by Nancy (CSW) 3 comments

The theme of our Thursday night tasting was Central Coast Wines.

2005 Sterling Three Palms Merlot

February 13, 2011 by Peter Comments are Disabled

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.

Domestic Merlot With a Twist

January 31, 2011 by Nancy (CSW) 2 comments

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.

2007 L’Ecolle No. 41 Columbia Valley Merlot

January 21, 2011 by Peter 1 comment

The 2007 L’Ecolle No. 41 Merlot from Walla Walla in eastern Washington has a dark ruby color has aromas of dark fruit and tobacco. The flavors are dark fruit, light vanilla and some spiciness, maybe black pepper. The tannins are light and well integrated with good acid. It has a medium length finish. While the wine was nice drinking on […]

2010 Napa Bus Trip (part 2)

November 23, 2010 by Peter Comments are Disabled

We started our tasting at Turnbull Wine Cellars in the Reserve tasting room. In addition to rows of wine barrels, there is a photo exhibit which features more than 70 photos, mostly black and white, taken between 1903 and 2000. To see a small sampling go to their website and look in the News and Events section.

2010 Napa Bus Trip (part 1)

November 22, 2010 by Peter 1 comment

Yesterday George and Gail from Fine wines of Stockton had their annual bus trip to Napa. We have been going on the bus trips for years, and they are always a lot of fun. This year we we went to Mason Cellars, Turnbull Wine Cellars and Paraduxx Napa Valley. Mason doesn’t have a tasting room at the winery so we […]

Napa Valley Wine Trip Part 2

October 22, 2010 by Peter Comments are Disabled

After Tasting all the wines at Provenance we decided we wanted to get some food before tackling any more wine. Also, having spent 2 hours at Provenance it was past lunch time so we went down the road a mile or two and stopped at the Rutherford Grill. They said it would be an hour wait and it had started […]

Napa Valley Wine Trip

October 20, 2010 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

We decided on a whim to take a drive to Napa last Sunday. The weather forecast was for overcast, showery weather, so no working in the yard. The weather became drizzly as we passed Rio Vista. The smell of the first rain was earthy and wonderful. By the time we got to Napa it was raining very hard. The grape […]

Pasta Dinner

September 29, 2010 by Nancy (CSW) 4 comments

Now that it is Fall, we’re finally getting our Summer weather. It has been a particularly mild Summer with very few days over 100 degrees. The past few days, however, have been very warm. Mornings have been damp and chilly, the birch trees are dropping their leaves. The backyard looks like Fall. Our Monday night dinner was Fall fare. Pete […]

Arizona Wines Part 1

September 1, 2010 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

We just returned from a vacation in Scottsdale, AZ. It may seem strange to go to Arizona in the summer but we like hot weather. This is also the “monsoon season” there so it is cooler with a good chance of rain and wind. Our flight to Phoenix was uneventful as usual. We arrived about lunch time, which is our […]