Merlot Archives

Right Bank Bordeaux Vintages 2005 to 2009

March 19, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton had us tasting Right Bank Bordeaux vintages 2005 to 2009. All wines originated from Pomerol. Kind of. Except for one. George, the wine shop owner, was short one Right Bank wine for this vintage range, so he chose a Left Bank wine with the highest percentage of Merlot he had in his cellar. He knows how to improvise.

Left Bank Bordeaux Vintages 2005 – 2009

March 12, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

The Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was a study of five recent Bordeaux vintages. Two of these vintages, 2005 and 2009, are considered great. The growing seasons were warm and produced lush fruit and opulent, complex wines. The others, 2006, 2007 and 2008, just average.

Cabernet Franc – That Other Cabernet

March 4, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

Cabernet Franc is most often used as a blending grape because it has such a distinctive bouquet. But, it also makes a lovely wine all on its own. Our tasting this week was six Cabernet Franc wines from the USA, France and Argentina.

Finger Lakes Wine Tasting Series: Red Wines

February 23, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) 3 comments

We recently participated in a tasting of red wines produced in the Finger Lakes AVA (American Viticultural Area). The Finger Lakes AVA is located in central New York State.

Pasos Vineyards – A Winery Profile

February 18, 2013 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

We had the good fortune to spend some time recently visiting with Antonio Pasos of Pasos Vineyards. His tasting room is located in Vino Piazza, The Winery Plaza in Lockeford, California.

Trione Vineyards and Winery

January 29, 2013 by Peter 2 comments

Recently we received some sample wines to try from Trione Winery in Geyserville California. We had not heard of Trione before and were intrigued by their story. For more than thirty years they have been providing grapes for some of the top wineries in the area such as Duckhorn, Kendall-Jackson and Sonoma-Cutrer among others. They farm almost 700 acres in the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Only since 2005 have they decided to make their own wines, they opened their tasting room in 2008, and so far they have garnered several awards with subsequent vintages.

2009 Bordeaux – The Final Tasting of the Year

December 19, 2012 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

Thursday night at Fine Wines of Stockton we tasted the final group of 2009 Bordeaux.

Christmas and New Year Wines

December 12, 2012 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

Our mission for the Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was to choose a favorite wine to have with hors d’oeuvres and one for a holiday dinner.

Fall Napa Valley Wine Tasting

December 8, 2012 by Nancy (CSW) 1 comment

On a recent weekday I spent a day wine tasting in Napa Valley with a group of friends. The weather was warm for December, in the mid 60s, and mostly overcast. The drive from Stockton to Napa takes us through the San Francisco Bay Delta.

Holiday Wine Tasting With Carolyn Wente

November 29, 2012 by Nancy (CSW) Comments are Disabled

Our friend Dave joined us for a recent online tasting with Carolyn Wente, CEO of Wente Family Estates. She shared some of her favorite Holiday recipes with us as we tasted some of the Wente wines.