The Santa Barbara area is known best for its pinot noir (thanks “Sideways”) and Dragonette Cellars is no exception. The formerly Lompoc based winery with one of the more handsome Los Olivos tasting rooms you’ll find frequently hits the headlines for its pinot noir. Dragonette’s 2011 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir was indeed a stellarContinue reading “Wine of the Week: 2011 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, CA”
Category Archives: Wine Tasting
The Ten Winning Wines From WBC 13
Earlier this week we examined the lessons brought home from last weekend’s 2013 International Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada. As with any conference, the talks and networking are of utmost importance. But, nobody leaves Cannes without watching a film or the Superhero Conference without collecting some new comic books. This is a wineContinue reading “The Ten Winning Wines From WBC 13”
Lessons Learned From The 2013 International Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada
It was a whirlwind weekend full of connecting, writing, talks, stand up paddleboarding and most of all, hour after hour of tasting for wine bloggers and winery representatives who descended upon Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. This was the fifth edition of the International Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC) and the first for yours truly. Amidst theContinue reading “Lessons Learned From The 2013 International Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada”
Liquid Farm, 2011 “Golden Slope” Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, CA
Poor California chardonnay has been taking a beating in recent years, sometimes deservedly so, and sometimes unfairly. If you open a bottle of chardonnay from the Golden State, you tense up and fear for the butter bomb worst. Headaches are not far ahead, as is a complete palate destroyer. You expect more butter than inContinue reading “Liquid Farm, 2011 “Golden Slope” Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, CA”
“Wine” of the Week: Maui Blanc Gold, Maui’s Winery, Ulupalakua, Maui, HI
Proof that wine does indeed grow in all 50 states, the lone winery on Maui produces some very noteworthy wines from myriad fruits. Conveniently known as Maui’s Winery (there are also wineries on The Big Island and O’ahu), the winery itself is not so convenient for visitors. Maui’s Winery is easily a half day trip,Continue reading ““Wine” of the Week: Maui Blanc Gold, Maui’s Winery, Ulupalakua, Maui, HI”
Plat du Jour Friday February 1, 2013: Taste of the NFL, What is Confit?, Sri Lankan Cuisine on Staten Island, A Few Oregon Pinot Noir Notes, and Super Bowl Reservations
It’s the eve of Super Bowl Eve in New Orleans. Do you think a few people just might be strolling down Bourbon Street right now? Care to take a guess how long the wait at the bar for a cocktail is presently at Cure? My guess is a good hour to 90 minutes. The dinnerContinue reading “Plat du Jour Friday February 1, 2013: Taste of the NFL, What is Confit?, Sri Lankan Cuisine on Staten Island, A Few Oregon Pinot Noir Notes, and Super Bowl Reservations”
Wines of the Week: Soter Vineyards, 2011 North Valley Chardonnay and 2007 Napa Valley Proprietary Red, Carlton, Oregon
Hold the glass for a moment. A wine of the week, or actually, two wines of the week, both from Oregon, and neither is a Pinot Noir? How say you? That’s no slight on one of the Willamette Valley’s finest wineries, Soter Vineyards. I’d gladly rave about and will rave about Tony Soter’s very handsomeContinue reading “Wines of the Week: Soter Vineyards, 2011 North Valley Chardonnay and 2007 Napa Valley Proprietary Red, Carlton, Oregon”
Wine of the Week: 2008 Stoller Family Estate, Helen’s Estate Pinot Noir, Dayton, Oregon
One by one, Pinot Noir after Pinot Noir, you start getting a bit tired after a few days in Oregon of tasting the state’s famed grape at restaurants and Willamette Valley tasting rooms. Notes of earth, hints of sage brush, deep fruit flavors, rich jammy qualities, all come to mind, yet start blurring out theContinue reading “Wine of the Week: 2008 Stoller Family Estate, Helen’s Estate Pinot Noir, Dayton, Oregon”
Wine of the Week: 2010 Sandhi Chardonnay, Rita’s Crown Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills
Plain and simple– if this is where California Chardonnay is going, book me a ticket now. The days of ye olde oak and butter explosions in a bottle fortunately are evaporating to make way for a new crop that burst with citrus fruit, balance the oak often with neutral oak aging, and reflect the mineralContinue reading “Wine of the Week: 2010 Sandhi Chardonnay, Rita’s Crown Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills”
Urban Wineries? Yes, Just the Grapes Aren’t Urban
When you think of Wine Country, the rolling hills of Sonoma County, the chateaus of the Loire Valley countryside, and the (congested) floor of the Napa Valley come to mind where happy grapes grow for happy wine drinkers. There, visitors sample the eventual product of those aged and stomped grapes in the adjacent tasting rooms.Continue reading “Urban Wineries? Yes, Just the Grapes Aren’t Urban”
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