2009 – Yorkville Highlands Mendocino County $20 — Rating 92
This may be the best Pinot Noir Rose from California. It’s quite hefty and the favors lean toward typical Pinot Noir
Oct 262010
Bacchus & Beery Wine Blog
Oct 262010
2009 – Willamette Valley Oregon $15 — Rating 88
Once you get into the wine you’ll discover subdued flavors cherries, strawberries and Pinot Noir with just enough tannins to round it all out.
Oct 262010
2006, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA $35 (S) — Rating 90
This un-oaked chard with no malolactic fermentation really surprised me. It had a really lush mouth feel and a subtle but unexpectedly rich creaminess especially as it warmed up.
Oct 262010
2006, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA $25 (S) — Rating 90
Half the wine is fermented in oak (the rest in steel) and half receives malolactic fermentation. Now this wine was no surprise and was right up my palate alley. Look for rich flavors like apricot, pineapple and butterscotch in addition to some tropical and citrus flavors.
Oct 242010
What’s better than “A day at the fair?” Today was the 20th anniversary of the Fredericksburg Wine and Food Fest in Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is the epicenter of the exploding and now widely recognized Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, about 70 miles from either Austin or San Antonio. A long time tourist destination, Fredericksburg was in my youth, better known for growing some of the sweetest and juiciest peaches known to mankind. They send Georgia peaches home cryin’ every time.
Over the last ten years wineries have sprouted like bluebonnets all across the Hill Country. There are close to 40 of the 200 wineries in Texas along the roads of this picturesque area. Are all the wines good? No. But as a whole they improve each year and some Voiginers and Tempranillos, in my opinion, have made it to “Damn, that’s Tasty!” status. Continue reading »
