A unique artisan Pinot Noir with a lovely nose of cherry, raspberry, spice and notes of smoke. Medium body with lively flavors of tart cherry, and raspberry with dark spice and zippy acidity are balanced with approachable tannins. The acidity adds to this wine’s food pairing capacity. Buy This Wine
A thoroughly enjoyable Chardonnay with aromas of apple, pear and creaminess. A soft and round mouth-feel with flavors of apple, tropical fruits and baking spice with notes of butterscotch cream and minerality. Just a kiss of sweetness on the finish. Buy This Wine
Good value Pinot Noir is often hard to come by, this offering by Cambria is a consistent exception to the rule. A bright nose of spicy cherry and plum. A lighter bodied Pinot with some cool climate acidity offering flavors of cherry, red fruit, raspberry and plum with hints of cola and spice. An easy drinker with fine integrated tannins. Buy This Wine
Opens with a robust nose of blueberry and plum. The full mouth-feel in this 100% Cabernet is accentuated with flavors of dark cherry and dark berry fruit with complex notes of espresso, chocolate and toasty oak. Definite hints of typical Rutherford earthiness combined with well-integrated tannins add character in the long finish. Buy This Wine
On Sunday, September 16th I was, for the first time, officially a wine competition judge; judging wines for the Denver International Wine Festival which takes place on November 8 & 9, 2012 at The Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver, CO. Most of the other 17 judges (all wine professionals) participated on both Saturday and Sunday in the double-blind tasting of domestic and international wines. A previous engagement, however, (leading a winery tour in Napa Valley), limited me to Sunday only.
I arrived a bit nervous, not knowing exactly what to expect. Beginning at 10:30 am and ending at 3pm, we tasted through about 50 wines. Each table of 4 judges tasted different categories of wines. Our table was assigned Pinot Blanc, European Dry Whites, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Red Blends, and Apple/Pear, Berry, and Flower/Vegetable dessert wines. Each was scored for nose, color, flavor, finish and overall appeal. We had a knowledgeable group of judges at our table, including one who came all the way from Sonoma. Soon I was in the groove and found my scores were quite similar to the others. Continue reading »
