Ratings Explained
84 & Below – Not Posted ‘cause we won’t drink it
85 + A good wine. Buy if the price is right
90 + A very good wine, in our humble opinion
95 + An awe inspiring wine – Possibly life altering
All wine reviews are based solely on the personal tastes of the authors.
Disclosure: Samples are designated by an “S” beside the wine reviewed.
We’re still objective. Robert Parker doesn’t buy his wines either
Maybe you read Roger’s piece First Love…What Wine did you share? Some of you have asked, when did I fall in love with red wine? Roger wrote that our first trip to Napa was in 1987, but after some additional reminiscing, Roger and I have realized that we first visited Jordan Winery (where I fell in love with California Cabernet) in 1983 not 1987. Continue reading »
First Love. First Wine. What kind of memories does that conjure up for you? Was it the boy or girl with the locker down the hall? Maybe it was that person you watched crash into the coffee shop, hat askew, dripping wet from a sudden storm. When did you see them last? Was it a happy time or one filled with regrets? Was wine a part of your first love affair? And what about your love affair with wine itself? What wine did you use to seduce or impress your first love? What wine seduced you into a lifelong love affair with the grape? Continue reading »
Caymus Cabernet Vineyard
Donna and I began Sunday morning at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company located a couple of blocks off Main Street in St. Helena. The coffee shop has a great old house feel and was full of locals. The late harvest and cool summer seemed to be hot topics of conversation. The coffee was excellent, possibly the best soy latte I have ever had, as were the pastries. I had an oatcake that while it may not sound too exciting was delicious. After Donna devoured her Asiago cheese bagel, we were once again ready to start our day with a 10AM wine tasting. Hopefully, you see what tough duty being a wine blogger can be, being stuck in a beautiful place, with great people and amazing wine. It is not for the weak or faint of heart. Continue reading »
Saturday was intended to be a bit of a down day for us but even so, the calendar began to fill quickly. Today like most mornings began with a 10 AM tasting which brings me to a Donna quote, “one of the best things about wine country is that you can start drinking wine at 10 AM and no one judges you ;-).” Continue reading »
Emertus Pinot Noir Grapes Approaching Harvest
If you look at a map of Napa and Sonoma it appears that the trip between them is just a short hop from one wine country to another. The drive from Napa to Sonoma can take 45 minutes to an hour through beautiful winding mountain roads. The two areas both make great wine but in many ways that’s where the similarities end. One person told me to think of Napa as Las Vegas and Sonoma as Reno. The description isn’t far off. To me Sonoma is very reminiscent of the Napa I first visited 27 years ago. The countryside has much more of a rural feel and the folks seem much more casual and relaxed.Our first stop was Emeritus Pinot. Continue reading »
