A beautifully balanced Chardonnay offering aromas of red apple, pear, spice and just a touch of toast. One the palate, a round mouth-feel balanced with juicy acidity. Flavors of red apple, pear, tropicals, baking spice and vanilla. The kindest hint of toasty oak on the finish. This wine offers all the elements of an excellent food pairing wine with enough robustness to enjoy alone. Buy This Wine
Last October we attended a wonderful event, Pinot on the River, on the town square in Healdsburg. It is a Pinot Noir lover’s dream, featuring over 100 of Sonoma’s best Pinot producers. As you’d expect, we tasted some amazing wine and met some outstanding winemakers.
John and Diane Bucher
As the afternoon crowd dwindles towards the end of the event, the buzz begins from those in the know. Some of the loudest buzz was around Bucher Vineyard, a 38 acre vineyard in the Russian River Valley, not far from Healdsburg. Single vineyard designated Bucher Vineyard Pinot Noirs have been created by some of the most renown Sonoma vintners, including Williams Selyem, Siduri Wines, Papapietro Perry, Arista, Holdredge, C. Donatiello Winery, and Thralls Family Cellars.
While I was familiar with the vineyard name and the wines made by other producers, the buzz was actually about the wines under the new Bucher Vineyard label. So we had to check them out. I must say they were indeed buzz-worthy. Just a day later we spent a few relaxing hours with John and Diane Bucher at their home on their 360 acre ranch which includes the vineyard and a 700 head organic dairy farm. Continue reading »
Hard to believe this is the initial winemaking effort from this renown vineyard used by many respected Pinot producers. Aromas of blueberry with hints of cinnamon and earthiness. Rich flavors red cherry, ripe strawberry and blueberry with subtle notes of terroir, brown and cinnamon spice. Soft on the palate with balanced acidity. A touch of leather and espresso in the finish. Buy This Wine
A very complex Pinot Noir that held my attention. A deeply rich nose of blueberry, blackberry and campfire smoke. A lush mouth-feel with food-pairing acidity (I preferred to contemplate it on its own). Developed flavors of black cherry and blueberry with a touch of earthiness. Notes of ripe raspberry and cola in the long finish. Very small production at a good price. Buy this Wine while you can.
A wonderful Pinot that is drinking well upon release with a short decant, only to get even better with time. A lush nose of dark cherry with hints of cinnamon and allspice. Created with Siduri winemaker Adam Lee, the wine has a round mouth-feel while retaining it’s juicy acidity. Bright fruit flavor with integrated notes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry with definite minerality and brown spice. The flavors remain vibrant in the very long finish. Buy This Wine
