2004 Peay Vineyards La Bruma Estate Syrah

This was the second half bottle of wine we ordered at the French Laundry. We enjoyed it a great deal.

Peay Vineyards is located in the northwestern corner of Sonoma County, near the coast. Talk about remote!

They make exceptional Syrah, Viognier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. They sell some grapes to Williams Selyem and Failla - pretty good wineries in their own right.

Winemaker's notes: On release this wine was full of vibrant, high-tone lavender and red fruit notes. These characteristics are still paramount. Ideally the wine should be held for the primary fruit character to mature and for reductive notes to emerge. I believe the ideal window will be reached in 5+ years.

We have a couple of bottles of the 2005 vintage of this Syrah. Will open them in a year or two.

2004 Martinelli Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay

We had dinner at The French Laundry in Yountville to celebrate our anniversary (a few days early). This was one of two half-bottles of wine that we ordered. This was to pair with the first few courses of the meal.

The French Laundry is way over the top - this was the most expensive meal I have ever eaten. I can't even count how many courses of food were served - a lot. Very small dishes though. very French - one of Thomas Keller's restaurants along with Per Se in New York City and Bouchon and Ad Hoc in Yountville.

Martinelli is located just outside of the town of Windsor in Sonoma County. It is in the Russian River Valley. They make many exceptional wines, especially their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel. This Chardonnay is made with grapes from one of their estate vineyards that used to be an apple orchard.

Straw in color, it was quite nice to look at. A very ripe and powerful nose full of apple and pear. The apple and pear came through on the palate as did some strong hints of oak. Good thing it was served at near room temperature. It was well balanced and the flavors were layered nicely with a smooth, long finish. All and all, a very good wine from a winery from whom we have come to expect very good wines.

2004 Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Selection

Served this wine with BBQ steak and a big salad. Had a couple over for dinner and an HBO movie.

Decanted this wine for about two hours. Nose of tobacco and some berries. Nice fruit and a coating on the palate that created a long finish.

From Neil Ellis Wines in Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, South Africa. I have two more bottles of this wine in the cellar. Will give them another 1-2 years of aging and try one again.

IWC wine critic's notes: Bright ruby-red. Sappy aromas of currant, minerals and licorice. Densely packed, vibrant and fine-grained, but quite youthfully backward. Brisk acidity gives this pure, classic cabernet a penetrating character. Finishes with broad, fine tannins and a distinct spice character. Wonderfully balanced, structured cabernet, but give this plenty of air if you plan to open it anytime soon. Ten percent of shiraz from the 2005 vintage was blended in after the wine had spent 18 months in oak.

2006 Breggo Cellars Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

This was a really good Pinot Noir. We are trying to drink some of our Pinot Noirs in order to make room for the fortcoming 2007 vintages.

Breggo Cellars in located just outside the little town of Boonville in Mendocino County. They make some great Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris.

We opened this bottle to serve with dinner two consecutive nights.

There is a slight tobacco edge to the taste of cherries, raspberries and oak. It’s a dry, medium-bodied wine with a silky smooth texture. Very easy to drink and enjoyable. This could easily compete with Pinots costing 2x-3x the price.

2006 Benziger Pinot Noir - Giusti Ranch

Benziger is a large family-owned winery in the town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. They specialize in organic and biodynamic farming of their vineyards.

An old apple orchard, the seven acre Giusti Vineyard was planted to vine eight years ago. Giusti Pinot Noir has enticing aromas of cinnamon and baked apple pie. A fresh California Pinot typical of the Russian River appelation, this wine has layered flavors of black cherry and fruit compote. 643 cases were produced.

We opened this wine to service with dinner, stoppered the bottle, and drank the rest two nights later.

2007 Tablas Creek Vermentino

We had a couple over for dinner Sunday night and opened this wine with the appetizers of smoked salmon and shrimp coaktails while watching the DVD of photos from their recent trip to Costa Rica.

Vermentino is a traditional Mediterranean varietal, known principally in Sardinia, Corsica, and Northern Italy. It is also grown in the Rhone Valley (particularly Côtes de Provence) where it is known as Rolle. The grape produces wines that are bright, clean, and crisp, with distinctive citrus character, refreshing acidity and surprising richness.

IWC critic's notes: Pale yellow. Salty lemon and lime aromas are strongly mineral-influenced. Clean and racy, offering tangy citrus and honeysuckle flavors, along with a gentle kiss of herbs. Pleasant and refreshing, if not the last word in complexity.

Personally, I didn't think this vintage was as good as the 2006 which we drank last summer.

2007 Ketcham Estate Sonoma County Viognier

We served this wine with the main course of seared ahi tuna and Israeli couscous. It was a very nice complement.

Winemaker's tasting notes: The wine is crafted from two small family-farmed vineyards - 50% Kick Ranch in Sonoma County, and 50% Marsha’s Vineyard just off Olivet Lane in the Russian River Valley. Both vineyards benefited from the long growing season; no grapes were picked until early October. The wine was fermented in stainless steel, which always provides a lighter and more nuanced wine. This shows a crisp refreshing style with typical Viognier complexity and layers of flavors. Viognier is typically full-bodied with effusive aromas, and our Viognier carries the torch proudly. A terrific food wine, you can pair this with traditional favorites like pasta and seafood, but we have also tried it with spicy stir-fries and Thai food and found it a great pairing. We are happy to have produced a very unique California Viognier. 246 cases produced.

Not a lot of this wine was produced, so there aren't many reviews around for it.

2004 Antucura Yepun

You will not find this wine for sale anywhere in the U.S.. We were given this bottle last March when we stayed at Casa Antucura in the Uco Valley of Mendoza Province in Argentina. Casa Antucura is the small lodge on the property of Antucura Winery.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is quite good for drinking by itself or with food. Good fruit and vanilla taste that coats the palate well and has a fairly long finish. No harsh tannins at all. We served it with leftovers from our dinner Sunday night.

2004 Esterlina Port

We served this port with dessert for our friends from DC (see below). Caren made a simple dish of mixed berries with whipped cream accompanied by truffles, fruit cookies, and coffee.

This port was lighterweight than many, even though the label says "20.6% alcohol by volume". It was excellent because it did not overpower the foods.

Esterlina Vineyards is a family-owned, California boutique winery located near the Mendocino coast, nestled in the highlands above Philo. The views of the Anderson Valley from the winery's tasting room located on a ridge at 1200' above sea level are amazing. We belong to their wine club.

2000 Deerfield Ranch - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

We had some friends from Washington, DC over for dinner. They are in town to meet the Queen Mary 2 and take a 56 day cruise going WEST to Southampton, England.

We served a chilled seafood platter as a starter, followed by grilled steaks prepared in an Italian style, roasted asparagus, and a pureed celery root, apple, and potato mixture.

This Cabernet was a very nice accompaniment to the main course. Nice nose of soft green peppers, oak and darker fruits. Mouthfeel was soft and had a nice covering of the palette. Solid cabernet. Made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Chiles Valley subappellation of Napa Valley, and 15% Merlot from a vineyard on Mt. Veeder.

I have another bottle of this wine we will have to try again soon.

2003 Clarendon Hills Shiraz - Clarendon Liandra

Our friend Ed opened this wine to drink with the chateaubriand he cooked as the entree' for our small dinner party.

Ed has an inventory in his wine refrigerator that is more impressive than my cellar contents. He belongs to a Wine Society here in SoCal and he is very knowledgeable about wine.

This is an exceptional Australian Shiraz. Clarendon Hills is located outside of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. A highly respected winery with very limited production.

Wine Spectator tasting notes: Smooth and polished, a rich wine that shows restraint to its pepper and orange peel-scented blackberry and plum flavors, finishing with a refreshing lift.

1999 Mumm Napa Valley DVX Sparkling Wine

Last night, we went to the house of our friends Ed and Elyn to have dinner. The weather was terrible - raining a lot here in SoCal. Took almost two hours for a trip that normally takes 35-45 minues.

We brought the appetizer and the dessert along with this sparkling wine (and two bottles of our own new wine). We picked this up a few years ago on a trip to Napa Valley with the Dorrs.

Very crisp, clean taste, with a nice creaminess and citrus flavors. Went very well with the smoked salmon and caviar Caren had brought.