2003 Fielding Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

This wine is from a small, highly regarded producer in Washington State. It was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.

It is another one of those wines that you will never see in a store. Their production is tiny (less than 300 cases).

I decanted the wine for about 2 hours and then poured it back in the bottle for serving. We served it with a main course of beef roast prepared in a recipe that only Caren could whip up.

Black currant and earthy blueberry/blackberry nose; sweet tannins balancing tasty fruit on the palate. This wine is a price/performer. Compares very favorably with Cabs from Napa that are 2x-4x the price.

1999 Feudi di San Gregorio Riserva Piano di Montevergine

We went out to dinner with Ed and Elyn at Melograno Italian restaurant in Hollywood. I brought along this bottle of wine that I actually bought at Costco a couple of years ago. It was 100% old vine Aglianico grapes. We all raved about how good it was.

Feudi di San Gregorio is Campania's premier winemaking estate. Situated in the village of Sorbo Serpico in southwestern Italy, Feudi di San Gregorio was established in 1986 in a joint venture between the Ercolino and Capaldo families of Irpinia.

This wine was rated 95 points by Robert Parker and 90 points by Wine Spectator.

Intense bouquet of wild fruits underscored by vanilla and spice notes. Full-bodied and balanced, with supple tannins and dark fruit flavors. Well-matched with red meat entrées, fish steaks and hearty casseroles.

2005 Novy Judge Family Vineyard Syrah

Novy Family Cellars is a small winery located in an industrial park in Santa Rosa. They make exceptional Syrah, Zinfandel, Grenache, and a liitle bit of Chardonnay. They are owned and operated by the same people as Siduri Wines. We visited their facility about 18 months ago with our friends John and Pauline. We ordered this wine and some others on that visit.

We had an impromptu dinner tonight - I had Chinese steamed pork buns and a salad. Caren had one of her diet tostadas. This wine was a decent pairing for both dinners.

316 cases of this wine were produced - that's miniscule. The vineyard is located in the Bennett Valley of Sonoma County. The wine was rated 90 points by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

Winemaker's tasting notes: The 2005 Novy Judge Vineyard Syrah is one of our most aromatically expressive wines. On the nose you smell berries, sage, and raspberry with hints of mushroom and earth. The palate is rich and velvet-like with sweet raspberry and plum fruits and flavors of bacon and truffles. This is a concentrated, complex, and compelling Syrah that makes for fine immediate drinking, yet will undoubtedly improve with several hours aeration or several years of aging.

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 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.

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.

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.

2002 Pine Ridge - Crimson Creek Merlot

We received this "middle of the road" Napa Valley Merlot as a gift a while ago. Tonight, we served it with a steak salad (leftover flank steak).

Back in 1997, we visited Pine Ridge Winery and actually had dinner in their cellars as guests of HP at the Champions Tour Pro-Am golf tournament at Silverado Country Club. It was a very unique experience playing "inside the ropes".

Winemaker's notes:
This elegant, medium dark ruby Merlot wraps black cherry fruit flavors with underlying hints of blueberry and vanilla in light earthy notes of tobacco and sweet cocoa. A supple medium-to-long finish makes this an enjoyable wine now or you may choose to cellar five to eight years.

2004 Nepenthe Tryst Red

Back in 2007, we bought a few bottles of this Australian wine (screw cap, no cork) at Southern Hemisphere Wines in Huntington Beach. Tonight, we served it with grilled flank steak. Thai purple rice, and a salad.

Winemaker's notes:
The Tryst Red has been a unique (even eclectic) blend since first produced in 2001. In bringing together Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Tempranillo, Nepenthe is certainly not following any traditional blending rules.

The firm, densely colored and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon is softened and lifted by the Zinfandel; while Tempranillo provides a backbone of savory tannins and flesh that ensures that the Tryst is a great food wine. It's fragrant and approachable now, but will go the distance, gaining complexity with time. Drink now, but will age up to five years.

Wine Spectator notes: "This has pizzazz. Polished and round, with wild berry, cherry, currant and a tang of refreshing acidity as it all lingers on the finish. Tannins are well-formed and it comes together beautifully. Drink now through 2012."

We liked the dryness from the Cabernet and the fruity finish due to the Tempranillo. A very good, inexpensive red blend.

2003 Turley Zinfandel - Ueberroth Vineyard

Dark plum/ruby-hued, the 2003 Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard (500 cases, 15.4% alcohol) emerges from a limestone vineyard in the Paso Robles area that was planted in 1874. This wine has a sour cherry, tart style with dark ruby color, decided minerality, relatively noticeable acidity, and a crisp, somewhat austere personality. It is the least hedonistic of the Turley Zinfandels.

We pitched in with Barry and Laurie and cooked a 'HUGE" Italian dinner with this as one of the wines.

2005 Fielding Hills Riverbend Red Wine

Fielding Hills Winery is family-owned, producing limited quantities of premium red wines from Riverbend Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope appellation of Washington State's Columbia Valley. Mike Wade is the owner-winemaker. I can definitely tell it is family-owned when I call the winery to confirm my allocation for each release - Karen Wade, Mike's wife answers the phone at their house/office.

This is an up and coming wine producing area and we love their red wines.

This wine is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 11% Syrah, and 1% Cabernet Franc.

Critics' tasting notes: “Loads of cherry, boysenberry and black plum are backed by suave sweet tobacco notes. The texture is slightly chewy with a tannic grip. It all plays through nicely on the long, lingering finish."
“Yumm yumm- huge black cherry and toasted coffee bean nose with succulent hints of bittersweet chocolate, black cherry and plum. Flavors are simply delicious - sweet lush red and black fruit with just a hint of fresh tobacco, toasted coffee bean, and a hearty dollop of spicy white pepper. Finish is very long, with black cherry, white pepper and spice restating themselves. Tannins are smooth and beautifully integrated, with acidity adding just the right amount of freshness and juiciness.”

90 points, Wine Spectator.

We served this wine to drink with snacks while watching football games on New Year's Day.

2003 Guigal Cote Rotie - Brune Et Blonde

It is New Year's Eve and we have several house guests, so it was time to fix a nice meal and serve some great wines. This E. Guigal Cote Rotie from the Rhone Valley has a very attractive QPR. 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier grapes.

We served it with grilled lamb, grilled roast beef, marinated grilled vegetables, hummus, pita bread, and a few other side dishes.

93 points, Robert Parker: "The 2003 Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde is probably the finest cuvee of regular Cote Rotie that Guigal has produced since 1999 or 1991. Stunningly rich, it offers a beautiful, sweet nose of cassis, mocha, espresso, bacon fat, black olives, and underbrush. Some smoked meat notes also make an appearance in this rich, lush, opulent wine. This is a beauty."

92 points, Wine Spectator: "Still tight, but this has a solid core of muscular fig paste, currant, tobacco, black olive and iron notes, followed by a long, well-structured finish. Shows the heat of the vintage, but isn't roasted."

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Deep, inky ruby. Powerful, superripe aromas of kirsch, blackcurrant and chocolate, complemented by exotic spices and licorice. Rich, creamy and dense, with sweet red and dark fruit flavors framed by chewy tannins. The sweetness builds on the finish, which features a late-arriving note of floral pastille."

2005 Radio-Coteau Syrah - Timbervine Vineyard, Russian River Valley

This was one of the wines we served with New Year's Eve dinner. Radio-Coteau is one of our favorite wineries for California Syrah and Pinot Noir. Eric Sussman is the winemaker. We got on their mailing list a few years ago and have been exceptionally pleased with every bottle we've opened.

Winemaker's Notes: Joe Mesics and Eva Auchincloss own and farm this timber-lined hillside Syrah vineyard, which is perched high above the Russian River just beyond the town of Forestville on the steep southeastern slope of Black Mountain. This is a primary, ripe, and well concentrated wine, with an effusive bouquet of blueberry, blackberry, mineral, earth, and white pepper aromas that speak of cool-climate Syrah. A profound density of flavors and textures defines the mid-palate, which boasts a panoply of freshly roasted coffee beans, chewy dark chocolate, candied violet, brown spices and dried blueberries. The finish is equally dense, with succulent meat, violet, and blueberry flavors lingering with the wine’s chewy tannins. The balance of tannins, acidity and alcohol hint at a long and positive evolution in the cellar.

Critics' Tasting Notes:
"...great fruit...a big, sweet nose of plum, blackberry, camphor, licorice, and pepper. It is a pure, hedonistic, luscious style of Syrah...bursting with black fruits and roasted meat and herb notes." (93 points) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"Opaque purple. Explosively aromatic nose features pungent cassis and mulberry fruit notes complicated by candied violet and licorice. Deep and sweet, with energetic dark berry and cherry preserve flavors and a fresh, juicy quality carrying through the finish. As big and dense as this is, it's got finesse to burn." (92 points) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
"Intense and balanced, with firm tannins. Ripe, spicy wild berry, blackberry and huckleberry are focused and persistent on the long, tight finish. 370 cases made." (90 points) Wine Spectator

Two Cities NV Cabernet Sauvignon

Our friends the Dorrs arrived from NoCal today, so we decided to open this bottle of wine made right down the street in San Pedro by a group of Croatian businessmen. Making a boutique wine is one of their hobbies, not unlike what Barry and I are doing at Crushpad in San Francisco.

We served the wine with snacks and a light meal.

The wine is actually quite good - not a lot of complexity to it, but easy to drink right now. Attractive nose, good fruit, and long finish.

Our first Crushpad wine should be available for shipment in a week or two.

2004 Bodega Emilio Moro Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero

Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja and Ribera del Duero region in Spain. This wine displays an intense colour with a bluish rim and a cherry-red core. Attractive, perfectly integrated fruit aromas come to the fore with power and concentration. This is a bargain at around $25 a bottle. We served it with grilled flank steak.

Critics' Tasting Notes:
"The reasonably priced 2004 Emilio Moro is a terrific Ribera del Duero aged in equal parts French and American oak prior to bottling. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a projected nose of blackberries, currants, cherries, smoky oak, and crushed rocks. Terrific texture, super purity, an opulent, full-bodied palate, and a long, heady finish suggest it will keep for 7-8 years." The Wine Advocate

"Medium red. Floral and spicy on the nose, with fresh red fruit aromas and notes of minerals and coffee. Sweet, nicely focused red fruit flavors (especially pomegranate) are lifted by bright acidity. Finishes brisk and sweet, with very good length and a lingering impression of tangy red berries." IWC

COLOR-very dark; NOSE-coming across very milky; pretty raspberry components; gorgeous sense of macadamia nuts; so a Vanilla/Raspberry/Macadamia Nut dessert; pretty nice; TASTE-if you like Cali Cabs, you should seek this out; this wine kicks serious BUTT; huge explosion of red fruit (cherries, strawberries, cranberries & raspberries); Crème Fraîche bouncing all over my mouth; sour cream components; nice Oak Monster; perfect balance for a New World; this wine is Rocking; great balance & structure; very polished; good for 4-10 years based on tannin structure; love both the back-end and front-end of this wine, but the mid-palate is a tad hollow; complete bargain; Gary Vaynerchuk - 91+

2003 Deerfield Ranch Merlot Cuvee'

We took a bottle of this wine over to the Franklin's for their holiday buffet luncheon. It was a very nice, easy drinking Merlot made from a blend of Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa County grapes. (The picture of the label is from the 2004 vintage.)

Winemaker's notes: 75% Merlot, 11% Cab, with Malbec and Sangiovese. We could just call it Merlot but our focus has always been on blending so with “Cuvee” we make more a point of it. The best wines are blends, it’s like making the best soup or sauce, it’s about interplay of flavors and effects. 850 cases were produced.

Connoisseur's Guide to California Wines: From its layered aromas of oak-sweetened cherries to its very smooth, neatly proportioned flavors, this engaging Merlot hits all of the right varietal marks and shows a fair measure of fruity depth in the bargain. It is nicely rounded in feel with muted tannins and a lengthy, easy-to-taste finish, and, while it can hold well in the cellar for three or four years, it delivers lots of straightforward appeal right now.

2004 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Red Wine

Quilceda Creek is Washington State's premier Cabernet Sauvignon producer. Their Cabernet is in high demand and typically sells for well over $100 a bottle. I know the label says 2005 (it was the only label photo I could find), but we opened the 2004 tonight.

This wine is Quilceda Creek's second label for declassified lots of grapes. It consists of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Merlot. Purple colored, it posseses a nose of vanilla, violets, cassis, black currents, and blackberry. This leads to a rich, layered, black fruit-flavored, and smoothly textured wine that offers considerable elegance. The wine has serious weight and excellent length. It is just at the beginning of its drinkability years. It is a superb value if you can get your hands on it.

We served it for dinner with barbeque brisket, a casserole of mashed potatoes, celery root, apple, and fennel, and a salad.

2004 Esterlina Merlot Cole Ranch

Yesterday evening, we cooked a total Indian food dinner to woo several friends into looking at the photos from our recent trip.

We threw caution to the winds in terms of food pairing and served whatever wines we thought we wanted to drink.

Esterlina Vineyards is a family-owned, California boutique winery located near the Mendocino coast, nestled in the highlands above the town of Philo. They own the only vineyard in the tiny Cole Ranch appellation.

The color of this Merlot was a rich garnet. There were lots of black fruit aromas, with plum, clove and a bit of smoky oak, too. The flavors were ripe, rich and complex, with black cherry, blackberry, and cocoa. This is a red wine hard not to like. Esterlina produced 923 cases.

2005 Fielding Hills Merlot

This Merlot is from a wonderful small winery run by Mike and Karen Wade and located in East Wenatchee, Washington (Columbia River Valley). (Check out this link to find the location of East Wenatchee.)

We got on their mailing list a while back and have been enormously pleased with their wines. Excellent quality, reasonable price. I think most Washington State wines are still "under the radar" of restaurant wine buyers and wine fans of good wine.

200 cases were produced of this wine made from grapes on the Wahluke Slope in Mattawa, WA. Wine Enthusiast rated the wine an Editor's Choice and 93 points.

“A gorgeous dried potpourri nose leads the way to flavors of cranberry, flowers, and milk chocolate on the palate. The bright acidity keeps these flavors dancing, along to the finish. An agile merlot that will compliment a wide variety of food

pairings.”

Our friends Margot and J.P. are visiting from Australia. We served this wine with a dinner of grilled pork chops, vegetable tian, and cooked apples.