| Jul 2nd, 2010 |
| | Chateau Talbot | 1982 St-Julien ($170) | D
|
| | Great wine, huge structure, smooth tannins and wonderful finish. Best wine of the night. Excellent wine, tasted at a wine dinner - price estimated.
Opened a bottle at dinner, very subtle, polished. Decanted for an hour, kept opening up as it was tasted. Was on the wine list for $420, thankfully we brought a bottle! Can be bought for approx $160-$180, for one of the great years of the last Millennium, not a bad price if you don't have any in the cellar. | |
| Jun 30th, 2010 |
| | Antica | 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) | C
|
| | Nice Cabernet. Good fruit and tannins with nice structure. An elegant wine. Very enjoyable and went very well with the blue cheese | |
| | Antica | 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) | B-C
|
| | Not as good as the 2006. I got a metallic taste off it. Not as structured | |
| | Antica | 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($35) | C
|
| | First wine of the day and a great way to start. I really enjoyed the Chardonnay - crisp, smooth and refreshing | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate ($65) | C
|
| | We got to taste an older Cab from Astrale e Terra which was great as we got to see how the wines aged. The Cab was drinking really well; very smooth, good fruit and tannins. Nice wine | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 2003 Estate Merlot ($32) | C
|
| | 3 years in French Oak followed by bottle aged for 18 months, we really enjoyed the 2003 Merlot. Only 100 cases, the wine will get better with more time. Good value | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 2003 Estate Syrah ($28) | B-C
|
| | Big fruit, very inky color. This is a big Syrah that would be great with a BBQ. 421 cases produced. Less than 3 acres of Syrah are planted | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 2004 Arcturus Cabernet Sauvignon ($39) | C
|
| | 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot; the Arcturus has 1566 cases. Nice blend that will get better with time | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 2004 Estate Merlot ($32) | B-C
|
| | Big merlot, long tannins. I would definitely like to come back to this wine in a few years and try it again | |
| | Astrale e Terra | 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($22) | C
|
| | Value wine. Great sunny day wine, the first white wine produced by Astrale e Terra. "Lemon meringue pie". 274 cases produced. Really enjoyed sitting in the sun drinking this wine | |
| Jun 24th, 2010 |
| | Provenance Vineyards | 2006 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) | C
|
| | Mild nose of darkl berry, slightly acidic on the tongue with a medium dust finish. | |
| Jun 21st, 2010 |
| | Guilliams Winery | 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) | C
|
| | Very nice Cab. Bigger and deeper than the 2006. More structure with long tannins. This wine needs time. Will only improve | |
| | Guilliams Winery | 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($70) | C-D
|
| | Easily the wine of the day. A beautiful wine that fills your mouth. Long finish, great structure. Very good | |
| | Guilliams Winery | 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) | C
|
| | The 2006 Cabernet is drinking very well today. It is a smooth Cabernet with good fruit and finish. Well balanced wine | |
| | Guilliams Winery | 2006 Spring Mountain Merlot ($0) | B-C
|
| | A nice smooth merlot. Good fruit and nice finish. Good everyday drinker | |
| | Keenan Winery | 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) | B
|
| | Medium body Cabernet with smooth tannins. An average Cabernet - better value out there | |
| | Keenan Winery | 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($96) | B-C
|
| | The prices of some of the Keenan wines have really gone crazy, especially in these tough economic times. The 2006 Reserve Cabernet is another example of a very expensive Cabernet. It is a nice wine, dark ruby red, good tannins but definitely not worth $96 | |
| | Keenan Winery | 2006 Napa Valley Merlot ($36) | B
|
| | I wasn't hugely impressed with the 2006 Merlot. Upfront good fruit but did not have a lot of structure | |
| | Keenan Winery | 2006 Side by Side, Spring Mountain ($116) | B-C
|
| | 50% Cab Franc, 50% Merlot. Long tannins. Definitely not a $116 wine - you would be crazy to spend this amount on it as there are way better wines for a lot cheaper | |
| Jun 5th, 2010 |
| | Abacela Winery | 2006 Estate Tempranillo ($35) | B-C
|
| | Better body and some nice fruit - medium finish. Drinkable midweek. | |
| | Abacela Winery | 2007 Umpqua Cuvee Tempranillo ($20) | B
|
| | Light body with some fruit on the palate but no real finish | |
| | Berryessa Gap Vineyards | 2007 Rocky Ridge Tempranillo ($24) | C
|
| | New oak barrels give good structure to this light cherry Tempranillo with a hint of vanilla and a nicely balanced finish. Great value wine. | |
| | Coral Mustang Wines | 2005 Vista Creek Tempranillo ($25) | B-C
|
| | Light and syrupy with nice balanced fruit | |
| | Coral Mustang Wines | 2006 Vista Creek Tempranillo ($25) | B
|
| | Shorter than the 05, similar flavour but not as developed. | |
| | Fenestra Winery | 2006 Alta Mesa Alvarelhao ($19) | A
|
| | If you like plum juice then you might like this, otherwise pour it out the fenestra | |
