Category Archives{Wine of the Week}

Wine of the Week

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Freestone Vineyards 2009 Fogdog Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

by jamesknight2 weeks ago in Wine, Wine of the Week.2 Comments

I was several miles along the Kortum Trail, passing by fog-scraped spires of rock, when, for no reason, I looked to my left. It wasn’t that I sensed something, although I’d been walking on the right hand side of a double-track worn in the grass, the width of two swinging arms apart, musing on who it was that was not {…}

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Iron Horse Vineyards 2006 Ocean Reserve

by jamesknight1 month ago in Wine, Wine of the Week.0 Comments

I AM GIVING. I AM SPARKLING. I AM LIMITED. I AM THE OCEAN. No, it isn’t the new menu from embattled raw food chain Café Gratitude, whose options from side salad to smoothie are famously upbeat and first-person: “I AM THRIVING, and, “I AM SUCCULENT.” Somewhat anomalously appearing on the label of Iron Horse Vineyards’ Ocean Reserve cuvée, this would {…}

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De Loach 2008 Green Valley Pinot Noir

by jamesknight1 month ago in Wine, Wine of the Week.0 Comments

Is it possible that this wine would taste so good if it wasn’t from the specifically sub-appellated region, “Green Valley of Russian River Valley”? Taste is a matter of opinion, so sure, why not? Is it possible that it could taste the same, or similar? Life is full of surprises, and I’m not keen on going on the record as {…}

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Truett Hurst “White Sheep” Pinot Noir

by jamesknight1 month ago in Insiders Guide, Wine of the Week.0 Comments

The White Sheep is not a little lamb, anymore. When Virginia Lambrix sent me off from the tasting room last August with a bottle of her just-released Pinot Noir, it was with this admonition: Don’t open until February! The 2010 was tasting just fine back then: bright raspberry and vanilla, a fitting contrast to the Black Sheep Pinot’s duskier hue {…}

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Inspiration Vineyards – Russian River Valley

by secretlocal1 month ago in Wine, Wine of the Week.0 Comments

There’s an old saying in the wine business: You can make mediocre wines from great grapes, but you can’t make great wines from mediocre grapes. You can, however, make exceptional wines from excellent grapes. The wines from Inspiration Vineyards epitomize this philosophy. Since the turn of the century (the 21st century, that is), Jon and Barbara Phillips have been creating {…}

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Vote Now on Cline Pinot pairing

by jamesknight2 months ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

Many a shopper has prowled the wine isle, frowning and furrowed of brow, trying to find the right wine for dinner. White with fish, right? What about seared Red Snapper? And isn’t that red-listed by Seafood Watch, anyway? So, what if the wine is certified Fish Friendly Farming, does that help? Why not just start with the wine? It’s much {…}

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Barrel taste or bunker taste

by jamesknight2 months ago in Wine of the Week.1 Comment

What’s the best time of the year to taste wine in Sonoma County? Clearly, it’s not a question of getting it fresh and in season. The wine is fine any time of year, so let’s move on to the visuals. Some folks like fall colors, when the vines turn yellow and red. In the summer, they’re lush and green under {…}

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Windsor Oaks Vineyards 2007 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

by jamesknight3 months ago in Wine of the Week.8 Comments

Smack dab in the middle of the county, this vineyard estate is like some kind of equal-opportunity wonderland for grapes: From each according to their abilities—Windsor Oaks sells tons of the mountain-grown grapes to area wineries; and to each according to their needs – Pinot Noir gets the cooler spots in the Russian River Valley corner of the estate; Cabernet {…}

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Hawley 2005 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

by jamesknight3 months ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

Sonoma County wineries are not special in at least this one detail: Every other tasting room has a “Winery Dogs” book for sale or on display, featuring a big portrait of their faithful pooch in coffee-table style. There’s Wine Dogs (including Robert Parker winery dog rating system), Winery Dogs of Sonoma, and Winery Dogs Gone Wild. Just kidding on that {…}

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Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

by jamesknight4 months ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

The Jack London Vineyard is a beautiful property perched on the foot of Sonoma Mountain. It’s easy to imagine the author surveying the rolling green waves of grapevines as he wrote the following salute in 1913, as reproduced on the back label of Jack London Vineyard wines: “I ride over my beautiful ranch. Between my legs is a beautiful horse. {…}