Category Archives{Wine}

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Sonoma Valley Reserve

by jamesknight4 days ago in Wine.0 Comments

A wine-tasting jaunt to the Sonoma Valley may seem straightforward enough. Head north on Highway 121 to the town of Sonoma, the historical birthplace of California’s fine wine industry, and continue on Highway 12 up a narrow, rustic valley dotted here and there with the signposts of better-known wineries. But the long and gentle road belies the complexity of its {…}

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Jordan Turns 40, Throws Party for Charity

by jamesknight6 days ago in Wine.0 Comments

When speaking of a winery that dates back to 1972, we often use terms like “historic” and “venerable,” no matter which side of 40 we find ourselves on. That’s because the 1970s saw a wine boom unlike any since the 1870s, and the wineries that stuck around are, at age 40, the veritable graybeards of the industry. Take Jordan. In {…}

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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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Red Car Winery Pulls Out Ahead of the Pack

by careysweet1 month ago in Tasting Rooms, Wine.0 Comments

Some winemakers start out small, with backyard tastings for friends. But when Red Car owners Carroll Kemp and Mark Estrin released their first wine in 2002, they went straight to the top, selling all 50 cases of their inaugural Syrah to big-time restaurateurs including the wine director of The French Laundry. That first wine came from Santa Barbara County grapes, {…}

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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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Wine Tasting with the Count at Buena Vista Winery

by secretlocal2 months ago in Wine.0 Comments

California’s oldest premium winery offers a chance to experience this historic property while mingling with the “father of California viticulture,” Count Agoston Haraszthy. Actually, the role of the colorful count is played by local history actor, George Webber. The Hungarian-born Haraszthy founded Buena Vista winery in 1857, and today it’s a California historic landmark just outside the town of Sonoma. {…}