September 2016 - Page 5 of 6

08
Sep
2016

Three Arches Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

categories: Booze, Wine

I have a soft-spot in my heart for boutique wineries. I swear I can taste how personal the wine is when a humble winemaker produces just a few hundred cases blended out of pure love and joy. Fact. It tastes like…well, love and joy. And I have to pay homage to my hometown boutique winery Three Arches every now and again because they are the very definition of boutique — and love and joy. Today I bring to you Three Arches Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’m lucky to have tasted it and I’m telling you this right now — only 89 cases produced. So — if you’re a Cab fan, you’re going to want to jump on this.

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07
Sep
2016

Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay 2014

categories: Booze, Wine

I love fun wines — wines that surprise you with their exuberance. It’s like you can taste the excitement and a hint of the humour, of the winemaker when he was crafting his work of art. That’s Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay. It’s bright, lively, fully of character and charm. It tastes like the flush fields of Burgundy, and yet simultaneously like Cali’s summer sun. Hello Jadot and Cheers to you!

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06
Sep
2016

Prager Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2011

categories: Booze, Wine

Prager Winery & Port Works is a boutique, family-run business in the heart of Napa Valley, boast three generations of Prager “Porters.” Although their physical location is a bit off the beaten path for most tourists, I was lucky enough to come into contact with them through social media. Their area of expertise is, obviously, Ports, but they do craft “regular” wines as well. I thought the best place to start my adventure in Port-land would be to experience one of their wines, diving deep into the main ingredient of their product of passion.

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05
Sep
2016

Josh Cellars Pinot Noir 2014

categories: Booze, Wine

Friday nights I like to have a little fun. And there ain’t no party like a Pinot party ‘cuz the Pinot party don’t stop! Also, Friday night is often times pizza night and pizza and Pinot is one of my fav food pairings. Well, good thing I like to keep PN’s on hand in the cellar for just such an occasion. I was actually holding on to my Josh Cellars Pinot Noir for something a little more…sophisticated. But then I thought, why not have a sophisticated PN and elevate the pizza experience? And that’s exactly what it did.
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02
Sep
2016

OSO Libre 2012 Carnal Rhone Style Red Blend

categories: Booze, Wine

Between the Rhone Rangers Seminar, the Paso Robles Lecture and Grande Tasting, and even my evening with the Diablo Taster’s Guild where I was able to spend one-on-one time with Bodegas Paso Robles — I’ve been making great connections with winemakers from Paso Robles and establishing, what I call, a Passion for Paso. But still, it was a great surprise to me when one #WineWednesday (seriously), a package from Jeff Freeland and Chris Behr of Oso Libre wines showed up at my door.

Oso Libre is a sustainable vineyard, winemaking, and ranching facility located in the heart of Paso Robles. They are Sustainability in Practice (SIP) Certified*, which means they treat their produce, livestock and employees with a high standard of care. I’ll raise a glass to that.

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