Tag: Monterey County

Testarossa 2014 Cuvée Los Gatos Chardonnay

I got married at Testarossa because, at the end of the day, they have amazing wines. Their specialties are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and the smoothness of the Pinot Noir coupled with the richness of their Chardonnays is enough for any bride to leave the alter for the tasting table. I’ve been an on-again, off-again club member for the past 4 years and have tasted almost all of their single-vineyard bottlings for each varietal. The winery sources from both the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Monterey AVAs from some of the most historically exclusive vineyards. That being said, their wines come at a (well-worth-it) cost. So I was surprised to find out that they actually have a, shall we say, more consumer-friendly option out there. Available at local grocery stores, this Testarossa Cuvée Chardonnay takes out a bit of the prim and poise while maintaining all the elegance in this well-balanced, easy drinker.

(more…)

Scott Family Estate 2015 Chardonnay

It’s a Chardonnay I didn’t expect much from honestly. I opened it on a day when I was home alone thinking nothing special for a day that’s not special when I, myself, wasn’t feeling particularly special. But it’s those days that you wake up thinking everything is ordinary that something will strike you as extraordinary. So to, will the surprisingly nuanced Scott Family Estate Chardonnay.

(more…)

Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Higlands Reserve Chardonnay 2014

I feel like this is a name I’ve seen around the stores for quite some time, but never actually grabbed a bottle. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen it so much, I just assumed it would be generic and unfulfilling. You’d think by now I’d learn never to assume anything when it comes to wine. Anyway, long story short, it was my partner in wine crime (who appears as a ghostly reflection if you peer into the bottle in the photo below) that picked this bottle out — kind of on a whim. Well, whim and assumptions aside, we were in for quite a treat when we popped the cork on this Mer Soliel Reseve Chardonnay.

(more…)

Robert Mondavi Private Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Cabernet Sauvignon aged in Bourbon Barrels

A Limited Release offering from Robert Mondavi

After my mixed review of Apothic Inferno — a red blend aged 10 months in whiskey barrels, I became curious about this concept. I know it’s nothing new, per se, but it’s a something I don’t have a lot of tasting experience in. Knowing that there are a few, shall we say, well-established wine producers dabbling in this art, I thought I’d give it another go. And you can’t argue that Robert Mondavi is one of the most well-established California wineries to date.

So hold on to your horses, cowboys, Briscoe’s going Bourbon Barrel bobbing…

robert-mondavi-bourbon-barrel-cab

(more…)