product review Archives - Page 30 of 37

09
Sep
2016

Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Fume Blanc 2013

categories: Booze, Wine

I am way too excited to write about this wine. Why? Because it’s one of those instances when I knew right away what I wanted when I saw it: Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Fume Blanc. The truth is, I knew what I would be eating for dinner that night, and nothing in my cellar was going to play the part of the perfect pairing. I was in a state of mind that I really needed my wine to enhance the dish: elevate certain flavors while calming down others. So I went out and, despite the store’s limited selection, I found this gem.

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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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01
Sep
2016

Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc 2014

categories: Booze, Wine

I…didn’t pick this wine. My partner in wine crime picked it out. I wasn’t excited for it. He was overly enthused about it. Push-pull; band and forth. I think I mentioned before that in marriage you must compromise — even more so when you’re both wine lovers with slightly different palates. But the good news is that when your partner’s wine interests vary from yours, you get to try wines you may not have picked up if shopping on your own. And, like all experiments, there will be successes and there will be failures, but today I bring you a success: Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc.