To Andy's Last Day!

Wine Review "Felsina Berardenga"

Region: Castelnuovo Berardenga
Producer: Felsina Berardenga
Type: Sangiovese
Vintage: 2003

Tasting Notes:
Elegantly fruity flavors finished with a pepper and black cherry. Marked scents of wild red berries mixed with spices. A dryness that is permissible to the palate and shows excellent fruit supported by giving tannins. Long finish to and a well balance body to do so.

Form and Whiff:
Deep, attractive ruby red color that is completed with a fruity nose. Fat legs and deep color throughout the wine giving no signal of young age.

Overall:
4.5 out of 10 – Great complement to seafood a winner at any table but challenging to compress the wine and enjoy to the fullest without surroundings. A quality Chianti but not the best.

Wine Review "Hartford Court" Pinot Noir

Producer: Hartford Court (Land’s Edge Vineyards)
Region: Sonoma Coast
Type: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2005

Tasting Notes:
Soft refreshing complex flavor mixed with perfectly ripe, firm black cherries, mixed red and black berries. The tannins are clean and soothing with a cedar smoky finish. All collected wine that has violet concentration and a permitting presence that is great in this pinot. Body has a range and reach to deliver the flavors and pleasure on the palate.

Form and Whiff:
Think lively legs smooth and straight. A light filtering presence showing off its softness. Pleasantful and dark with an allspice and coffee blended with a smoky aroma.

Overall:
5 out of 10 – Great blend of spice and fruity flavors a good body that finish well and a great wine for spring and summer food pairings.

Wine Review "Francis Coppola Pinot Noir"

Region: Sonoma CA
Producer: Francis Coppola
Type: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2006
Additional Notes: Diamond Collection “Silver Label”

Tasting Notes:
Musty smoky start with a spice after finish this is a vibrant blend between spice and fruit. The contents are a collection of cherry, cranberry and a mystic spice. Tannins are nimble and the finish on this wine is extremely lengthy. Well complied Pinot that stands apart from Oregon Pinot yet has the body and flavor to compete.

Form and Whiff:
French oak aromas completed with a black peppery aroma. The wine is remarkably dark, which is not typical for this vintage and varietal. It cultivates its aromatics and impressive concentration, due to the soils and workman ship in the wine and vineyards.

Overall Performance:
4 out of 10- Well enjoyed wine. Great with a variety of dinners or soft enough to enjoy by itself. I would recommend for any modest cellar and a wine that will age well. A wonderful summer wine with the ideal collection of qualities to enjoy on a summer day.

Wine Review "MacMurray Ranch"

Region: Russian River Valley
Type: Pinot Noir
Producer: MacMurray Ranch
Vintage: 2006

Taste: Concentrated fruit flavors evident red and black fruits. Deep black cherry complimented by a busting oak rich flavor giving this point a depth to the finish. Enjoyable pinot that is tasteful and moderate body for delightful experiences with food pairings or just by itself. Only downfall is the powerful alcohol expectation from the wine.


Form and Whiff:
The earthy aroma of clove and spice first impact your delights. Followed by the oak aging this whiff is pleasing and whole. Have fun gazing at this pinot. You can see the completeness in the color and texture of this wine.

Overall Performance:
4 out of 10- a fun pinot for sure you can indulge in many aspects of this wine. From the color to form of the wine you will find it pleasurable and cost friendly. Can be complimented with pairings but I could list them out. Here is the producer’s website for more great info on the wine: http://www.macmurrayranch.com/PinotNoir.asp

Wine Review "St. Francis Blend"

Region: Sonoma
Type: Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: St. Francis Winery and Vineyard

Taste: Light refreshing blend that is balanced with spicy berry and cherry flavors complemented with soft tannins. Almost a bust of cherry cask that is light bodied and sharp.

Form and Whiff:
Soft ruby color that is colorless at the end of the strain. A barrel aroma close to a cherry smell.

Overall Performance:
3 out of 10- Not at the top of my wine list. A fine sipping wine but unlike many of the St. Francis wines I have read about it is not a food pairing wine. Plus I had very hard time finding information about the wine. I had tried it at a restaurant and needed some additional information for the review but had little luck finding any.

Wine Review "Gallo Wine"

Region: Twin Valley California
Producer: Gallo Family Vineyards
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2006

Taste Notes:
So…. A major disappointment! I know I didn’t pay much for the wine but still maybe live up to what the label states.

From the Gallo site:
“A dark red, robust wine featuring a subtle coffee bean aroma, ripe blackberry fruit flavor, and a supple finish.”

There is nothing robust about this wine. It does not have a full body and its true character is bland and tangles. The blackberry flavors and oak barrel ageing is evident but poorly presented in the wine. Personally I would consider this a red bottle of water than a wine. It is not outgoing and featuring as the producer states.

Form and Whiff:
I guess on the positive side of the wine its aroma is excellent with a great oak radiance that is complemented by the rich berry sweetness. On the appearance and form of the wine it presents the a youthful color that is clear as water near the rim and evident thick legs finish this wines appeal.

Overall Performance:
2 out of 10- Just an overall disappointment and truly the producer should reflect the back of the bottle if you want others to report a positive or neutral review. At least don’t say it is robust and full bodied wine when it is not.

Wine Review "Kendall Jackson Merlot"

Region: Santa Rosa, CA
Producer: Kendall-Jackson Vineyard
Type: Merlot
Vintage: 2004

*** So before I review this wine I have to put out an advisory about why I purchased and even tried the wine. This review on the state of Merlots is what attracted me to this Kendall-Jackson. Please read first if you’re interested in learning more about the changing environment of merlots.

Tasting Notes:

A sudden burst of anise which casually gives way for the excellent refreshing black cherry and plum blossom happening as you enjoy. A complexity of flavors wonderfully mixed with a spice finish. A Complete wine with soft tannins and mid body that has been aged well for opening today and in merlot tradition aged in American oak barrels.

Form and Whiff:

Full oak freshness with a purest and balanced aroma from the aging in oak barrels and sweetness of cherry. A complete plum tone and clean calm color throughout the glass. Fat legs that are well presented in a great contexture of wine.

Overall Performance:
6 out of 10– So this is a Merlot! A complexity of flavor that is mixed well for enjoyment with meals or just an evening of drinking wine, I would say this is the reason so many wine drinkers have fallen in love with wine. Merlot’s that are full yet subtle in offering a pure flavor and satisfaction of well spent money.

Wine Review "True Earth"

Region: Mendocino County
Producer: True Earth
Organic Grown Grapes
Red Blend – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Petite Siarh


Taste Notes:
A medium-bodied wine - this red blend echoes of blackberry and rhubarb on the nose with a light spicy finish on the palate. Soft tannins that create a cooling effect revealing the flavors and the unique blend on grapes in the wine.

Appearance and Aroma:

A heavy deep plum that resumes the cabernet character yet a quietness of complete texture assimilating the nature of the blend. A well blended appearance. Aroma that is complement and reveling the spice and almost intoxicating personality of the wine.

Overall Performance:

3 out of 10: Not en enjoyable dinner wine but great as a sipping wine among friends. I found the involvedness of the wine hard to enjoy with other items at the table and would have preferred the wine by it self.

Personal Vineyard

They always say money doesn’t grow on trees! I guess there is also some truth to: money doesn’t grow on vines! Our wealthy upper class and typically older retired aged wine enthusiast are buying up the mini-vineyard market. Something that so many people dream about but often cannot afford considering acres on most US vineyard run in the ten’s of thousands. However this reality is becoming true in countries like Argentina and Romania (Eastern Europe). Although the dollar is not what it use to be it still goes a long way in some Latin and developing counties. This is now making personal vineyards and dreams a reality.

This past weekend an interesting article about buying vineyards became an eye opening view of the hardships one can endure pursuing dreams. Vineyards cost money and lost of investment in time and labor. So much investment is being placed into these often self sustaining but non profiting ventures.

The realization I have come to is when will too many vineyards cost in terms of demand on wine? Can you truly turn a profit or sustain a mini-vineyard when everyone around you has the same grape and the same product? Why create this novelty to be placed in a suburb of vineyards? Is not the joy of wine - its unique ability to be different, stand out from the pack, and honor the tradition all at once? Can mini-vineyards do this and if not why have them? These questions are not posed as a threat on dreams but to create a better market for wine. The welfare of wine is as good as the variables in it and with more small shops with no niche are we really doing any good?