All in the Family: 2009 Bien Nacido Syrah
November is a month that goes by quickly—for me, at least. Arriving on the heels of an action-packed Halloween followed by the official end of daylight savings time, days become shorter and the nights grow colder—all as the ‘daily grind’ continues to consume the precious hours, minutes and seconds from our lives. And so often […]
2010 Mercy Arroyo Seco, Griva Vineyard Chardonnay a Great Pick
I recently had the chance to taste this wine on two separate occasions, and each time was very impressed by the relative subtlety of the carefully balanced flavors. First, I asked my friends at a recent Thanksgiving holiday party in Palm Springs to compare “tasting notes” as I silently observed and kept my opinions to […]
Versatile ’09 Chiarito Nero d’Avola Worth Checking Out
If Malbec and Zinfandel had a Sicilian love child, Nero d’Avola would be it. Named after the town of Avola in the southeast of the island and sometimes called Calabrese in the North, Nero d’Avola produces medium to full bodied wines which generally show a blend of dark and light fruit with a spicy earthiness. […]
2009 Calluna Vineyards Merlot “Aux Raynaud’s”
I gathered up some friends of mine who are wine aficionados last night and set up a blind tasting of the 2009 Calluna Merlot “Aux Raynaud’s.” I asked them to describe the varietal, and they both guessed “Shiraz or Cabernet.” They weren’t too far off the mark. Even in blind tastings with experts, Merlots and […]
