Portal do Fidalgo - Alvarinho - de Region de Mincao - 2007 - $17 - (Classic, Food Wine) - medium golden straw with gas. White currants, white flowers and their stems, gooseberry, apple, pear and lemon zest kick off a developed nose that boasts fractured white rocks dusted with rain sprinkles.
Dry and of high spritzy acidity. Orchard, goosebery and spiced pear lead the palate to herbal, floral and limestone notes. Medium-in body, but with a long mouthwatering finish.
We had it with Peaking duck, fresh favas, and roasted cauliflower over fried white rice. A bit of a stretch...

Wines Tasted, May 12, 2010

Masi - Serego Aligherieri - 650th Anniversary - Valpolicella - Veneto - Italy - 1999 - (Classic, Classic, Classic, Ager, Food Wine) - $110/Magnum - (This was an auction lot wine and it's real price remains a matter of extended research) Tasted from a magnum this wine was a clear, pale ruby with a slight orange rim, some sediment thrown.  A stellar example of Corvina and Molinara at their peak of maturity.  A wine crying out for food, we drank it all by itself (sadly).  Leather, nuttyness, clove spice, and a raisinated tertiary note underly the dusted red cherry, and red plum fruit.  This wine surely saw some Recioto lees during a Ripasso process, and at 14% alcohol represents that fact.  I kept being drawn into its subtle "over ripe" nuance, but could not put aside it's dry earth notes and apparent oak spice which balanced this wine between modern and classic.  An eye opener for those of you not impressed with "regular Valpolicella" but not yet into Amarone(what are you waiting for?).

Wines Tasted, May 18, 2010

Muralhas de Moncao - Branco - Moncao - Vinho Verde - (Classic, Food Wine) - $16 - A co-operative of tremendous proportions (1700 growers and 100+ hectares of vineyards) and tremendous consistency.  This wine belongs on the table of seafood restaurants world wide!  I just love the style (70% Alvarhinho & 30% Trejadura) with a generous amount of absorbed CO2.  It shows visual gas along with its pale straw hue.  Aromas of fresh white florals abound initially but recede to show off more stone fruit and pear.  The wine is spritzy and of high acidity, thus it's cleansing with food.  The fruit is ripe but not heavy, and at 12% alc. easy to consume by ones self.  I had it with Grilled Sardines in Vinegary Sweet Onions with EVOO at La Salette Restaurant in Sonoma, yummy.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Pueblo del Sol - Tannat - Uruguay - 2008 - (Classic, Food Wine) - $8 - Now at this price, one expects very little, but this wine over delivers as most good quality Uruguayan Tannats tend to do.  If you haven't tried the varietal, you're missing out, and if you have, you know what I'm talking about.
Clear deep ruby with a purple tinge at the rim.  The wine offers up scents of lavender, lilacs and red bush fruits as well as an earthy component redolent of cracked limestone.  While it has seen no oak (cement tank aged), it has plenty of non fruit aromas and flavors.  Staying in the red berry camp are: red cherry, red currant and red plum and peppered apple flavors.  A great wine with food, it paired comfortably with Grilled Venison with Grilled Kale and Steamed Rice when most other wines on the table (New and Old World) floundered!

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Pine Ridge Vineyards - Petite Verdot - Napa Valley - 2007 - (Modern, Ager, Showpiece Wine) - $65 - A single varietal Petite Verdot is rare, and Pine Ridge hasn't released one in 10 years, so get some if you're a fan or just curious because it's a monster!  Opaque black/ruby with a violet/ruby rim.  Highly staining in the glass.  Aromas of ripe blackberry, red & black plum, cranberry and blueberry-huckleberry jam.  Floral peppercorn notes abut cola, espresso and caramelized esters.
The wine enters with medium+ acidity and trends that way through the finish.  Tannins are a solid medium+, yet are polished.
The palate fruits are mainly black & blue: blackberries fresh off the bush, black plum skin flavors and texture, coffee infused blueberry-huckleberry jam with the tartness of ripe cranberries lifting the dense fruit profile.  Peppery-coffee notes round out the finish, which is long.  Aging from 2011 to 2020 will be recommended.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

ForeFront by Pine Ridge - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley - 2008 - (Modern, Drinker) - $24 - ForeFront is a value priced line of wines from the established Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa's Stags Leap District.  With this vintage of Cabernet they blend in Syrah from outside of Napa sources (9% San Louis Obisbo County and 7% Lake County) to balance an Estate driven base of Bordeaux varietals.  The wine has seen the classic Pine Ridge treatment in French bariques for 16 months, which has left the nearly opaque ruby/black wine and its dark ruby rim with a nose of: blackberry, black cherry and black plum fruit as well as coffee bean, light vannillin and dark floral notes.  The palate continues with ripe dark fruits and a slightly floral note in the mouth.  This 2008 is full bodied, moderately high in tannin and of medium+ length.  Drink from early 2011 to 2018.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Pine Ridge Vineyards - Le Petit Clos - Chardonnay - Stags Leap District - 2008 - (Modern, Balanced) - Yellow with green/gold cheeks.  This vintage of Le Petit has a highly intense nose of: green apple, yellow apple, banana peel, white peach fruit with peach and lemon blossoms as well as a mild biscuit/toasted brioche note.
  In the mouth, nutty almond paste, creamy lees and banana peel speak of 9 months of partially (25%) new French oak.  White florals, peach and orchard fruit plateau through the mid-palate, whilst spice and biscuit notes round out the impressively lengthy finish.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Fore Front by Pine Ridge - Pinot Gris - Willamette Valley - Oregon - (Modern, Food Wine) - $16 - A pale platinum-green color, hinting toward more development.  The nose is moderately intense with plenty of non-fruit characteristics such as beech mushroom, white flowers, peach pit and red pear skin to match up with a hint of maraschino cherry.  Dry, medium+ in acidity and medium+ in body, this wine has significant weight, mild bitterness(inherent in the grape, due to its thick skins and "grey" color) classic of Pinot Gris.  Spicy florals, pear skin and peach develop slowly in the mouth and extend to medium+ length.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Pine Ridge Vineyards - Sans Barique - Chardonnay - Carneros - Napa Valley - (Balanced, Food Wine) - $32 - A pale straw/platinum wine in color with intense aromas of ripe yellow pear, creamy banana custard and green fig.  A light biscuit note precedes the juicy pear and cream flavors.  The wine is un-oaked & non-malolactic, but has seen extended lees contact in stainless steel tanks.  Only 400 cases made.

Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

Pine Ridge - Chenin Blanc/Viognier - California - 2009 - (Food Wine, Classic) - $14 - A pale, platinum wine with flecks of green and gas present.  Aromas of ripe pear, lychee, grapefruit pith, cut apples and kaffir lime leaf.  Flavors of ripe fruit salad of afformentioned fruits and a crackling, mouth-watering layer of acidity.  This wine has a medium+ to long finish, moderate-low alcohol and medium- body.  Great with slightly sweet shellfish and spicy Thai!

County Line - Sonoma Coast - Pinot Noir - 2008 -$25 - (Balanced, Modern) - The second wine of is a young dark berry accented wine with modest toasty, smoked bp

Pine Ridge Vineyards - Sans Barique - Chardonnay - 2009 - $32 -(New Style, Food Wine) - This wine makes me love Chsrdonnay fro CA again. No oak! All stainless, lees contact, no ML, top quality Dijon Clones. I just love the nose of ripe green pear and banana cream, with white flowers. The mouth does not give up on these notes either, yet a touch of secondary complexity still developing awaits. Drink now thru 2011. Great cheese wine with-Camembert, or Carmody.