2004 Beringer Chardonnay Napa Valley

Winery: Beringer

Wine: Chardonnay

Retail: $15.49

Description: "Beringer’s Chardonnay vineyards span several sub-appellations in southern Napa Valley, where fog from the San Pablo Bay works its way north each afternoon during the growing season. This cools the vineyards and slows sugar production in the grapes, allowing for a longer maturation period, and maintaining the varietal’s bright acidity. The cooler vineyards to the south produce grapes with crisp apple, pear and citrus characteristics, while vineyards closer to Yountville yield Chardonnay with a rich texture, and tropical fruit and pineapple aromas and flavors. "

Ratings: Wilfred Wong- 91

2003: Rob Parker- 87

Review: 87. Strong oak and smoke notes. Full-bodied oak remains with peachy pear that goes citric late in the midpallet and finish. Some apple too, like red delicious? A bit heavy.

2005 Joel Gott Chardonnay

Winery: Joel Gott
Wine: Chardonnay Blend #406
Retail: $17.49

Description: "The 2005 vintage is proving to be a stunning vintage for Chardonnay due to the unseasonably cold nights and warm days during the ripening period. This chardonnay is a blend of two Napa Valley vineyards from the southern, cooler part of the Valley. Our winemaking style strives to retain the purity of fruit by preventing malo-lactic fermentation and aging in stainless steel rather than oak. The Hyde Chardonnay exhibits vibrant aromas of pear and stone fruits with hints of white flowers and spice. The pallet begins with a finesse of rich fruit and minerality that remains in the mouth to show concentration and depth in the mid pallet. A balanced but firm acidity in the finish makes this wine a great match with a variety of foods."

Ratings: n/a.

Review: 91-92. This was the first of the popular unoaked chard style which is vouge nowadays that I have tried, and I was delightfully suprised. An unassuming citrus nose. This is a remarkably muscular white for how light a body it has. Rich pear last long with hints of apricot. Great clean finish, better than many sauv blancs. Wonderful balance. Make sure to serve chilled.

2005 Bonterra Vinyards Chardonnay

Winery: Bonterra Vinyards

Wine: Chardonnay

Retail: $12.49

Description: "An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed quickly by tropical aromas of pineapple and citrusy lemon. The wine is refreshing on the palate with a vibrant tartness and lemon zest that is absolutely Bonterra Chardonnay."

Ratings: n/a.

Review: 86. Here the description fits the wine well. Starts with an applely nose. The first impressions when tasted is creamy with slight butter flavors and pear which don't develop until late in the midpallet to strong citric tropical friut flavors- I can see the lemon but not the pineapple, I'd say rather, oh green grapes, the kind from your local grocery? I hope that isn't a tautology. The finish follows quickly but is clean. Would be rated higher if there was a bit more complexity. Medium body.

2005 Frog's Leap Chardonnay

Winery: Frog's Leap

Wine: Chardonnay

Retail: $30.79

Description: Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and older French Oak barrels, the Frog’s Leap Chardonnay eschews the heavy vanilla and buttery flavors typical of high-malolactic, high-alcohol wines. Instead, aromas of apple and pear give way to the lighter, more delicate aromas of orange blossoms. The wine enters the palate cleanly and brightly with flavors of apricot, wet stone, and a hint of vanilla. Balanced by the wine’s acid the mouth-feel stays lively and light finishing with a great sense of earthiness.

Ratings: n/a

Review: 90. Oakey nose, with hints of apple. Mid to heavy weight. Green apple flavors with pear. Good support. Exibits an intriguing undercurrent of flavors inculding tobacco, blood orange, and more, but those flavors never come out. Mediocre finish.

2004 Buehler Vineyards Cabernet Napa

Winery: Buehler Vineyards
Wine: Cabernet (100%)
Retail: $25.49

Description: "Situated in the mountains above Conn Valley and near the base of Howell Mountain, the Buehler Estate vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. The juxtaposed topography of steeply sloped hillsides with eastern exposures against very gently sloping hills with southern and southwestern exposures hints at the tumultuous geologic past of the Estate; extensive faulting resulted in at least three distinct soil types. Not surprisingly, grapes grown on the different soils give different characteristics to the finished wines; these differences are often as great as the differences between various Bordeaux varieties and allow us to blend within the variety of Cabernet Sauvignon to craft a truly multi-faceted Estate wine."

Reviews: -Wine Spectator 87 pts - Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2004 (JL)
-Wine Spectator 90 pts- "" 2003
-"SMART BUY" - The Wine Spectator
-Wine Spectator 91 pts """ 2001

Review: 90. A beautiful nose, rich and inviting. This cab is light bodied, and has sturdy tannins. Noticed a woodsy, ceadery note that went away after being open for a while. Cherry is the prominent fruit. This one could age for five to seven years.

2003 Rombaur Vineyards Cabernet

Winery: Rombaur Vineyards

Wine: Napa Cabernet

Price: $34.99

Varietal Composition: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc

Brix at Harvest: 22.3

Cooperage: 22 Months in French Oak, 60% New Oak

Description: "Rombauer Vineyards' 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a plush, concentrated wine that exhibits ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherries that pick up momentum and open gracefully into the finish. There are supple tannins that highlight the fruit driven style of this wine. This wine has a tannin structure to last many years, yet is fruity enough to enjoy now. "

Ratings: -Rombauer Vineyards’ 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded a Silver Medal in the category of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon $20.00 and above.’ at Winefest 2007 in SC.

-89 PTS WILFRED WONG

Review: 91. This a suculent, juicy cab, without being jammy, and with a tannic structure that is graceful in support of the friut, and yet has it's own finesse. Very memorable. Foward cherry and blueberry present themselves early amist silky textures and a touch of spice and stay for a little while; the wines descript is good, but I thought the fruits showed up earlier. Best served at cellar temperature. Drink now, and don't worry about decanting.

Barefoot Cellars Merlot

Winery: Barefoot cellars
Wine: Merlot
Retail: $6.99

Description: "...a luscious wine with alluring flavors of boysenberry and chocolate. Hints of anise and subtle tannis complement the decadent, silky finish.:

Ratings: SILVER MEDAL, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE WINE COMP.

Review: 84. With a wine at this price, the main objective is that it isn't terrible. Barefoot passes. A strong chocolate note (as those go in this pricerange) give plesant indications of what never comes. This one is fruit forward with plum and black/boysenberry, mixed with some some earth that comes and goes. No balance, and a slightly fast and strange finish. The descript is absurdly laudatory, as far as I can tell. Who really looks for "anise (i.e. a liquorice taste) " in a 7 buck wine??

2005 Pepperwood Grove Merlot

Winery: Pepperwood Grove

Wine: Merlot

Retail: $8.99

Description: "...an approachable style. The wine has sofy tannins on the palate with pleasing fruit flavors and a supple oak finish."

Ratings: Best Buy - Wine Enthusiast June 2005

Top 100 Values of 2005 Wine & Spirits Buying Guide 2006

One of "50 Wines You Can Always Trust" Food and Wine 2007 Gold - 2005 Orange County Fair
Silver - 2005 Riverside International Wine Competition

Review: 88. Sebastiani is marketing this one as an easygoing merlot, and it is. This one has been very popular and has gotten good press and I was excited to finally try it. With a slight chocolate and fruit nose, it is off to a good start. Simple plum and pencil mark this one. Hints of earth also contribute to a merlot that is easy drinking, but not in the typical fruty way merlot usually is. Tannins are noticible only durning the late finish. This one would go good with gilled burgers, unusual for a merlot.

2005 Aquinas Napa Valley Chardonnay

My first review is a boring one, sorry. Right now I'm sampling one of Sebastiani viner's staples, Aquinas.

Winery: Aquinas Napa

Wine: Chardonnay

Retail: $11.49

Description: "partial malo-lactic fermentation gives this wine a smooth, creamy finish, complimented with light tropical flavors and a touch of French oak."

Ratings: N/A

Review: 87. I wouldn't describe this wine as balanced, but it does have nice elements. Gentle pear flavors quickly move to a strong citrus, lemon midpalate- slightly too much for me. This lemon acidity is almost like a sav blanc in quality and makes you pucker a bit on the first try. You'd think the extra fermenting would soften that out better. The finish leaves you with slight but classic chard notes of apples and a little butter. The oak is there, but not as much as would be in a better balanced chard. A nice, round and full body. No weirdness, a plus for this price. Serve chilled for sure. Could be pared with dilled salmon, but get a better wine for such an entree...

First Post

Greeting, all. By all I primarly mean myself, as this blog was mostly created so I have a means to recall what I have been sampling in wines, liqueurs, and on occasion other things such as cigars or pipe tobacco. Nevertheless, if you are not Andrew Lang and are here, welcome! I hope you enjoy and perhaps learn something here. I unfortunatly have found blogs to be full of vainglory or idleness as much as good things, and hope to contribute to the latter in some small way. So I before I enter anything more, let me quote somethings noble:

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of good wine"- St. Thomas Aquinas
"Wine in itself is an excellent thing." -Pope Pius XII

Without going too much into my philosophy about things tasted, I believe that human happiness depends a great deal on the correct or proper usage of the fruits of the earth, and am of the thought that common opinion presently neglects to see the important role food and drink plays in our common efforts to experience beatitude . If used rightly, not only do these things nourish us in the basic ways they do, but also aid in the life of contemplation and the pursuit of happiness. But this blog will have to be much more important to me than it presently is to distill my philosphical ideas again. For now, just reviews.