Nine Gables Barbera

Last night we enjoyed a bottle of the Nine Gables 2006 Barbera (Ottimista Vineyard) that I picked up on a recent trip thru Amador County, CA. This region of the Sierra Foothills is warmer than the napa region and is know for producing some nice zinfandels. The Barbera grape is the second most planted variety in Italy, next to the Sangiovese. The Nine Gables Barbera had a nice dark red color and a nose of red and black berries. Upon tasting, the berries were predominant with a hint of cherries and even some blueberries. I decanted this wine for 2 hours and it went from a fair wine to a very nice wine. This is a nice medium bodied wine with little tannins. We paired this with pasta and it was the perfect combination. Would also be great with pizza. I will definitely try to get more of the 2006 Barbera.

Waterstone 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

This Napa Valley Cab offers a great nose, with hints of oak and chocolate. The label suggests hints of cherry, currant and blackberry...however, not something I picked up on. The Wine Spectator gave this 90 points, and they may have been a bit generous in my opinion. This Cab lacked body, at best it was a medium bodied Cab...and I was in the mood for a full bodied Cab...so it let me down a bit. The Waterstone Cab hits at the back of the tongue and lingers for a while...a silky, oak finish that was enjoyable. I bought this one for $30 and after getting over my initial disappointment, I enjoyed this wine. However, it did not pair well with my BBQ, but was a nice sipping wine to finish the evening. This was a slightly above average Cab, and at $30 was worth the try. However, I can't find this bottle online for less than +/-$70. At this price point, there are better Cab's to be tried and enjoyed.

Drylands Sauvignon Blanc

The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc BURSTS with peach, passion fruit, honeydew and green apple. In fact, there is too much citrus on the nose. The exotic fruits on the initial taste is overbearing. It is a fuller bodied sauvignon blanc with heavy acidity, but not a long finish. The wine was less expressive after being open for awhile (2nd glass). Wine Enthusiast gave this a 91 point rating. For my palate, I would have to say closer to 87-88. Worth the try at $15 but I would pick the Villa Maria, Seresin or Kim Crawford savignon blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand instead.

Vizcarra Roble Senda del Oro

This wine is made from the tempranillo grape that is found in the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. Suprisingly, Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world. The 2006 Vizcarra Roble Senda del Oro had received a 90 point rating from Jay Miller (Wine Advocate) and an 88 from Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. This wine is dark ruby red in color and has a shocking smokey cherry and blackberry nose. Don't let the oak scare you. LET THIS WINE OPEN UP!!! The earthy dark berry tastes with the minimal oak and soft tannins is common to the tempranillo wines. The Roble has a long finish on the palate. Can be enjoyed now but I would hold this wine till 2011 or later. This is a small winery founded in 1991 with only 3,000 cases of the 2006 Roble bottled. We enjoyed this bottle and will put some away for our wood-fired grilling.

Raymond Reserve

The 2004 Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a nice full-bodied cab made up of 91% cabernet sauvignon, 8% cabernet franc and 1% merlot. It starts with a spicy blackberry and cherry nose followed by a blueberry and blackberry taste with some pepper at the end. This wine could pair nicely with ribs or burgers on the grill. We enjoyed this wine and concur with the 90 point rating by Connoisseur's Guide. Put this wine away for a few more years and it will be even better.

Tres Sabores Winery - Porque No?

Tres Sabores is a Napa winery located out of Rutherford, CA. They have a nice red wine called Porque No? This was a complex, spicy and heavier zinfandel blend. Consists of mostly zin with cab, petit verdot and petit syrah. The first smell of this wine showed its complexity. First sip was nice, but unsure. Second sip was better and required more. This one got better with each sip. Cost is approximately $20 and worth it if you enjoy a complex Zinfandel. This one is worth trying.

Fenestra Winery - Alvarelhao

A few weeks ago, my wife and I enjoyed a weekend away in Truckee, CA. There is a new wine tasting room in Truckee by the name of Bacchus & Venus...founded in Sausalito, CA and supposedly a big success there.

We tasted several wines and really enjoyed one from Fenestra Winery out of Livermore, CA. It was a Portuguese grape grown in Lodi, CA called Alvarelhao. This was a nice fruity forward wine with a bit of spice and smokiness that lingered in the finish. This would be great with BBQ or just sipping with friends.. Cost about $20. This can be ordered and shipped from the tasting room we went to if you can't find it. Website http://www.blogger.com/www.bacchusandvenus.com or 530-550-9800

Carneros Creek Pinot Noir

Today we served several bottles of the 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve from the Carneros Creek Winery. Our guests all enjoyed this wine and said they had never heard of this winery. Surprisingly, two of the guests were from CA. It is a mild wine with soft tannins and very little oak. It starts with a very nice fruity, cherry and plum nose and has an earthy cherry, red licorice taste. It got more expressive as it opened. The winery was purchased in 2006 by Michael Mondavi, son of the late Robert Mondavi. This is their specialty at Carneros Creek. A nice $22 Pinot.

The Prisoner

The 2006 Prisoner by Orin Swift Cellars (www.orinswift.com) in CA is a Zinfandel mix with 51 % Zin, 23% cabernet and a mix of other varietals. It has an upfront jammy taste with blackberry and plum and some coffee to mix. It is a medium bodied wine with smooth tannins. The back end taste was chocolate and spices. Really enjoyed this wine but I think putting it in the cellar for another 2-3 years would bring out the best. Nice wine for grilled meats. We cannot grill without a nice sauce for the meat. I think this is a very good wine, although a little pricey ($35). Getting into a range where there are better wines available. Wine Spectator gave this wine a 91 point rating. I recommend buying this wine as well.

Frank Family Vineyards

My wife and I are big fans of Frank Family Vineyards (http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/). This winery is the last of the old style Napa wineries, where you can enjoy free wine tasting of their entire lineup, and enjoy great conversation with the family. Rich Frank is an ex-Disney Executive who connected with the Rombauer family to start Frank Family Vineyards. Frank Family has been on their own now for several years and creating wonderful wines.

Our favorites include the 2006 Chardonnay and the 2004 Zinfandel (if you can find it, otherwise the 2006 is available and a nice Zin).

The 2006 Frank Family Chardonnay is a light, buttery Chardonnay with a smooth finish. Frank Family suggests serving this Chardonnay at room temperature as it stands on its own. They suggest chilling a white wine is a way to hide its flaws...and I highly recommend listening to them on this one. I have served this wine to many people at room temperature, and they have all loved it. A bit pricey, but worth the money at $32 a bottle. Check their website to find out where you buy this as they have limited distribution.

The 2004 Zinfandel, and their Zin in general, is a full bodied Zin, rich and dark in color. Frank Family describes it as leading with a sweet blackberry jam and finishing with hints of white and black pepper and clove spice. This is a great wine to serve with your upcoming Thanksgiving Turkey. Price is roughly $37 a bottle, and worth it.

Las Brisas

Tonight we enjoyed a bottle of 2007 Las Brisas by Bodegas Naia winery. Las Brisas is a wine that comes from Rueda, the famous white wine region in the heart of north-central Spain. This wine is comprised of 50% verdejo, 25% sauvignon blanc and 25% viura. It is a medium bodied white with a crisp citrus taste and traces of grapefruit, honeysuckle and melon. It was the perfect pairing for our grilled shrimp and fish. A great value wine at $12. Will definitely buy more.

Vino Noceto Dos Oakies

Tonight we opened the bottle of Dos Oakies from Vino Noceto that we visited last month. It is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes which is most commonly known as the main grape in Italian Chianti wines. It is a smooth and easy drinking wine with a light fruity finish. Reasonably priced at $20. It should get better with another year or two of aging. Decent everyday wine but nothing spectacular. Would not run out and purchase it again. Would go back to the traditional italian chiantis.

Marquis Philips 2007 Shiraz

My wife and I enjoyed the Marquis Philips 2007 Shiraz. This Australian Shiraz was excellent right out of the bottle. Don't be scared away, as this bottle comes with a screw top. The shiraz was a dark, rich wine, with a hint of blackberry aroma, vanilla and spice. This was right up my alley, with a nice fruit forward taste, full body and soft finish. We enjoyed this while spending a warm evening on the back patio with family and friends. The wine went well with an appetizer that was Goat Cheese covered in Balsamic Vinegar, toasted Pine Nut, basil, and halved cherry tomato scooped onto slices of french bread (much like a Bruschetta). The winery does not appear to have a website, but the wine is available online at $15-20 per bottle. Our host serving the wine bought this one at Costco just under $20. Hope you enjoy.

Silver Fox 2002 Zinfandel

We opened a bottle of Silver Fox ( http://www.silverfoxwine.com/Index.html ) this past weekend. Silver Fox is located near Yosemite at an elevation of 3,000 ft. We enjoyed the 2002 Zinfandel which is a blend of mostly Zin with a bit of Syrah. The wine had a nice berry taste and spicy finish. We enjoyed this while camping and eating BBQ Tri Tip…it went well together. I don’t know where I got this bottle, but I see it online for $11 at the winery. Well worth the $. I would encourage you to let this breathe for 20-30 minutes before drinking, as the first taste hit me a bit hard, but it really opened up after a short time. We had a bit left over the next day, and it was not as good, so drink this one in one sitting.

Welcome to the Wine Snob Blog!