Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Cambria, Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County, California) Pinot Noir 2008
Tina Caputo
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February 14, 2012
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 This Pinot has a wonderful aroma of red berries and toasty spice.  It’s packed with flavor, with juicy cherry and raspberry fruit, and a...
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Balletto, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2010
Tina Caputo
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February 14, 2012
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 This wine has a wonderful aroma of baking spices and bright red cherries.  It has plenty of fresh, lively fruit flavors, with cherry and...
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Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay (New Zealand) 2010
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 Craggy Range focuses on making wines from individual, single vineyards in an attempt to capture the flavors of a unique site.  I don’t have...
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Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars showed the world the quality of California wines when its 1973 Cask 23 came in first, beating four Bordeaux first-growths,...
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Estancia, Paso Robles (California) Zinfandel 2009
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 With their 15%+ stated alcohols, I find most current Zinfandels far too flamboyant and over-the-top.  So imagine my pleasant surprise when I tasted this...
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Château Lestrille, Bordeaux Supérieur (Bordeaux, France) 2009
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 Here’s another bargain priced Bordeaux that shows how the lower appellations benefited from the ripeness of the 2009 vintage.  Black fruit flavor predominate in...
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Château Penin, Bordeaux Supérieur (Bordeaux, France) 2009
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux produced ripe, fleshy red wines.  Even at the lower appellation levels, such as Bordeaux Supérieur, the tannins are ripe...
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Conn Creek, Rutherford (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 Attractive herbal and earthy notes complement the black fruit flavors in this glossy wine.  In an age when robust fruit flavors are prized, it’s...
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Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux (Bordeaux, France) 2008
Michael Apstein
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February 7, 2012
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 Rauzan-Ségla is a great success in 2008.  It combines the silkiness characteristic of the wines from the commune of Margaux with a dark core...
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Barnard Griffin, Columbia Valley (Washington) Syrah 2010
Michael Franz
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February 7, 2012
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 The current crop of releases from Barnard Griffin are the best I’ve tasted in a long time.  This Syrah is particularly impressive, though what...
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Parés Baltà, Penedès (Catalonia, Spain) Cabernet/ Garnatxa 2009
Michael Franz
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February 7, 2012
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 Ever seen a blend of Cabernet and Garnacha?  Me either, but this is a totally convincing wine and a remarkably reasonable price.  Medium bodied...
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Damilano, Barbera d’Asti (Piedmont, Italy) 2010
Paul Lukacs
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February 7, 2012
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 A classic-tasting Piedmontese Barbera, meaning marked by vivid plum and dark cherry fruit enhanced by deep earthy undertones, this is a wine with a...
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