Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Foppiano, Sonoma County (California) Petite Sirah 2009
Paul Lukacs
|
February 7, 2012
|
 One of the best Petites I’ve tasted in the past couple of years, this wine offers deep, dark flavors, firm tannins, and a wonderfully...
read more

Rubicon Estate, Rutherford (Napa Valley, California) 2008
Michael Apstein
|
February 7, 2012
|
 I tasted this sumptuous wine in a line-up of other Rutherford Cabernets, looking for that elusive “Rutherford dust.”  What I found in this wine,...
read more

Henry Fessey, Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 2009
Paul Lukacs
|
February 7, 2012
|
 The 2009 vintage produced wines in Beaujolais marked by deeper than usual flavors, with none of the irritating tropical or banana-like notes that sometimes...
read more

Santa Ema, Maipo Valley (Chile) Merlot 2008
Paul Lukacs
|
February 7, 2012
|
 There’s a lot of Merlot in Chile.  In good hands, the grape produces, supple, fleshy, but full-flavored red wines that can prove very satisfying. ...
read more

Monticello Vineyards, Rutherford (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Michael Apstein
|
January 31, 2012
|
 The small, 7-acre, Tietjen Vineyard lies on the western side of Napa Valley at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains.  Planted in the 1980s,...
read more

Blason D’Issan, Margaux (Bordeaux, France) 2008
Michael Apstein
|
January 31, 2012
|
 Can’t wait a decade to drink the 2008 Château D’Issan (also reviewed this week)?  Try D’Issan’s second wine, Blason D’Issan.  Emmanuel Cruse, whose family...
read more

Pine Ridge, San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara County-Sonoma County (California) Pinot Noir 2010
Robert Whitley
|
February 7, 2012
|
Were California Pinots to be ranked according to the Burgundian model, Pine’s Ridge’s Forefront would fit nicely into the "villages" category. The 2010 Forefront...
read more

Cline, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Syrah 2009
Gerald D. Boyd
|
January 31, 2012
|
 The strongest case for the cool climate of the Russian River Valley and Green Valley is the Petaluma Gap, a natural conduit for drawing...
read more

Cline, Contra Costa County (California) Mourvedre 2010
Gerald D. Boyd
|
January 31, 2012
|
 The same Contra Costa County Vineyards that produced their Carignane are the grape source of this lovely Mourvedre.  Following a tank fermentation, the wine...
read more

Cline, Los Carneros (California) Syrah 2008
Gerald D. Boyd
|
January 31, 2012
|
 Cline Cellars is known for specializing in Rhône-style wines, including a string of Syrahs.  This 2008 is from their hillside estate vineyard in Sonoma...
read more

McManis, California (United States) Zinfandel 2010
Gerald D. Boyd
|
January 31, 2012
|
 Stylistically, California Zinfandel is all over the map, although there is  one characteristic constant, a jammy-spicy Zinness .  The 2010 McManis Zinfandel, aged for...
read more

McManis, California (United States) Pinot Noir 2010
Gerald D. Boyd
|
January 31, 2012
|
 This unusual blend of Pinot Noir and Petit Verdot, aged in French oak for six month, has very good Pinot Noir character.  The color...
read more