Notes from a Sonoma Wine Tasting

Dutton-Goldfield Fox Den Vineyard Pinot Noir Green Valley - Deeper hued, blue fruit aromas, a bit tannic, high acid.

Baletto Sexton Hill Pinot Noir Sebastopol Hills - Fruitier with cranberry and cherry, leaner, more chiseled, bright acidity, lingering finish.

Dehlinger Goldridge Pinot Noir Laguna Ridge 2013 - From the south side where it historically gets riper. Sweet red cherry/berry aromas, moderate acid with fennel and peppercorn in the finish.

Moshin Halo's Hill Pinot Noir Santa Rosa Plain 2013 - Less complex, more pure fruit. Raspberry, red cherry aromas, flavors and finish with a light floral note; fresh and easy.

Porter Creek Hillside Vineyard Pinot Noir Middle Reach 2013 - Less aromatic, more herbal aromas and flavors over cherry, firmer tannins, less acid, long finish.

Wind Gap Syrah Sonoma Coast 2013 - Fresh with raspberry, pink peppercorn and a slight green note with a lingering finish.

Anakota Dakota Knights Valley 2012 - Blackberry, high tannins, somewhat muted aromatically.

Vérité La Joie Sonoma County 2013 - Rich ripe blackberries with an earthy note, a firm tannic structure; fresh, big and Bordeaux-esque.

I also tasted the Hanzell Pinot Noir Sonoma Valley 2000 (pictured) but did not write down any notes on it.

All high quality, highly recommended wines, some more ready to drink now than others.
Wines tasted on December 7, 2016.

Comments

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of ...

Introducing Oltrepò Pavese - An Italian Sparkling Wine that You Should Know

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy to taste the wines of Oltrepò Pavese. I discovered that these sparkling wines are based on Pinot Noir, they are made in the traditional method, like Champagne, and most importantly, they are an Italian hidden gem that bubble lovers across the world need to put on their radar. In the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, I introduce these wines to my readers.

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from...

Wine Life - Houston

Search This Blog