VINEgeek

Producer: Hanna
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Russian River Valley (AVA, California)
Vineyards: From estate vineyards across RRV: Slusser 53%, Ricioli 11%, Brooks 11%, Gann Family 9%, Chalk Ridge 8%, Jensen Lane 3%, Crinella 2%, Mirabelle 1% and Gianquinto 1%. (I know all that vineyard detail doesn’t tell you much about the wine, but I can’t resist including [...]

I intended to avoid Spain for this week’s Mourvèdre Monday. Three of the first 5 installments have been Spanish Monastrells and I wanted more variety. I had my sights set on opening either a Bandol or an Aussie bottle in my cellar. But I’ve been sick since last Monday and I’m just getting back to [...]

I always feel a little guilty when I buy a wine from Cameron Hughes and their ilk. If you aren’t familiar with the model, Cameron Hughes calls itself a “modern international negociant.” Negociant is French for “Man Without Dirt”. OK, I just made that up. But a negociant owns no vineyards and buys up various “lots” [...]

This is a benchmark producer of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the under $15 category. I haven’t been drinking as much NZ SB as I used to, but I thought I’d check this one out again.
Producer: Kim Crawford
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Marlborough (New Zealand)
Vineyards: A blend from vineyards across the Marlborough region.
Winemaking: Night-harvested and cold-fermented, [...]

Angeline is an interesting 2nd label from the Martin Ray Winery. The bottles/labels are attractive. The wines are well-priced. They come from more specific and respected appellations (Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma) than many wines in the same price range, which are often just California or Central Coast. Let’s check out the Sauvignon Blanc.
Producer: [...]

Producer: Ken Forrester
Grapes: 100% Pinotage. A cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, resembling neither, it was created in the 1920s in South Africa by Stellenbosch University professor A. I. Perold. Here’s a good overview of the grape and it’s history.
Appellation: Stellenbosch (W.O. or Wine of Origin, South Africa)
Vineyards: Southeast-facing slopes.
Winemaking: Pressed off the skins early [...]

Producer: Charles Smith Wines
Grapes: 100% Riesling
Appellation: Columbia Valley (though from a single vineyard; see below)
Vineyard: Evergreen Vineyard, a 452 acre vineyard planted to 10 different white varieties and farmed by Milbrandt Vineyards. It is rather young, having been planted in 1998. The vineyard currently falls under the large Columbia Valley AVA, but is a part [...]

I typically look for wines with specificity: a single grape variety, a single vineyard, etc. I like to think I can learn more that way and that I’m getting a truer essence of something or other. But I’m also a sucker for interesting blends. I imagine the best qualities of each grape marrying together into [...]

This is part 3 of my Unoaked Chardonnay series. Previous entries:
Part 1 – Clos LaChance Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Monterey County
Part 2 – Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay Francine’s Selection 2007 Mendocino County
Four Vines Naked Chardonnay 2008 Santa Barbara County
I originally intended this to be a 2 bottle series — just pick up two readily available unoaked Chardonnay’s [...]

I can’t really find anything about this wine online (and the label is no help either), so I won’t be doing a full post on this one. It’s a very young cab from South Africa — that’s all I know.
Nose is all over the place: chocolate milk one minute, wild berries the next, ashy, “thorny” [...]