Domaine de Cristia with Elaina Kroll/Bommarito

Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du pape Blanc 2010... very unctious. mouthfilling.. and lots of green olive and minerality hinting at future softening...it just needs a lot of time

Domaine de Christia Grenache 2011.. vin de meditieranee... stainless steel with good ripe fruit but maybe a little rough or savage around the edges..

Domaine de Cristia Cotes du Rhone VV 2010  vielle vignes  old vines.. dark color.. woodsy aroma.. juicy on the palate..almost sweet finish

Domaine de Cristia Gigondas 2010  purple in color but nnot as dense.. again with the woodsy nose, some pretty vanilla on the finish but again with the rustic finish

Domaine de Cristia Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 2009 90% grenache 10 syrah.. lots of upfront fruit.. alittle tar and smoke.. good acidity.. more of a modern style.

Domaine de Christia Chateauneuf du Pape Renaissance 2009  ,,,much prettier nose than the other CDP. iodine and mineral and meat.. lots of perfume.. grenache with mourvedre this time.. gorgeous wine.. like drinking perfume... right up my taste alley

tenuta vitanza with guido and rosalba abdretta. classique

both a producer and importer

Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Umbria... the second greccheto I have tried and given the two I say I like this varietal a lot. lush and round with no oak its the perfect wine for people trying to get a good wine without all the wood

Villa Giada Rose Monferrato Chiaretto 2010.. a rose from barbera and nebbiolo..  a pretty strawberry soda red without the sweetness. lush red fruit with a hint of sweetness on the finish.. pretty

Tenuta vitanza Volare Sangiovese 2009  mostly sangiovese with merlot and cab... soft and drinkable.. very good food wine.

Tenuta Vitanza Rosso di Montalcino.. 2010.. baby brunello.. all the way

Tenuta Vitanza Brunello di Montalcino 2007.. lush and ripe.. pretty wine

Tenuta Vitanza Brunello Firma 2006,, reserva wine.. more french oak new and good depth

very nice lunch at jaspers and very nice winemaking couple

Pierre/Marian bordeaux and southern france(Sud) Terra Firma

Oustric Merlot Sud du France 2010  almost candied fruit nose, with a little bit of stewed tomato.

Chateau St Genes Cuvee Sublime Merlot/Cab blend 2006 pretty fruit nose with a surprising juicy palate. but the finish was very linear and abrupt

Chateau de Paradis Cotes du Bourg 2009... 90% merlot.. dark color with just a touch of the french stink. silky tannins and good mouthfeel.. pleasant expression of the vintage

Si mon pere Savalt...if my father only knew.. Sud du France dark color in the glass. french nose.. juicy and iodiney.. very silky with the right amount of syrah..favorite of the day

Grand Corbin Manuel 2009 St Emilion  well extracted with tannin and grip. long finish.. not overly masculine but close..

italian reds with craig/crush/major

I dont know if a heat wave is a good time to try red wines.. but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Vestini Montepulciano d abruzzo 2008... may be a little long in the tooth. still showing some fruit.. earthy.. we have a feeling the 2010 will be shipped

Pian di Nova Toscana 2008.. syrah and sangiovese.. fruity soft and fleshy.

Il Borro Toscana 2006... dark color rich flavors definitely silky tannins.. and no sangiovese.

rose with shelly .major brands

Puech Haut Prestige 2011 rose... in a pretty frosted bottle. more of banana nose and flavor than red berry..very light in color

Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du rhone 2011  salmon color.. rich and mouthfilling.. lush fruit.. and still nice and dry on the finish..

appellations

Parlay Longshot chardonnay 2010 viscous.. unoaked but lots of malo interesting

Ramian Red Hen Yountville toasty oak, rich and toasty  ugly label

Les tuileries Bordeaux 2009 nice tannins and just enough of the french stink that you know its old world but still good fruit up front. 65% merlot

Indian Valley 2006tannin.. lots of grip and tannin... not a wimpy wine

Parley Bookmaker 2009 Cab/Syrah dark color.. juicy and rich.. a little berry sweetness.. rough around the edges..

Ramian Res Syrah 2006 napa... silky and subtle... none of the rhone characteristics that i like.. very subtle.

sorting table with marc brice/bommarito

St Michael-Eppan Pinot Bianco 2010... bright acidity.. nice weight.. but they had me at pinot bianco..

Dauvergne Ranvier Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2011.. lightly sweet..a touch green olive.. could use some time to soften out

Dauvergne Ranvier Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2010 soft.. good fruit.. pleasant wine for the person getting used to this style of wine

Dauvergne Croze Hermitage 2009 soft for croze.. good enough fruit but not much after

Snowden Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2009  pretty cedar/cinnamon nose, silky wine soft tannins but with some heat on the end it probably could use time or food

Craig Baker of Robert Kacher with Pinnacle/berine

Pommier Petite Chablis 2007.. surprisingly sweet.. round flavors ..hints of minerality but a little old for the shelf

Domaine Erhart Pinot Gris "Im Berg" golden yellow.. sweet but subtly so. nice acidity

Domaine erhart Gewurztraminer Herrenweg 2010  also golden in color, a more subtle nose than expected for the varietal. viscous.. and a dull sweet finish

Mas Bressades Roussanne Viognier 2010 round sweet front notes but olivey and honey on the back.. long finish

Grande Cassagne Rose 2011.. soft, mineral and just the right fruit...

Brunel Grenache VDP 2010 soft easy, tar and fig and juicy on the palate.

Mas Bressades Cab/Syrah blend 2010.. lush with soft tannins and juicy. nice wine for the money

bernie with wine

Ojai Rose 2011  very light in color and flavors are light also.. the 2010 version of this was tasted last week at cellarmasters, showing a little more color and came in 5 out of 6

Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 2009 Willamette lovely mushroomy and floral nose, good weight and a little hot on the finish

Revelery "The Reveler" 2009 Columbia Valley floral notes on the nose, pretty wine but a little rough around the edges as it goes down

La Salette "I Progni" Ripasso 2009 sweet nose with some earth notes, candied fruit with earthy undertones.. hints of mocha.. definitely Italian

michael/appellations

Indian Valley Cab FrancCentral Coast 2005 rough texture to start but blueberry and soft tannins on the finish.. a little cedary

GramercyCellars Lagniappe Syrah Washington 2008  meaning a little something special.. barnyard meaty nose and dark fruit and roasted meat on the finish.. pepper.. very lush

Peter Brown. Select wines with Major brands

Reds 2010 a Lodi field blend.. old vine grenache/zin etc. juicy on the palate.. but still maybe too young.. some green bell pepper on the finish. They had a great presentation before they went to screwtop where you saw pictures of things associated with red on the cork.. lucille ball, Karl Marx etc.

ZaZin lodi 2007.. dark purple in the glass and stinky feet on the nose... luckily that did not carry through on the palate.. mouthwatering acidity.. and good berry finish

Terra Rosa Malbec Argentina 2008 clay.waxy aromas.. dark fruit.. some cedar juicy but.. really another malbec

Tierra divino Old Vine Malbec 2007. dark dusty character on nose and palate.. long finish.. really liked this.. stood out from some of the other malbec i have tried lately.

RedFox Winery. Missouri Kayvon Jaberian

I have to admit that I was skeptical of the wines from Missouri, and small wineries like this will also cause for concern, but I am always willing to experiment. Some of these wines really surprised me.. all wines are non vintage.. with most being from 2009/2010

Norton ...husky sweet nose, some smoky notes on the palate.. dry for sure.. almost chunky.. a bit hot and disjointed..

Chambourcin pleasant floral nose, good juicy flavors of dark fruits.. and not as sweet fruit as I thought

Vidal Blanc dry no oak, juicy and refreshing for a hot day. good acidity

Chardonel... off flavors and aromas.. not much there

Traminette floral, semi sweet, and long strong finish

Vignoles.. cotton candy nose, a slight grapy finish... not a fan

Semi Dry White.. juicy, nice enough finish... thought it would be off the charts foxy.

Semi Dry Red fake strawberry nose and flavors.. not a fan

Rose.. light just enough sweetness.. pretty wine for the money

Sweet White... pleasnat , good acidity with a nice clean finish.

The only dog in the bunch was Chardonel and maybe the Semi Dry Red...

vina falernia with giorgio flessati/bommarito

An Italian making Chilean wines.. interesting

Falernia Pedro Ximenez 2010,, the first time I have tried this wine as a still wine... usually found in the sweetest style of sherry. very dry, crisp with a nice hint of sweetness. but finish of minerality. will be featured at the wine tasting next week.

Falernia Carmenere Reserve made from 60% dried gtapes like Amarone in Italy, tobacco and earth on the palate.. still a little green bell pepper.. interesting production though

Falernia Syrah.. black peper and spice.. good fruit ,, not a big style but good food wine.

Rudi Weist wines at Grunauer

4 wine makers from Germany came in the market today. because of the nature of the seminar I can not tell who they were but the following are the wines tasted.

Schloss Schonbrune Estate Riesling 2010.. light and refreshing

Fritz Haag Braunberger Trocken 2010 a village wine.. more on the spatlese level.. beautiful nose that turns a touch petrol. nice slatey nature that turns just a little salty..

Fritz Haag Braunberger Juffer Riesling Trocken.. 2010 single vineyard... slatey and light pineapple fruit on the front. very crisp

Pfaffenberg Scholls Schonbrun riesling... i think.. wet stone minerality.. lots of mouth watering acidity.. and nice finish

Zilliken Rausch Kabinet 2010  dry mineral mose, pretty golden color, slight fruit and a bit blunt finish

Weins Prum Grauccher Spatlese 2003.. honeysuckle notes on the nose, soft and mouthwateringly juicy.. beest of the day

Zilliken 2003 Saarberg Riesling Auslese.. sweet diesel on the nose, elderflower maybe.. long finish with just enough petrol

Haag Braunberger Juffer Riesling Auslese 2003 all diesel and a little popcorn butter on the nose,, creamy but not flabby.. green apple..again the petrol wasnt overpowering.

Paolo Saracco/ Bommarito

Having gone to lunch with Schramsberg the day before I had to miss the brunch at Coal Vines with Paolo Saracco but he was nice enough to come by the store

Saracco Monferrato Rosso DOC Pinot Nero 2008.. light rusty coloring, a slightly sweet fruit nose, a little barnyard on the back. good texture and a slightly sweet finish.. but overall not that interesting..

Saracco Moscato d: asti docg Muscato Canelli, the town where the grape first became popular. the wine was a little more cloying than expected... I was told because of the warmer vintage. pretty stone fruit on the finish.. not nearly as fizzy as some d'asti can be

Paolo tried to explain his technique and his english was workable.. he definitely has the passion for what he does

wine lunch with Fred Zammataro/ Schramsberg

Schramsberg is one of the success stories of napa valley. A young couple with small children move to Napa in the mid 60's to follow a dream and in the process make history. Taking over the dilapidated winery known as J Schram they reinvented sparkling wine for California. Nixon in China took Schramsberg due to a connect with John Erlichman and they never looked back.c

Mirabelle Brut.. non vintage chard and pinot blend.. light mouse.. pleasant

Mirabelle Brut Rose.. non vintage.. rose color comes from pinot noir that is made into still wine that they use on all their rose

2007 Blanc de Blanc ... white of white..chardonnay..

2007 Blanc de Noir white of red...90% Pinot. with 10 % chard for structure... hearty nose of dirt and mocha..

2006 Brut Rose.. favorite of the tasting... depth and character and lots of heart

2004 J Schram.. tete d cuvee.. best of the best on the best years.. light golden in color.. pretty depth of toast and mousse was soft...named for the original owner of the winery.

Alta Maria/Paul Wilkins/ Pinnacle

Alta Maria is a project in the southern central coast of california

Sauvignon Blanc 2010 grassy and sweetish on the finish.. pleasant wine but maybe too sweet

Pinot Noir 2010 a touch dirty on the nose. rough finish that is sweet and smoky

Native 9 Pinot Noir. garnet in color.. beautiful nose, unctious and structured. low yields show in the concentration of dark fruit.. long finish

Golden Barrel

Gone Fishin Riesling columbia valley 2010... sweet green apple.. ok acidity.. 2% residual sugar ok wine with an ugly label

Bauer Haus Spaten Riesling 2009 Rheingau... mouthwatering acidity.. not a sweet finish... a little mineral on the finish... but


Manzone Nebbiolo Langhe 2009  sweet perfume nose, dark cherry fruit almost medicinal and quick finish.

Manzone Barolo 2006 a hint of petrol and earth.. loads of fruit on the palate.. and long tannins.. good finish... lots going on

bernie and cynthia

Chateau St Cyrgues Rose.. Grenache and Syrah.. lighter pink color.. bitter with some dry fruit on the finish

Tarima Monastrell 2011.. a bit green on the nose, some chocolate and mocha on the rustic finish.. was hoping for better.. maybe a little time

Bedrock Sherman and Hookers Shebang Red NV (4h edition).. wine of the tasting.. juicy dark fruits.. long finish.. very tasty.. not surprised after the last few versions which were great

LaFollette was a winemaker for Flowers et.al.

Chardonnay 2010. North Coast.. mineral and creamy in that surlie aging way... not overly mouthfilling

Pinot Noir 2010 North Coast  light bodied.. with soft berry and cassis flavors..a finish of rhubarb.

private wine tasting with the purvis family and others

This session was based on Italian theme.

Scavino Carobic 1998 a little italian stink but not over the top. loads still of cherry fruit.. a little wax on the finish

Clerico single vineyard Barolo.. cedar and mint on the noe.. again loads of fruit with a lush finish

Barolo di Marchesi 1991.. served from magnum.. one of the most interesting wine noses I have encountered.. diesel and pepper.. almondy finish with some burnt rubber... didnt care for it like my fellow samplers did.

Sito Moresco Gaja 2008.. earthy nose but fruit on the palate.. Nebbiolo cab and merlot..

Summus Banfi 1999.. super tuscan with sangiovese and international grapes.. so it said on the bottle. dirty crayon again on the nose, some cab but again with the almondy finish.

Ca'Marcanda Magari 2005.. super tuscan also... showing more fruit and lush tannins.. better than the summus

Ruffino Serelle Vin Santo 2004... almond and marzapan.. thick but not overly unctious.. pretty... surprisingly light body.