Pinnacle imports/ claire gillette

Forman Chardonnay Napa 2012... slight creaminess from sur-lees aging.. trying to hard to NOT be a typical California Chard.. light ml and wants to be a" a racy elegant" wine but I find it a little dull, especially on the back end

Tineta Spain 2012 Ribero del Duero ... my new favorite red...incensce on the nose.. pretty mouthfeel with a long finish of mocha and coffee

K Vintners Milbandt Vineyards Syrah.. 2011.. a very restrained elegant style of syrah from K.. hoping for more texture

The Lackey Shiraz Australia 2012 green new nose  and some nice fruit on the palate... just left a little abruptly

Rossi-Wallace Pinot Noir 2012.. pretty floral on the nose, dried fruit with a slight cocoa hint

Ramey Claret Napa Valley 2012  leaner than expected but I have been exposed to a lot of extracted monsters this week.. seems like its missing something but maybe its just  me..lots of mid palate goings on.

Titus. with Trademark joseph

Titus has been in the market before with different distributors

Titus Sauvignon Blanc Napa 2012.. Viscous with melon overtones...

Andronicus 2011 Napa Red Blend.. cab driven... a little stinky feet. very dense on the palate.. the zin makes a statement too... not tannic but lush..

Titus Cabernet Napa 2010  again with the stinky feet, earthy terroir.. coffee and tar on the nse.. cassis... long rich finish

Titus Reserve Cabernet 2010 dark and full bodied.. brooding almost.. dark inky fruits.. highly extracted.. may be long lived

Titus Zinfandel Napa 2012  again dark and extracted.. vanilla from the american oak.. a little brambly but mostly juicy. silky

vine connections/ mo bev

Casa Silva Carmenere Cuvee Colcagua 2012...  dark purple in the glass, not the bell pepper nose of most Carme's firm tannins... may be one of the best Carmenere i have tasted.

J Bouchon Merlot 2012... this companies homage to left bank. merlot based but blended with other bordeaux varietals. slightly herbal and a bit rustic but still interesting

Coquena Tannat Salta 2011.. woodsy on the nose and extremely drinkable given the varietal.

Boya Sauvignon Blanc 2013 gooseberry without the high acid, more round in texture...causing to be somewhat dull

Crios Rose of malbec 2012.. slightly flabby...
 
Boya pinot Noir 2012  slight rusty color.. slight rhurbarb on the nose, spice and coffee on the finish..

Appellations

Domaine Vacheron Sancerre 2012... Sauv Blanc from Loire.. slight minerality.. surprisingly sweet...lemon and lime finish.. nice mouthfeel

Gavignet Bourgogne Chardonnay 2010 toasty nose but terroir driven on the palate.. may just be a bit cold to get more

Gavignet Nuits st Georges  2010Pinot Noir from the darker part of burgundy. lots of fruit forward red fruit.. light finish...

Domaine des Tilleuls Gevry Chambertin  2010    showing silky tannins, light color and body

Joseph Sabon Clos de Mont Olivet Font de Blanche CDR  slight young vine nose, earthy perfume on the palate..

Joseph Sabon Clos de Mont Chateauneuf Le petit mont 2010  tar and tobacco... would like to try this when it isnt as cold as currently presented

Bodega de Edgar/ Edgar Torres

a small winery by the winemaker for McPrice Meyer and other central coast wineries. with his spanish roots he tries to specialize in spanish varietals..

2012 Albarino ... very pretty aromas, almost viognier like,  viscous  and nice acidity....

2012 Tempranillo paso robles  dense, intense on the palate.. grip and dark fruit,

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso dark in the glass.. bright cassis... nice enough on the finish.

2011 Toro de paso a blend of Tempranill, grenache, Mouvedre and merlot.. stinky feet, juicy long finish..

all of these wines would be crowd pleasers.. highly extracted with depth of color and flavors.. needs hearty food

tommasi lunch with Elena Zin from the winery/ Jaspers

Where else to have an Italian lunch with wine than next door at Jaspers. and with a name like Elena Zin she obviously had to get into the wine business

Tommasi Prosecco NV.. made in the heart of the Prosecco DOCG this really does show how a well made prosecco could compete with champagne, unfortunately most prosecco in the market is mass lproduced and inexpensive

Tommasi Pinot Grigio LE ROSSI 2012.. again.. the right grapes planted in the right climate and soil.. much as merlot was overplanted in the 90s to places it shouldnt go so has pinot grigio been treated. The result here is a lush bright wine that happens to be more expensive

Tommasi Arele Apassimento 2010  made from the traditional valpolicella grapes, corvina, rondinella and merlot... where some of the grapes go to dry, the others are held for a shorter time... very round and luscious

Tommasi Valpolicella Rafael 2011.. a great value for the money... a wonderful pizza or pasta wine

Tommasi Ripasso 2011.. the wine is fermented then allowed to be pumped over amarone skins to give a hint of the Amarone style... also a good value

Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2009.. these grapes are rested in trays for up to 40 days then pressed.. these can sometime give a raison character but this wine has more of the robust busty character that stands up to any meat..

marian and vincent/ terra firma

Baron de luze Bordeaux white 2011 a neutral oak.. little bit of ml but plain

La Petite Borie 2011 Red Bordeaux a bit of frstinky atsnd some fruit... pleasant enough

Chateau le Manceau Cote de Blaye 2010 smell of sawdust.. a bit rustic...

Chateau la Raze Beauvale cru bourgeois Medoc 2010 what a french nose should be.. lets you know its not from here but dont be obnoxious about it.. pretty soft red fruit throughout.. best of the bunch here

Jourdan bordeaux Superiore 2007  predominately Cab franc.. cinnamon and spice and everything nice.. oh wait thats something else.. long silky tannin.. very nice

Chateau Pierrefitte lalande de pomerol Cuvee de Malte 2010  merlot based.. very nice depth of flavor.. almost meaty like a syrah... could really use a steak or chewy meat dish

cynthia/ bommarito

Domaine Romaine Collet Les Pargues Chablis 2011.. definite chablis nose of minerality.. missingsome of that nervosity or tension that Chablis can have.. 

Luigi Baudana Dragon Langhe Bianco 2011 a blend of chard/pinot blanc/riesling and sauv blanc.. lots of texture and fruit round from the pinot blanc and slight sweet from the drier riesling... very enjoyable for a hot summer day

Tiennes Sainte Fleur Viognier Provence 2012.. finding well priced Viognier from france can be tricky, either pricy or bad. this is nice white pepper with some stone fruit on the back... juicy and long finish

Chateau la tour de mons Margaux 2012  french stink on the nose, dark fruit and earth on the palate.. just a hint of spice

Chevalier de lascombes margaux 2009 depth in flavor and color, long finish  not as much of the french stink but not too new world either

Qupe Syrah Central Coast 2011.. young vine nose that wasnt as young on the palate..well maybe just a little.. should be better in 6 months

henriot rep with bernie lee glazers

Henriot Blanc de Blanc Nv  clean and acidic.. light yeast.. clean and acidic... a really good food champagne

Bouchard wines
quick guide from the rep.  2011 ample vintage to enjoy while waiting for the 10 to mature.
2012 down in volume but good concentration of fruit
2013 lots of hail at bud break..late harvest.. hard vintage

William Fevre 2011 Champs Royaux...very metalic on the front that does round out a little on the finish.. a beginners Chablis..to get used to the idea of chard not being a fruit bomb

Bouchard Chardonnay 2012... mostly neutral oak.. pleasant

Beaune de Chateau 2009. white.. surprisingly tropical fruit.. with a light toasty oak finish.. would almost have thought this central coast

Bouchard Pinot Noir 2011  light in color and texture.. a good beginner for french pinot noir ( notice that they are dumbing down the label for the American consumer)......

Beaune de Chateau red 2009.. best wine of the day meaty, dark fruit.. silky tannins. long dry finish.. interesting in that it is a blend of different Premier Cru lots instead of just being one specific site from the Beaune

Pinnacle with Paul Wilkins/ Alta Maria

2011 Alta Maria Sauv Blanc.. offputting slight chemical nose, with an interesting Chipolte or chile overtones on the palate.

2012 Alta Maria Chardonnay ...non traditional style of Chard.. light ML and use of stainless steel not quite an oregon in style but close..

2010 Alta Maria Pinot Noir incense nose, pretty fruit.. long finish  just right

2010 Native 9 pinot noir .. named for the 9th generation of winery owners.. and made from 8 different sights.. smells like what a winery smells like to me.. lots of must and wood and grapes.. thick in texture... almost think this was a syrah

2010 Autonom Rhone Cuvee Santa Maria... cool climate version of rhone varitetals.. liking the texture and finish... dark fruit with blackberry standing out.. .. my style

Ojai Bien Nacido Syrah 2010  tight nose showing some dark fruit... very astringent not fruit forward on the palate..may do better with time...

mark joseph/ trademark wines

Cultivar Napa 2012  light in color.. goose berry nose but a rounder style.. sauv blanc..

Buty Semillon/Sauvignon Muscadelle blend.. Columbia Valley round nose of melon and minerality..nice enough acidity

SansSoo Languedoc... is nice i guess to taste a really bad wine once in a while to know that they do still exist. This biodynamic grenache/syrah blend from the south of france is so bad.. tart and strange on the palate.. a metalic taste with a hint of sausage...

Martinozzi Brunello di Montalicino 2009  brickish in color and cinnamon earthy character. very nice idea of the area at not a lot of money

Hestia Columbia Valley Red blend 2011.. syrah, cab, petite verdot and malbec. dark color in the glass with spice, mocha and cocoa dominating.  tight nose so it could use some aeration or age.. cedar and tannins..with some dark cherry on the finish

Edict Chardonnay Napa 2011 made from Hyde Vineyard fruit by guest winemaker Jay Bonnacorsi.. toasty nose with good acidity.. long fruit frinish but not overly ml or oaked... an almost meaty finish.. interesting and good price for the source

Edity Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2010.. made by Mark Herald from Stagecoach vineyard.. dark forboding in the glass, and its all about texture.. tannin and heat..fruit is there but really has to be coaxed out.. just bottled and shipped may need to revisit in 6 months or so

Caine Thompson/ Pyramid Valley Vineyards/ Ionia

Interesting winery out of New Zealand with the managing director from there as well. very soft spoken.. not the brash type I have come to new from there..they have gone around NZ and found varietals that are not traditional or popular and worked them into a series of wines

2009 Riverbrook Vineyard Riesling.. very old world in style.. lots of diesel and minerality... seemingly sweet needs food

2010 Kerner Estate Pinot Blanc  lots of texture and maybe the glass was still reeking from the Riesling but there was the diese..l touch again.. round mouthfeel

2010 Twin Valleys Vineyard Savagnin Rose a member of the Gewurztraminer family? that gave an interesting yeasty nose, slightly vegetal.. viscous like a gewurz.. still trying to decide if I liked it

2009 Cowley Family Pinot Noir light brickish color.. lots of tannin, texture to it.. light on fruit with some dried cranberry coming through.. a touch of meatiness on the  end

2010 Earth Smoke Pinot Noir from clay and limestone soil. earthy notes with a little mushroom.. light weight on body but finished long

2008 Rose Vineyard late harvest riesling.. wow talk about smelling old world.. this tons of petrol and honeysuckle I am still tasting an hour after trying.. not overly viscous.. would work well with blue cheese

These are not styles of wines I am attracted to but I know that if I only sold wines I like we wouldnt be here..and no matter what other wine merchants may say there is no wrong profile

Marietta wine with Pinnacle

Golden barrel has closed and now some of their more popular wines are being distributted by others distributors. case in point.. Marietta is with Pinnacle

Old Vine Red 60... dark black fruits.. very juicy long finish.. still a good value for the money

Zinfandel 2011 Sonoma  dark color but softer and lighter than I remember.. maybe indicitive of the vintage

Petite Sirah Alexander Valley 2010 smells grapey, tannins and grip on the palate..

Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2010  dirty feet again.. vegetal maybe younger vines , dark fruit on the finish.  nice length

Angeli Alexander Valley 2010  slightly menthol or eucalyptus on the nose, bright fruit flavors.. zin, petite sirah and carignan blend.. Angeli is a single ranch wine

Derrick Jackson with Major Brands... a newbie at tasting with me

Brancott Pinot Grigio 2013  a slightly lower in calorie wine... which leads one to say the woman would have to buy it because a man cant hand a bottle of low cal wine to a woman without fear of having that bottle thrown back...low cal wines were popular for about a minute 10 years ago when Beringer came out with low cal loww carb wine that quickly went into the closeout bin.  that being said the wine was light and uneventful... slight lemon on the palate.

Graffino Pinot Grigio 2012 Argentina.. the bottle was off.. too much carbonation... because there shouldnt be any, and the nose was all about slate and diesel which would be great for Alsace but Argentina, not so much

Dead Bolt White. California 2012... a blend of chard and chenin blanc... sweet but not enough  and simple.

Dead Bolt Red California 2011 .. a zin blend similar to Apothic...that was pretty in the glass and had some interesting notes on the nose of the style I like, and on the palate it stays that way except it is a little sweeter than I like on the finish.. a little meaty though

Pierre with Bernard Maguez/ terra firma

Interesting to try 3 different vintages of the same wine, and to also see the difference in labeling laws.

Chateau Frombrauge Grand Clu St Emilion 1999,  brickish brown in color.. tobaccco on the nose, showing some fruit but mostly past the prime... 99 was to have been a great right bank vintage

Chateau Frombrauge Grand Clu st Emilion 2006  slightly brickish in color... stinky feet vegetal on the nose, and showing more vegetal characteristics on the palate

Chateau Fronbrauge Grand Clu St Emilion 2010   dark in the glass  good fruit, structure and tannin on the palate.. soft oak back taste

Haut Peyraguey Sauternes 2010  honey and grass on the nose, apricots and lemon grass on the palate... relatively light bodied for a sticky.. but might not be a bad thing with peoples palates gettting over tired from the viscousity

Michael Pozzan Wines/ Appellations

2010 Russian River Chardonnay toasty nose, creamy and round... typical cali chard

2011 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.. bright cherry, soft on the palate.. light acidity... pretty but not much else

2010 Alexander valley Cabernet good depth of color, lots of high notes but missing some middle gut.. good for the price point but there are many in this price and quality

Cynthia/Bommarito..

Toscala Vernaccia diSan Gimignano Tuscany 2012.. Vernaccia is one of the first Italian whites I ever tried.. back in the Mama Stuffeati days that was a easy drinking white wine before the days of Pinot Grigio... minerality.. surprisingly sweet tropical fruit on the finish..

Bodegas Naia Las Brisas Rueda Spain 2012... a verdejo/viura blend.. floral nose and slight pink grapefruit on the finish.. very mouthfilling

Lang and Reed Cabernet Franc North Coast 2011... showing the vegetal side of the varietal. lots of tar and tobacco. nice light juicy though.. not a lot of depth

Domaine du Joncier Le Classique Lirac 2011  again with the lavender floral on the nose, juicy long lasting deep flavors of typical character... one of my favorites..

Bommarito / Indigenous/ Adam Hoffman/

Contratto Brut Rose For Englantd 2007.. 100 % pinot noir.. very dry.. a bit of a rough mousse from beginning to end

La Spinetta Barbaresco Bordini  2008  juicy and somewhat of an earthy finish. rhino on the label

Contratto fernet an amaro style digestive.. jagermeister ish... methol and eucalyptus..