Last year I reviewed several wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal, an outstanding region for wines that provide great value. If you haven’t heard of Alentejo, pronounced ah-len-TAY-zhoo, I’m not that surprised. For reasons unknown to me, Portuguese wines don’t seem to get a lot of attention in the United States. But as a […]
Reviews
Review: 11 Minutes Rosé, Pasqua
11 minutes, that’s how long the juice for this wine remained in contact with the skins after pressing. The winemaker at Pasqua believes that’s the perfect amount of time for the wine to gain its rosé hue from the grape skins. After those 11 minutes, the must is cooled and transferred to a stainless steel […]
Review: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Chardonnay
One of the things the Russian River Valley is known for is great Chardonnay. It is one of those areas where climatic conditions are optimal for growing Chardonnay grapes. Conditions like cool breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean, significant diurnal temperature swings, lots of sunshine and sandy soil with good drainage. Within the Russian […]
Review: Domaine Bousquet, Natural Origins Cabernet Sauvignon
Boxed wines get a bad rap. People often assume boxed wines are all bad, but the box is just a vessel and anything can go into it. It’s not a good vessel for storing wine for long periods of time, but it’s perfectly fine for young wines meant to be consumed fresh. And I’ve had […]
Review: Pam’s UN-Oaked Chardonnay
Summer is upon us and the heat is coming coming down, making this the season for crisp, light, fruity white wines. This one fits the bill perfectly! Chardonnay is one of those wines that is really popular with many people, but also has a number of haters. I call those folks ABC wine lovers (i.e., […]
Review: PassioneSentimento Bianco
Let’s get right to the point, this is a really cool wine. It’s made from Garganega grapes that are partially dried (i.e., like raisins) in a technique called appassimento. And it’s believed to be the only dry white wine produced in the Veneto region using this technique. Veneto, and Italy in general, has a lot […]
Review: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
The Russian River Valley is known for outstanding Pinot Noir, bursting with bright red fruit flavors, elegant, vibrant and just plain scrumptious. That’s exactly what Ron Rubin delivers in this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape variety, for which the vineyard site is critically important. The Russian River Valley, by […]
Review: River Road, Alexander Valley Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon
“I’m a fan of low alcohol, wines” says Ron Rubin, the vintner behind River Road wines. “I keep the alcohol in check to produce elegant wines that you can enjoy, glass after glass.” I too am a fan of low alcohol wines. I generally find them to be more food-friendly, more elegant, more accessible and […]
Review: River Road, Un-oaked Chardonnay
Last week I wrote about a Chardonnay from River Road, so this week I thought I’d write about a Chardonnay from River Road. But wait, this one is different! This is their Un-oaked Chardonnay. This wine is part of what River Road calls their “Heart Series” of wines, which they describe as “fun, innovative, break-the rules, […]
Review: River Road, Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay
I’m always interested in learning the stories behind the wines I try, whether that’s the story of the winemaker, the vineyard, the region or something else. The first thing that caught my attention when looking into this wine is that River Road winery is owned by Ron Rubin, who also owns The Republic of Tea […]