I’m really excited by some of the wines coming out of Cline Cellars these days. They’re producing a number of Rhone varietals in California to create unique and very affordable wines. The latest one I’ve tasted from them is this Marsanne Roussanne. If you’re not a regular consumer of Rhone varietals, you may find yourself […]
I haven’t done a roundup article in a while, so I thought it was time to give you a quick summary of the recent series we did on zinfandel. For those who are new to zinfandel, think bold, spicy and fruity wines. These aren’t subtle wines — although some are more elegant than others. And […]
Issue number 18 of Mutineer Magazine hits shelves today and my column in the magazine this month includes an overview of some great values to be found in Paso Robles—including this chardonnay from Stillwaters Vineyards. When I visited Stillwaters Vineyards back in March, I not only appreciated their wines, but got a little insight from […]
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to taste a short flight of wines from Spanish producer, Camp Viejo. This Rioja-based winery has been producing wine for a good 50 years and produces three different wines, each a specific style as regulated by the Rioja DOC. Rioja, for those who don’t know, is the […]
We reviewed Apaltagua’s Carménère Reserva back in April and found the wine to be a fine example of new world carménère. We’ve finally gotten around to reviewing the vintner’s more polished Carménère offering, their 2008 Envero Gran Reserva. While the Reserva is 100% carménère, the Envero Gran Reserva contains about 7% cabernet sauvignon. The winery […]
When you’re perusing the Italian shelf in your local wine shop, chances are good that you’ll come across a primitivo. And you may wonder what that wine tastes like. Well, if you’re a zinfandel fan you may want to check it out because primitivo is basically the Italian name for zinfandel. The genetic makeup of […]
Today we have a double-header! Two different zinfandels from Cline Cellars. Cline Cellars is actually pretty well known for their zinfandel. It’s their specialty, along with Rhone varietals, and they produce seven different zinfandels, that I know of, maybe more. These two are the “under $20” offerings from Cline, while the others they produce a […]
A question I get asked every now and then is, “Is any of the wine in those big bottles any good?” The short answer is, “yes, some of it is good.” But not all of it. Some folks refer to bottles that are 1.5 liter and larger as “large format” bottles. And in some cases, […]
We’ve been talking about zinfandel for the past few weeks, and while many of those we’ve reviewed have been from Lodi, California, now we’re getting into some from other regions. And one of the great appellations for zinfandel is Paso Robles, the origin of this wine from Villa San-Juliette. When we’re writing about wines, sometimes […]
While many of the zinfandels we’ve been reviewing lately come from Lodi, California, that’s not the only place that’s producing great zin. This one from X Winery comes from the Nova Vineyard in Lake County, California. This is located just outside Kelseyville, California — which is a good bit north of Napa and Sonoma, and even […]
