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 […]
Californian Wine
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 […]
Review: Ondine Chattan Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wine varieties that can come to life in one of many different personalities. Some are super tropical, some are elegant and mineral, some have overwhelming grassy aromas, and some are perfectly balanced. Some are made in styles I enjoy, while others can be over the top for my taste. […]
Review: Penelope Breathless California Brut
As a wine blogger I am constantly asked what my favorite wine is. That’s an impossible question to answer. It’s the equivalent of, “what’s your favorite song?” There are just so many! I suppose the best answer is, “the one that’s in my glass.” I bring that up because as I sat down to write […]
Review: Derek Rohlffs, Rosé of Pinot Noir
This is another wine from my friends over at NakedWines.com, who have provided a special offer for readers of this site to get 12 bottles of wine for $79.99 (shipping included). That link gets you the deal. As someone who has spent years on a quest for good wine deals, I have to say that this deal […]
Review: Cline Family Cellars, Sonoma Coast – Estate Grown Syrah
Admittedly, I haven’t been writing about a lot of red wines lately. But I know many of you are red wine fans. You like those rich, bold, dark, spicy red wines. Well, this one is for you. Sometimes it seems impossible to find a great deal on a big, bold California red wine. And by […]
Review: Cline North Coast Viognier
There are some wine brands I come across often at stores, suggesting they have good distribution and produce a large volume of wine. Because of that apparent scale, it can be easy to think of these brands as coming from giant wine factories that don’t have much of a story behind them and just churn […]
Review: Cline Cellars Estate Pinot Gris
One of the principles I try to adhere to is the idea of putting aside preconceptions and prejudices I may have about a wine and letting the wine speak for itself. It’s not as easy to do as you would think. The more you get into wine, the more expectations you develop that influence your […]