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Oenophilus' Review:

Kind of a crowd pleaser. Pears, matchstick, kettle corn, and lemon aromas come out of this clear and bright pale straw colored wine. It enters the mouth with mild citrus and golden delicious apples surrounded by oak and weight down by butter. Luckily the well-balanced acids keep your interest well into the long finish. A great bargain Would I drink this regularly? Why not? But, in reality, it isn't my cup of Chard so I probably wouldn't.

Oenophilus' Review:

This vineyard designate from Dry Creek Valley intrigues me. Its nose features vanilla, cinnamon, clove, but rankles me a little with some pickled jalapeno at the end of the aroma profile. Great dark rich fruits with a focus on cherry, plum, and currants then comes a little reduced beef broth which doesn't really spoil the party so much as to lead us into the green pepper flavor and cayenne spice which continue in the finish framed by nice acid and leaving leathery tannins.I tip my hat to the memory of Stan Simpson - Two Moon Vineyards grower and McCray Ridge winemaker; we will miss him. Our love and support go to his amazing wife, Julie Simpson.

Oenophilus' Review:

I'm not usually a big SB fan but this was fun. Varietal Grapefruit and grass were complimented by elderflower which mad it much more enjoyable. The wine had great acid both at front and back. The midpalate was full of peach and pear flavors, offset with an interesting brothiness that made the mouthfeel a little richer before ending in a long savory and fruity finish.

Oenophilus' Review:

Flint and grapefruit peel in the nose lead into a continuation of those flavors with a nice blend of apple, honeydew, and passionfruit with a bit of white peppercorn. The acid is a bit sharp on the sides before settling into a nice juicy finish.

Oenophilus' Review:

Slight sulfur to get past to reach the sour cherry and bramble. The sour cherry continues in the mouth but is focused by rich, dark stonefruit and berry. Silty cinnamon tannins go wide for the long acid Hail Mary pass finish.

Oenophilus' Review:

A blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Viognier. The nose was actually a little off-putting at first - a little too much skunk and tobacco over-powering the nice florals, roast meat and coffee. There is a very generous mouthfeel with broad darkfruit and chocolate flavors. The finish also takes a bit away again with tobacco bitterness, prune flavors, and acids that don't seem entirely natural.

Oenophilus' Review:

Bright golden color, honeysuckle and pear with a little PEZ in the nose. Nice medium mouthfeel with flavors of baked apple, apricot, and melon with flint leading the ever so slightly bitter acids that trail brightly on.

Oenophilus' Review:

55% Syrah, 25% Cinsault, 10% Mourvedre, 10% CarignaneDeep color; plum and tobacco both hit the nose. Broad plum and sour cherry in the mid with charbroiled ribs that continue on through the finish.

Oenophilus' Review:

What an interesting wine! Nose is full of herbal aromas without being herbaceous! Rosemary and bayleaf prickle the nose followed by blackberry (not crackberry!). The mid-palate fills with broad sweet dark fruit. The tannins get a little darker and more bitter on the finish with a nice mild acid at the end

Oenophilus' Review:

Russian River. Not just for Pinot anymore! I have always enjoyed these quality zinfandels that defy conventional wisdom and come from the land of Chards and Pinots. I like Zin: new vine or old vine, each have their charms. However, "old vine" Sonoma fruit tends to have such depth and layers of flavors that I will often gravitate towards a label with this pedigree. Stryker uses two vineyard sources here. One is over 100 years old and the other - let's just say it is older than John McCain. Barbieri, the older of the two, falls into another of my passions: Field Blends. Long ago, farmers just picked their fields and made wine. The uniqueness and complexity came from all the different grapes planted in the vineyard. Barbieri includes my favorite, Grenache, along with the deep blackness of Alicante as parts of the Heinz 57 here. This makes for a complex blend which is truly signature Sonoma.A nose full of boysenberry, caramel, and pepper lead into all sorts of ripe red fruits, chocolate Cherries Jubilee, and licorice. A rich mouthfeel leaves mild and sweet drying tannins with flavors of milk chocolate and plum before the Russian River acids leave you wanting more!