Highly recommended

• November 2009

  Is it worth the risk? Certainly to some. The whole issue brings me back ... It's a great watch, and highly recommended for those who may be interested in what's being done to investigate the authenticity of the higher end wines on the block as well as some just sitting in... Read moreIs it worth the risk? Certainly to some. The whole issue brings me back ... It's a great watch, and highly recommended for those who may be interested in what's being done to investigate the authenticity of the higher end wines on the block as well as some just sitting in collections across the world. DMB would be one of my top five nominations should there ever be a thing called the "Snooth Hall of Fame"    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Counterfeit Luxury Wines by ChipDWood

  
  

• September 2009

  A friend and I decided to see wine country while it was just about harvest ... No corkage and great food! Highly recommended. Also, the saloon at the Jack London Lodge I believe, is the bar they used in filming BOTTLE SHOCK. We called Opus One to set an appointment for the next... Read moreA friend and I decided to see wine country while it was just about harvest ... No corkage and great food! Highly recommended. Also, the saloon at the Jack London Lodge I believe, is the bar they used in filming BOTTLE SHOCK. We called Opus One to set an appointment for the next day as we planned to hit Napa. They said 10 Am was no problem, so we though, great, tasting appt. at 10 and we'll be there for the 10:30 tour. We took Trinity Road, which is gorgeous, but slow and winding, from Sonoma (we stayed in Glen Ellen at the Jack London Lodge) to Oakville in Napa Valley. We came out right by Far Niente, Mondavi, Opus One and more. It was pretty awesome to se the signs for all these wineries I have been drinking from. We were early, as most of them don't open til 10, so we drove up the 29 looking at the wineries. It's so beautiful there! We arrived at Opus before the gates were open, took some photos and snuck a few grapes off the vines. We went in and were told that the tours were full and we needed to schedule weeks out and our appt was just for a half glass pour of the 2005 vintage for $30. That was disappointing and what made it worse was the uppity attitude of all the staff there. I understand they have to maintain some regality as it's two wine monarchies we're talking about, but come on! So my friend had her tasting, I have had Opus before, so I, annoyed as hell, opted out. Gorgeous grounds and facility and their terrace provided a nice place for my friend to sip her pour and for us to snap photos of surrounding wineries like Turnbull, Nickel & Nickel, Mondavi, etc. We stopped at Franciscan before it was open, before Opus, again on misinformation on our map. After Opus, we had a meeting at Cosentino with Michael Oullette. He's the winemaker of Blockheadia Ringnosii. My friend had met him in Vegas at a wine dinner and he gave her his card, so we had arranged to meet him for a private VIP tasting of his wines when we went to Napa. He opened his rosé, and three zins and one petit sirah. He was awesome! Very nice, informatie about how he made each one, his passion is evident and his zins are knock your socks off good! The petit sirah needed more time, but all in all, his wines are magnificent. He also opened Cosentino's "The Poet" for us and after, we got to take all the nearly full bottles with us! We then were supposed to hit Redd for lunch and he recommended visiting Cliff Lede and Robert Sinskey, but Allison really wanted to hit Calistoga, having seen BOTTLE SHOCK, to see Chateau Montelena. So we took the Silverado Trail up north to Montelena. They were loading bins of chardonnay into the destemmer, so we took video and again, sampled a grape or two. Their tasting room was nice, but one of the more pricey tastings. We took photos with one of the famed 1973 bottles, then went to the spectacular Clos Pegase. Next we saw Sterling, but opted out of taking their aerial tram. No doubt it'd be a great way to see Napa Valley, but time was short as most wineries are open only until 5. On the way back down, we, having missed lunch were starving, so bypassed Beringer, BV and numerous others, in search of Dean & Deluca for some picnic foods to finish some Blockheadia and eat before continuing on. We then stopped into Franciscan and tasted. We realized we wouldn't have time for Trefethen, so we hit Mondavi since it was a "have to". I must say, everything we tasted that was cabs fell flat for me. Perhaps our salami and cheese lunch spread goofed up our palates, but all their cabs seemed to have nutty qualities. They did however have the generosity to let me spray my shirt with their Wine-Away, since Allison ha spilled on me at lunch. Mondavi is breathtakingly gorgeous! We ended our Napa day at Domaine Chandon. We decided being south already, to take the Carneros Highway back to Sonoma/Glen Ellen. We then saw Domaine Carneros and decided to hit Carneros on our way out, toward SF the next day. We then went to another great dinner at Bottega before leaving Napa Valley. The next day, we hit Benziger first thing as it was close to out hotel. Another great experience and nice facility. We then headed down to Gundlach Bundschu where they were also working with the chardonnay grapes. Their tasting room is awesome! Arrange for a cave tour there! Lots of great history and good wines! Then on to Domaine Carneros. Spectacular chateau!! Finally, we hit Boon Fly for lunch, then Artesa who just beat out Acacia, because of their architecture and style. Artesa is another awesome facility with great wines. Obviously there is a ton to see. If you have a list of "must sees" be prepared to miss some or give some up. Time rarely allows you to stay on plan. What's almost a better plan is to hit a cople of must-sees, then ask where they recommend, or even drive and pull in to places that look interesting. Some of the lesser known ones are the best experiences! All in all, it's a great place with so much natural beauty and appeal and magnificent dining. I can't wait to go back and se even more that we missed. Hopefully I can go once a year, then work my way down to central CA. Our initial "must see" list consisted of the following, with the asterisk on ones we actually made it to: Russian River/Dry Creek: Ferrari Carano* Roshambo (took the place of Seghesio which we had on the list previously, hearing Roshambo is hip and way unpretentious) Jordan*- again, no tasting or tour as we didn't have an appt. Michel-Schlumberger/Domaine Michel Maybes were- Simi, Chalk Hill, Quivira, Dry Creek Vineyard, Kendall Jackson, Martinelli, Sonoma Cutrer Sonoma: Buena Vista* Shug Carneros Gundlach-Bundschu ( "Gun Bun" as it's known)* Hess Domaine Carneros* Maybes were- Acacia, Matanzas Creek, Chateau St. Jean, Kunde, Ravenswood, Sebastiani (BR Cohn we passed a lot and it looks VERY nice) Napa: Trefethen Opus One* Robert Mondavi* Cosentino (Blockheadia Ringnosii)* Beringer Clos Pegase* Chateau Montelena* Sterling Maybes were- Stags Leap Wine Cellars (we found out they're pricey so opted against stopping), Cliff Lede (again, costly according to the info we had), Far Niente, Cakebread, St. Supery, Rubicon (this tour seemed intensive and too long. I am sure it's great, but we wanted to spread our time out), BV, Grgich Hills, Flora Springs, Louis Martini (we'd have tasted here, but it was one of the more pricey tasting rooms and we wanted to picnic elsewhere), Charles Krug/CK Mondavi, Freemark Abbey, Duckhorn, Cuvaison, Mumm and Chappellet. As you can see, there are so many to choose from and even when you chip away at your list, you likely won't make them all. We only had Saturday midday coming from SF, to midday Monday as we had to return to SF to fly home. I'd recommend to anyone a trip to northern CA's wine country. It's gorgeous. Even if you're not that into wine, or others you travel with aren't, it's a fascinating place full of history and beauty. I am guessing you're into wine, since you're a Snoother! So make your plans and enjoy!!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Visiting Wine Country by VegasOenophile

  
  
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  September 2009

  Monchof Estate Riesling 2007

  Snoothrank: Starting at $13^.59

  I highly recommend this wine for the white wine connoisseur. This wine has a fruity taste and is crisp and refreshing in the mouth. I savored every taste. I also have a problem with some wine's will give me a headache. This one did not. The color was clear and paired well with... Read moreI highly recommend this wine for the white wine connoisseur. This wine has a fruity taste and is crisp and refreshing in the mouth. I savored every taste. I also have a problem with some wine's will give me a headache. This one did not. The color was clear and paired well with the lobster I ate.    (hide)

  Wine review by lenore248

  
  
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  September 2009

  Luigi Bosca DOC Malbec 2006

  Snoothrank:

  We served this wine paired with a menu of grilled meats Argentinean style. It ... at elevation in Argentina. Highly recommended

  Wine review by sjlevenson

  
  
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  August 2009

  Brown Brothers Crouchen & Riesling 2007

  Snoothrank:

  This is a great riesling - highly recommended

  Wine review by Gouldy

  
  
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  August 2009

  Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir California 2008

  Snoothrank:

  Drank this last night with a simple salad of grilled chicken and goat cheese. Wow... pretty amazing pinot for the price. Good earthy backbone, fruit is mellow and not over-ripe, good oak nose / flavor, silky finish and a bit of licorice/anise spice on the nose. Highly recommend as an... Read moreDrank this last night with a simple salad of grilled chicken and goat cheese. Wow... pretty amazing pinot for the price. Good earthy backbone, fruit is mellow and not over-ripe, good oak nose / flavor, silky finish and a bit of licorice/anise spice on the nose. Highly recommend as an entry-level pinot noir! 2 wino thumbs up!!    (hide)

  Wine review by Natalie Kronick

  
  
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  August 2009

  Firesteed Pinot Noir

  Snoothrank:

  Great fruity pinot out of Oregon. And a stellar deal! I paid about $18 for a bottle while vacationing in VT for my birthday. What a treat! Even got my boyfriend hooked on pinots from the PNW! Strawberries, a bit of raspberry, some rosepetal notes, good solid Oregon terroir, not... Read moreGreat fruity pinot out of Oregon. And a stellar deal! I paid about $18 for a bottle while vacationing in VT for my birthday. What a treat! Even got my boyfriend hooked on pinots from the PNW! Strawberries, a bit of raspberry, some rosepetal notes, good solid Oregon terroir, not overly fruity like some of the cheap wines. Nice earthy red fruit! would be great with a Cana de Cabra goat cheese and honey on a baguette. Quince paste would be a nice side to pair as well! Highly recommend!    (hide)

  Wine review by Natalie Kronick

  
  
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  August 2009

  Eremo Langhe Barbera E Nebbiolo Fontanafredda 2004

  Snoothrank:

  I love this wine. I searched long and hard for a distributor with a case of it. Someone gave me a bottle of it in SC and I was unable to find it anywhere there. I was thrilled when Pop's had it and had a case of it available to ship out immediately. This is an amazing blend!... Read moreI love this wine. I searched long and hard for a distributor with a case of it. Someone gave me a bottle of it in SC and I was unable to find it anywhere there. I was thrilled when Pop's had it and had a case of it available to ship out immediately. This is an amazing blend! It's an awesome drinking wine or goes great with steak, lasagna, or stronger cheeses! Highly recommend this wine!!!    (hide)

  Wine review by DCGamecock

  
  
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  August 2009

  Sympa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

  Snoothrank:

  Big wine, very masculine. Should pair up nicely with steak, lamb. Decanting highly recommended. Stacks up well next to more pricey cabs.

  Wine review by Winelyman

  
  
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  August 2009

  D'Arenberg Shiraz-Viognier Mclaren Vale The Laughing Magpie 2003

  Snoothrank:

  Highly recommend

  Wine review by vavin

  
  

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