Summertime has us reaching for refreshment ~ cold whites, of course, but I just can’t give up my reds.  (Hence, the popularity of Rose?)  But I still crave my reds.  In that light, I thought I’d share some favorite warm weather wines, both red and white wines.  It’s no wonder they’re all European, as some of the best thirst quenchers have the bracing acidity and incredible structure they’re known for.

European Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, August 19th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

EUROPEAN WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Kentia Albarino - $13.99 (Glass Price: $5)  Aromas of lemon pith, pear skin and melon. Juicy and broad on the palate with deep pit and orchard fruit flavors. 90 points V
• Givry 1er Cru Burgundy - $26.99 (Glass Price: $10)  If you love white Burgundy, you’ll flip for this Premier Cru at this incredible price!
• Cote de Nuits Villages - $29.99 (Glass Price: $10)  When it comes to exceptional quality/price wines, the Domaine Gaston & Pierre Ravaut is a must-have. Concentrated and rich in color, this wine offers excellent balance, poised all the way through the finish.
• Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco - $49.99 (Glass Price: $20)  The quintessential “Rose in a fisted glove”, Barbaresco looks delicate and light, but hits with power and finishes extremely long. Crushed flowers, mint, bright red berries are all nicely delineated in this pretty, nuanced Barbaresco. 90 points V
• Chateau des Jacques Morgon - $22.99 (Glass Price: $8)  Known by Somms as the “in” thing now, Beaujolais is the ugly stepson of Burgundy.
  Built for anyone who loves wine, the 2012 Château des Jacques Morgan is a substantial cru Beaujolais; expansive and long and most satisfying, a super alternative to Pinot Noir in this price range.

Ever since Robert Parker blew the lid off by pronouncing Rutherford’s Rhiannon Blend the best buy around, the spotlight has been shining brightly on Rutherford Wine Co. Their Cabernet has been so hot, they’re increasing the price by $6 bottle Sept 1^st!  Which prompted us to get them down for a tasting, and to give you the opportunity to scoop some up at the current price.

Darren Pace will be down from the winery Friday evening to serve up their wines, and discuss their meteoric rise in popularity.

Rutherford Wine Company Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, August 12th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

THE WINES OF CAYMUS WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Rutherford Ranch Chardonnay - $19.99 (Glass Price: $5)  Rich flavors of peach, ripe pear, lemon zest with bright acidity and a creamy mouthfeel.
• Rutherford Ranch Cabernet - $21.99 (Glass Price: $5)  Aromas and flavors of ripe currant, black cherry, rich dark chocolate and fresh spearmint. Full-bodied with soft tannins, a velvety mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish.
• Rhiannon Red - $14.99 (Glass Price: $5) An absolutely amazing value, the Proprietary Red is a great blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah and Barbera The palate is lush with black berry, Bing cherry, raspberry. Deep ruby color with a lush mouthfeel and long finish. 90 Points Robert Parker
• Two Range Red - $24.99 (Glass Price: $8)  This full-bodied red blend pays homage to Napa Valley’s ideal location between the Vaca and Mayacamas mountain ranges, and reflects the depth and character of wines from this world famous wine grape growing region.
• Rutherford Ranch Reserve Cab - $54.99 (Glass Price: $20)  Lovely ruby color with aromas of boysenberry, currant, spearmint and dried herbs. It is a medium-full-bodied, well-balanced wine with rich tannins and has big, delicious flavors of currant, boysenberry and caramel.

Since it’s origin in 1972 the Wagner Family has been one of the most successful families in the Napa Valley,  Their Cabernet has set the standards for all Cabs produced since and currently.  Their production now includes many other labels and tonight we will taste Caymus as well as 3 of their most famous labels under their umbrella of wines.

The Wines of Caymus Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, July 29th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $30

THE WINES OF CAYMUS WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Meiomi Chardonnay - $24.99 (Glass Price: $10) Bright, tropical flavors are enhanced by aromas of brown sugar, honey and butterscotch.  Notes of mango and citrus on the balanced finish.
• Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) A hint of honeysuckle and underlying notes of tangerine and wet stone. The wine enters the palate with a crisp yet soft quality, flowing into flavors of flower blossom and ending with a mouthwatering finish.
• Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Piedras - $59.99 (Glass Price: $25) Offers a broad texture with deep fruit flavors of dark cherry, forest floor, currant and raspberry.  Beautifully pure.  92 pts Parker!
• Emmolo Merlot - $59.99 (Glass Price: $25) Aromas of mahogany smoke, leather and brown spice, while earthy flavors intertwine with caramelized plum and smooth tannins reminiscent of ground cocoa. 90 pts James Suckling!
• Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon - $89.99 (Glass Price: $40) Beautifully ripe, plump and opulent style that Caymus has made famous.  Loads of juicy blackberry and blackcurrant fruit.  Irresistible! 94 pts Parker!

Granted  “organic” is a real buzzword in selling many products but in the farming industry it is a life style.  These farmers aren’t concerned about what the public buys, they are concerned with saving mother Earth and doing the right thing in farming.  Organic grapes have no bearing on good or great wine, there are plenty of bad organic wines.  We think you’ll agree, these selections are not those!

Organic Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, July 22nd, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

ORGANIC WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Pacific Redwood Merlot - $12.99 (Glass Price: $5) Wonderfully fruit forward style with blueberry and blackberry flavors.  Made with no added sulfites or other synthetic preservatives.
• Frey Field Blend - $19.99 (Glass Price: $8) Very flavorful with hints of blackberry, meat, pepper and licorice.  Frey makes only organic and biodynamic wines. Very good quality.
• Frog’s Leap Zinfandel - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) This was the first certified organic winery in Napa Valley almost 30 years ago!  Today they use NO water (all dry farmed).  Bursting berry flavors with  great depth and complexity.  Delicious.
• Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon - $11.99 (Glass Price: $5) A big, bright Cab with flavors of raspberry, vanilla and toasted oak. Well structured and polished.  A great value in Cabernet.
• Volver Tarima Hill Monestrell - $19.99 (Glass Price: $12) Made from 100% old vine Mourvedre these organically farmed vineyards are very high and produce wine with gobs of blueberry and dark cherry flavors.  Big, substantial and meaty.  91 pts Parker

Since we live in one of the greatest wine producing regions in the world, I thought it might be fun to taste the competition.  We’ll visit France, Spain, Italy, Australia and Argentina to see how they hold up to us.

World Wine Tour Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, July 15th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

WORLD WINE TOUR WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Ch. Laforge, St. Emilion, France - $21.99 (Glass Price: $9) From, 100% old vine Merlot vines and offers up lots of kirsch, chocolate and licorice.  This is an impressive, ripe, hedonistic wine.  90 pts Parker!
• 3 Rings Shiraz, Australia - $21.99 (Glass Price: $9) Intense flavors of baked plums, cloves and blackberries are followed by a note of dusty earth.  Spicy berries on the long, lush finish.
• Norton, Malbec Reserva, Argentina - $19.99 (Glass Price: $8) Toasty and ripe with plenty of mocha and raspberry flavors.  Silky on the palate with dark creamy fruit on the finish.  92 pts Wine Spectator!
• Alto Moncayo, Veraton, Spain - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) This is a blockbuster 100% old vine Grenache.  Great intensity with loads of black currant and black cherry fruit.  Full bodied and powerful.
• Sette Ponte, Crognolo, Italy - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) Richly layered and sculpted.  Great depth, dazzling red fruits with wonderful mouthfeel.  Silky tannins and exceptional balance.  This is a tremendous follow up to last years super star.  95 pts James Suckling!

Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post wines are made by Buellton Hitching Post Restaurant owner/chef Frank Ostini and his good friend, former fisherman Gray Hartley.  Their project was to make wine exclusively for the restaurant But beginning in 1990 they began selling their wine and the rest is history.

Hitching Post Winery Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, July 8th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

HITCHING POST WINERY WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Pinks Rose - $16.99 (Glass Price: $8) Fresh and lively with plenty of cherry, strawberry and hints of melon.  Rich and mouth-filling.  A bit richer in style.  Delicious for summer!
• Pinot Noir Hometown - $21.99 (Glass Price: $9) Lush, supple and hard to resist.  Pretty red fruits, spice and hints of underbrush.  Mouth filling texture and great balance.
• Pinot Noir Cork Dancer - $26.99 (Glass Price: $12) Elegant notes of allspice, cloves, dark cherries and oak.  Beautiful round tannins and no hard edges, reminds us of a nice Cote de Beaune. YUM!
• Pinot Noir Highliner - $34.99 (Glass Price: $14) More complex than the others, has great structure, pretty red fruit, dried leaves, spice box and hints of incense.  Supple, balanced texture.  Great!
• Generation Red (Gen Red) - $16.99 (Glass Price: $8) A very fun blend this year being mostly Merlot that leads to roundness and easy drinkability.  The Cab Franc adds interest and body.  The other red grapes add interest and complexity.  A fun wine.

Tis the season for July 4^th celebrations, graduations, weddings and backyard gatherings.  Every party needs bubbles and here are 5 examples of which to choose ranging from every day drinkers to special bottles.

The Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, July 1st, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

THE CHAMPAGNE AND SPARKLING WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Picamelot Brut Sparkling - $16.99 (Glass Price: $8) Showing a fine balance between toast and fruit.  Nice mousse and fine bubbles.  Not from Champagne so is French Sparkling of high quality.
• Pol Clement Brut Rosé Sparkling - $9.99 (Glass Price: $4) I drink Sparkling wine every night and this is my wine of choice.  It comes from Loire France and is equal to many $40 champagnes I’ve had. It is our go to party and wedding wine!
• Domaine Carneros Brut Sparkling - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) This is Tattinger’s domestic Sparkler and of very high quality.  Apples, honeycomb, flowers and brioche make this a real favorite.  Yummy!
• Moutard NV Brut Champagne - $29.99 (Glass Price: $12) The best value in real Champagne!  Elegant and balanced, deep, full bodied and crisp.  If it has to be Champagne, this is your wine!  Delicious!
• Taittinger NV Brut La Francaise Champagne - $59.99 (Glass Price: $25) Showing elegance and finesse.  Mainly Pinot Noir, it has subtle power while maintaining al the feminine qualities we expect from this wine. 91 pts Wine Spectator

For some time now those of us in the wine industry have realized Spain is the greatest wine value in the world today.  There are tons of 90+ point wines from Spain for under $20!  We will taste some of those tonight.

Wines of Spain Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, June 24th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

WINES OF SPAIN WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Tarima Hill Monestrell - $19.99 (Glass Price: $8) This 100% old vine Mourvedre offer lots of blueberry, dark raspberry, cherry and mineral flavors with great balance and depth.  91 pts Parker!
• Locations E3 (Orin Swift) - $19.99 (Glass Price: $9) These Locations wines are quite unconventional with the grape that are blended from all over the country but the genius of Dave Phinney pull it all together for some of the greatest values in the world.  93 pts Parker!
• Juan Gill Monestrell - $14.99 (Glass Price: $6) A clean, fresh nose of blackberries and the flavors follow through with elegance and grace.  Lots of black fruits here.  Good power. 92 pts Parker!
• Vina Ardanza 2005 Reserva - $39.99 (Glass Price: $15) Notes of cedar, tobacco and spice frame a dried cherry, berry and vanilla palate.  The wine has a lovely weightless intensity.  Classic!  94 pts Parker!
• Condado De Haza Ribera Del Duero - $19.99 (Glass Price: $9) Nice nose of raspberry, kirsch and incense.  The palate shows a core of red fruits with great balance and structure.

We all know Cabernet Sauvignon is king of the reds so here is your opportunity to try the rest of the red family.  You may not have tried these wines in some time so sit back, relax and enjoy.

The ABC (Anything but Cabernet) Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, June 17th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

THE ABC (ANYTHING BUT CABERNET) WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Athair Pinot Noir, Somona Coast - $34.99 (Glass Price: $15) Vibrant cherry, violet and cedar nose followed by similar notes on the palate.  Juicy plum and earthy notes on the finish.  93 pts Parker!

• Seghesio Zinfandel, Sonoma - $27.99 (Glass Price: $12) On the nose is leather, bright berries, and earth.  On the palate ripe blackberry, white pepper and hints of tobacco and mocha.
  

• Melville Syrah Verna’s, Lompoc - $29.99 (Glass Price: $13) Terrific notes of cassis, peppered meats, blackberries and smoke to go with a full bodied style of ripe, and layered Syrah.  93 pts Parker!

• Jaffurs Petite Sirah, Santa Barbara County - $39.99 (Glass Price: $15) Decadent dark fruit flavors, full bodied richness and depth this wine is killer!!  Plenty of round tannins for aging.  95 pts Parker!

• Runquist Cabernet Franc, Clarksberg - $24.99 (Glass Price: $11) Aromas of cedar, graphite, roasted peppers followed by flavors of black cherry, smoked peppers and vanilla.  Elegantly textured all the way to a smooth, seamless finish.  Delicious.

Everyone seems to enjoy these tastings where you can test yourself and find out where your preferences lie without letting labels sway your judgment.  There are a lot of similarities here so have fun and good luck.

California vs Oregon Pinot Noir Blind Wine Tasting Event

Tasting Dates:

Friday, June 10th, 2016 – 5pm to 7pm

Tasting Cost: $25

CALIFORNIA vs OREGON PINOT NOIR BLIND WINE TASTING:

Here are the wines we have selected to share with you.

• Talley Vineyards, California - $35.99 (Glass Price: $14) A nose of rose petals and wild flowers followed by flavors of black cherry, boysenberry and spice.  Classic Calif. Pinot.  91 pts Parker

• Husch Vineyards, California - $22.99 (Glass Price: $10) Aromas of black cherry, flowers and spice.  Flavors of strawberry and dark cherry.  Blue fruits come forward with airing.  Delicious!
  

• Pali Rivera, California - $19.99 (Glass Price: $9) Tons of black cherry and black currant fruit.  Subtle oak nuances along with a nice spice component.  Very fun wine. 

• Soter Planet Oregon, Oregon - $21.99 (Glass Price: $9) Tony Soter’s most affordable wine and it shows nice bouquet of cherry, and strawberry.  Soft and fleshy with clean bright fruit.  WOW! 

• Stoller Vineyards, Oregon - $24.99 (Glass Price: $11) Light and seductively supple with pure cherry and black cherry flavors.  Nice structure and elegance.  A finish that shows pear and spice   90pts