Friday, February 20, 2009

Its Napa Premier Week-end!



We just arrived in Napa and tasting wine at Shafer.
The 2005 Hillside Select has rich velvety fruit.
Lush texture with a solid backbone and still drinking well now.
The 2007 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay has flavors of papaya, mango and cream.
There is a kiss of oak but not overwhelming with good acidity.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Staff Tasting Favorites

Our Thursday tasting was fantastic! Here are the bottles we passed.

Antano 07 Rioja
Thick and chewy, with black fruit, leather and serious minerality.
Big shouldered for Rioja, but darned tasty.

Lioco 07 "Charles Heintz" Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)
Beautifully balanced, silky wine, with pear and apricot fruit set
into a creamy texture and a finish of astonishing length.

Il Follo NV Proseco Extra Dry
This is juicy bubbly, with a lovely texture, loaded with bright fruit.
It's just off dry enough to remind you that it's prosecco, not champagne.
There's a nice flinty note adding a dimension to the finish.

Lioco 07 Sonoma Coast, Carneros
Soft, silky and sexy wine, with cherry fruit and real delicacy.
This is classy wine.

Lioco 07 Sonoma, Chardonnay
Middleweight, with crisp apple fruit and a light kiss of cream at the end.
Lovely and balanced.

Mas de Daumas Gassac 07, White Wine Blend, Languedoc
White straw color with peaches and herbs, rosemary in particular, wafting
from the nose. Rich and spicy, laced with herbs and lovely fruit and
steely minerality. The wine shows amazing complexity and length.

Tandem 03 Red Blend, Navarre Spain
Supple and juicy, with lots of spice and black fruit,
along with black pepper. Complex and lovely.

Tuthilltown Distillery, Hudson, Manhattan Rye Whiskey
Red pine color with a very lively, very spicy nose. Crisp and snappy
on the palate, with a nice texture. The rye really gets to strut
its stuff in this beautiful whiskey.

Tuthilltown Distillery, Hudson, Four Grain Whiskey
Rich and soft, with creamy corn and a bit of spiciness laced through it.

Tuthilltown Distillery, Hudson, Baby Bourbon
Redwood color with a fresh, forward nose. Dry and soft on the palate, showing baked corn and just a twist of the peppermill. Tasty.

Voss 07, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc
Crisp and light on the palate, with juicy fruit and some spiciness leading
into a crisp snappy finish.