Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Feb 9, 2012, 1:18 am
Gevrey Chambertin is the most northern of the great communes of the Côte de Nuits. There are 26 Premiers Crus and 8 Grands Crus. Half of the Premiers Crus surrounds Grands Crus (near Morey); the other half is at the North close to La Combe de Lavaux with a chalky and clayey soil. The vineyard...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Feb 7, 2012, 3:34 pm
I just sat down with Kevin Carriker the owner and winemaker of Kobalt and tasted through his selection of small production wines that included a Sauvignon Blanc, a proprietary red blend called "Window Pane", his 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Cabernet port. The wines were all really impressive, but ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Feb 2, 2012, 9:47 pm
Clos de los Siete is a project brought forth by the famed wine consultant Michel Rolland and six of his Bordelaise partners. It's a wine from Argentina's Uco Valley that expresses the amazing fruit quality of the region and the talent of Rolland as a winemaker and his ability to produce world class ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Feb 1, 2012, 11:36 pm
The "Serpentiéres" vineyard is regarded as one of the finest vineyards in all of Savigny. Its full southern exposure and chalky, mineral-rich soils; as well as ancient vines—some pushing 80 years old, produce a wine of beautiful complexity and expression. The 2009 vintage in Burgundy is already b...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Feb 1, 2012, 9:32 pm
The applellation of Vinsobres is situated in the southern part of the Cotes du Rhone, between Valréas and Nyons. The Perrin family traditionally makes this wine by blending 65% Syrah and 35% Grenache. The wine is usually partially aged in French oak barrels. On the nose this wine exhibits rip...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jan 19, 2012, 3:16 pm
I find it fun to taste Napa Valley Cabernet after it's been in bottle for over five years and find out how it's held up. Did it age well? What does the color of the wine look like? Is it getting better or on the decline? These are all questions that define the magic of aging wine and keeps us enthus...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jan 8, 2012, 4:12 pm
The four-acre Erdener Prälat vineyard produces some of the greatest wines in the Mosel valley. It has 100 percent south-facing red slate soil and an extraordinarily warm microclimate, yielding wines of unequaled power and nobility. The vineyard’s exposure, combined with the warming effect of the ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Dec 1, 2011, 1:55 pm
The quality of wine coming from Stonestreet winery never surprises me. One, because I've been there and understand how they run their amazing facility.....Two, because I've seen their amazing mountain side vineyards, and three because I've tasted their Chardonnay's for years and have constantly been...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 29, 2011, 10:43 pm
I'm trying yet another bottle of Chasseur Pinot Noir after previously trying the Sonoma Coast and second label called Cazar. I guess this winery really has made an impression on me and now I'm trying all of the wines! The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from the Umino and Ferguson vineyar...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 27, 2011, 10:09 pm
I'm excited to taste this wine because last time I visited Napa I was lucky enough to taste the 2008 Napa Cab with Thomas Rivers Brown up at Outpost on Howell Mountain, and it turned out to be the best wine I experienced on the entire trip. (Tasted 100+ wines that week). The 2009 Rivers Marie Caber...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 22, 2011, 12:58 am
Craggy Range is really great winery that makes some remarkable wines that capture the essence of the vineyards from which they're procured. As we all know New Zealand is home to some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world, and Craggy Range has always been amongst my favorites in that particular ca...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 17, 2011, 7:33 pm
I had to taste this wine after trying the second label named "Cazar" yesterday and absolutely loving it. This Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast appellation is sourced primarily from the Twin Hill Ranch vineyard and is a blend of several different Dijon Pinot Noir clones. It was aged for 10 months in ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 16, 2011, 6:22 pm
This wine is the sister label to Bill Hunter's Chasseur label and is a beautiful representation of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in it's purist form. I really haven't tasted purity of fruit like this since last tasting a bottle of Kosta Browne Kanzler a few years back or by tasting the wines made by Chad...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 3, 2011, 6:06 pm
This wine is quite honestly one of the best Pinot's I have ever tasted. Never mind the fact that it's from Australia, it just flat out competes with the best producers of Pinot Noir in the world. Here's a little snippet of history that I copied from their website: "Wine was grown in Victoria's Yarr...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 2, 2011, 1:49 am
ANTICA TERRA’S 2009 ESTATE GROWN PINOT NOIR RELEASED TODAY WAS JUST NAMED THE #1 INTERNATIONAL PINOT NOIR IN TASTING LED BY TIM ATKIN IN LONDON WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON, November 1, 2011 – The Antica Terra 2009 Estate Grown Pinot Noir was just selected as the top wine in a London tasting ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Nov 2, 2011, 12:38 am
Have too much wine to drink it all before you move?  You don’t have to whine about it, you can move it to your new home safely by following these few tips: First, check with the local alcohol beverage control board in the state where you are moving to find out if there are any restrictions ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 30, 2011, 1:52 am
This small 385 case production of Chardonnay is made with the "old Wente clone" Chardonnay clone and is sourced from vineyards located 1800 ft above sea level. The soil there is rocky and shallow and produces a wine of amazing texture and complexity. Helen Turley actually used to make this wine for ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 27, 2011, 6:28 pm
Here's another dynamite red Burgundy from what is becoming one of my favorite producers, Gerard Raphet. The following is the information given on the importers website: "This outstanding older-vine blend is always one of our favorites from Raphet; not only does it sum up everything we love about thi...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 26, 2011, 5:55 pm
Wines of Chile is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London, and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland, and Denmark, and also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional a...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 12, 2011, 10:39 pm
New York, NY — October 10, 2011 — Wines That Rock, innovators of rock inspired wines, announced today the launch of the Grateful Dead “Steal Your Face Red Blend” to join the brand’s four established rock ‘n’ roll varietals; Rolling Stones “Forty Licks Merlot,” “Woodstock Chardonn...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 9, 2011, 8:04 pm
This wine is essentially an extension of grand cru Charmes, “Champs Chenys” and many of winemaker Gerard Raphet’s vines in “Champs Chenys” are pushing 110 years old. Thus the expression "Vielles Vignes" on the label, which of course translates to "old vines". The 2009 vintage in Burgundy i...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Oct 5, 2011, 8:27 pm
The 2008 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Unique is very special because winemaker Thierry Sabon decided not to make his top blend, “Cuvee du Papet.” Instead, a large percentage of that great, limited old-vine fruit found its way into the “Cuvee Unique” blend. It's composed of ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 28, 2011, 1:46 pm
The Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir is 100% Estate fruit from Melville's Los Alamos estate. From the press, the wine was transferred directly into barrel (10% new Sirugue French oak, 90% neutral). It's a classic representation of the hands off approach that Melville is famous for. The wine is delicate,...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 25, 2011, 2:52 am
Tensley Wines is a family owned and operated winery focusing on vineyard designated Syrah within Santa Barbara County. On the nose I get enchanting aromas of crushed black currant, gravel, blackberry paste, espresso, and beautiful hints of fresh lavender. It's really a stunning bouquet that e...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 23, 2011, 7:03 pm
This little gem is a proprietary red blend that Robert Foley Vineyards releases every year with a different blend. The 2009 is composed of 50% Petite Sirah, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Merlot. It's ultra dark in color and displays everything that we've become accustom to with the wines of Robert...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 19, 2011, 3:48 pm
Beckmen Vineyards is a family-run estate winery located in Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley. It's truly in my opinion one of the better producers of Rhone varietals in all of California. Their Estate Grenache is 100% Estate fruit from their Purisima Mountain Vineyard. It's also 100% Grenache...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 15, 2011, 4:23 pm
This relatively small production Cabernet (974 cases) was produced from grapes harvested from a very special dry-farmed vineyard in Northern Calistoga. The winemaker at Jax Vineyards that makes this particular wine is Kirk Venge, son of Napa Valley legend and winemaker Nils Venge. The Wine is a blen...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 13, 2011, 12:03 am
The spectacular estate of Abadía Retuerta is situated just outside the border of the Ribera del Duero region in Spain’s north central province of Castilla y León, near the village of Sardón. It's actually just a few miles away from the uber-famous Vega Sicilia, producer of one of Spain's most r...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 11, 2011, 3:25 am
I have to admit that it's been quite a while since I've written up a Malbec here on the Blog Wine Cellar. To be honest, I kind of got tired of the category temporarily, but now for some strange reason I'm finding that I want to start exploring the nuances of the varietal once again. This 100% ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Sep 2, 2011, 12:44 am
I'm generally not a huge fan of the wines from Paso Robles. Yes, I know that all of you wonderful enthusiasts that have been there are probably scoffing at that remark, but in all honesty I believe the majority of wines made in the region are uninspiring. What I generally find are wines that are big...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 29, 2011, 8:06 pm
I had the opportunity to taste through all the current releases from Mi Sueño winery a few days back and can honestly say that every one of the wines was impressive. However, I chose to review the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon because it's probably the best bottle of red wine that I've tasted year to dat...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 26, 2011, 1:21 pm
Harvesting by Hand Starts Earlier than Usual Champagne’s 2011 harvest has commenced. The harvest of grapes from the carefully delineated plots of the Champagne region officially began on August 19, 2011. The combination of an exceptionally early flowering, limited spring rainfall and many su...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 22, 2011, 11:30 pm
This is truly one of my favorite Pinot Noir producers, because they make some of the purest and most delicious wines on the planet. They're also one of the few producers that ferments their juice in neutral oak barrels and relies heavily on the the quality of the fruit in the vineyard. These wines c...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 19, 2011, 12:00 am
Last year I reviewed this wine and it was perhaps the best Chardonnay I had tasted all year. I hope the 2009 vintage can get close to the quality of the 2007, which I rated at 95 points. For some reason the Maldonado's don't put the tech data on their website for the "Parr Vineyard" Chard. However, ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 18, 2011, 12:58 pm
I was just blind tasted and semi-quizzed on a few wines by a buddy of mine at the shop where I work. Imagine my surprise when after using up all five of my guesses (South Africa, South America, Paso Robles, Australia, and Canada) what he revealed??? Yeah, well you already read the title of the post....
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 17, 2011, 8:21 pm
See our extensive French wine section. Gary and Debbie Farrell purchased the 23 acre Starr Ridge vineyard in the Russian River Valley in 1996. The vineyard is planted to Dijon Clone Chardonnay and some Pinot Noir as well. This wine was aged in 100% French oak (40% new and 60% one and two year...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 12, 2011, 1:43 am
I'm excited to taste this wine because it's not only sourced from one of my favorite sites in Napa, but the winemaker Mike Smith learned a large part of his craft working under Thomas Brown and continues to work with him on several projects. For those of you not familiar with Thomas Rivers Brown, he...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 8, 2011, 10:52 pm
Come and check us out for fine wine deals. For those who hold a special place in their hearts for the "stickies", this wine is a must try before I die type selection. A renowned 110 acre vineyard in the Coteaux du layon district of the Anjou in the heart of the Loire Valley, Quarts de Chaume w...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 8, 2011, 10:06 pm
The 2008 Blackbird Vineyards Arise is a proprietary blend of 42% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in French oak barrels for a total of 19 months (70% new oak, 30% used). The Merlot for the blend was sourced from the Blackbird Vineyard that is located in Napa's Oak ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Aug 5, 2011, 4:58 pm
I have to admit that Rubicon Estate is really one of my favorite properties in all of Napa Valley. I visited one summer a few years back and had an amazing tour of the winery and a tour guide that made you want to cry with his beautiful stories of the fabulous history of what is the original Ingleno...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 26, 2011, 10:28 pm
Purchase a half-case or more of Italian wine and get 50% off shipping with code "cellar21" The Monte Rosso vineyard is located in the Mayacamas Mountain range nearly 1,000 feet above the Sonoma Valley. Louis Martini has an amazing history as one of the first wineries to make wine in the Napa V...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 17, 2011, 9:21 pm
This wine is certainly of no small reputation and may be Chile's best scored wine of the decade. Looking over the wine scores for Don Melchor over the last 10 years, I couldn't find a single score under 91 points. This vintage that I'm lucky enough to be tasting was actually a 96pt wine and #4 on th...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 17, 2011, 8:41 pm
It's always a fabulous experience to be able to taste aged wines and really analyze how they have changed over the years. Not only is it fun to see how the wine itself has changed in the bottle, but it's also fun to reflect upon the changes the winery has gone through over the years as well. This pa...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 14, 2011, 1:26 am
Leonetti has long been considered the "benchmark" for Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon and their dedication to producing world class wines since the late 70's has helped the region develop into what it is today.  I'm excited to be tasting this wine because as in most wine markets, Leonetti is ve...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 12, 2011, 12:28 am
La Spinetta has been one of my favorite producers of Italian wine for quite some time. They make some of the most delicious Nebbiolo based wines on the planet (especially their Barbaresco's), but they also make stunning wines from Barbera and Sangiovese. They actually own three different wineries' t...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 11, 2011, 4:54 pm
Harris Presents the 2011 Milwaukee Wine Festival Aug. 12-13 WHAT: inPLAY EVENTS announces the return of the 2011 Milwaukee Wine Festival presented by Harris to be held Aug. 12-13 on the grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum. The two-day, outdoor event, will provide festival-goers an opport...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 11, 2011, 4:42 pm
I have always been a big fan of the wines from Flowers and am usually really impressed with the purity of their wines. The 2009 Sonoma Coast is a blend of diverse Sonoma Coast vineyards including two estate vineyards Sea View Ridge and Camp Meeting Ridge. The wine was aged 100% French oak for a tota...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 8, 2011, 2:47 pm
Visit us for great deals on fine wine. Rochioli is such a icon when we speak of Sonoma and in particular the Russian River Valley. The family legacy began in 1938, when Joe Rochioli Sr. purchased land he had long farmed. Now after three generations the family continues to dedicate their energy...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 8, 2011, 2:22 pm
I don't have the opportunity to taste that much Amarone, even though it's actually one of my favorite types of wine on the earth. It's often just a touch above the price range that I'm willing to spend for a bottle of wine for the dinner table, unless of course it's for a special occasion. However, ...
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Thomas K. posted an article on The Blog Wine Cellar - Jul 3, 2011, 8:10 pm
This is certainly a wine with a pretty high reputation and one that many people who drink fine wine will be familiar with. Cakebread Cellars has had plenty of success throughout the years and I believe it's mainly because their wines are pretty damn consistent and maintain a high qualitative standar...
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