In previous blogs we got an overview of the Pinot grape and the tremendous number of Pinot synonyms (258!) and looked at the least known of the Pinots, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. Now let’s look at the most notable of the Pinots - Pinot Noir. Pi...
Ultraviolet Sparkling Rosé ($24.99)  This Ultraviolet sparkling rosé is from Poe Wines, in Napa, which was founded by Samantha Sheehan in 2009 after being inspired by the wines she tasted ...
Ron Rubin Wines Late in 2011, in fulfillment of a 40-year dream that began in his student days at UC Davis studying viticulture and enology in the early 1970’s, he purchased River Road Family Vineyards and Winery. Rubin was sold on the area, in th...
2017 Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($48) This Merry Edwards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir comes from six vineyards that include the 115, 667 and 777 blend of Dijon clones that originated in teh cool Burgundian region of France. The 2017 harves...
2018 Pfendler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($55) Nestled in the hillside of Sonoma Mountain, Pfendler Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery. And this limited production Pinot Noir is a wonderful example of their excellence. This is 100% Pinot Noir...
2017 Left Coast Estate Cali’s Cuvée Pinot Noir ($24) This Cali’s Cuvée from Left Coast Estate is their flagship Pinot Noir. Named for the owner’s daughter, this wine is 100% Pinot Noir. It’s fermented in 100% Stainless Steel and then aged for ei...
2017 Toad Hollow ‘Eye of the Toad’ Rosé of Pinot Noir ($12) This is certainly the time of year when a cool, crisp and refreshing rosé is just perfect. And this Toad Hollow Rosé of Pinot Noir is a good one. This ‘Eye of the Toad‘ rosé is made from...
2018 Left Coast White Pinot Noir ($24) I’ve been looking forward to trying a white Pinot Noir for some time. I’m a big fan of Pinot Noir but have never gotten an opportunity to try the white version. This Left Coast White Pinot Noir is produced ...
2017 Left Coast Queen Bee Bubbly ($36) This bubbly from Left Coast Estate winery is 100% Pinot Noir but it gets its name from the fact that it uses their own estate honey to feed on the encapsulated yeast at the bottom of each bottle. Thus, produ...
2018 Left Coast Estate Rosé ($24) Left Coast Cellars produces a bunch of nice wines from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. And, this Rosé is another fine example. This blend of 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Pinot Meunier is fermented and aged in 100% neu...
Pinot Noir is a wonderful varietal of wine. In the Old World (Europe), Pinot Noir is most famous from the Burgundy region of France. There, it is simply known as ‘Burgundy.’ In the U.S., Pinot Noir is grown in multiple regions. Two notable regions...
2015 Left Coast Cellars Right Bank Pinot Noir ($42) Here’s another very nice Pinot Noir from Left Coast Cellars. This ‘Right Bank’ Pinot is from their highest elevation vineyard that is planted entirely with Pommard clone Pinot Noir. From 100% Pin...
2016 MacPhail The Flyer Pinot Noir ($50) If you love Pinot Noir, this one is for you! It’s got wonderfully delicate flavors of red cherry and raspberry, very easy tannin and a melt in your mouth finish. MacPhail wines are a collaboration between...
Champagne is probably the best known wine in the world. And, there’s a lot to know it about this wine. Here are some fun-facts about Champagne: Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes Champagne is typically produced from three grapes — Pinot ...
During a recent stroll through the produce aisle of my favorite grocery store, I saw a display labeled “Champagne Grapes.” They are beautiful bunches of small red-ish grapes. And, they look really good. But, the first thing that came to my mind was ...
2016 Rancho Sisquoc Santa Barbara “Sisquoc River Red” ($10) Now here’s a red blend that recently caught my eye. Not because of any fancy label or special promotion in the store. According to the Rancho Sisquoc website this is 35% Cabernet Sauvign...
2016 Hess Select Pinot Noir ($20) This Pinot Noir from Hess Select is from California’s Central Coast. Specifically, the Sarmento Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands region. From the Gablian Mountains in Monterey, these grapes experience the coo...
2016 Cloudline Pinot Noir ($15) Oregon’s Willamette has become quite well known for its Pinot Noir and this one from Cloudline is a fine example. The Cloudline wine was created in 2002 by Dreyfus Ashby who have been This Pinot is part of the Dro...
We are just days away now from the big Thanksgiving feast. And one of the most common questions is “What wine pairs best with the Thanksgiving meal?” As we learned last time, the trick is to pair your wine with the type of sides you are serving, no...
Z. Alexander Brown 2014 Russian River Valley Uncaged Pinot Noir ($13) The Russian River Valley is renowned for its delicious Pinot Noir. And this is another fine example. With aromas of red fruit such as raspberry and cranberry, this Pinot Noir le...
The Pinot Noir grape is a red grape most famously known for the production of red Burgundy. And today’s new world Pinot Noir wines, especially from California and Oregon, are wonderfully delicate light bodied red wines with flavors of cherry, raspber...
When pairing wines with food, the general goal is to make sure that the flavors of the food don’t overwhelm the wine and cover up all of the wine’s wonderful flavors. And the basic rule of wine pairing says that you should have a red wine with beef a...
Previously I covered the most widely known white Burgundy (Bourgogne Blanc) from Chablis. We learned that wines from Chablis are produced from the Chardonnay grape. The other most notable wines from Burgundy are red wines (Bourgogne Rouge). And, the...