209- Clos Apalta #1 Wine of the Year on Wine Spectator Top 100

Clos Apalta #1 Wine of the Year on Wine Spectator Top 100

I had a bad day and decided to open something great to make me feel better. Unfortunately, it's my only bottle, but it was amazing! Watch the entire video, because the description gets good!

208- Chateau Ross Petite Sirah

Chateau Ross Petite Sirah 2006 is an extremely full bodied red that is not for the meek or white wine lover. It is big and beefy with a gorgeous aroma of smoke and blueberries with intense color that will stain your teeth. The finish has a long hang time with layers of black fruits on the finish. This wine screams for a steak!

207- Oops Cabernet

I have a stuffy nose... Oops Cabernet

206- Seghesio Zinfandel 2007 #10 on top Wine Spectator 100

2007 Sonoma Zinfandel
Our family roots are firmly planted in Zinfandel as our Great-Grandfather, Eduardo Seghesio, first planted Zinfandelon our Alexander Valley Home Ranch in 1895. Today, we share his passion as we farm over 400 acres of estate Zinfandel in the worlds best growing regions for the grape --- Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys.

This wine combines sites that have produced Zinfandel for over a century with newer sites that utilize proprietary clones and the most advanced viticultural practices. Vineyard Locations Estate vineyards Home Ranch, River Road, Lone Oak and San Lorenzo in Alexander Valley; Cortina in Dry Creek Valley.
Vintage Characteristics Best Vintage to Date! is the quote from a winemaker who seldom speaks in superlatives. With a drought in the beginning of the season, an abundant crop was set in a tight window yet only about half of the crop made it to maturity. A dry, moderate growing season punctuated by a heat wave in August provided intensely flavored fruit. Vineyard Regime Aggressive hand canopy management was maintained; both a green harvest and veraison thinning were performed to ensure even ripening and to keep crop loads at or below four tons per acre.
Hand-Harvested August 30th October 4th, 2007
Average Brix at Harvest 26
Fermentation Regime 25% hand punch-down in small open-top fermenters; 50% pumpover
fermentation in closed-top stainless steel with delestage; 25%
rotary-tank fermentation; maceration time of ten days
Barrel Regime 11 months in 75% American and 25% French oak
Food Affinities Red sauces, pizza, BBQ, a variety of meats and spicy cuisine
Alcohol 15.5% Release Date September 2008
Winemaker Notes:
Scents of raspberries and blueberries intertwined with briar patch spices
Ripe raspberry and blueberry flavors persist
A hint of creamy oak
A silky and refined texture with a juicy character / juicy acidity
Integrated tannins smooth the finish
Balanced and delicious with 2007 vintage elegance
--- Ted Seghesio

205- Toad Hollow Risque

Risqué Methode Ancestrale Sparkling Wine

Vibrant! Frivolous! And ... Oo-Lah-Lah ...

When Can-Can was introduced in Paris in the 1830's, it was quickly dubbed, "Le Ballet Risqué" for its rousing energy marked by high kicks and daring naughtiness. Soon it became a symbol for the Parisians' famous devil-may-care attitude.

"Risqué" recaptures that spirit. This "vin vivant" (lively wine) is a crisp and fruity sparkling wine with low alcohol (6%) and the taste of fresh green apples and pears. Softly effervescent with just enough sweetness to seduce your palate as an aperitif or tempt you when you want something perfectly naughty to finish ... or, perhaps ... to start again!

Methode Ancestrale

Oxford Companion to Wine - This method is rarely used and results in a lightly sparkling, medium sweet wine. It involves bottling young wines before all the residual sugar has been fermented into alcohol. Fermentation continues in the bottle and gives off carbon dioxide. The wine is designed to be sweeter and less fizzy than a champagne method sparkling wine and no dosage is allowed.

204- Buehler Cabernet 2005

Buehler Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Comprised of 100% cabernet sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (35%) in conjunction with grapes from other mature, high-quality, low-yielding Napa Valley cabernet vineyards located on the valley floor. We’ve found the resulting blend to produce a wine that displays a broad spectrum of aromas, flavors, and textures that cabernet can show in the Napa Valley.

The 2005 growing season was exceptional in that the climate extremes were unexceptional during the flowering season, the summer, and even through the entire harvest. The relatively cool nature of the growing season delivered slowly ripened grapes with perfectly mature skin and seed tannins a week into November; the color of the resulting wines is notably dark. With higher acid levels and lower sugar levels at the optimum stage of flavor development, the word, “balance”, best describes the overriding theme of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Following a seven-day fermentation, the wine was transferred to barrels before initiating the malolactic fermenatation; keeping the wine “dirty” when young greatly increased the impression of roundness and smoothness in the finished wine. The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was racked four times in the first year of aging to encourage aromatic and tannin development. It was aged a total of 18 months in a blend of French and American oak barrels.

The wine is brimming with fruit aromas and flavors biased to the black fruit end of the cabernet spectrum: plums, blackberry, black currant. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age. For those who seek youthful fresh cabernet fruit aromas and a more structured wine, drink it from 2007 through 2011. If you prefer the less fruity, more developed bottle bouquet aromas and a softer, more velvety wine on the palate, drink it from 2012-2022.
David Cronin
Winemaker