While I am a serious defender of the screw cap and the benefits of knowing that the wine you're purchasing isn't going to be corked, I do have to defend the cork and all the romance it offers.

For at least a century vintner's have used the sponge-like tree bark to enclose wine bottles and although it may offer a less than perfect method of enclosure, it does allow for slow micro-oxynization. Now, weather that process of slowly oxidizing a wine over a period of years is limited to the cork remains to be proven, but I have the belief that because the cork does allow minute amounts of oxygen to enter into the bottle, perhaps this is just what the wine needs to transform into that time honored "aged wine taste". Time will be the determining factor as to how screw cap wines age over the decades and if they stay fresher and more lively after extended aging.

Now, I must play devil's advocate here and say that I am almost always horribly offended when a "wine consumer" walks into the cellar and acts like the wines with screw caps are no good and laughs off the possibility of buying a wine with such a ridiculous "soda bottle cap". I admit that I sometimes won't let them leave until they are in agreeance that the Stelvin tops are the best and most sanitary method of preserving a wines beauty over time. I guess that I'm not really fighting for the screw cap but more against the arrogance of the cork-lover. Arrogance and wine-snobbery just has no place with this beverage anymore and I just can't stand the snooty traditionalist attitude towards a bottle grape juice.

So, I guess what I'm really saying is that I have no preference in how a wine is enclosed. Corks, screw caps, glass, synthetic, or whatever you like, it's just a matter of aesthetics and traditions.

This wine is a Meritage blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc. I couldn't find out much about the vinification because Rosenblum makes like 50+ wines and their website doesn't even list this one for a tech sheet. This wine starts out with a barage of deep and dark aromas of black currant, spice, black licorice, tar, and dried blueberries. On the palate this wine touches down with deliciously ripe and pure blackberry, ah, , ...Blackberry Jam!! Yes my friends, lots of rich and spicy blackberry jam, melted black licorice, spice, cedar, and traces of vanilla. What I like about this wine is that it's extremely extracted wine, but doesn't seem over the top or have too much heat from the alcohol. I admit it could be a bit more dimensional but it certainly rocks it's one-dimension and has a fairly long finish as well. Good effort! 90 points

With the sunny day approaching rapidly here in my home state of Arizona, I not only change my style of wines but I also look to change my style and fashion to suit the changing climate. This year I plan to invest in a new pair of sunglasses because I have been driving a lot in my car to and from work.

I recently came across a really great website that offer the latest fashions and wholesale sunglasses. In fact the website is called "Cheap Wholesale Sunglasses"!

This site has an amazing selection of sunglasses and you can browse them with ease and find the one's you like the best. The site offers really great wholesale prices and you only have to make a minimum purchase of fifty bucks. This is great because normally at these prices you would have to purchase large amounts in order to get these prices.

The site is very functional and easy to use and has hundreds of options to choose from. They also offer affordable worldwide shipping options. Check em' out here: wholesale sunglasses

I usually don't make it in to my local Bevmo because I really don't like what they represent as a company (that's a subject for another day) but today I decided to browse the store for a few good buys. I went there with Sauternes on the mind because I realized I don't have too many in my personal cellar. Sauternes in general are some of my favorite wines in the world to drink and I've had amazing experiences with older vintage Yquem and Rieussec. What I didn't realize until today is that there is great value to be had in Sauternes.

I ended up purchasing a 375 ml of the 2002 Rieussec for only $29.99. I thought this was a steel because the vintage prior from Rieussec (2001) won the Wine Spectator wine of the year and was a 100 point wine. Now I know that vintages vary from year to year and the quality isn't always classic every vintage, but this 92 point rated wine will be a great addition to my cellar and didn't cost me a bundle of dough either. I almost purchased a 95 point rated 2004 Chateau Coutet ($39.99) but I noticed that most all the bottles had tartrate crystals resting near the bottom of the bottle, so I decided on the Rieussec. 

So, next time you're looking for some great and age-worthy wines for your cellar, I strongly suggest browsing the off-vintage Sauternes for great values. Cheers!

This is a small production Paso Robles blend of 70% Syrah, 15% Grenache, and 15% Mourvedre. It was aged 19 months in a mix of new and neutral French, American, and Hungarian oak. The darkly colored wine shows aromas of grape jelly, vanilla, and thick creme de cassis. On the palate loads of black fruit, spice, and vanilla attack the palate with a extraordinary amounts of extract. Inky tar-like cassis, black licorice, and black currant jam are just a few of the intense flavors that this wine profiles. This wine is as dark and inky on the palate as it is in color and has an inordinate amount of chewy currant extract. This wine is perhaps a little over the top and lacks a bit of nuance, but I like the punch and power of this wine. You won't find too many wines with more intense black fruit and tar than this one.  88-89 points

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The 1996 Bodegas Lan Viña Lanciano reserve Rioja is drinking fabulously in it's prime and is a great example of what an aged wine tastes like in it's prime. The color of the wine is still deep red in the center but fading to a brick red around the edges and is gracefully showing it's age. On the nose I get layered aromas of soft black cherry, plum, sweet tobacco, raisin, tea leaf, chalk, and potting soil. This is a very nuanced wine with multiple layers brought on by none other than - time in the bottle. On the palate this wine is amazingly soft and shows a flavor profile of ripe black cherry, plum skin, sweet tobacco leaf, mineral, wet leather, and just a touch of soil and chocolate. A very complex effort that I believe is drinking at it's prime.
91+ Points

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Watch Me taste this wine live!

This wine from Spain's Campo de Borja region is composed of 75% Garnacha and 25% Tempranillo. I have tasted this wine on several occasions and have had similar tasting notes each time. This is a very soft and delicate wine with aromas of strawberry, fresh cut grass, wet pavement, and a touch of soil. On the palate the wine shows notes of soft cherry, hints of spice, and a touch of earthiness. The wine is very soft and smooth on the entry and mid-palate but finishes with some firm tannin and hints of unsweetened cacao powder. The wine is very simple but drinks quite well for the price. The sand-blasted bottle is pretty unique and might be a good conversation piece too! 85+ points

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Spring is coming soon and you know what that means........Lots of weddings! There is an amazing website you must check out if you are looking to find beautiful and unique wedding invitations.

It's called "Hello Lucky" and they have the most creative and gorgeous collection of wedding invitations, digital "save the dates" cards, stationary, greeting cards, and much more!

What I like about their style is that it's contemporary and high fashion. The designs are unique and they use soft pastel-like colors, which I think looks amazingly sheik. They also have an amazing testimonials page which I think is vital for those that are considering contracting someone for invitations to such a special event like a wedding.

Check them out at hellolucky.com or simply click on one of the hotlinks within this post.

Cheers!

I might be alone on this one but I believe Italy and Spain offer the best wine values in the world at the present time. Find me a ten dollar California wine that drinks like a Colosi Nero d' Avola or an equally priced Aussie wine that drinks as good a some Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell. (If you haven't heard of those wines I suggest you look em' up) Even France has better value for the buck right now! Find me a $30 dollar Pinot Noir from California or Oregon that drinks with an equally price wine from the Côte de Beaune. Now, before you go and say I'm crazy, try to remember I'm talking in general terms and I'm sure there are a few exceptions to what I'm saying. I'm sure there are a handful of great domestic wines that can compete on a qualitative basis with the wines I have mentioned. I just think that if you taste 100 random wines from Italy and Spain in the $10-$15 price point and then do the same with domestic wines (if you can find them) You'll see the relevance of what I'm talking about. There are just some really fantastic wines from Jumilla, Bullas, Rias Baixas, Rioja, Ribera del Duero ect... and they are so generously priced! Or check out the wines from Sicily, Valpolicella, Morellino di Scansano, or Montalpulciano di Abuzzo. Please prove me wrong with your suggestions!

As an avid wine taster I can honestly say that one of the most enjoyable parts of drinking wine and analyzing it the best I know how, is smelling the wine. The bouquet of a wine is perhaps the most important part of your wine drinking experience. Don't believe me? Try tasting a wine with your nose plugged and tell me how it goes! I have investigated how to improve my sense of smell in order to better my critique and improve my overall wine experience. Here is a few tips I learned in my study and a few that I plan on incorporating in my everyday life.

Tips for improving your sense of smell:

*High moisture content in the air improves the sense of smell. So if you live in a dry climate you might consider humidifying your air.

*Cigarettes have a negative effect on the sense of smell as well as taste.

*Zinc is thought to improve and strengthen your sense of smell. Oysters are high in zinc, so have at em'!!

*Try sniffing therapy. Sniff something with a strong odor, for a couple of minutes, several times a day.

*In majority of the cases, it is seen that the sense of smell is higher after exercise, so get your daily dose.

*A blocked nose leads to blocked nerve receptors and often results in a poor sense of smell. So, keep your nose clean at all times.

*Make sure to drink a glass of water every hour or so. Dry mouth can contribute to diminishing sense of smell.

These are just a few of the ways that a taster can improve his/her sense of smell and I really believe this could lead to a better wine experience.

The beautiful and most elegant Coralie De Bouard De Laforest
from Chateau Angelus (min 5:23) poured me the wine that rocked my world and pretty much got me into wine. It was the 1996 Chateau Angelus and after I tasted it once I went back for more and she was most graceful and let me revisit her families masterpiece!

I love the red wines of Sequoia Grove and have been to the winery and think some of the Cab's are phenomenal and so I'm excited to taste this Carneros sourced, Napa Valley Chardonnay. I have tasted quite a few Chards as of late and so I think my palate is sharp in this area at the moment, so lets see what I can come up with! The bouquet is expressed with baked apple aromas, creamy oak, toast, lemon curd, and hints of caramel corn. The dominant force on the nose is the creamy oak character and baked apples, so I'm not surprised that on the palate this wine is loaded with rich creamy oak and homemade apple pie flavors. This is a big California style Chardonnay that has a rich caramel ribbon character and deep, penetrating, lemon custard notes. There is a bit of nutmeg and spice that is also enjoyed on the finish, along with the super rich and pronounced toasted oak. This wine is a just a pinch of acid away from being an absolute stunner, but I feel it just falls short of true balance. If you love buttery, full-malo, slightly clumsy Chardonnay, then this is totally you! - (and I do!!) 90 Points

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I have tasted maybe 50-100 wines in the last month or so and it's been tough to keep up with translating all my notes to individual posts here on the Blog Wine Cellar.  I have however, hand written notes for most of these wines and here are just a few details on the latest wines I've tasted in the last few days:

2007 Bigi Orvieto Classico Amabile

Nose: lime, fennel, kumquat, mandarin, steel, stone

Flavors: mandarin orange, honey suckle

Notes: off dry, slightly sweet, low acid, not  a lot of complexity

Score: 84+ Points

2006 Taz Pinot Noir - Santa Barbara County

Nose: vanilla bean, toasted coconut, cream, red raspberry

Flavors: bing cherry, tart raspberry, vanilla, toasted oak

Notes: nice up front fruit, no mid-palate, short finish, lacks acid

Score: 83-84 Points

2006 Antane Chianti - Salvalai

Nose: hi-c fruit punch, candied fruit, metal, cherry, green notes

cheep wine smell, pomegranite, blueberry

Flavors: rustic cherry, coco, artificial fruit (hi-c) 

Notes: better on palate that nose, little to no finish

Score: 80 Points

2006 Robert Mondavi Moscato d' oro

Nose: Peach juice, orange blossom, honey suckle, citrus peel

Flavors: Peach nectar, honey 

Notes: no acidity, less zip than those from Asti, good attempt!

Score: 85-86 Points

2006 Montes Pinot Noir

Nose: strawberry, crushed stone, menthol, eucalyptus

Flavors: strawberry, earth, green and stemmy, menthol, eucalyptus

Notes: awkward greeness, ruff finish, somewhat bitter finish

Score: 80 Points

2006 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

Nose: rustic blackberry, black currant, eucalyptus, clove, vanilla

marion berry

Flavors: rich black currant, blackberry, eucalyptus, green stems

Notes: heavy extraction, bitter tannins, very green, bitter finish

Score: 79 Points

This Chilean Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley D.O. is perhaps the best example of Chardonnay I have ever tasted from Chile. If blind tasted I would have had trouble thinking this wine wasn't from California with it's shinning fruit purity and creamy oak depth. This wine was produced using 60% stainless steel fermentation to maintain its fruit and freshness; and the remaining 40% was fermented in 30% new French oak barrels.

On the nose this wine presents aromas of lemon zest and tropical fruits such as pineapple, papaya, and mango, and is also accompanied by a brilliant touch of oak that is creamy and buttery. On the palate the wine comes across in a rich style with toasted oak and great fruit balance. Papaya, mango, and creamy lemon are just a few of the complexities that are expressed in a crisp and focused style, that comes across in rich fashion without being viscous or globby in nature. It not often I find Chardonnay in this rich of a style that has the crisp acid and focus on fruit purity. This is truly an eye opener and probably the best Chilean Chardonnay I have tasted to date. Major kudos to Santa Rita! 91+ points

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Tonight I had a chance to taste a few older wines and realized I need to focus on having more patience and hold my wines for awhile before indulging. Yes, I too suffer from the "open it now" syndrome and my little closet wine cellar has a few dozen wines piled up but most are recent vintages. I get anxious and want to taste them and report to my readers here on the blog wine cellar. What I realized tonight is just how much I love the way aged wine tastes and melds together over time. The wines I tasted were only from the 02' vintage but they really showed integration and harmony, which are things I haven't experienced as of late while tasting so many current vintage wines. The American consumer usually buys the current vintage at the wine shop or grocery store and what we often fail to do is age our wines a bit. What we're really always doing is tasting wines with young tannin and sharp acid, and I think we're often robbed of a true wine experience because of this. When thinking of my favorite wine experiences they almost always include mature and aged wines. Patience in the cellar is going to be my new resolution and I hope you try it too!

It's essential that the wine enthusiast trains his/her palate to a new and diverse range of flavors and aromas. The skills required to properly analyze a wine are not some divine gift given only to a select few with extraterrestrial senses. To know if a wine smells like cherry, raspberry, coffee, or any number of aromas, the connoisseur must first taste and smell those elements as they are. That is to say, you must go to a farmers market and smell all the fruits and vegetables! I work with luxury grocer and in my spare time when no one is in the cellar, I love to make my way over to the produce section and smell all the exotic fruits and those which I'm not entirely familiar with. I also suggest that you invest in a big fruit basket and fill it full of various fruits of all sorts, then take them home and taste them all. Take notes so you can remember the distinct aromas, flavors, and textures and then think of the wines you have tasted that remind you of these. This is an easy practice that I promise will help you to expand your palate and wine-vocab when analyzing wines in the future.

This wine is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot and is a small 300 case production. Fermented warm in a combination of open and closed tanks, pressed off after cap fall, 20 days average on the skins. Transferred directly to Taransaud French oak from the Nevers region after press-off, 75% new. Aged 28 months in barrels with 3 rackings. I have visited this winery before and thought the wines were of exceptional quality then and just tasting this wine I realize how great this winery really is. 

On the nose I get lots of cherry fruit, plum, plum skin, dirt and soil, tobacco, and tea leaf. The flavors of this wine are immense and extremely complex, deep cherry fruit, tobacco, plum, sweet tea, soil, and a amazingly long finish with milk chocolate and cherry. The tannins are totally integrated but there is still a good amount of acid which I think lends itself to even further development and aging potential. This wine is drinking magically! 94 points

Watch Me Taste This Wine Live!


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The 2004 Old Vine Cuvee from Lambert Bridge is an Italian style field blend of 70% Zinfandel and 30% Petite Sirah. The Bacchi Vineyard is a 100-year-old vineyard located on Limerick Lane in the Russian River Valley. This is a small 375 case production that was aged in 50% new French oak for 10 months. 

On the nose I get lots of dark fruit aromas of black currant and cassis, hints of anise and pencil led, and a dose of tar and melted licorice. The flavor profile follows suit with deep and extracted notes of cassis and black currants, blackberry, and melted black licorice. This wine has loads of bold cassis, vanilla, and spice and reminds me a bit of a California Syrah rather than a Zin/Petite blend. The only thing that speaks Zinfandel is the brambly nature of this wine and the alcohol on the finish. Overall it's a nice bottle of wine but it needs time to decant and perhaps a plate of lamb chops! It's tough to score wines like these because they aren't really my style, but based on the category I would say this is an 88 point wine.

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As mentioned in the previous Molnar Chard posting I wrote a couple days ago, this is a small boutique producer out of Carneros that produces limited production wines and makes their own Hungarian oak cooperage as well. This 1,118 case production of Pinot Noir was also fermented in 100% Hungarian oak and has similar qualities to the Chardonnay in that the oak is very subtle and only imparts a small amount of flavor into the wine. The bouquet has lots of nice and ripe strawberry fruit with a touch of mineral and crushed stone, followed by a dose of grape jelly and soft hints of soil. On the palate this wine is very round and has a lush and fruit driven complex. Pure notes of strawberry meet soft cherry and firm tannins that linger onto the finish in a balanced and structured fashion. 90 points

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This sparkling wine has a rich history and local wine historians around the city of Limoux in Languedoc believe that the world's first sparkling wine was produced in this region in 1531, by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire. The main grape used in the Blanquette de Limoux is called Mauzac and the AOC laws dictate that the wine must be at least 90% Mauzac and the rest may be Chardonnay and/or Chenin Blanc.

Aromatically this wine shows a very mild yeast character, followed by some rubber notes, citrus, green apple, and lime zest. On the palate this wine has great texture and zip, while flavors of lemon and granny smith apple caress the palate in elegant fashion. The bubbles are very finite and smooth which I enjoyed but the wine is just slightly plain in my opinion. By that I mean the wine only has about two to three flavor components and doesn't offer up much in the way of complexity. However simplicity can sometimes be just as brilliant as complexity and I believe this would be a fabulous food wine that would do wonders with any number of seafood dishes and with several mild cheeses. 86 points - (great value for the $$$)

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This is a small production single vineyard Chardonnay made from grapes located in the cool climates of Napa's Carneros appellation. In 1973 Nicolas Molnar planted "Poseidon's Vineyard" at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River. He was the first to plant grapes in this part of Carneros and has supplied grapes to several famous Napa producers such as Joseph Phelps, Pride Mountain, Sterling, and Heitz. This Chardonnay is also fermented in barrels from the Tokaj forest of Hungary. Many wineries use partial Hungarian oak to ferment their wines but this is one of the only wineries that uses 100% Hungarian oak. Basically what I got from tasting the wine was that the tight grained oak from Hungary imparts only very subtle nuances to the wines. I enjoyed the fruit forwardness and varietal focus this wine exudes. On the nose I get creamy lemon curd, pear skin, green apple, and a touch of lemon blossom. The flavors reminded me of vanilla, pineapple, tropical fruits, pear, and citrus. There is a nice soft texture and lemon custard like thing going on with this wine which I really enjoy. The finish was nice and extended with crisp citrus notes. 89+ points

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Today I tasted a line up of the latest released wines from the Hook & Ladder winery. I have reviewed the Tillerman before a few months back but will go over my thoughts again on this wine and see how it's developed over a short period of time. As previously stated this winery is owned by the De Loach family who own some really great Russian River Valley vineyards and have been making wine in Sonoma for a few decades now. Josh De Loach came into the cellar to pour the wines and as expected he was a really cool dude. Josh's dad Michael is a really great guy too and I guess if you're a De Loach then being cool is just par for the course. Now lets get into the wines:

2007 Hook & Ladder Estate Chardonnay

This wine has a light color and is only slightly golden hued. From what I gathered through my tasting of this wine, is that they use oak only to compliment the fruit flavors and that the grapes are responsible for most of the character of this wine. The bouquet shows lots of citrus and lime peel notes accompanied by white blossom, wet stone, mineral, and a bit of 7-up! On the palate the citrus notes continued to impress, along with grapefruit, tangerine, lime zest, and just a touch of cream from the oak. As I said before, the fruit does most of the speaking with this wine and I'm impressed by the focus and clean fruit character. The wine is a bit short on depth but has great acidity and I think with food it would be fantastic! 89+ points

2007 Hook & Ladder Estate Gewurztraminer

This wine is unique in that it doesn't fall into the flabby and sweet domestic Gewurtz category that we know so well. It actually has really crisp acidity and is made in a dryer and more fresh style than most. On the nose I get lots of floral action and cherry blossom, as well as a good amount of tropical fruit and of course the classic lychee fruit. On the palate the tropical notes of papaya are quite evident and are accompanied by citrus fruit, peach nectar, and orange blossom.  The wine is very crisp and clean and has an impressively sleek texture. By that I mean that it's not viscous and flabby in nature. This wine is not to dry or boring but more balanced and fresh. 87 points

2006 Hook & Ladder Estate Pinot Noir

Now this to me was the best wine of the lot because of it's purity of fruit and varietal integrity. They used the perfect amount of oak and let the fruit express itself in a focused and unhampered manner. The bouquet is so classically Russian River Pinot it's obnoxious!! Lots of robust aromas of strawberry rhubarb pie, crushed rocks, stone fruit, and red raspberry, that all express themselves with vigor and freshness. It sounds funny but you can almost smell the freshness and youth in this wine. The flavors profile consists of tart black cherry, strawberry puree, mineral, and crush rocks. The purity of fruit and razor sharp focus is what I love about this wine; oak does not intrude and the acid is sharp but perfectly in harmony with the opulence. Great varietal integrity and a long finish to boot! 91 points

PS: Kind of reminds me of a few Premier cru Burgundies I've tasted in terms of balanced fruit and acidity and the lack of oak. Love it!

2006 Hook & Ladder "The Tillerman"

I love this wine because for some strange reason the aromas remind me of being in Sonoma. Something about the dusty raspberry meets bell pepper thing brings me back to Sonoma. Any-who, The aromas of this wine do have a good amount of dusty raspberry, cacao, black cherry, and just a touch of bell pepper (which is very cool!). On the palate the wine has flavors of black raspberry, herb, pepper, black cherry, semi-sweet coco powder, black currant, and spice. The currant and spice really show up on the finish as well as an interesting cinnamon-spice character. This wine perhaps lacks a bit of polish but the complexity is most definitely there. 88 points

Over all a good group of wines that really spoke to me because of the absence of the "oak monster" - GV ... I really did enjoy the purity of fruit and the great acidity that all of these wines displayed. Kudos to the "snugness" -MD- (inside joke) and the crew at Hook & Ladder

The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the well-known Durell Vineyard, sitting upon an ancient riverbed at the base of Sonoma Mountain in the cool Sonoma Coast AVA. The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels (60% new oak) for ten months. This Chardonnay is and has been one of my very favorite Chardonnay's for quite some time, in fact the first time I tasted it I could not believe it wasn't from Montrachet. The bouquet is fabulous and shows aromas of crème brûlée, nectarine, toast, and poached pear. On the palate the wine exhibits rich and pure flavors of white peach, nectarine, wet crushed stone, crème brûlée, and a slight toastiness. This wine is amazingly rich but shows beautiful restraint and elegance accompanied by spades of acidity. The wine is a little cloudy and is obviously not filtered nor fined but this doesn't detract from the scintillating experience that is consuming this wine. 95+ points

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Finding the right care options and senior housing for you loved ones is beyond important. You want your family to be comfortable and well taken care of in a place where there are proper facilities and skilled nursing.

Someday when my parents become a bit older and have the need to be under a bit more supervision and be cared for, I want to have the assurance that the people around them are professional and very kind.

I remember when I was young I would help my best friend do service at a beautiful retirement home and we would call Bingo for a group of very well taken care of seniors. Everything was very organized, clean, and the nurses where very professional and courteous.

I would only want my parents and grandparents to enjoy a place like this when the time comes that they need constant medical care.

There is an amazing website that I suggest you visit when searching for the right Assisted Living Facilities. It's called "Snap for Seniors" and it provides a wealth of information about Housing For Seniors.

There are forums, blogs, and great search functions that will direct you to the right sources of information that you need in your quest to find the perfect environment for you loved one. Snap offers a database with over 60,000 senior service providers across the entire US.

For those who host websites and blogs about this topic, you may also find this as a great resource for information and some really excellent free content that snap provides under their "Services" link. You'll find a variety of useful articles on several topics.

The website is www.snapforseniors.com and you can also follow the links in this post to get to the site.

This late harvest red wine from T-Vine is primarily late-harvested Petite Sirah blended with about 10% super-ripe Brown Vineyard Zinfandel. T-Vine is probably one of my favorite Napa Wineries and produces really serious Cab, Zin, Petite Sirah, ect. and if you're not familiar with their wines, I highly recommend anything they make. In fact, when I saw that this wine I just had to try it because I love their standard wines so much. The alcohol percentage stated on the bottle is 16.5% so although this wine was harvested at high sugar levels, the wine doesn't come across to sweet. It does however come across quite powerful, full of extract, and loaded with full-bodied fruit flavors. On the nose I get a good dose of inky-cassis, tar, and gushing blackberry! The flavors of this wine really blast the palate with richness and extract; creme de cassis, licorice, blackberry, and brambly Marion berry, are just a few of the intense and delicious nuances. I really love this wine for it's intensity and dense fruit flavor. Totally hedonistic - 94 points!

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The 2004 Lake Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon was made from grapes sourced mostly from the Alexander Valley and was aged for 28 months in French and American oak barrels. The use of American oak gives this wine distinct vanilla, herb, and mint-like aromas that are accompanied by aromas of black raspberry, currants, and black pepper. On the palate the wine is dry and contains firm and slightly chalky tannins. Flavors of dark chocolate, blackberry, and cedar dominate the flavor profile and touch down on the palate with lots of gritty tannin and just a touch of eucalyptus. This wine has some really interesting complexities and nice fruits to go along with secondary elements provided by the oak aging. However, I do feel this wine lacks a bit of polish and purity and for around twenty-five dollars I feel that perhaps they could have provided a wine with softer texture. 88 points

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The grape vine is very similar to the human species; it grows and matures in stages, it produces fruit of various qualities (depending on how it's treated and the habitat that surrounds it), it grows old and wise and produces less but more concentrated fruit. The grape vine produces dense and beautiful fruit when it is put under stress. The hard working and stressed out vine is forced to dig deep and build strong roots and will produce better fruit than the vines that have everything handed to them and live in the fertile soils. These spoiled little vines have shallow roots and produce lots of grapes but lack the concentration, depth, and interest found in the fruit of the stressed and dynamically challenged vines. As the vine matures it's crop yield decreases, but miraculously the vine then uses all it's energy to produce a more focused and true expression of it's life's work. Eventually the vine will die but it leaves behind it's legacy and then new vines are planted in it's place. Those who tend the newly planted vines will use their knowledge and what they have learned with the past vineyard, to start a new journey and make equally interesting and beautiful creations.