Tommy’s Wine Journal

I’m pretty sure this wine isn’t vintage dated or at least I couldn’t see a vintage on the label. I think the wine is produced with Syrah, Zin, and Petite Sirah but I don’t know the exact breakdown in terms of percentage.

On the nose I get aromas of black raspberry, cherry, hi-c fruit punch, and grape skittles candy. The wine very fruit driven and a bit candy-esc. On the palate the raspberry and cherry flavors continue to impress but there is a bunch of bitter tannin that touch down on the approach to the mid-palate. I’m not sure if this was an issue with the ripeness of the grapes, or the over extraction of the fruit, but the wine is pretty bitter.

It’s a semi-inexpensive wine so it doesn’t need to be over analyzed, however I think for the same price one might find a better option from Italy or Spain.

There is very little information about this winery online and I think the actually website is going through some issues, so I don’t have any tech info. However, I do know that the Watts family has been growing grapes for four generations and they have two vineyards near the Mokelumne River.The Rosado is composed of 60% Syrah and 40% Zinfandel and is a really darkly colored rosé that is a few steps away from being completely red. The aromas remind me of candied strawberry and smuckers boysenberry jam. You can almost assume from the aromas that this wine is going to be sweet, even without tasting it. I would say it smells sweet, but then one might say you can’t smell sweetness. In short, it’s very Smuckers-like!On the palate the wine is consistent with it’s aromatics and shows flavors of candied strawberry, boysenberry, and mixed berry medley. It is sweet but has a punch of acid, tannin, and alcohol on the finish. There is actually a bit too much alcohol on the finish which kind of ruins it for me and completely throws the wine off balance.This is the type of wine that would be fun to chug down at the river in search of a quick buzz! I don’t think it’s a wine meant to be taken too seriously and it would be awful with food, but I know many people who would enjoy it ice cold at a picnic. 82 points

The Vinturi wine aerator is a great tool. Wine that is allowed to breathe usually tastes a lot better and typically better displays it’s true expression. Sometimes when you don’t feel like pouring your wine into a decanter and waiting an hour or two for it to open up, this tool really comes in handy. 

You simply hold the Vinturi aerator over you glass and pour the wine through the device. What happens is the wine passes through the chamber and draws in the perfect mix of oxygen and produces a steady flow of micro-bubbles into the wine. This forces the oxygen into the wine and micro-oxygenates it which helps the wine to open up instantly. What could take you an hour in a decanter to achieve can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.  

This also comes in very handy if your serving a number of guests and need to aerate more than just one bottle. It would be difficult to have 10 decanters flowing at the same time!  I definitely recommend this device for any wine enthusiast and if you’re like me then you scoop up almost every effective wine gadget to enhance you wine experience. 

This Washington State Muscat Canelli was made at the facilities of Badger Mountain winery. Badger Mountain is a certified organic winery and they make the Powers label to differentiate the wines that are not yet made from the grapes grown in their organic vineyards. The 2007 vintage of the Muscat Canelli was produced from 50% Champoux Vineyard fruit, while the other 50% was produced from their estate vineyard. The wine was quickly pressed, chilled, and settled, the clarified juice from each vineyard fermented separately . A specific yeast strain (VL1) for Muscat was used for fermentation, which was stopped at about 4% residual sugar, balancing the high natural acidity in both lots. It was blended and bottled in January 2008.The aromas expressed on the bouquet consist of orange marmelade, peach nectar, ripe nectarine, and honey suckle. On the palate the wine is light and sweet, and although it lacks acidity, it’s a fun little summer quaff! Orange marmelade continues to set the tone of this wine with additional flavors of peach nectar, nectarine, hibiscous flower, and lychee nut.I have to admit that this isn’t the best Muscat I have ever tasted but at the same time I think it would be perfect for the beach or a summer picnic.

This Pinot Grigio from the Veneto is a light citrus driven wine with simple complexities. The aromas profile consists of citrus drop, creamy lemon curd, and a touch of yeast. Perhaps this wine was partially aged on the lees and for this reason it comes across as slightly creamy in nature.On the palate this wine is very light with flavors of creamy lemon lime and a touch of kiwi. There is very little acid in this wine which I found to be quite disappointing considering that this category only has a few things going for it, and one of those thing just happens to be good acid. It is a simple, light, picnic style quaffer at best.I believe wines in this category need to have a more razor sharp acidity and a bit more focus and crispness.

This Napa Valley Merlot is produced from a very small production boutique style winery located on the east side of the town of Napa in Napa Valley. I have enjoyed the wines from this winery for a few vintages in a row and can testify to the quality of these estate grown and bottled wines and think they are an amazing steal for the price. The bouquet of this wine expresses big ripe Bing cherry notes, coco, cedar, spice, vanilla, and a very obvious hint of dill. The dill is quite odd to me because I recall these wines being aged in 100% French oak, and dill is usually a character that is found in wines that were aged in American oak. However, I actually enjoy this aroma as odd as it might seem!  I searched Farella’s web page for the tech sheet to find out about the barrel regime but apparently they haven’t updated the site with the new tech sheet for this new vintage. On the palate this wine has flavors reminiscent of cherry, chocolate, black raspberry, vanilla, cedar, and spice. This is a spicy Merlot flavor wise, but it does have a soft texture and appears to have very ripe tannins. This is a nice wine but the 2004 impressed me a bit more with it’s complexity both on the nose and on the palate.  

The 2006 Pepper Bridge Merlot is composed of 92% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc and was sourced from vineyards located throughout Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley appellation. It was aged in 100% French oak barrels for a total of 18 months and has a total production of 1,483 cases. This darkly colored and intense Merlot is calked full of plum, black currant, and black cherries aromas.  On the palate this wine carries a full body structure and firm tannin structure, which is a signature of this winery. Black fruits and richly layered plum, chocolate, and spicy notes are all flavors this wine displays in a robust but seductive manner.   Congratulations to Pepper Bridge and to winemaker Jean-François Pellet for a superbly crafted and richly intense Merlot. 

The 2007 Highflyer Viognier comes from Borra Vineyards in the Lodi sub-appellation of Clements Hills, on the north bank of the Mokelumbe River.  It is a small production Viognier with only 985 cases being produced. What I most enjoyed about this wine was it’s luscious texture and rounded mouthfeel. 

On the nose I get aromas of lychee fruit, honeysuckle, white peach, and white blossom. Many of those aromas translate onto the palate where the wine shows notes of honeysuckle, lime, white peach, and mineral. There is such a round and beautiful mouthfeel and great acidity to back it up. The only thing this wine lacks is a bit of a boost on the nose and perhaps secondary complexities on the palate. Overall a nice bottle of Viognier and a decently balanced effort.

The 2005 Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Merlot has a distinct aroma profile that consists of black cherry, raspberry, chalk, and a touch of green vegetal notes. The bouquet is really not all that exciting and make me think of inexpensive wine that is not multi-layered or all that interesting. On the palate the wine is slightly thin and shows some black raspberry notes along with a pretty strange cinnamon type spiciness. The structure and alcohol of this wine are slightly disjointed elements as well. Sorry to report that a winery with such great history, monetary backing, and endless vineyard selections would make such a poorly crafted wine.

This is purely an opinionated statement but one I feel I’m entitled to express considering I work in a wine cellar that is located in a fine foods grocery market. I get asked on a daily basis about which wines pair with which foods and I find myself suggesting Pinot Noir more than any other varietal.

Now, Pinot Noir much like Riesling (also a very versatile food varietal) has a very extensive range of styles. It can be light and fruity or deep and complex. It can be big and rich or delicate and nuanced. A sommelier can use his knowledge of the different Pinot growing regions and the winemaking style of well known vintners to determine which bottle will carry the perfect weight, acidity, and fruit balance to pair correctly with the food.

One thing Pinot Noir has in spades when produced correctly is great acidity, which is the primary reason I think it pairs well with foods. It also is relatively light in tannin and will let the consumer still enjoy the flavor profile of the food, while complimenting it on the palate.

I really love a great bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and think it’s the most exalting of grape varieties, but when I’m not in the mood for a big cowboy steak, Pinot Noir in most cases takes center stage.