I just found a great site that may be the beginning of this venture. It is: www.winetwo.com
Great insights and a bit of logic while building toward an Online wine world. Who knows??? Maybe 2nd life will become a ground to "virtually" explore wine regions, making and thinking Online one day.
Cheers,
Derek
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
More Musings and Fun Stuff
It has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote, but here are some random thoughts and tastings that I have been involved in recently.
NALLE
They are open to the public on Sundays and make some damn good wine. Not the overblown high-alchohol stuff that gets ripped by the press...Doug makes very honest and balanced wines that claim to age for years. I really liked his reserve Dry Creek Zin and his regular Zin. He is a super nice guy to boot. http://www.nallewinery.com/
PRESTON
Lou's wines get better every time I visit the winery. I tried a killer Viognier and a very jammy Mourvedre. The 05 Zin is fantastic too. I went on a Sunday, which is the day that they taste and sell the 1 gallon Guidagni jugs out of the barrell. Lot's of people and a decent $30 jug. Best at Preston are the olive oil, fresh produce and bread! The grounds are very pretty and a great spot for a picnic. http://www.prestonofdrycreek.com/
TURNING 40
We had my big 4-0 at my brother Fritter's house and everyone had a blast. We drank a ton of wine and there were some real standouts:
White: Quivira SB, Montenovo Godello, Schug Chard
Red: Mauro Sebaste Centobricche, Chateau St. Jean "Durell" Syrah and Forchini "Papa Nonno"
GREAT BUY AT TRADER JOES
For 5 bucks you can buy a really good SB named Diogenes from Lake County. Not super grassy, more a balanced and under-stated wine. Try it...You'll like it!
NALLE
They are open to the public on Sundays and make some damn good wine. Not the overblown high-alchohol stuff that gets ripped by the press...Doug makes very honest and balanced wines that claim to age for years. I really liked his reserve Dry Creek Zin and his regular Zin. He is a super nice guy to boot. http://www.nallewinery.com/
PRESTON
Lou's wines get better every time I visit the winery. I tried a killer Viognier and a very jammy Mourvedre. The 05 Zin is fantastic too. I went on a Sunday, which is the day that they taste and sell the 1 gallon Guidagni jugs out of the barrell. Lot's of people and a decent $30 jug. Best at Preston are the olive oil, fresh produce and bread! The grounds are very pretty and a great spot for a picnic. http://www.prestonofdrycreek.com/
TURNING 40
We had my big 4-0 at my brother Fritter's house and everyone had a blast. We drank a ton of wine and there were some real standouts:
White: Quivira SB, Montenovo Godello, Schug Chard
Red: Mauro Sebaste Centobricche, Chateau St. Jean "Durell" Syrah and Forchini "Papa Nonno"
GREAT BUY AT TRADER JOES
For 5 bucks you can buy a really good SB named Diogenes from Lake County. Not super grassy, more a balanced and under-stated wine. Try it...You'll like it!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Amador County and Sierra Foothills Romp
We were in the Foothills for the week of July 4th and visited a few wineries. Here are my reviews of the wineries that we visited:
Murphy's
Twisted Oak: They are located on Main Street in Murphy's CA and make fantastic Syrah and Tempranillo. Their Grenache and Rhone blends were not my favorites, but they also make a great Verdehlo. This winery is definitely raising the quality of SF wines.
Milliare: This winery was the best one in Murphy's for years, but now takes a back-seat to Twisted Oak and Hatcher. They still make very honest wines, but the quality is not the same as the aforementioned neighbors. My favorite here was a blended zin called Old Vine.
Hatcher: Fantastic Barbera and a killer Rhone blend called Sewell. These guys get better every year and are located under the street level in a very cool tasting room. Zin, Cab Franc and Sauv Blanc were good too.
Plymouth
Vino Noceto: Still one of the best producers in CA of sangiovese. They make about 7 or eight different versions. My favorite was the Marmellata, which is a big and robust version of their reserva. I was also impressed by their killer barbera and a very good Ferrero Ranch Zinfandel.
Dobra Zemjla: This winery produces HUGE wines that I believe are throw-backs and also reflect the Amador terroir. I am a big fan of the Zinfandel and was very impressed by a 2003 Grenache. Also prduce a sweet Viognier, Sangiovese and a blend of zin, sang and syrah.
Dillian: These guys ROCK! Fantastic Zinfandel and Syrah. He sells a ton of grapes to Joel Gott and Rombauer. My favorite wine was a semillion that was not cooked or sweet and was very refreshing on a 100 degree day. They also make a great Orange Muscat that is not at all syrupy.
TOP FIVE WINES FROM SF/AMADOR
1). Dillian Semillion, 2005, Shenandoah Valley-$18
bone dry with citrus flavors (9.5/10)
2). Hatcher, Sewell, 2005, Sierra Foothills-$23
spicy and balanced with great fruit (9/10)
3). Twisted Oak, Tempranillo, 2004, Sierra Foothills-$24
Nice tannins and very balanced (8.8/10)
4). Vino Noceto, Linsteadt Barbera, 2004, Shenandoah Valley-$28
Robust with dark fruit and soft tannins (8.75/10)
5). Dobra Zemjla, Grenache, 2003, Amador County-$24
Great backbone and dark stone fruit flavors (8.6/10)
Murphy's
Twisted Oak: They are located on Main Street in Murphy's CA and make fantastic Syrah and Tempranillo. Their Grenache and Rhone blends were not my favorites, but they also make a great Verdehlo. This winery is definitely raising the quality of SF wines.
Milliare: This winery was the best one in Murphy's for years, but now takes a back-seat to Twisted Oak and Hatcher. They still make very honest wines, but the quality is not the same as the aforementioned neighbors. My favorite here was a blended zin called Old Vine.
Hatcher: Fantastic Barbera and a killer Rhone blend called Sewell. These guys get better every year and are located under the street level in a very cool tasting room. Zin, Cab Franc and Sauv Blanc were good too.
Plymouth
Vino Noceto: Still one of the best producers in CA of sangiovese. They make about 7 or eight different versions. My favorite was the Marmellata, which is a big and robust version of their reserva. I was also impressed by their killer barbera and a very good Ferrero Ranch Zinfandel.
Dobra Zemjla: This winery produces HUGE wines that I believe are throw-backs and also reflect the Amador terroir. I am a big fan of the Zinfandel and was very impressed by a 2003 Grenache. Also prduce a sweet Viognier, Sangiovese and a blend of zin, sang and syrah.
Dillian: These guys ROCK! Fantastic Zinfandel and Syrah. He sells a ton of grapes to Joel Gott and Rombauer. My favorite wine was a semillion that was not cooked or sweet and was very refreshing on a 100 degree day. They also make a great Orange Muscat that is not at all syrupy.
TOP FIVE WINES FROM SF/AMADOR
1). Dillian Semillion, 2005, Shenandoah Valley-$18
bone dry with citrus flavors (9.5/10)
2). Hatcher, Sewell, 2005, Sierra Foothills-$23
spicy and balanced with great fruit (9/10)
3). Twisted Oak, Tempranillo, 2004, Sierra Foothills-$24
Nice tannins and very balanced (8.8/10)
4). Vino Noceto, Linsteadt Barbera, 2004, Shenandoah Valley-$28
Robust with dark fruit and soft tannins (8.75/10)
5). Dobra Zemjla, Grenache, 2003, Amador County-$24
Great backbone and dark stone fruit flavors (8.6/10)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Top Wine Websites
For Searching Ratings: www.winemag.com
For Ratings and Information: www.winereviewonline.com
For Inventory: www.bottlecount.com
For News and Jobs: www.winebusiness.com
For Sonoma County Trips: www.wineroad.com
Retail Site: www.klwines.com and www.thewineclub.com
Best Wine Store: http://www.bottlebarn.com/
Best News Paper Online for Wine: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPECIAL&THEMES=FOODWINE
This we can use as a start for wine2.0.
Deno
For Ratings and Information: www.winereviewonline.com
For Inventory: www.bottlecount.com
For News and Jobs: www.winebusiness.com
For Sonoma County Trips: www.wineroad.com
Retail Site: www.klwines.com and www.thewineclub.com
Best Wine Store: http://www.bottlebarn.com/
Best News Paper Online for Wine: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPECIAL&THEMES=FOODWINE
This we can use as a start for wine2.0.
Deno
My Ten Favorite Zins
OK here they are:
Bella 2004 Lily Hill, Dry Creek
Ridge 2003 Del Carlo, Dry Creek
Navarro 2004 Mendocino
Unti 2004, Dry Creek
White Oak 2002 Estate, Alexander Valley
Seghesio 2002 Veragold, RRV
Seghesio 2003 Saini, Dry Creek
Porter Creek 2004 Old Vine, Sonoma County
Loxton 2005 Gopfrich Vineyard, Dry Creek
Quivira 2003, Dry Creek
I will post favorites from the Sierra Foothills in 2 weeks.
Deno
Bella 2004 Lily Hill, Dry Creek
Ridge 2003 Del Carlo, Dry Creek
Navarro 2004 Mendocino
Unti 2004, Dry Creek
White Oak 2002 Estate, Alexander Valley
Seghesio 2002 Veragold, RRV
Seghesio 2003 Saini, Dry Creek
Porter Creek 2004 Old Vine, Sonoma County
Loxton 2005 Gopfrich Vineyard, Dry Creek
Quivira 2003, Dry Creek
I will post favorites from the Sierra Foothills in 2 weeks.
Deno
Wine2.0: A Hoax or Reality?
Having worked for O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol and hearing every cottin-pickin 2.0 slogan for the past two years I have an issue with anything that will be coined "2.0". It is my belief that those of us who truly enjoy and enthuse about this industry want a web-presence, but also long for the mysticism that surrounds something that you cannot find easily and enjoy the hands-on experience of the place (vineyard, terroir and tasting room) over a "web experience".
I can promise all of you that the web will continue to be a useful tool for the wine industry, but to visit wineries and country is the real deal.
Any feedback will be appreciated.
Deno
I can promise all of you that the web will continue to be a useful tool for the wine industry, but to visit wineries and country is the real deal.
Any feedback will be appreciated.
Deno
First Posting for DenoPhile: Get to Rochioli Now!
Hi All,
Rochioli has released their Pinot Noir "Special Cuvee", which is a fantastic blend of young vines from the estate. This is a fantastic light bodied pinot and the price tag is just right...$32.
I will post reviews of my favorites in the coming months and share what I believe are Cali's best.
I rate this pinot a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Light bodied with great fruit and balance. Styled like a very good light food wine. Will go well with antipasti and salmon. Drink it now to 2008-09.
Rochioli has released their Pinot Noir "Special Cuvee", which is a fantastic blend of young vines from the estate. This is a fantastic light bodied pinot and the price tag is just right...$32.
I will post reviews of my favorites in the coming months and share what I believe are Cali's best.
I rate this pinot a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Light bodied with great fruit and balance. Styled like a very good light food wine. Will go well with antipasti and salmon. Drink it now to 2008-09.
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