!# Sweet Wines On Sale!: Valley

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Martin Estate 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Since the first vintage in 2000, Martin Estate has earned itself a position among the top California Cabernet producers, and this engaging, flavor-packed current release makes it easy to see why. The extremely limited production 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon possesses a restrained elegance while still delivering the power and finesse weve grown to love from Napa Valleys Rutherford wineries and vineyards. Although this gem was not sent out for review, the reputation alone of the winery and vineyard sets this Cabernet on a pedestal all its own. The wines soft-edged but focused aromas of sweet cherry, black currants and earthy Rutherford dust lead into bright fruit flavors, vanilla toffee notes, and subtle hints of cassis and tobacco spice. A soft, balanced mouthfeel makes it delightfully food-friendly and its distinctive flavor profile is true to its Rutherford origin.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting Tour - wine education

On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley. The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café. After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma's main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family's involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise. Properly educated about ...