2017  Beaulieu Vineyard Maestro Collection

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah

BV Rutherford Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker: Trevor Durling

Retail: $65 (2024)

Saturday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Beaulieu Vineyard "BV" Maestro Collection from Napa Valley.  A 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Syrah blended varietal.  This wine had a dark, velvet garnet color that is appropriate for this varietal.  No signs of aging or off colors.   It was full opaque. Purity was good for a filtered red wine. Found little aging on the rim variation.  

The nose revealed blackberry and black cherry aromas that we rated as good.   The aroma intensity was moderate (chin level). Although nearing 7 years in the bottle, it is still developing and could go to 2030.  

The bouquet had no fermentation faults and we believe this wine was aged in a blend of new and neutral oak barrels. The Maestro Collection is a full bodied wine with warm alcohol feel, thick legs and a high 14.7% ABV. 

Tasting the wine we experienced some residual sugars and think it was off-dry.  The tannins were firm.  Acidity was medium. Napa Valley is a warm climate wine grower.  The structure was there but not as much as it potentially could, perhaps with aging. The balance was excellent for a cocktail wine which surprised us that it doesn't need food.   The finish was plush at over 30 seconds long.  Overall it is nearly a great wine especially for the value.  

Alcohol: 14.7% 

I am now a Wine Road Ambassador and it is sort of like being a AAA member for Sonoma County wine tasting.  You get discounts, tours and perks such as complimentary logo glass when tasting in person, vineyard/winery tours with winemakers, upgraded charcuterie boards, limited wine sale offers, 10% on Wine Road events, earlybird event ticket access, 50% on Wine Road seminars, 10% on all wine purchases, 2 for 1 tasting at wineries, and free shipping on a case of wine per month.

The Wine Road is in Sonoma that dates back to 1976 that includes now Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River AVA's.  Some of the finest wineries in California and a likely favorite of yours is in Sonoma.  Unlike AAA, there is no cost to be a Wine Road Ambassador.  You read 10 pages of brief notes, watch some videos and take an easy certification quiz.  It is educational and found it interesting!  The whole process took less than an hour.   

If you are going or plan to visit Sonoma, it is well worth the time to become a Wine Road Ambassador.  So who wants to hit the "Wine Road" with me?  Here is the link: www.wineroad.com/explore/insider/ 

2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc

40% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussane, and 10% Bourboulenc

Winery:  Famile Brunier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone (France) 

Winemaker: Frédéric & Daniel Brunier 

Retail:  $46 (2021)

Valentine's Day Wine Up is a 2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc!  Not our first Valentine's Day but my first white Châteauneuf-du-Pape!  Can age until 2034.

Fragrant white flowers, honeydo melon, and almost ripe white peach.  A medium to full-bodied wine. Found it has some rocky minerality from the vineyard terroir. Rather than use oak barrels or casks the winemaker uses large foudres and demi-muids to impart less oak into the wine giving it a dry, crisp finish.  The finish was over 30 seconds!

The grapes were planted in 1987 on three hecacres that the soils are sand on red clay and galets roulés (larger, rounded stones that have been smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône).  

The producer ages the wine for 8 months before bottling.  The vineyard farming is said to be "Lutte Raisonnée" meaning due to high use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the 1950's that caused soil degradation of the soil.  The soil doesn't have the necessary microbiotic life forms that support healthy soils. Lutte raisonnée means “reasoned fight” or “supervised control”. Today they use chemical treatments when absolutely necessary as a pragmatic approach.  It also a farming practice to plant cover crops, extensive plowing of the soils, and the use of manures and natural composts to fertilize the vines. A sort of organic style farming approach.

Alcohol:  13.5%

2018 Yorkville Cabernet Franc

Rennie Estate Vineyard, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California (USA)

90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet

Retail: $35

Sunday Night Wine Up is a 2018 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied wine with a crimson purple color.  The nose is soft velvet red fruit that becomes a mini plum bomb. Enjoyed the ripe cherries and touch of baking spice.  The acidity begins immediately and gripping tannins come through the finish due to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged well and lots of life to go much longer!

Alcohol: 13.5%

2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

34% Bancroft Ranch, 33% Steinhauer Ranch, 8% Chabot Vineyard, 8% Lampyridae, and remainder from St. Helena Home Vineyard, Marston Ranch and Rancho del Oso. Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Mark Beringer

Retail:  $135 - $165 (2024)

Sunday Night Wine Up was a gift from a San Diego Wine Guild Founder Ted Law who "found" the wine deep in his cellar.  I keep looking in my cellar and I can't find a Beringer Private Reserve!  Showed no signs of aging in the rim or in the glass bowl.  A bit of cinnamon and spice on the nose (not intense).  We loved the dense purple color that led us directly into tasting blackberries, licorice, and tobacco.  Still well balanced and structure between acidity and tannins.  The finish was slow to evolve and glad we decanted it to savor the beauty of this Cabernet. 

According to Robert Parker who gave this wine 97 points in the Wine Advocate: "A mild spring and summer with only a handful of heat spikes was followed by beautiful weather in September and October. One of the finest Private Reserves made over the last two decades, this phenomenal wine is obviously still an infant in terms of development, but it exhibits a dense purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of blackberries, white chocolate, licorice, tobacco leaf, smoky barbecue, charcoal and a burning ember-like note reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux."

This wine has a long and rich history like the wine itself since the first vintage in 1977 by the icon winemaker Ed Sbragia. Today they only use the best lots from the outstanding vineyards to which each vineyard is aged separately in new French oak for two years before blending.

Beringer made a bit over 9,000 cases of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which is amazing for the both the quality and quantity.  A tribute of great farming and careful nuturing by the winemaker Mark Beringer!

Alcohol:  14.6%

To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse? It's Your Palate

We taste wine in the social hour before our presentations followed by eight tastings during the meeting session.  What to do about clearing your palate to make the wine you are going to taste be just that new wine?  Cleansing your palate is beneficial to making your wine experience all the better. There are both food and beverage options for palate cleansers. Consider the following when you attend one of our presentations, at the winery or at home with a cozy bottle of wine:

-  Tasty bread like a baguette or croissant or a quality cracker because they help absorb the flavor of the previous wine that you just had. 

-  A mild cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella that is fatty enough to break down tannins in the wine. More with reds then whites. 

-  A crisp apple or pear as they add a bit of tartness with some sweetness.

-  Oddly celery may sweep out any leftover wine texture and tannins without leaving an aftertaste. 

-  Not my favorite but green Graber olives due to having a distinct flavor to awaken your taste buds. 

-  For the carnivores, a thin slice of rare roast beef as the fat and protein can eliminate wine flavors, especially heavy reds.

If you prefer the liquid cleansing options we recommend:

-  Sparkling water and may want to spice it up with lemon or cucumber.

-  A light beer for its effervescent and a twinge of bitterness. 

-  Champagne is always good for its bubbles for refreshing your palate.

How do you get your sense of smell back?

-  Smell water from a glass

-  Smell your skin and preferrably your forearm if you are in public

2016 Marchesi Mazzei Tenuta Belguardo Maremma Toscana Rosso 

Maremma Toscana, Tuscany (Italy)

Winemaker: Luca Biffi

Retail: $60

The Sunday Night Wine Up is an elegant Maremma Cru red blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby color and strong aromas of black cherry and tobacco.  The palate senses dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of spices. The tannins are firm yielding to a long finish.

The vines are two decades old.  This wine is aged for 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels. 

Alcohol: 14.2%

Horse Hooey Doesn't Make Money!

After winning the 1976 Judgement of Paris for his 1973 vintage Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich joined forces with Austin Hills and Austin's sister Mary Lee Streblin in 1977 to form Grgich Hills Cellar when Mary Lee sold Hills Coffee.  The original Grigch Hills label design was a rearing horse clenching a baton in its mouth, a colorful feature of the Hills’ family crest. Austin owns Hills Vineyard that produces olive oils.  With the new partnership and good marketing decisions, the label was eventually redesigned to reflect the philosophy of their winery and they smartly concluded that “horses do not make wine, grapes make wine!”.  The logo now has both the Grgich Family crest and the rearing horse Hills Family crest.  This story is not full of horse hooey! RIP Mike Grgich. 

2013 Stag's Leap Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag's Leap Cellars, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Marcus Notaro

Retail:  $50

Christmas Eve Wine Up is a well aged 10 year old Stag's Leap Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Artemis".  We decanted it for a few minutes to open it up.  Wouldn't wait too much longer for aging. 

Aromas of blackcherry and plum with hints of vanilla. On the palate, the wine plum and forest floor cedar. This nice wine is a medium-bodied and has grippy tannins.  Per wine critic Wilford Wong, the "2013 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis ranks as one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignons of the vintage. Made from a superior year and by a new winemaker, I waited with great anticipation as the wine's release got closer. The wine exceeded all expectations. Bright and pure with red currants and savory earth, this wine exhibits excellent purity."  Wilford has a long 40 year history of tasting Stag's Leap Cellars including the famed 1976 SLV! 

I met Winemaker Marcus in 2019 when he presented to the San Diego Wine Guild where we had 100 people in attendance.  What a great night of wine, discussion and experience.  We bought several bottles that night that we have opened over the past 4 years and will continue enjoying over the next decade. 

Artemis in Greek religion means the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation and of chastity and childbirth.  Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.  

Pairing:  Grilled tri-tip, braised short ribs, or pasta with wild mushrooms and prosciutto

2017 Cerebella (Zimmel Code Cellars) Cabernet Franc

Pendelton, Columbia Valley, Washington (USA)

Winemaker/Co-Owner:  Robb Zimmel

Retail: $40

Friday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Cerebella Cabernet Franc from the Columbia Valley.  A deep garnet color wine with perfumed strawberry followed by spice notes.  The wine evolved with pepper and chocolate that finished nicely. 

The winemaker Robb Zimmel is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran who served as a combat medic in Iraq and Afghanistan.  While in the military overseas he enrolled in community college via a satellite phone and took courses in between depoyments.  After his service to our country he studies wine science at Washington State University where he graduated with a degree in viticulture and enology.  Robb graduated in 2013 and released his first vintaged wine in 2014.  Zimmel Code Cellars is an urban winery and the only winery in Pendelton, Washington.  

Platinum Winner with 94 points at the 2023 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits competition that I was a volunteer for. 

2017  Beaulieu Vineyard Maestro Collection

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah

BV Rutherford Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker: Trevor Durling

Retail: $65 (2024)

Saturday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Beaulieu Vineyard "BV" Maestro Collection from Napa Valley.  A 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Syrah blended varietal.  This wine had a dark, velvet garnet color that is appropriate for this varietal.  No signs of aging or off colors.   It was full opaque. Purity was good for a filtered red wine. Found little aging on the rim variation.  

The nose revealed blackberry and black cherry aromas that we rated as good.   The aroma intensity was moderate (chin level). Although nearing 7 years in the bottle, it is still developing and could go to 2030.  

The bouquet had no fermentation faults and we believe this wine was aged in a blend of new and neutral oak barrels. The Maestro Collection is a full bodied wine with warm alcohol feel, thick legs and a high 14.7% ABV. 

Tasting the wine we experienced some residual sugars and think it was off-dry.  The tannins were firm.  Acidity was medium. Napa Valley is a warm climate wine grower.  The structure was there but not as much as it potentially could, perhaps with aging. The balance was excellent for a cocktail wine which surprised us that it doesn't need food.   The finish was plush at over 30 seconds long.  Overall it is nearly a great wine especially for the value.  

Alcohol: 14.7% 

I am now a Wine Road Ambassador and it is sort of like being a AAA member for Sonoma County wine tasting.  You get discounts, tours and perks such as complimentary logo glass when tasting in person, vineyard/winery tours with winemakers, upgraded charcuterie boards, limited wine sale offers, 10% on Wine Road events, earlybird event ticket access, 50% on Wine Road seminars, 10% on all wine purchases, 2 for 1 tasting at wineries, and free shipping on a case of wine per month.

The Wine Road is in Sonoma that dates back to 1976 that includes now Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River AVA's.  Some of the finest wineries in California and a likely favorite of yours is in Sonoma.  Unlike AAA, there is no cost to be a Wine Road Ambassador.  You read 10 pages of brief notes, watch some videos and take an easy certification quiz.  It is educational and found it interesting!  The whole process took less than an hour.   

If you are going or plan to visit Sonoma, it is well worth the time to become a Wine Road Ambassador.  So who wants to hit the "Wine Road" with me?  Here is the link: www.wineroad.com/explore/insider/ 

2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc

40% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussane, and 10% Bourboulenc

Winery:  Famile Brunier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone (France) 

Winemaker: Frédéric & Daniel Brunier 

Retail:  $46 (2021)

Valentine's Day Wine Up is a 2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc!  Not our first Valentine's Day but my first white Châteauneuf-du-Pape!  Can age until 2034.

Fragrant white flowers, honeydo melon, and almost ripe white peach.  A medium to full-bodied wine. Found it has some rocky minerality from the vineyard terroir. Rather than use oak barrels or casks the winemaker uses large foudres and demi-muids to impart less oak into the wine giving it a dry, crisp finish.  The finish was over 30 seconds!

The grapes were planted in 1987 on three hecacres that the soils are sand on red clay and galets roulés (larger, rounded stones that have been smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône).  

The producer ages the wine for 8 months before bottling.  The vineyard farming is said to be "Lutte Raisonnée" meaning due to high use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the 1950's that caused soil degradation of the soil.  The soil doesn't have the necessary microbiotic life forms that support healthy soils. Lutte raisonnée means “reasoned fight” or “supervised control”. Today they use chemical treatments when absolutely necessary as a pragmatic approach.  It also a farming practice to plant cover crops, extensive plowing of the soils, and the use of manures and natural composts to fertilize the vines. A sort of organic style farming approach.

Alcohol:  13.5%

2018 Yorkville Cabernet Franc

Rennie Estate Vineyard, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California (USA)

90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet

Retail: $35

Sunday Night Wine Up is a 2018 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied wine with a crimson purple color.  The nose is soft velvet red fruit that becomes a mini plum bomb. Enjoyed the ripe cherries and touch of baking spice.  The acidity begins immediately and gripping tannins come through the finish due to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged well and lots of life to go much longer!

Alcohol: 13.5%

2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

34% Bancroft Ranch, 33% Steinhauer Ranch, 8% Chabot Vineyard, 8% Lampyridae, and remainder from St. Helena Home Vineyard, Marston Ranch and Rancho del Oso. Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Mark Beringer

Retail:  $135 - $165 (2024)

Sunday Night Wine Up was a gift from a San Diego Wine Guild Founder Ted Law who "found" the wine deep in his cellar.  I keep looking in my cellar and I can't find a Beringer Private Reserve!  Showed no signs of aging in the rim or in the glass bowl.  A bit of cinnamon and spice on the nose (not intense).  We loved the dense purple color that led us directly into tasting blackberries, licorice, and tobacco.  Still well balanced and structure between acidity and tannins.  The finish was slow to evolve and glad we decanted it to savor the beauty of this Cabernet. 

According to Robert Parker who gave this wine 97 points in the Wine Advocate: "A mild spring and summer with only a handful of heat spikes was followed by beautiful weather in September and October. One of the finest Private Reserves made over the last two decades, this phenomenal wine is obviously still an infant in terms of development, but it exhibits a dense purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of blackberries, white chocolate, licorice, tobacco leaf, smoky barbecue, charcoal and a burning ember-like note reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux."

This wine has a long and rich history like the wine itself since the first vintage in 1977 by the icon winemaker Ed Sbragia. Today they only use the best lots from the outstanding vineyards to which each vineyard is aged separately in new French oak for two years before blending.

Beringer made a bit over 9,000 cases of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which is amazing for the both the quality and quantity.  A tribute of great farming and careful nuturing by the winemaker Mark Beringer!

Alcohol:  14.6%

To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse? It's Your Palate

We taste wine in the social hour before our presentations followed by eight tastings during the meeting session.  What to do about clearing your palate to make the wine you are going to taste be just that new wine?  Cleansing your palate is beneficial to making your wine experience all the better. There are both food and beverage options for palate cleansers. Consider the following when you attend one of our presentations, at the winery or at home with a cozy bottle of wine:

-  Tasty bread like a baguette or croissant or a quality cracker because they help absorb the flavor of the previous wine that you just had. 

-  A mild cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella that is fatty enough to break down tannins in the wine. More with reds then whites. 

-  A crisp apple or pear as they add a bit of tartness with some sweetness.

-  Oddly celery may sweep out any leftover wine texture and tannins without leaving an aftertaste. 

-  Not my favorite but green Graber olives due to having a distinct flavor to awaken your taste buds. 

-  For the carnivores, a thin slice of rare roast beef as the fat and protein can eliminate wine flavors, especially heavy reds.

If you prefer the liquid cleansing options we recommend:

-  Sparkling water and may want to spice it up with lemon or cucumber.

-  A light beer for its effervescent and a twinge of bitterness. 

-  Champagne is always good for its bubbles for refreshing your palate.

How do you get your sense of smell back?

-  Smell water from a glass

-  Smell your skin and preferrably your forearm if you are in public

2016 Marchesi Mazzei Tenuta Belguardo Maremma Toscana Rosso 

Maremma Toscana, Tuscany (Italy)

Winemaker: Luca Biffi

Retail: $60

The Sunday Night Wine Up is an elegant Maremma Cru red blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby color and strong aromas of black cherry and tobacco.  The palate senses dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of spices. The tannins are firm yielding to a long finish.

The vines are two decades old.  This wine is aged for 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels. 

Alcohol: 14.2%

Horse Hooey Doesn't Make Money!

After winning the 1976 Judgement of Paris for his 1973 vintage Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich joined forces with Austin Hills and Austin's sister Mary Lee Streblin in 1977 to form Grgich Hills Cellar when Mary Lee sold Hills Coffee.  The original Grigch Hills label design was a rearing horse clenching a baton in its mouth, a colorful feature of the Hills’ family crest. Austin owns Hills Vineyard that produces olive oils.  With the new partnership and good marketing decisions, the label was eventually redesigned to reflect the philosophy of their winery and they smartly concluded that “horses do not make wine, grapes make wine!”.  The logo now has both the Grgich Family crest and the rearing horse Hills Family crest.  This story is not full of horse hooey! RIP Mike Grgich. 

2013 Stag's Leap Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag's Leap Cellars, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Marcus Notaro

Retail:  $50

Christmas Eve Wine Up is a well aged 10 year old Stag's Leap Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Artemis".  We decanted it for a few minutes to open it up.  Wouldn't wait too much longer for aging. 

Aromas of blackcherry and plum with hints of vanilla. On the palate, the wine plum and forest floor cedar. This nice wine is a medium-bodied and has grippy tannins.  Per wine critic Wilford Wong, the "2013 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis ranks as one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignons of the vintage. Made from a superior year and by a new winemaker, I waited with great anticipation as the wine's release got closer. The wine exceeded all expectations. Bright and pure with red currants and savory earth, this wine exhibits excellent purity."  Wilford has a long 40 year history of tasting Stag's Leap Cellars including the famed 1976 SLV! 

I met Winemaker Marcus in 2019 when he presented to the San Diego Wine Guild where we had 100 people in attendance.  What a great night of wine, discussion and experience.  We bought several bottles that night that we have opened over the past 4 years and will continue enjoying over the next decade. 

Artemis in Greek religion means the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation and of chastity and childbirth.  Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.  

Pairing:  Grilled tri-tip, braised short ribs, or pasta with wild mushrooms and prosciutto

2017 Cerebella (Zimmel Code Cellars) Cabernet Franc

Pendelton, Columbia Valley, Washington (USA)

Winemaker/Co-Owner:  Robb Zimmel

Retail: $40

Friday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Cerebella Cabernet Franc from the Columbia Valley.  A deep garnet color wine with perfumed strawberry followed by spice notes.  The wine evolved with pepper and chocolate that finished nicely. 

The winemaker Robb Zimmel is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran who served as a combat medic in Iraq and Afghanistan.  While in the military overseas he enrolled in community college via a satellite phone and took courses in between depoyments.  After his service to our country he studies wine science at Washington State University where he graduated with a degree in viticulture and enology.  Robb graduated in 2013 and released his first vintaged wine in 2014.  Zimmel Code Cellars is an urban winery and the only winery in Pendelton, Washington.  

Platinum Winner with 94 points at the 2023 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits competition that I was a volunteer for. 

2017  Beaulieu Vineyard Maestro Collection

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah

BV Rutherford Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker: Trevor Durling

Retail: $65 (2024)

Saturday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Beaulieu Vineyard "BV" Maestro Collection from Napa Valley.  A 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Syrah blended varietal.  This wine had a dark, velvet garnet color that is appropriate for this varietal.  No signs of aging or off colors.   It was full opaque. Purity was good for a filtered red wine. Found little aging on the rim variation.  

The nose revealed blackberry and black cherry aromas that we rated as good.   The aroma intensity was moderate (chin level). Although nearing 7 years in the bottle, it is still developing and could go to 2030.  

The bouquet had no fermentation faults and we believe this wine was aged in a blend of new and neutral oak barrels. The Maestro Collection is a full bodied wine with warm alcohol feel, thick legs and a high 14.7% ABV. 

Tasting the wine we experienced some residual sugars and think it was off-dry.  The tannins were firm.  Acidity was medium. Napa Valley is a warm climate wine grower.  The structure was there but not as much as it potentially could, perhaps with aging. The balance was excellent for a cocktail wine which surprised us that it doesn't need food.   The finish was plush at over 30 seconds long.  Overall it is nearly a great wine especially for the value.  

Alcohol: 14.7% 

I am now a Wine Road Ambassador and it is sort of like being a AAA member for Sonoma County wine tasting.  You get discounts, tours and perks such as complimentary logo glass when tasting in person, vineyard/winery tours with winemakers, upgraded charcuterie boards, limited wine sale offers, 10% on Wine Road events, earlybird event ticket access, 50% on Wine Road seminars, 10% on all wine purchases, 2 for 1 tasting at wineries, and free shipping on a case of wine per month.

The Wine Road is in Sonoma that dates back to 1976 that includes now Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River AVA's.  Some of the finest wineries in California and a likely favorite of yours is in Sonoma.  Unlike AAA, there is no cost to be a Wine Road Ambassador.  You read 10 pages of brief notes, watch some videos and take an easy certification quiz.  It is educational and found it interesting!  The whole process took less than an hour.   

If you are going or plan to visit Sonoma, it is well worth the time to become a Wine Road Ambassador.  So who wants to hit the "Wine Road" with me?  Here is the link: www.wineroad.com/explore/insider/ 

2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc

40% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussane, and 10% Bourboulenc

Winery:  Famile Brunier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone (France) 

Winemaker: Frédéric & Daniel Brunier 

Retail:  $46 (2021)

Valentine's Day Wine Up is a 2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc!  Not our first Valentine's Day but my first white Châteauneuf-du-Pape!  Can age until 2034.

Fragrant white flowers, honeydo melon, and almost ripe white peach.  A medium to full-bodied wine. Found it has some rocky minerality from the vineyard terroir. Rather than use oak barrels or casks the winemaker uses large foudres and demi-muids to impart less oak into the wine giving it a dry, crisp finish.  The finish was over 30 seconds!

The grapes were planted in 1987 on three hecacres that the soils are sand on red clay and galets roulés (larger, rounded stones that have been smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône).  

The producer ages the wine for 8 months before bottling.  The vineyard farming is said to be "Lutte Raisonnée" meaning due to high use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the 1950's that caused soil degradation of the soil.  The soil doesn't have the necessary microbiotic life forms that support healthy soils. Lutte raisonnée means “reasoned fight” or “supervised control”. Today they use chemical treatments when absolutely necessary as a pragmatic approach.  It also a farming practice to plant cover crops, extensive plowing of the soils, and the use of manures and natural composts to fertilize the vines. A sort of organic style farming approach.

Alcohol:  13.5%

2018 Yorkville Cabernet Franc

Rennie Estate Vineyard, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California (USA)

90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet

Retail: $35

Sunday Night Wine Up is a 2018 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied wine with a crimson purple color.  The nose is soft velvet red fruit that becomes a mini plum bomb. Enjoyed the ripe cherries and touch of baking spice.  The acidity begins immediately and gripping tannins come through the finish due to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged well and lots of life to go much longer!

Alcohol: 13.5%

2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

34% Bancroft Ranch, 33% Steinhauer Ranch, 8% Chabot Vineyard, 8% Lampyridae, and remainder from St. Helena Home Vineyard, Marston Ranch and Rancho del Oso. Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Mark Beringer

Retail:  $135 - $165 (2024)

Sunday Night Wine Up was a gift from a San Diego Wine Guild Founder Ted Law who "found" the wine deep in his cellar.  I keep looking in my cellar and I can't find a Beringer Private Reserve!  Showed no signs of aging in the rim or in the glass bowl.  A bit of cinnamon and spice on the nose (not intense).  We loved the dense purple color that led us directly into tasting blackberries, licorice, and tobacco.  Still well balanced and structure between acidity and tannins.  The finish was slow to evolve and glad we decanted it to savor the beauty of this Cabernet. 

According to Robert Parker who gave this wine 97 points in the Wine Advocate: "A mild spring and summer with only a handful of heat spikes was followed by beautiful weather in September and October. One of the finest Private Reserves made over the last two decades, this phenomenal wine is obviously still an infant in terms of development, but it exhibits a dense purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of blackberries, white chocolate, licorice, tobacco leaf, smoky barbecue, charcoal and a burning ember-like note reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux."

This wine has a long and rich history like the wine itself since the first vintage in 1977 by the icon winemaker Ed Sbragia. Today they only use the best lots from the outstanding vineyards to which each vineyard is aged separately in new French oak for two years before blending.

Beringer made a bit over 9,000 cases of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which is amazing for the both the quality and quantity.  A tribute of great farming and careful nuturing by the winemaker Mark Beringer!

Alcohol:  14.6%

To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse? It's Your Palate

We taste wine in the social hour before our presentations followed by eight tastings during the meeting session.  What to do about clearing your palate to make the wine you are going to taste be just that new wine?  Cleansing your palate is beneficial to making your wine experience all the better. There are both food and beverage options for palate cleansers. Consider the following when you attend one of our presentations, at the winery or at home with a cozy bottle of wine:

-  Tasty bread like a baguette or croissant or a quality cracker because they help absorb the flavor of the previous wine that you just had. 

-  A mild cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella that is fatty enough to break down tannins in the wine. More with reds then whites. 

-  A crisp apple or pear as they add a bit of tartness with some sweetness.

-  Oddly celery may sweep out any leftover wine texture and tannins without leaving an aftertaste. 

-  Not my favorite but green Graber olives due to having a distinct flavor to awaken your taste buds. 

-  For the carnivores, a thin slice of rare roast beef as the fat and protein can eliminate wine flavors, especially heavy reds.

If you prefer the liquid cleansing options we recommend:

-  Sparkling water and may want to spice it up with lemon or cucumber.

-  A light beer for its effervescent and a twinge of bitterness. 

-  Champagne is always good for its bubbles for refreshing your palate.

How do you get your sense of smell back?

-  Smell water from a glass

-  Smell your skin and preferrably your forearm if you are in public

2016 Marchesi Mazzei Tenuta Belguardo Maremma Toscana Rosso 

Maremma Toscana, Tuscany (Italy)

Winemaker: Luca Biffi

Retail: $60

The Sunday Night Wine Up is an elegant Maremma Cru red blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby color and strong aromas of black cherry and tobacco.  The palate senses dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of spices. The tannins are firm yielding to a long finish.

The vines are two decades old.  This wine is aged for 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels. 

Alcohol: 14.2%

Horse Hooey Doesn't Make Money!

After winning the 1976 Judgement of Paris for his 1973 vintage Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich joined forces with Austin Hills and Austin's sister Mary Lee Streblin in 1977 to form Grgich Hills Cellar when Mary Lee sold Hills Coffee.  The original Grigch Hills label design was a rearing horse clenching a baton in its mouth, a colorful feature of the Hills’ family crest. Austin owns Hills Vineyard that produces olive oils.  With the new partnership and good marketing decisions, the label was eventually redesigned to reflect the philosophy of their winery and they smartly concluded that “horses do not make wine, grapes make wine!”.  The logo now has both the Grgich Family crest and the rearing horse Hills Family crest.  This story is not full of horse hooey! RIP Mike Grgich. 

2013 Stag's Leap Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag's Leap Cellars, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Marcus Notaro

Retail:  $50

Christmas Eve Wine Up is a well aged 10 year old Stag's Leap Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Artemis".  We decanted it for a few minutes to open it up.  Wouldn't wait too much longer for aging. 

Aromas of blackcherry and plum with hints of vanilla. On the palate, the wine plum and forest floor cedar. This nice wine is a medium-bodied and has grippy tannins.  Per wine critic Wilford Wong, the "2013 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis ranks as one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignons of the vintage. Made from a superior year and by a new winemaker, I waited with great anticipation as the wine's release got closer. The wine exceeded all expectations. Bright and pure with red currants and savory earth, this wine exhibits excellent purity."  Wilford has a long 40 year history of tasting Stag's Leap Cellars including the famed 1976 SLV! 

I met Winemaker Marcus in 2019 when he presented to the San Diego Wine Guild where we had 100 people in attendance.  What a great night of wine, discussion and experience.  We bought several bottles that night that we have opened over the past 4 years and will continue enjoying over the next decade. 

Artemis in Greek religion means the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation and of chastity and childbirth.  Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.  

Pairing:  Grilled tri-tip, braised short ribs, or pasta with wild mushrooms and prosciutto

2017 Cerebella (Zimmel Code Cellars) Cabernet Franc

Pendelton, Columbia Valley, Washington (USA)

Winemaker/Co-Owner:  Robb Zimmel

Retail: $40

Friday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Cerebella Cabernet Franc from the Columbia Valley.  A deep garnet color wine with perfumed strawberry followed by spice notes.  The wine evolved with pepper and chocolate that finished nicely. 

The winemaker Robb Zimmel is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran who served as a combat medic in Iraq and Afghanistan.  While in the military overseas he enrolled in community college via a satellite phone and took courses in between depoyments.  After his service to our country he studies wine science at Washington State University where he graduated with a degree in viticulture and enology.  Robb graduated in 2013 and released his first vintaged wine in 2014.  Zimmel Code Cellars is an urban winery and the only winery in Pendelton, Washington.  

Platinum Winner with 94 points at the 2023 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits competition that I was a volunteer for. 

2017  Beaulieu Vineyard Maestro Collection

74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah

BV Rutherford Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker: Trevor Durling

Retail: $65 (2024)

Saturday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Beaulieu Vineyard "BV" Maestro Collection from Napa Valley.  A 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Syrah blended varietal.  This wine had a dark, velvet garnet color that is appropriate for this varietal.  No signs of aging or off colors.   It was full opaque. Purity was good for a filtered red wine. Found little aging on the rim variation.  

The nose revealed blackberry and black cherry aromas that we rated as good.   The aroma intensity was moderate (chin level). Although nearing 7 years in the bottle, it is still developing and could go to 2030.  

The bouquet had no fermentation faults and we believe this wine was aged in a blend of new and neutral oak barrels. The Maestro Collection is a full bodied wine with warm alcohol feel, thick legs and a high 14.7% ABV. 

Tasting the wine we experienced some residual sugars and think it was off-dry.  The tannins were firm.  Acidity was medium. Napa Valley is a warm climate wine grower.  The structure was there but not as much as it potentially could, perhaps with aging. The balance was excellent for a cocktail wine which surprised us that it doesn't need food.   The finish was plush at over 30 seconds long.  Overall it is nearly a great wine especially for the value.  

Alcohol: 14.7% 

I am now a Wine Road Ambassador and it is sort of like being a AAA member for Sonoma County wine tasting.  You get discounts, tours and perks such as complimentary logo glass when tasting in person, vineyard/winery tours with winemakers, upgraded charcuterie boards, limited wine sale offers, 10% on Wine Road events, earlybird event ticket access, 50% on Wine Road seminars, 10% on all wine purchases, 2 for 1 tasting at wineries, and free shipping on a case of wine per month.

The Wine Road is in Sonoma that dates back to 1976 that includes now Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River AVA's.  Some of the finest wineries in California and a likely favorite of yours is in Sonoma.  Unlike AAA, there is no cost to be a Wine Road Ambassador.  You read 10 pages of brief notes, watch some videos and take an easy certification quiz.  It is educational and found it interesting!  The whole process took less than an hour.   

If you are going or plan to visit Sonoma, it is well worth the time to become a Wine Road Ambassador.  So who wants to hit the "Wine Road" with me?  Here is the link: www.wineroad.com/explore/insider/ 

2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc

40% Clairette, 25% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussane, and 10% Bourboulenc

Winery:  Famile Brunier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone (France) 

Winemaker: Frédéric & Daniel Brunier 

Retail:  $46 (2021)

Valentine's Day Wine Up is a 2019 Famille Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos La Roquète Blanc!  Not our first Valentine's Day but my first white Châteauneuf-du-Pape!  Can age until 2034.

Fragrant white flowers, honeydo melon, and almost ripe white peach.  A medium to full-bodied wine. Found it has some rocky minerality from the vineyard terroir. Rather than use oak barrels or casks the winemaker uses large foudres and demi-muids to impart less oak into the wine giving it a dry, crisp finish.  The finish was over 30 seconds!

The grapes were planted in 1987 on three hecacres that the soils are sand on red clay and galets roulés (larger, rounded stones that have been smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône).  

The producer ages the wine for 8 months before bottling.  The vineyard farming is said to be "Lutte Raisonnée" meaning due to high use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the 1950's that caused soil degradation of the soil.  The soil doesn't have the necessary microbiotic life forms that support healthy soils. Lutte raisonnée means “reasoned fight” or “supervised control”. Today they use chemical treatments when absolutely necessary as a pragmatic approach.  It also a farming practice to plant cover crops, extensive plowing of the soils, and the use of manures and natural composts to fertilize the vines. A sort of organic style farming approach.

Alcohol:  13.5%

2018 Yorkville Cabernet Franc

Rennie Estate Vineyard, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California (USA)

90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet

Retail: $35

Sunday Night Wine Up is a 2018 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc is a medium-bodied wine with a crimson purple color.  The nose is soft velvet red fruit that becomes a mini plum bomb. Enjoyed the ripe cherries and touch of baking spice.  The acidity begins immediately and gripping tannins come through the finish due to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged well and lots of life to go much longer!

Alcohol: 13.5%

2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

34% Bancroft Ranch, 33% Steinhauer Ranch, 8% Chabot Vineyard, 8% Lampyridae, and remainder from St. Helena Home Vineyard, Marston Ranch and Rancho del Oso. Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Mark Beringer

Retail:  $135 - $165 (2024)

Sunday Night Wine Up was a gift from a San Diego Wine Guild Founder Ted Law who "found" the wine deep in his cellar.  I keep looking in my cellar and I can't find a Beringer Private Reserve!  Showed no signs of aging in the rim or in the glass bowl.  A bit of cinnamon and spice on the nose (not intense).  We loved the dense purple color that led us directly into tasting blackberries, licorice, and tobacco.  Still well balanced and structure between acidity and tannins.  The finish was slow to evolve and glad we decanted it to savor the beauty of this Cabernet. 

According to Robert Parker who gave this wine 97 points in the Wine Advocate: "A mild spring and summer with only a handful of heat spikes was followed by beautiful weather in September and October. One of the finest Private Reserves made over the last two decades, this phenomenal wine is obviously still an infant in terms of development, but it exhibits a dense purple color as well as an extraordinary nose of blackberries, white chocolate, licorice, tobacco leaf, smoky barbecue, charcoal and a burning ember-like note reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux."

This wine has a long and rich history like the wine itself since the first vintage in 1977 by the icon winemaker Ed Sbragia. Today they only use the best lots from the outstanding vineyards to which each vineyard is aged separately in new French oak for two years before blending.

Beringer made a bit over 9,000 cases of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, which is amazing for the both the quality and quantity.  A tribute of great farming and careful nuturing by the winemaker Mark Beringer!

Alcohol:  14.6%

To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse? It's Your Palate

We taste wine in the social hour before our presentations followed by eight tastings during the meeting session.  What to do about clearing your palate to make the wine you are going to taste be just that new wine?  Cleansing your palate is beneficial to making your wine experience all the better. There are both food and beverage options for palate cleansers. Consider the following when you attend one of our presentations, at the winery or at home with a cozy bottle of wine:

-  Tasty bread like a baguette or croissant or a quality cracker because they help absorb the flavor of the previous wine that you just had. 

-  A mild cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella that is fatty enough to break down tannins in the wine. More with reds then whites. 

-  A crisp apple or pear as they add a bit of tartness with some sweetness.

-  Oddly celery may sweep out any leftover wine texture and tannins without leaving an aftertaste. 

-  Not my favorite but green Graber olives due to having a distinct flavor to awaken your taste buds. 

-  For the carnivores, a thin slice of rare roast beef as the fat and protein can eliminate wine flavors, especially heavy reds.

If you prefer the liquid cleansing options we recommend:

-  Sparkling water and may want to spice it up with lemon or cucumber.

-  A light beer for its effervescent and a twinge of bitterness. 

-  Champagne is always good for its bubbles for refreshing your palate.

How do you get your sense of smell back?

-  Smell water from a glass

-  Smell your skin and preferrably your forearm if you are in public

2016 Marchesi Mazzei Tenuta Belguardo Maremma Toscana Rosso 

Maremma Toscana, Tuscany (Italy)

Winemaker: Luca Biffi

Retail: $60

The Sunday Night Wine Up is an elegant Maremma Cru red blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby color and strong aromas of black cherry and tobacco.  The palate senses dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of spices. The tannins are firm yielding to a long finish.

The vines are two decades old.  This wine is aged for 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels. 

Alcohol: 14.2%

Horse Hooey Doesn't Make Money!

After winning the 1976 Judgement of Paris for his 1973 vintage Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich joined forces with Austin Hills and Austin's sister Mary Lee Streblin in 1977 to form Grgich Hills Cellar when Mary Lee sold Hills Coffee.  The original Grigch Hills label design was a rearing horse clenching a baton in its mouth, a colorful feature of the Hills’ family crest. Austin owns Hills Vineyard that produces olive oils.  With the new partnership and good marketing decisions, the label was eventually redesigned to reflect the philosophy of their winery and they smartly concluded that “horses do not make wine, grapes make wine!”.  The logo now has both the Grgich Family crest and the rearing horse Hills Family crest.  This story is not full of horse hooey! RIP Mike Grgich. 

2013 Stag's Leap Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Stag's Leap Cellars, Napa Valley, California (USA)

Winemaker:  Marcus Notaro

Retail:  $50

Christmas Eve Wine Up is a well aged 10 year old Stag's Leap Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Artemis".  We decanted it for a few minutes to open it up.  Wouldn't wait too much longer for aging. 

Aromas of blackcherry and plum with hints of vanilla. On the palate, the wine plum and forest floor cedar. This nice wine is a medium-bodied and has grippy tannins.  Per wine critic Wilford Wong, the "2013 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis ranks as one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignons of the vintage. Made from a superior year and by a new winemaker, I waited with great anticipation as the wine's release got closer. The wine exceeded all expectations. Bright and pure with red currants and savory earth, this wine exhibits excellent purity."  Wilford has a long 40 year history of tasting Stag's Leap Cellars including the famed 1976 SLV! 

I met Winemaker Marcus in 2019 when he presented to the San Diego Wine Guild where we had 100 people in attendance.  What a great night of wine, discussion and experience.  We bought several bottles that night that we have opened over the past 4 years and will continue enjoying over the next decade. 

Artemis in Greek religion means the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation and of chastity and childbirth.  Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.  

Pairing:  Grilled tri-tip, braised short ribs, or pasta with wild mushrooms and prosciutto

2017 Cerebella (Zimmel Code Cellars) Cabernet Franc

Pendelton, Columbia Valley, Washington (USA)

Winemaker/Co-Owner:  Robb Zimmel

Retail: $40

Friday Night Wine Up is a 2017 Cerebella Cabernet Franc from the Columbia Valley.  A deep garnet color wine with perfumed strawberry followed by spice notes.  The wine evolved with pepper and chocolate that finished nicely. 

The winemaker Robb Zimmel is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran who served as a combat medic in Iraq and Afghanistan.  While in the military overseas he enrolled in community college via a satellite phone and took courses in between depoyments.  After his service to our country he studies wine science at Washington State University where he graduated with a degree in viticulture and enology.  Robb graduated in 2013 and released his first vintaged wine in 2014.  Zimmel Code Cellars is an urban winery and the only winery in Pendelton, Washington.  

Platinum Winner with 94 points at the 2023 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits competition that I was a volunteer for.