Category Archives: California

Some Really Nice Recent Wines for Review

29 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in California, Oregon, Paso Robles & Mendocino

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Time to finish catching up on wine reviews with a few more notes from the desk, bottles on the kitchen counter, and memories before they fade.

All of these are value wines which aren’t that tough to find. So here we go!

Clayhouse 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon – I’m always looking for a nice drinkable Cab under $20 and now I’ve found another! An under-$20 Cab isn’t going to have huge tannins and big fruit but I don’t want that at this price point – and/or it’s not going to be well made.

Clayhouse Adobe is a great value line of wines from Clayhouse owned by Middleton Family Wines. I’ve had several of their wines but never the Cabernet. I opened their Malbec recently and was a bit underwhelmed considering how good their other wines have been. The Cab was a good bounce-back for one of my favorite value Paso Robles labels.

This was rich and drinkable Cabernet. It had beautiful dark fruit, some herbal hints and enough acidity to balance the tannins enough for ribeye (which I consumed with it) but still smooth enough to sip with chocolate or some snacks. This does see a reasonable amount of oak, spending 12 months in American and French oak before bottling.

The wine is 80 percent Cab with the remaining 20 percent Petit Verdot to give a fruit kick and color! Oh, it comes with a screw cap too! There are a handful of good Cabs at this price point in your neighborhood grocery or liquor store but few are better than this one for the price!

Clayhouse 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, SRP $15, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended for the price.

Chateau de Segries 2011 Tavel –  For years the Tavel region of the Rhone Valley has been known for the world’s best Rose wines. Provence, the southern Rhone, and the Languedoc now hold equal footing in some folks eyes but the Tavel Rose wines are well worth seeking out.

The first thing you’ll notice is the deeper red color of Tavel Rose. For the most part, they are often in the hues of a cranberry or even deep red raspberry color. This wine was a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah. This is a dry Rose with a bit more punch to the flavor than the delightfully more delicate Provence Rose with the salmon pink color.

This wine has bright cherries, raspberries and very restrained acidity. The Segries Rose has been generally well regarded garnering 91 points from Robert Parker for the 2010 vintage.

I love Rose and this was a nice change of pace. I sipped it alone and with some simple salad shrimp on a hot day. If nothing else, see out a Tavel Rose at your wine shop to compare to the other style Rose wines of France.

Chateau de Segries 2011 Tavel, $14.99, Grape Vine Cottage, Zionsville, Recommended.


Obra Prima 2007 Reserva Malbec – Malbec was the ‘next great thing’ for what seemed like the better part of a decade. If you read wine trade publications, that time has come and gone. But Malbec often delivers better wine for an affordable price point than other varieties.

I liked this big red wine with a grilled steak a lot! The wine had big red fruit  like black raspberry or blackberry and maybe even a hint of really dark chocolate. The acid and tannins were smooth and held up nicely to a New York strip I had prepared on the grill.

This is not a wine for wimps, it’s big red for big red meat. It’s available in Indiana and perfect for that beef sizzling on the grill. This was one of better Malbecs I’ve tasted in a long time.

Obra Prima 2007 Reserva Malbec, $16.99, Grapevine Cottage, Zionsville, Highly Recommended.


Sineann 2010 Red Table Wine – This was probably one of my top finds thus far this year. Sineann is a very well-known Oregon Pinot Noir producer. So when I saw the wine was a blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Zinfandel, and “dashes” of Cab Franc and Melot …. let’s just say I was skeptical. You just don’t blend Oregon Pinot Noir with ANYthing! In most years the blend is approximately 50 percent Pinot.

I was wrong with my preconceived notions. I didn’t want to like it because I’m one of those wine geeks that believe great Pinot doesn’t belong in any blend. But most wine drinkers will find this to be one of the most enjoyable and drinkable reds you’ll come across in 2012.

This is clearly a ‘kitchen sink’ wine. They throw everything in it and it works remarkably well. It’s drinkable, sippable, quaffable, and more. If you find it buy it.

Sineann 2010 Red Table Wine, $17.99, Cork & Cracker, Indianapolis, Highly Recommended.

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Catching Up on a Bunch of Good Wines

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Napa/Sonoma, Paso Robles & Mendocino, Spain

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Whenever I’m looking for something on my desk and keep stumbling across notes on wines I’ve tasted, it’s time to write some reviews.

Some of these wines span back a few weeks but I always make a few notes on what I thought. I’m not ever excited about reviewing wines and not sure how important it is to readers. But I do figure if someone reads the blog regularly and finds my recommendations favorable to their palate, then it’s worth doing.

So let’s catch up …

Clayhouse 2010 Syrah  – I’m a Clayhouse fan and have written that before. This value line under the Adobe label rocks and is widely available. I don’t drink Syrah often but when I do I drink Paso Robles. Hmmm, sounds familiar?

This wine has the stereotypical dark berry and fruit flavors of plum and caramel. I liked the full mouth feel and nice long finish. This juice gets just 10 month in oak making that long finish smooth instead of tannic. It’s a relatively low 13.8 percent alcohol wine.

Clayhouse 2010 Syrah, SRP $15, Trade Sample, Recommended

Valdubon 2003 Crianza – Beautiful red wine from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain which always rocks my juice palate.

I tasted pronounced black raspberry and vanilla with that wonderful silkiness you get with well-made and aged Tempranillo-driven wines. But this 100 percent Tempranillo was bolder than some. It was beautiful wine.

Even with additional press in recent years, Spanish wines remain a great value delivering superior quality for the price.

Valdubon 2003 Crianza, Around $20, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended

Jigar 2009 Pinot Noir – This Sonoma Pinot Noir is a California keeper. It comes from the Pinot-rich region of the Russian River Valley.

It’s a more full-bodied Pinot than many you’ll pick up but with good balance. It’s rich with nice minerality and acidity on the finish. There is some dark cherry on the palate. It’s really delightful wine.

Jigar 2002 Pinot Noir, Retails around $30, I got a buy under $20 at Zionsville’s Grapevine Cottage. Recommended.

NOTE: I have a few more reviews to post as well and hope to get those up Tuesday night.



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It’s National #SauvBlanc Day – Really!

21 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in California

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Indeed, National Sauvignon Blanc Day will be over before you know it. It’s sort of like waiting for Christmas and then ‘poof’ it’s gone.

Okay, a tad too much sarcasm. I actually like these national (fill in the blank) wine days. It’s a chance to read bloggers and wine writers musings on a particular varietal. I’m not sure anyone outside the wine world knows there is a National Sauvignon Blanc day, or Cab, Merlot, or Chardonnay Day. But there are such holidays.

Correct label, but I drank the 2009

This is largely the creation of social media wine writers. That’s those of us who dally regularly in Facebook, Twitter, and blogging. If you search the tag I’ve put in the headling #SauvBlanc you’ll find Facebook postings, blogs, and Tweets all about Sauvignon Blanc today.

Who could come up with this but self-absorbed, narcissistic, attention-seeking wine writers? Well, I guess those adjectives are all redundant. But it is sort of fun.

I opened a really great Santa Barbara Winery 2009 Sauvingon Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley in Central California. I paid $11.99 at Cork and Cracker in Indy for this dynamite and lighter-bodied SauvBlanc.

The wine has strong citrus with floral hints, and a pretty mild acidic finish. But it’s a nice change of pace from the bigger more powerfully acidic Sauv Blanc wines. And at $12 it’s a crazy good value. This is wine that would be fabulous with white fish and really light summer dishes. And the mild acidity makes it a perfect sipper for hot days.

I’d give the wine a Highly Recommended rating as a value and delicous Sauvingon Blanc.

Oh, Happy Sauvignon Blanc Day!

I wonder if there is a National Table Grape day?

Hmmmm ……..

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Summer Drinking – Two Whites & a Rose’

10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in California, France, Paso Robles & Mendocino

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Summer time is lighter wine time for most of us and I’ve definitely been going down that path in recent weeks.

The more wine I’ve consumed in recent years, the more I’ve come to appreciate really well-made whites. I might argue the learning curve is accelerated because of the red wine dominance on my wine rack. Many will disagree, but for me it’s a little easier to identify the characteristics of red wine. White and Rose’ is more nuanced.

Enough of the geeky stuff. Here are three easy-to-find wines I purchased in Central Indiana – all under $20.

Clayhouse Adobe White – The Adobe line of Clayhouse wines from California’s Paso Robles are really great value wines. I just received samples of the 2011 vintage with a couple bottles I’ve not previously sampled. These wines clearly taste above the price point, are nicely balanced, and are available at great prices. The suggested retail on the entire line is $14 or $15.

The tasty blend is 49 percent Viognier, 26 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 19 percent Grenache Blanc, and 6 percent Princess. Princess is often called a table grape and is said to resemble Muscat in flavor. It was a new one for me. I have found Viognier I’ve loved and hated – it’s very floral and fruity normally. I remember last year’s Adobe White and was put off just a bit by the Viognier. The 2011 blend is a perfect mix.

The wine has floral, identifiable orange, peach, and honey flavors. Portions of this wine are barrel fermented, but not aged, resulting in a real creamy feel on the palate. The alcohol comes in at 12.8 percent.

Simply, this is a great summer sipper or white for lighter meals.

Clayhouse Adobe White, SRP $14, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended

Arona 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – Sauv Blanc from New Zealand often takes a hit for the big acid, over-the-top fruit, and that ‘grassy thing” many wine drinkers don’t like.

Check out Arona Sauv Blanc if you are one of those folks. I tried this wine at a tasting conducted by Derek Gray of Graybull Wines. I loved it.

This wine is much lighter on the palate than many NZ Sauv Blancs. It still had the crisp acidity which would make it perfect for lighter seafood dishes, particularly white fish. Think passion fruit, pineapple, and aroma-pleasing citrus.

If you like NZ and California Sauvignon Blanc but want a bit lighter mouth feel, grab a bottle of Arona.

Arona 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, $13.99, I bought this wine at Mass. Ave. Wine Shop in Indy. Highly Recommended.


Gerard Bertrand 2010 Gris Blanc Rose’ – I’ve been on a real Rose’ kick and this one is different as they come. First, Gerard Bertand is one of the most respected winemakers in Southern France. His wines offer great value for the price point.

This wine is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. Most notably, is the very – very pale – salmon color often associated with Provence’s fine Rose’ wines.

I got peach and maybe hint of a red raspberry. The wine is lighter on the palate than many but it does have pretty serious acidity. It’s also seriously dry Rose’. It would be another choice for white fish, shell fish, or a summer salad.

I picked up this unique Rose’ at Vine and Table in Carmel.

Gerard Bertrand 2010 Gris Blanc Rose, $13.99, Recommended.

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Turmoil at a Beautiful Hilltop Mendocino Winery

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in California, Paso Robles & Mendocino, Uncategorized

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There are so many hidden gems in places like Paso Robles and Mendocino county that after my trips there in 2010 and 2011 I was not sure I did them all justice.

Maple Creek Winery was one of the most interesting stops of the visit but it just didn’t fit into the stories I wrote after the fact. I did write about the beautiful area, fabulous lunch, and great story of Tom Rodrigues.

Here is the blog entry I wrote the day of our visit.

Tom had some interesting varietals and wines and fascinating personal story. But you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. A fight over his winery and property is underway.

See the full story here.

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Story Behind Michael David’s 7 Deadly Zins a Tasty Tale

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in California, Newspaper Column 2012

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The story behind one of the best tasting and most successful value wines has good winemaking, gratitude to terrible sweet wine, and a long family history of fruit production to credit for its success.

7 Deadly Zins is one of the easiest to find value wines in the $10-$15 price range. It’s 100 percent Zinfandel and consistently a favorite of critics and fans. It’s made by Michael David Winery, Lodi, Ca., an area best known for its full-flavored Zinfandel.

“I was in the winery making wine and I wanted to taste what other vineyards tasted like for Zin,” Michael Phillips recently told me. “So I bought some grapes from my seven growers and put them in barrels separately. You could taste the difference between those seven old vine vineyards. The grapes were grown by my uncle, neighbor across the street, cousin down the road, and my best friend from high school. We had a couple old vineyards next to the winery. They were all different to a certain extent.”
Michael Phillips during a recent Indianapolis visit.
Phillips recognized a distinct taste of Lodi in all seven wines but knew his winery couldn’t bottle seven different Zinfandels and expect success. 
“So I said lets combine all seven and call it 7 Zins,” Phillips said. “So I went to my brother (David), who was doing more of the marketing at the time and gave him my idea. He said let’s tie it to the seven deadly sins we learned in grammar school. We made 800 cases that first year and sold out in two months.”  
To say the wine took off is a bit of an understatement. The 2002 release of 7 Deadly Zins was gone in no time and the brothers knew they had found something special. The Michael David Winery today produces nearly 300,000 cases of wine annually with more than 200,000 cases under the 7 Deadly Zin label.
Back when it all started in the 1980s the winery was simply known as Phillips but there were other Phillips wineries in California so the brothers put their first names on the bottles to become Michael David Winery.
The family story actually goes back much further. The Lodi family farm has been producing fruit of all sorts since the 1860s.
The brothers have fun with the names and labels marketing wines under the names of Earthquake, Incognito, Rapture, and even Freakshow. But it’s that $9-$12 Deadly Zin that makes the fun possible.
Zinfandel has been called “California’s grape.” As opposed to Cabernet, the Zin vines thrive past 100 years old and produce deeply flavored grapes.
“That’s what put Zinfandel on the map,” Phillips said. “It’s that taste of spice, the fruit and it’s easier to drink than tannic Cabernet.”
Oddly, California’s old vine Zins were probably saved by what many consider the bane of the wine Zin industry – white zinfandel. “Whie Zin helped those vines survive,” Phillips said. “When Sutter Home wanted all that white Zin in the 70s it kept those old vines from being ripped out and planted to whatever Gallo wanted at the time.”
Zinfandel is one of those wines that is sometimes targeted for its over-the-top fruit and alcohol. Phillips fights right back.
“We have a style it took me time to develop,” he said. “The longer we let the grapes hang on the vine the better  quality gets. The alcohol is going to be a little higher, but if you handle it right it’s not a negative. You get better color, more body and basically that’s our Michael David style.
“Fruit is good. People want fruit. Now, it can’t just be fruit and it can’t just be high alcohol. It can’t just be big tannic wine either. That’s why Napa buys so much of our Lodi fruit because it has a fruit component they don’t have. That’s the kind of stuff they don’t want you to know or tell you about but fruit is the key. People like fruit, and so many people are switching to that style – and Lodi has it.”
Howard Pick’s:
7 Deadly Zins – This easy to find value bottle can be found at $9-$14 a bottle. It is consistent and easy to appreciate. It has a bold in-your-face dark fruit flavor on the palate that pairs well with food.
6th Sense Syrah – This French-style 100 percent Syrah is beautiful wine that’s stunning for the $15 price point. It has a huge rich nose, dark purple color with hints of licorice, juicy dark fruit and a very pleasant and lingering finish.

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Dynamite Under-$20 Pinot Noir & More

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in California, Napa/Sonoma, Oregon

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The wine geeks among us have many quests. One such quest is usually to find a really good under 420 Pinot Noir. They’re really hard to find and can be inconsistent from vintage to vintage.

After a few thoughts on my Pinot find how about more Pinot?

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir – Simply put, the Gauthier is one of the best under-$20 Pinots I have ever found.

It had really nice red berry fruit, a smooth, smoke, spice and a balanced feel in the mouth and moderate acidity. Pinot at the price point isn’t always a true representation of the grape but this one sure was. It even had a richness in flavor.

All too often $15 Pinot, give or take a couple bucks, can be flat, acidic, or tasteless. The Gauthier is none of those things.

Now a caveat, I picked this wine up on clearance for about $17 but it does normally retail for near $30. So perhaps this review should have an asterik.

But if you get to know your wine retailer, the proprietor is going to point out these great deals to their best customers.

Gauthier Sonoma Coast 2008 Pinot Noir, $17-$29, Highly Recommended.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir – At the start of each summer I go on a Rose binge. I have explored Rose from different countries and different grapes since I got into the wine writing.

Unfortunately, too many people still see pinkish or off colored wine and think of white zinfandel. There is no better summer sipper than dry Rose.

I’m partial to the Provence region of France and their really great salmon-colored Rose. But I still like exploring. There is a lot of Rose made from Pinot. The Acrobat comes from critic favorite King Estate Winery in Orgeon.

The Rose is a bit darker than many but really packs a dry strawberry/cherry punch. It certainly has a bigger fruit component and bigger flavor than many Rose wines. But I liked the balance and bigger flavor. It held up to chocolate and salmon off the grill.

Acrobat Rose is pretty easy to find and generally $14-$15.

Acrobat 2011 Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir, SRP $15.00, Recommended.

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Phillips’ Winery Making Impact Value Wines

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in California

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I never take meeting a winemaker or winery owner for granted. Getting to meet these people and learning about wine and their personal story is my favorite part of wine writing.
Unfortunately, most wine drinkers don’t get these opportunities unless they go to high-ticket wine dinners or have a networking connection in wine country.
Michael Phillips with his signature Seven Deadly Zins
Michael Phillips, of Michael David Winery, is visiting Indiana this week and his PR firm offered me the chance to taste some wines and talk with Michael. I jumped at the chance because my schedule allowed it to work.
While you may not have heard of Michael David Winery, it’s a safe bet you’ve seen its flagship wine if you frequent wine shops. The winery produces around 300,000 cases of wine each year with the bulk of that being Seven Deadly Zins. And if you’re more than a casual wine drinker you may be familiar with the Earthquake label as well.
Michael, and his brother David, are family winemakers living off land farmed by their family since the 1860s. I’m going to transcribe my chat with Michael for a future newspaper column but wanted to share the experience here through the blog as well.
Michael David Winery is a big success story in recent years of plenty of bust. They make great value, big-flavored wines for under $20.
The family farm is in California’s Lodi region which most people know as Zinfandel country but the area produces lots of different wines.
Phillips filled in plenty of the backstories of his wines, family history, and winemaking approach. He personally gave up the winemaking a few years ago but still sits in on the final blending processes.
I’ll comment on the wines I tasted in the newspaper column but I’ve always been a fan of the two mentioned above. Monday evening I tasted their Incognito red and while Rhone-style blends. I loved the white and thought the red was okay. The very reasonably priced 6th Sense Syrah is one of the best value wines at $15 I’ve tasted in ages.
I also was treated to Michael’s personal project and favorite, Rapture Cabernet. This is a beautiful Bordeaux style $65 cab that would stand up to anything out of Napa at the same price point. It was a double gold medal winner at the 2012 S.F. Chronicle wine competition. It was gorgeous Cabernet.

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Two Really Good Whites & a Great Red Under $20

19 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in California, France, Italy

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Pinot Grigio has never been one of my favorite wines. I have never found them very interesting or particularly satisfying. There may be as much bad Pinot Grigio on the market as any other varietal. They are often flabby or flat or thin – just choose your adjective.

But I have two Pinot Grigios as great price points worth your trouble. When the grape is done right, this is a refreshing and lighter white wine for entertaining and lighter meals.

Ca’ Montini Terre di Valfredda 2010 Pinot Grigio – This might be, no probably is, the best Pinot Grigio I’ve ever had. This Italian winery was founded in the 1700s in the Veneto region. This is a family winery known for its Pinot Grigio and it shows up from the first sip until the last drop.

This Pinot Grigio provides a full-flavored wine for the palate. It’s golden in color, fragrant with flowers and has a nice hint of lemon with a bit of a sour fruit finish. You’ll get a bit of terroir and minerality.

The distinctive bottle will standout on the shelf and prove itself as a distinctive wine to serve your guests this summer season.


Ca’ Montini Terre di Valfredda 2010 Pinot Grigio, SRP $14.99, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2011 Pinot Grigio – I’ve become a fan of the Mondavi Private Selection label because it offers good wines for a very affordable price. The Private Selection is available in many liquor stores, supermarkets and any where you might expect to buy value wine.


One of the real attributes of the label is that the different wines are consistently well made. This isn’t your typical $10 swill. Now, it’s not going to please your taste like a $20 wine either but I’d suggest it competes with the highly competitive $12-$16 market.

Mondavi draws upon vineyards in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara to make this 12.5 percent alcohol white wine.

To my palate it has hints of grapefruit and lime with really moderate acidity. But this wine as a great value. You might be surprised how refreshing a $10 wine can be!


Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2011 Pinot Grigio, SRP $9.99, Trade Sample, Recommended

Gerard Bertrand Grand Terroir 2007 Tautavel – From the Cotes du Roussillon in Southern France this easy drinking, fruit forward, red is a nice bottle of value wine. I got chocolate and black raspberries on my palate so when I find two of my favorite things – be it dessert or a red wine – I’m going to like it a lot.


Wine Spectator gave the wine a surprising 91 points. But some of the citizen review sites like Snooth and CellarTracker were not quite as kind. CellarTracker contributors gave the wine an average of 88 points but many of the comments were dismissive of the wine as “just okay.”

The wine is made of 50 percent Grenache, 35 percent Syrah, and 15 percent Carignan. It’s definitely a “ripe fruit” style of wine with hints of spice. 

I’m not sure I’d go as far as 91, if I used such a scale, but I think it’s great drinking wine at a good price. If you haven’t had much of the Languedoc-Roussillon appellation, this wine is a great introduction.


Gerard Bertrand Grand Terroir 2007 Tautavel, $14.99, Recommended

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3 Wines: Awesome, Darn Good, & a Stinker

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in France, Paso Robles & Mendocino, Spain

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For three-and-a-half years I have not written much about wines I didn’t care for after sampling or purchasing. I’ve read more and more where I’m not doing anyone in service in doing that. I’ve come to agree.

I have written about not liking a particular wine and why others might like it, and occasionally really went after a bad bottle. But it’s been very rare I write about wines in a negative tone. From now on, I think it’s necessary to do that when warranted. Sometimes it might be bottle shock, a wine going bad, or other outside factors. I’ll try to note that to the best of my ability. But sometimes the wine just doesn’t taste right, like the review you’ll read below.

Now, just because I don’t like a wine doesn’t mean you might not love it. On the other hand, occasionally I’ve tasted some stinkers I would tell readers/friends to stay away from.

With that aside, sometimes we all come across a wine that is just wonderful and beyond expectations. Sometimes we find a wine that keeps us trying new things and reminds us why we became wine enthusiasts in the first place. This first review is such a wine.

Awesome – Abadia Retuerta 2006 Seleccion Especial – I like this wine so much I don’t even know where to start. This wine (a 2005 actually) won the The International Wine Challenge Award for best red wine. This wine consistently gets 90-92 points from the major wine magazines.

Dark, rich fruit like cherries, plum, and flavors of licorice, spice, coffee, and vanilla sweep over the palate in a smooth and extremely well-balanced manner that few wines match. It has very concentrated fruit with unbelievable balance from sip to swallow.

The wine comes from what is known as Spain’s Golden Mile between Tudela de Duero and Penafiel. The Abadia Retuerta wine normally retails around $23-$24 but it can be found in the $17-$18 range. It’s a tremendous value at $24. If you find it, buy it.

Abadia Retuerta 2006 Seleccion Especial, $17-$20, Very Highly Recommended

Darn Good – Ancient Peaks 2009 Renegade – This 2009 was an inaugural bottling for this wine. It’s a typically big Paso Robles combo of 46 percent Syrah, 31 percent Malbec, and 23 Petit Verdot. All of the fruit comes from Margarita Vineyard in the Central Coast appelation. This vineyard is at the foot of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, just 14 miles from the Pacific.

The wine gets 18 months in a combination of oak. It’s a big smooth wine. On the palate, I got smoky flavors like coffee, chocolate with big fruit. Not a fruit bomb as it opens up, the wine’s power dark juiciness is balanced by good acidity and well-balanced tannins. For a wine of this power and flavor, the alcohol comes in at a palatible 14.5 percent.

The winery released just over a 1,000 cases of this wine so you’re going to have to look to find it.

Wine geekiness aside, if you like big flavored red wine with good balance Ancient Peaks Renegade is a very, very good bad boy!

Ancient Peaks 2009 Renegade, SRP $23, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended

Stinker –  Alain Paret Cotes-Du-Rhone Valvigneyre 2009 White Wine – I was upset when I tasted this wine. It’s 100 percent Viognier, a floral grape that provides wonderful aromas and often a tad of sweetness on the palate.

First, I really like the whites of France and particularly from the Rhone Valley. The wines are usually blended but when I had a chance to pick this wine up for $10.99 from a distinguished producer I jumped on a couple of bottles.

I thought a lot about this wine. It was disorganized, a little two tart for a floral wine, and just not very pleasant. I had the wine stored for awhile so I don’t think it was bottle shock. It just was not very palatable. 

Alain Paret Cotes-Du-Rhone Valvignevre, $10.99, Not Recommended.

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