As I look back on 2020 and the wine we consumed, we sampled some amazing juice. To be clear, if a specific wine was featured on our blog, it is one of the best we drank as many don’t make the cut. But the wine on this list is our favorite and most memorable for 2020. These wines are ones about which I can not stop thinking. These are wines that tick every box for what I love in a wine. These are also wines that shocked me. Shocked, insofar as I am usually not a big fan of that…
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But before I talk about these two Balverne wines, I want to talk about tasting notes and their value or lack of value to a wine consumer. Within the wine writing community, you will find tasting notes widely used to talk about wine. Many wineries also put their tasting notes on the technical sheet used for “trade and media.” These notes can allow for writing about the wine without ever tasting it. They may also provide insight into the wine for a wine buyer. Although I do not know any buyers that buy wine without tasting it first. So what…
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Before we talk plate and glass, I have to share this series of images. These pictures of two of my favorite beings just make me smile. Breezy thinks she is a lap dog, and Gary loves all the “kisses.” She really wants to lick his eye, but his glasses are blocking her access. What Is In My Glass and On My Plate Glass – 2016 Daou Soul of the Lion, Adelaida District, Paso Robles, California This wine is an extraordinary sip. And for that, I must thank my sister. She went to a Daou Vineyards and Winery Dinner and ordered…
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The Russian River Valley is a designated AVA* that resides within the larger Northern Sonoma AVA. AVAs located with a larger AVA share the characteristics of that AVA but also have a more unique set of attributes that further define that specific smaller portion of the region. It could be the soil type, the weather patterns or any number of things. The AVA that appears on the bottle is always the one that represents where the vineyards are precisely located. As such, the smaller AVA will always trump the larger if the vines all reside within the smaller (or sub)…
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Just One Day: Wine Tasting in The Sonoma Valley Last month at the conclusion of the Wine Blogger Conference, I added a quick two days so do some wine tasting and visit with an old friend that moved to the area. I was so lucky that Suzanne was available as I could not imagine wine tasting here without her. Suzanne is a friend from my Chicago days. It has been 14 years since we last saw each other when Gary and I moved to the southeast coast. She too left Chicago and moved to the San Francisco Bay area a few…
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I had been looking forward to this day for months. I got to mingle with other bloggers, taste great wines and learn, learn, learn. This is Wine Bloggers Conference 2017, day one. This day was jam-packed starting with a tour and gourmet luncheon with pairings at Hanna Winery & Vineyards followed by a Zinfandel tasting, a Pinot Noir tasting and then the opening reception with tasting tables called, “Wines of the World.” Whew! If it sounds like a lot, it was. I was overwhelmed. The highlight of this day was Hanna Winery and Vineyards, so let’s go! Hanna Winery & Vineyards We…
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My Wine Country Experience Whew, I can not believe it has been eleven days since I last posted. But as you know I took a trip to Northern California wine country for the 2017 Wine Bloggers Conference and then added a couple of days of touring with a dear friend. To be sure, I had no real idea what I was in for so I had to adjust on the fly. I intended to post while away, but if there is anything that some may know about me, it’s that I am an “all in” kind of person. As such,…
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We “fell backward” this past weekend and so my “standard time blues” should be arriving anytime. I hate when daylight savings time is over because I feel like it is always dark. I know morning folks deserve lightness too but that is not me and I am feeling selfish at the moment. Needing to pamper myself just a bit, it gave me an excuse to “sample” two wines on Sunday from Lioco Winery. Ugh… I need a nap. Heading to Sonoma & Napa Wine Country on Wednesday On Wednesday, I head out west to the 2017 Wine Bloggers Conference. It is held…
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