A bit soft and melted, but offers exotically rich flavors of golden mango, pineapple and cinnamon spice, in a custardy texture.
Judges Choice at International Value Wine Awards.
Judge's Choice at International Value Wine Awards.
Judge's Choice at International Value Wine Awards.
Wine Pairing - Corn Chowder with Mint Pesto. The chowder's summer corn's sweetness is mellowed by the potato and savory stock. Presto adds complexity. Try a Chardonnay with a little oak and barrel aging, such as the 2007 Carmel Road Winery Monterey Chardonnay.
Experience shows in California pinot noirs - After more that 20 years of research, experimentation and hard work, California pinot noir producers are hitting their stride.
Experience shows in California pinot noirs - After more than 20 years of research, experimentation and hard work, California pinot noirs are hitting their stride.
Experience shows in California pinot noirs - After more than 20 years of research, experimentation and hard work, California pinot noirs are hitting their stride.
Experience shows in California pinot noirs - After more than 20 years of research, experimentation and hard work, California pinot noir producers are hitting their stride.
Earning 3.5 out of possible 5 Stars in the Press Democrat's recent 10-Year Cabernet Sauvignon Retrospective Tasting.
Top Wines of Sonoma from Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, August 2009
Top Wines of Sonoma from Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, August 2009
Wine Pairing - Barley brings a hearty texture to a Sunday Supper, Baked Chicken Legs with Porcini Pilaf, while the dark meat provides a deeper flavor than white meat would. The slight earthiness from the porcini suggest a lighter-bodied Pinot Noir like the 2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
The winery's 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, which includes fruit from La Crema's estate Annapolis vineyard, is all cherry and plum, full of vivid fruit and silky tannins. Its Monterey Pinot Noir, the first vintage of which is the 2007, is more savory, first showing a taste of herbs before delivering notes of strawberry - a more dirt-driven wine, as Stackhouse herself puts it.
Take La Crema's 2007 Monterey Chardonnay, the inaugural vintage for this wine. It's a blend of about 250 distinct vineyard blocks all barrel-fermented separately. Stackhouse and her team will taste the lots blind all year long, putting together trial blends to see what they like or don't like and then decide on a direction for the final blend. They don't allow themselves to rely on whatever the blend was the year before.
Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend August 2009
Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend August 2009.
The 2007 Los Carneros Chardonnay is another of the winery's inaugural vintages, on the other hand, is full of lemon zest and stony minerality, a little more coy, with some of the grapes coming from the Durell Vineyard.
Experience shows in California pinot noirs - After more than 20 years of research, experimentation and hard work, California pinot noir producers are hitting their stride.
The 2007 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a citrus-tinged, mouthwatering chardonnay that, as Stackhouse describes, doesn't have any elbows, with just a cameo appearance or oak, juicy but not flabby, a result of its cool-climate fruit.
Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine Country Weekend August 2009
Top Wines of Sonoma: Sonoma Wine County Weekend August 2009
Earning 4.5 out of possible 5 Stars in the Press Democrat's recent 10-Year Cabernet Sauvignon Retrospective Tasting.
The alcohol is pretty high, but the wine is nice and dry, and shows impressively ripe flavors of red cherry pie filling, red licorice, beef jerky, Dr. Pepper cola and smoky cedar. The texture is pure silk and satin. Best now with lamb, steak, even a super burger.
This wine is full-bodied and dry, with silky texture and a slight grip of tannin that spreads gently across your whole mouth. Fresh acidity gives the wine depth and ads dimension to the silkiness. The wine's aromas are pronounced, pure notes of dark cherry and berry, with a floral scent and a vanilla perfume that emerges with aeration. This wine's flavors repeat the ripe dark cherry and berry and also suggest earth and mineral notes, finishing with coffee. although this wine is rich in fruity flavors, it is not fruity as in near sweet this is a dry Pinot.