RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $42
Golden Delicious apple, Bartlett pear and Meyer lemon with vanilla creme and blanched almonds. Bold flavors, broad on the palate with pin-prick effervescence and a so-pleasant sweet-tart finish. A beautifully balanced sparkler, apropos of a wine originally crafted for the Regan-Gorbachev Summit ending the Cold War. Ah, detent! Perhaps these times call for another bottle. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 12/31/14)
Filed under $21 to $50, California, Sparkling Wine
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $55
Deep black cherry, Mission fig and dried mulberry with earthy flavors of allspice, Ceylon cinnamon, molasses and bay. Seriously complex, slightly fruit forward and decidedly on the grander side of medium bodied — no austere wine, this. A perk of acidity adds a tenor voice; otherwise, it’s all baritone. No Three Tenors here. For a better match, check iTunes for Morphine (the band, please). A very good wine. (Reviewed 12/20/14)
Filed under $51 to $100, California, Pinot Noir
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $56
Raspberries and strawberries, rhubarb, cardamom, camphor. Aah. Forrest floor, cola and citrus zest. Aah. Fruit, savory, earth and sour. Aah, indeed. An incredible wine that is a story in a glass. A wandering tale with convenient roadside rest stops. Beautiful fresh fruit up front, backed by an organic-savory structure, and finishing with a pleasant perk of acidity that sings on the palate seemingly forever. Time in the glass or a gentle decant will reward. There are books, there are novels, there are epic tales — we have the later. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 10/25/14)
Filed under $51 to $100, California, Pinot Noir
