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Paul Dolan Vineyards Organic Zinfandel Mendocino 2009 From: Last Call Wines discovered 55 minutes ago | $14.99 **Best Price Online** (shipping included) (winesearcher pro version) **Made With Organically Grown Grapes** Wine Spectator 89 Points "Sleek and supple, with briary cherry aromas and elegant black raspberry, spice and toast flavors that finish with polished tannins. Drink now through 2015. Gold, 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Highly Recommended, California Grapevine Tasting Notes A story of opposites attract. Mendocino County Zinfandel is known for its jammy berry quality and Amador County for its spicy Zins. The Paul Dolan Vineyards Zinfandel is the perfect flavor marriage with tastes of boysenberry preserves, black pepper, and orange marmalade. Vineyard Notes Hawks circle above ridge top vineyards whose red soil produces the unique fruit for this Zinfandel. The older site offers a distinctive spice and leanness needed to keep the younger, bold vines in check. Winemaker Notes This wine is the unique expression of a carefully nurtured piece of land, made manifest in each bottle. We do without conventional pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, treating the soil as a living, life giving system. Our wine growing practices create special wines, and sustain the land. They also sustain our environment, the place where we live, and the people who live here. |
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Tenuta dei Sette Cieli Indaco SuperTuscan Toscana 2007 From: Wines Till Sold Out discovered 2 hours ago | $19.99 |
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Rutherford Grove Winery & Vineyards 2007 Pestoni Family Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Merlot From: The Wine Spies discovered 5 hours ago | $37.50 Regular Retail Price: $50.00 The Wine Spies One Day Price: $37.50 Varietal: Merlot Region: California: Howell Mountain (Napa) Volume: 750 ml Alcohol %: 14.2 SUPERIOR WINE ALERT: We only sell wines that we live, but when we’re really crazy about one, we issue this special alert. Today’s Merlot is nothing short of fantastic! SECRET SAVINGS ALERT: Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount! Mission Codename: Above the Fog Operative: Agent Red Objective: Merlot is not frequently featured here, not because we don’t love the food-fantastic varietal, but because we are so picky. Respond to Operative requests for a great Merlot by sending Agent Red to our friends at Rutherford Grove Winery. Investigate their premium Howell mountain Reserve Merlot. If the wine is superb, secure an ample allocation. Mission Status: Accomplished! Current Winery: Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards Wine Subject: 2007 Pestoni Family Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Merlot Winemaker: Andy Pestoni Backgrounder: Merlot, one of the primary grape varietals from Bordeaux finds an exceptional home in the Napa Valley. Napa County’s Howell Mountain AVA, established in 1984 is known for its wines of deep concentration and intensity. The higher elevation and relatively flat aspect make the location great for vineyards, and specifically Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The first vines in the Howell Mountain area were planted in the 1880s. Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Deep ruby hues with a slightly darker core, this wine shows a pretty magenta ring at the edge of the glass. After swirling the wine, tall, skinny, widely-spaced, wine-stained tears form high up on the glass wall, before rocketing downward. Smell – Fragrant and lush with pronounced black cherry, dusty bramble, blackberry and dried cranberry out in the lead. Swirl the wine and you’ll coax out additional aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, cracked leather, subtlest cracked pepper and a hint of fresh mint at the very back of the nose. Feel – Soft and round at the front of the palate, the wine then introduces a soft dryness at the edges of the palate. Gradually, this dryness spreads inward, eventually drying the cheeks and lips. Soft, integrated tannins balance against the juicy bright acidity of the wine. Taste – Sweet dried cherry, dried cranberry, strawberry and raspberry take the lead. Leather, soft oak, bramble, black pepper and shaved dark chocolate follow behind. Finish – Very long, slightly dry and loaded with red fruit flavors that give way to leather, spice, chocolate and black pepper at the very end. Conclusion – Ahhhh. When a Merlot is great, it is great. Today’s 2007 2007 Pestoni Family Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Merlot from Rutherford Grove Winery is, you guessed it, great. Juicy, complex, bright and delicious, this is a very food-friendly and flexible wine that will pair with almost anything. We paired our review bottles with grilled pizzas. See our recipe, below. the pairing was absolutely perfect. If you love Merlot, we’re confident that you’ll fall in love with this special, high-elevation delight from our friends at Rutherford Grove Winery. Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The location of the Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo. |
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Screw Kappa Napa Merlot From: wine.woot! discovered 13 hours ago | $49.99 Hazing Screw Kappa Napa? I think that was the frat my dad was in… Welcome to rush week, pledges! Over the next few days, we will be administering a series of “tests” to decide who we will admit into the fraternity of Screw Kappa Napa. We’ve decided, this year, to forgo the traditional hazing methods. There will be no paddles, no streaking, no excessive drinking or eating, none of that. Instead, you will each be given a glass of 2009 Merlot. You will drink the glass, slowly, and then you will be given a quiz in which you will identify each aromatic note – the cinnamon stick, the black raspberry, the cardamom, the eucalyptus, all of it. From there you will move on to the flavors; if you leave a SINGLE ONE off your list – the coco nibs, the dried cherries, the red currant – you’ll be sent packing, understand? Wait… did I just… Ugh! I always do this! I always give it away! Well fine, I guess we’re chugging expired milk and eating raw eggs. Again. Everyone grab a mug. 2009 Merlot 6-Pack Varietal: 92% Merlot, 8% Petite Sirah Appellation: Napa Valley Vintage: 2009 Winemaker: Greg Kitchens Half of this wine was aged in French oak barrels (20% new), and half in stainless steel to provide balance and freshness Alcohol: 13.5% pH: 3.65 TA: 0.66 g/100 mL Complex aromas, such as cinnamon stick, black raspberry, cardamom, and eucalyptus, lead off this classically styled Merlot. Flavors of coco nibs, dried cherries, and red currant have a velvety roundness on the palate. In addition, hints of tea leaf and brambly berry notes give this Merlot further depth, along with moderate acidity and texture from a small percentage of Petite Sirah. Full-bodied with gripping tannins, this Merlot will appeal to traditional Merlot fans with its velvety berry flavors, as well as Cabernet drinkers with its depth and round tannins. Open a bottle of this Merlot with a pan-roasted pork loin served with a balsamic reduction sauce, or polenta with mushroom ragu. A flourless chocolate cake would also be a perfect match for the richness of the dark berry flavors in this Merlot. |