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- news
2023 Starfield Vineyards Aglianico – A Scarce but Growing Varietal
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background on the Aglianico Aglianico wine grapes origin continues to be debated but thought initially is that the grape varietal was transported by Greek settlers to Southern Italy around 800 BC. However, DNA studies show no direct link to modern Greek varieties, leading many to believe it is native to southern Italy. […]
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Solid Wine, Great Food But a Poor Wine and Food Pairing!
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background My wife found a great recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad. Being that it was 114 degrees today, she cooked the chicken the night before to have a cold salad for dinner. The recipe looked enticing. Traditional food and wine pairing wisdom leans toward a dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. We just […]
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McGrail Vineyards and Winery – Meeting with Mark Clarin, the Winemaker
Photo from McGrail Website Met with Mark in mid-July when in California. He is the winemaker at McGrail Vineyards located at 5600 Greenville Road in Livermore, California. Heather McGrail was unfortunately tied up with family members but spending a few hours with Mark provided a lot of information and a few laughs! Had stopped by […]
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2022 Truchard Vineyards Pinot Noir – A Great Surprise!
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Admittedly I don’t stock a lot of Pinot Noir wines in the cellar. It is not because I don’t like the varietal, but contrary, I am enthralled with its allure of fragrance, coloring and taste. Unfortunately, Pinot in my opinion is one of the most difficult grapes to produce with its […]
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Steven Kent Mirassou – Focused Vision for Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Steven, winemaker and owner of Steven Kent Winery, along with his wife Beth has had a focus for many years on raising the bar for Livermore Valley wines. He has for the last two decades focused on wanting Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to be on even par with Napa Valley. He […]
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2024 Wood Family Vineyards “The Takeoff” – A Wine Name With Two Meanings
Background Photo from Rhonda Wood This is the second year of the red blend wine called “The Takeoff”. Since Rhonda Wood was a pilot and still likes to fly, I had always thought it was about her previous life as a former airline pilot for (US Airways). In a recent conversation with Rhonda, she declared […]
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JMC Cellars – Besides Jessica, a Few Other Surprises
Photo from JMC Cellars Background Photo ©Michael Kelly I met Jessica, owner and winemaker of JMC Cellars located at 6800 Greenville Road in Livermore a year ago at LVVC wine release party at Bankhead Theater. Had just a brief exchange with her but she was eager to get together and have me taste some of […]
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2020 Hindsight Wines Sauvignon Blanc – A Perfect Match
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson Photo ©Michael Kelly Their Sauvignon Blanc release under Michael Weis was handcrafted with an artisan touch. First on the eyes it is a golden straw color and medium viscosity. On the nose, floral aromas waft into the senses, along with green apple which is most […]
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2009 O’Shaughnessy Winery Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background We enjoyed a nice dining experience last night at a local restaurant but was not enthralled with their wine list or the wine chosen for dinner. Came home and watched a movie and open up this incredible wine. One of our all-time favorites. The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert […]
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Steven Kent Mirassou – Focused Vision for Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Steven, winemaker and owner of Steven Kent Winery, along with his wife Beth has had a focus for many years on raising the bar for Livermore Valley wines. He has for the last two decades focused on wanting Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to be on even par with Napa Valley. He […]
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2022 Starfield Vineyards and Winery Syrah with Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Street Tacos
Photo ©Michael Kelly The Winery Photo from Starfield Vineyards The winery was founded in 2012 by Tom and Rob Sinton with plantings of 31 acres on the hillsides east of Placerville, California in El Dorado County. They are located at 2759 Jacquier Road. Map courtesy of https://uscountymaps.com/el-dorado-county-map-california/ The naming of the wines, especially their new […]
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Two Gems From the Sierra Nevada Foothills – 2020 Mineral Wines Meritage & 2020 Gossamer Cellars Damo
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Had our oldest daughter and family over for a pre-4th of July BBQ. Broke out two wines from our previous residence in Calaveras County to have with a casual dinner. One of our grandsons is into minerals and rocks, so choose the 2020 Mineral Wines with a gold nugget on the […]
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2013 YoungInglewood Right Bank Blend – A Birthday Treat!
Photo from YoungInglewood Website The Winery This small winery is best-known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and “Bordeaux blends”, as they are situated on historic vineyard land in St. Helena, California. However, they’ve got a passion for several white wines like Chardonnay, Vin Clair and a rare Aligoté that is oak aged. One of the most […]
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2017 Vivác Winery Cabernet Franc – Concentrated Goodness at 5,600 ft Elevation!
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Photo from Vivác Winery Facebook page Vivác winery sits at roughly 6,000 feet elevation in a valley in New Mexico. Similar to high altitude Malbec wines from the upper Calchaquí Valley (up to 10,000 feet elevations), the intensity of the flavors were equally matched. In fact the winery name Vivác (pronounced vee-vok) […]
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2023 Trimbach Pinot Blanc – Perfectly Matched Dinner With It’s Zesty Acidity
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background With temperatures hitting triple digits this week, white wine was high on the priority list. Grabbed a bottle of 2023 Trimbach Pinot Blanc to go with a cool non-cooked dinner (more below). History of Pinot Blanc What is Pinot Blanc? The history of this grape is a bit tangled with mystery […]
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2014 Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc, Always a Brouhaha
Photo ©Michael Kelly The Winery Those familiar with Detert Family Vineyards know that Detert is an established winery. W.F. Detert came to the US in 1866. He operated a gold mine in Jackson, sold it and in 1912 he owned 22,000 acres in Guenoc Ranch in Lake County as well as other ranches/gold mines in […]
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Two Excellent Wines Enjoyed in June From Dracaena Wines and Absolution Cellars
Background Having enjoyed various wines in June, I did not have enough time to fully present a story on many wines. However, these two wines stood out as worthy of attention. While not doing a lengthy review, I have previously noted the high quality of wines produced by Dracaena Wines in Paso Robles. Dracaena Wines […]
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2024 Starfield Vineyards “Hope Rising” a White Wine Blend Alternative to Chardonnay
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background on Marsanne & Roussanne Grapes This has long been one of my favorite white wine blends. When given a chance to review this wine, I was excited to taste it. Marsanne originated in the northern Rhône Valley of France, likely named after the village of Marsanne. Thomas Jefferson called it “the […]
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Summertime Alternative White Wines (with food pairings) – Step Out and Explore
pictue from Acquiesce Winery One of my favorite anonymous quotes is “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you”. With summer in full swing, many are reaching for cool and refreshing white wines. Besides the standard three most common white wines, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, many other interesting white wines are available. […]
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Mountain Terraces Vineyard – 2010 Lex’s Cabernet Sauvignon – A Crowning Achievement
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Info Photo from Sonoma County Tourism The wine comes from one of the smaller districts in Sonoma County AVA, Moon Mountain. Here is a map showing the area which has elevations from 200 feet to 2200 feet. From this vineyard you can see San Francisco some 50 miles away! The name […]
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2024 Wood Family Vineyards “Para Mas Amigas” Chardonnay
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson Photo ©Michael Kelly There is simply no simple explanation on how Rhonda Wood makes consistently great Chardonnay wine except that she is a perfectionist! She has for seven to eight years made Chardonnay wines that have been one of my favorites and annually makes the yearly […]
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2022 Smith-Marone Cabernet Sauvignon – Keep Your Eye on This One!
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background Opened this bottle last evening to enjoy a delightful meal. Was expecting a top-notch wine as I had previously tasted their 2021 vintage. What transpired was a wine that exceeded my already high expectations. 2022 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon was fragrant, fruit forward and soft going into the palate, yet once there, […]
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Education and Tasting Session on Gérard Bertrand Wines & Languedoc, France
Photo ©Michael Kelly Attended a seminar and tasting of Languedoc-Roussillon wine region and tasting of various wines from Gérard Bertrand Thursday evening. The event was held at Vinum55 in Scottsdale. Reed was the main presenter from a local distributor. She was extremely knowledgeable about the region and specifically the wines being poured. Photo ©Michael Kelly […]
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2023 Starfield Vineyards Grenache – With an Unique Taco Salad
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background When temperatures reach 106 degrees, one is not inclined to cook or even BBQ! So tonight was a simple taco salad with some new ingredients making it taste more than ordinary. The Winery The winery was founded in 2012 by Tom and Rob Sinton with plantings of 31 acres on the […]