The Chronicle
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33 results across all types
- news
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 […]
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2021 Cuda Ridge Wines Mélange d’ Amis – Blended with Friends and Enjoyed by All
Background Photo ©Michael Kelly The Mélange d’ Amis, which means blended by friends, is a Saint-Émilion style Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend. It is described as delightfully complex and elegant with various layers of fruit depending on the vintage. Each year the mix varies but the taste remains opulent. Their 2023 vintage won Best of Class and […]
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2012 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, From St Helena in Napa Valley
Photo ©Michael Kelly The Winery Photo from Spottswoode Website The Winery was established in 1882 by founder Mrs. Albert Spotts. The property was later acquired in 1972 by Mary and Jack Novak. Mary released their first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982, one hundred years after its founding. They have consistently received high praise and scores for […]
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Sam & Luca Italian Bistro – Stopping For a Quick Bite and Italian Wine
Photo from Sam & Lucca Italian Bistro/Blaise Vitale Background On the way back from picking up Susan (wife) from the airport, stopped at Sam & Luca Italian Bistro at 1959 S. Power Road in Mesa, AZ. Heard from two different couples that this was one of the better Italian restaurants in the Mesa/Gilbert area. This […]
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2020 Ancient Peaks Winery, Pearl Cabernet Sauvignon – Smooth, Silky and Stunning
Photo ©Michael Kelly The Winery Ancient Peaks Winery is LARGE, consisting of 14,000 acres with 1,000 acres under vine. As it turns out Santa Margarita is the only vineyard in the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA in the most southern portion of the AVA. Some of the more interesting factoids of the vineyard are: Today they […]
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2016 Laura Michael Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
The Winery Photo ©Michael Kelly My wife and I met Laura at over twenty years ago at her winery. She acquired the property in 1999. Laura has always been a one-woman show until her husband Michael who is now helping in the vineyard management and Laura continues as the winemaker. Laura has focused on small […]
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2014 Araldica ‘Corsini’ is a Barbaresco DOCG
Background Photo ©Michael Kelly If you notice the labeling states Barbaresco yet is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. There are areas in Piedmont, Italy where a small portion of “other grapes” can be added but that is not within the scope of this story. Nebbiolo has been around since the 1200’s, with some controversy as […]
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2010 O’Shaughnessy Estate Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson Photo ©Michael Kelly 2010 O’Shaughnessy 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is from the west side of the Napa Valley, Mount Veeder. On the eyes, a dark ruby coloring with medium heavy viscosity. On the nose, a woody but sweet briar, with blackberry and black cherry fruits wafting […]
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2020 Viña Alberdi Rioja Reserva by La Rioja Alta
Photo from La Rioja Alta Background Having just moved to Arizona and all our wines in several storage lockers in Scottsdale, ventured to the local Total Wines to browse and pick up a few bottles of wine until the wine refrigerators were delivered to the house. Picked up several different and unusual wines. This wine, […]
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Los Dos Molinos in Mesa – A Story About Intense Heat and Flavors!
Background As we are exploring our new surroundings, we continually ask people, which restaurants would you recommend for Mexican, Steak houses, Chinese and Sashimi. A bit eclectic but those are foods that we enjoy. At a recent wine gathering met a great couple and Will mentioned for Mexican food, Los Dos Molinos was the ticket. […]
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2023 Cellar 13 Winery Albariño with Blackened Swordfish
Background Albariño or Alvarinho is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and in Northwest Portugal (Monção and Melgaço). Albariño is the name for the grape in Galician. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco. Around 93% of the world’s Albariño vines are planted in Spain and Portugal. In California for the 2024 […]
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First Guests at Our New Home – A Great Pair of People and Wine!
First dinner guests on our folding table and folding chairs!! Dining room table and chairs are on backorder however with these two wines to start the dinner off it was not an issue!! My sister Kathy and step father Ben were the guests this evening. Both wines were filtered, double decanted and opened for 4 […]
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2020 Moody Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon – As Rare As Gold!
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background While having just moved from California to Arizona with 191 boxes to unpack and some additional 50+ items, we finally found our dishes, pots, pans and wine glasses. We still had not moved any wine from the temperature-controlled wine lockers in Scottsdale to the home. However, the day before we drove […]
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No Pots, No Pans, No Food and No Wine Glasses! Part 4
Background As some of you know we recently moved from California to Arizona to be closer to some of our family members. As a result of the move, we had a week eating out and experiencing new restaurants in the area. Staying at a hotel near our new home, while waiting for the moving truck […]
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2023 L’Autre Côte Cabernet Franc, a Winning Wine Fit for a King
Photo ©Michael Kelly Background on L’Autre Côte, Steven Kent Mirassou and 7th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition Photo ©Michael Kelly At the 7th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition, the 2023 L’Autre Côte Cabernet Franc won Best of Show and Best of Category by the Professional Judges in the very competitive California Division of wines $111 and up. […]