Tasting Notes

Bright aromas of blueberry and cherry fruit are enhanced by Chinese five spice and soy. Leather, smoke, and vanilla round out the experience. The fruit aromas are carried through in the mouth. The perfect balance of acid to fruit along with the smooth structure maintains the varietal character of this wine. The taste lingers on the tongue with roasted nuts, vanilla, and blackberry.

Food Recommendations:
The perfect match with Paella, roasted or grilled lamb and beef, and hard cheeses like Manchego and Asiago.

From the Winery

Coral Mustang's mission is unique - producing only Tempranillo wines from select vineyards. This noble grape varietal from Spain produces world-class wine, suitable with a wide variety of food pairings. We are making single vineyard designated Tempranillo as barrel-aged...

Tasting Notes

Our 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep in color and complex, with intense flavors of plum, black cherry, licorice and anise. Bold tannins combine with the new French Oak in this classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Great with lamb, beef or chocolate!

From the Winery

Hannah Nicole Vineyards is a family-owned winery producing award-winning Bordeaux and Rhone varietal wines in the eastern portion of Contra Costa County, California. On the edge of the California Delta Waterways, we enjoy long warm summers with cool evenings. During the average growing season, we receive less than 1 inch of rain! We enjoy daytime temperatures that occasionally rise to triple digits and then drop more than 40 degrees in the evening, creating optimal growing conditions for wine grapes. All of our...

Tasting Notes

Touriga Nacional is one of the main grape varieties used in the production of Port wines. Its use as a table wine is just now making it to the mainstream. This example makes a bold statement by exhibiting fruit, floral and spicy aromas while at the same time, possessing plenty of body and balance that lead to a smooth and lingering finish.

From the Winery

Iberian varietals. California terroir. Incredible wines.

Barreto Cellars is a Central Coast Winery dedicated to producing premium-quality wines featuring grape varietals from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Having relatives who migrated to America from these regions, we have a strong connection and desire to develop wines utilizing these varietals, a number of which are grown in small amounts in...

Tasting Notes

Our Sanel Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is full of bold fruit flavors and is a shining example of a wine with a sense of place!

Planted to clone 337 and grown at the base of Duncan Peak in Hopland, this is a big Cab with aromas and flavors of blackberry and plum. A special earthy quality lends complexity and depth to the wine. It's truly a terroir wine - firm tannins, bright acidity and classic Mendocino County Cabernet flavors.

From the Winery

Committed to local sustainable agriculture, Sky Saddle is a small, boutique winery making fine wines exclusively from organically and/ or biodynamically grown grapes. The wines are single-vineyard designates and are made to capture the essence of the land from which they come. We have...

Tasting Notes

Vare 2005 Bianco is a robust blend of Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, all of which were slowly fermented in once-used French oak barrels. The wine, which was bottled at the end of May 2006, is medium bodied, with floral flavors and a long finish. Serve lightly chilled as an aperitif, with appetizers or with medium-bodied main dishes.

From the Winery

Vare Vineyards is a small, focused project of George and Elsa Vare, making hand-crafted Italian-style white wines from the vineyards around their house in the Napa Valley. These wines are fashioned after special wines made by their winemaking friends in Collio (Friuli, Italy and Slovenia). The Vares are constantly experimenting with different cultural practices in the vineyards, differing harvest...

Tasting Notes

This is an elegant Chardonnay made in the French Burgundy style rather than the typical California style. There are layers of flavor without edges or gaps. It's fresh without being tart, will age well, and compliments food. This is one Chardonnay you won't have to finish drinking before the meal.

From the Winery

Sonoma Valley is our favorite appellation for Chardonnay. It has the perfect combination of soil and weather to grow perfectly balanced Chardonnay grapes. The soil is volcanic, with elevated levels of trace minerals, and relatively shallow soils without too much vigor. The weather is cool at night, often overcast or foggy in the morning, and warm in the afternoons, between 75 and 90°F in the summer. It rains a lot in the...

Tasting Notes

These tasting notes are often based on the winemaker's notes. Well, this time he told me that this %@#$! had aromas of peaches and butter. Have you ever buttered a peach? Just weird if you ask me. Then he goes on to mention creamy flavors of pear and truffles. Okay, now we have peaches and butter and pears and mushrooms. Is this insane or what? Well, I can tell you that this %@#$! is a lot yummier than that, and has body and character almost like a red wine. And it will even lay down for a few years. How cool is that?

Food Pairings: Just About Anything! Hearty salads, risottos, pork, Thai food, seared Ahi tuna...sweet and sour SPAM!

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Tasting Notes

"It's like going into a department store, and before your can say 'Stop!' some perky thing in a floral print blasts you with the latest from Yves St. Ralph!" Not this Viognier! Sure, you will detect a hint of jasmine, but peach and grapefruit take center stage upstairs in the Aroma Dept. Meanwhile, in the Flavor Dept. (1st floor, just past Lingerie), you'll taste those peaches and grapefruits along with a touch of clove spice and a touch of oak. Perfect for your holiday, or everyday, shopping experience!

Food Pairings: Give it the bird! Chicken, turkey, quail. Pad Thai, shrimp enchiladas, fettucini Alfredo, with or without SPAM!

From the Winery

Just sip one glass and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a...

Tasting Notes

Ribolla Gialla, grown primarily in the Collio region of Friuli, Italy and Slovenia, dates back to the 13th century, and Vare Vineyards is the only winery in the US producing it! The grapes were whole cluster pressed and had a long, cool fermentation in once-used French oak barrels, with the wine being bottled at the end of May 2006. Our Ribolla Gialla is a full-flavored, medium-bodied, dry, slightly spicy, citrus-flavored white wine with a long, creamy finish.

Try Ribolla Gialla with appetizers, soups, salads, especially seafoods, and even hearty white meat entrees. Above all, experiment and enjoy! You can still sip it on its own - serve lightly chilled!

From the Winery

Vare Vineyards is a small, focused project of George and Elsa Vare, making...

Tasting Notes

Aromas of pomegranate, cranberries and rose petals. The palate showcases crisp tart cherry, pomelo and ruby red grapefruit. Bright and refreshing, this wine pays tribute to its cool climate birthplace.

From the Winery

Vinum, cantus, amor - wine, song, love. Trademark words for Ceja Vineyards and the Ceja Family, third generation winegrowers in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. We match vines to terroir, planting each variety where it grows best. Fruit is handled gently to create our limited collection of hand-crafted wines. Enjoy with family, friends and your favorite dishes. ¡Salud!

Tasting Notes

The words "Dry Creek Zin" conjure up images of luscious unions of raspberry and black pepper. Our 2002 Tradizionale Zinfandel exhibits these traditional characteristics and more. This wine offers tempting aromas of cherry, raspberry and black pepper with hints of baking spices. The smooth flavors of ripe raspberry, rich cherry and sweet vanilla balance perfectly with the tannin and oak. These delicious flavors carry through to the long, lingering finish, satisfying even the strongest Dry Creek Zin craving.

From the Winery

This is the kind of wine that really got me hooked on Zinfandel. A traditional, old-vine field-blend, this wine to me is the classic "raspberry jam" that differentiates the best Dry Creek Valley Zins from all others. Big, but balanced. Fruity, yet elegant. This...

Tasting Notes

For several crushes, our buddy Scotty (not our winemaker, another Scott) helped us with punchdowns, pressings, rackings, and just about any other task you have during crush. You always knew Scotty was around because of the aroma of his clove cigarettes. You'll note that this Tempranillo also has a hint of clove, along with aromas and flavors of cherry and raspberry. Not to mention great structure and acidity, but I digress. Now Scotty works for another winery, but somehow the aroma of clove still wafts around the crush pad. Some suspect Scotty is stealing beer from the lab fridge, but it's probably just the Tempranillo.

Food Pairings: Tapas! Spicy sausages and salamis, linguica, ham, game, pot roast and fried SPAM fingers.

From the Winery
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Tasting Notes

The Esca Zinfandel is a blockbuster of wild berry, boysenberry and spicy aromas. This intense and alluring wine is bright and balanced and pairs well with food.

From the Winery

The 2004 Esca Zinfandel was made from 100% Sonoma County grapes grown in the Dry Creek AVA. The wine was aged for 18 months in 50% French and 50% American oak barrels and was bottled in April 2006.

Esca means "allurement or "bait" in Italian. Just as the nectar of the Hibiscus flower attracts the bee on the label, these wines entice the enophile.

Tasting Notes

Broad structured, long-finishing Cabernet was enriched with Syrah. Merlot and Sangiovese added flavor and flowers at the front of the palate. Malbec added inky color and blackberry fruit. Cabernet Franc added a chocolate affect, giving the whole experience an upward, aerial lift. The same varietals from different vineyards added complexity.

The wine was made cleanly from hand sorted and gently pressed fruit, with no fining necessary. Our specialized technique assures full fruit character, soft tannins, low acid and a rich mouth feel. The component wines were aged in the caves for three years.

Click HERE to read reviews of the 2003 vintage!

From the Winery

With Red Rex, we perfect the art of blending. We didn't limit ourselves to someone else's idea of a...

Tasting Notes

Our 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is bright and crisp, yet fuller and more generous than you might expect! With a smooth mouthfeel and an uncommonly long finish, this wine truly provides an unrivaled complexity and an exceptional depth.

From the Winery

2006 was an exceptional vintage, especially for early ripening varietals like Sauvignon Blanc. The spring was warm and the summer mild. Winter rains waited until the last grapes were harvested.

Perfectly vine-ripened grapes were hand sorted and whole-cluster cold pressed. Multiple yeast fermentation started in a tank with the temperature slowly lowered to 45 degrees. The final stage of fermentation was in neutral oak barrels in our cool cave. Fermentation took five months, producing a generous amount of glycerin, which contributes to the viscous...

Tasting Notes

The real test is how this wine tastes! The most common word we hear is delicious. It has luscious forward fruit, invoking ripe strawberries and raspberries. It’s what I love most about fully vine-ripened Sangiovese. It’s got smooth tannins, both from the fruit and from barrels especially selected for this blend, and is made in the tradition of the great Brunellos of Italy. The component wines were barrel aged for 2 years before blending. The blend was then aged for an additional 1 and a half years, 3 and a half years all together. We bottled the wine in February of 2007 and released it six months later. You don’t have to age this wine. It is ready. We’ve done all the waiting for you! We hope...

Tasting Notes

Aromas of your rich uncle's old cedar cigar box blend smoothly into plum and blueberry explosions. When the fruit bombing stops you are left with a creamy smooth sensation of vanilla and cream. It's like Grandma's egg nog, Christmas Eve: nutmeg, cloves, allspice. There are some pert and supple tannins you'll definitely want to hang with and let soften in the glass. A wine that leaves you smiling seductively, on the inside...

Food Pairings:
Steak and Eggs! Any grilled meat, even SPAM! Or bacon... mmmm, bacon..and of course french toast...and custard donuts...mmmm, donuts...

From the Winery

While there are many in the wine industry that would have you attaining your doctorate in order to properly match foods and wine, we here at the Twisted Oak...

Tasting Notes

"It's like going into a department store, and before your can say 'Stop!' some perky thing in a floral print blasts you with the latest from Yves St. Ralph!" Not this Viognier! Sure, you will detect a hint of jasmine, but apricots and grapefruit take center stage upstairs in the Aroma Dept. Meanwhile, in the Flavor Dept. (1st floor, just past Lingerie), you'll taste those apricots and grapefruits along with a touch of clove spice. Perfect for your holiday, or everyday, shopping experience!

Food Pairings: He said creamy! Soft creamy cheeses, BBQ'd Chicken, Spanish or Asian dishes.

From the Winery

Just sip one glass and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a tasteful trip. That started with this Viognier, aboard this winery ship....

Tasting Notes

The Carica 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is made in a classic style like the great wines of Poilly Fumé and Sancerre. With clean, tropical flavors and crisp acidity, Carica Sauvignon Blanc opens with floral notes and aromas of pineapple, grapefruit and gooseberry with a hint of toasty oak. Tasting of guava, fig and passion fruit, the wine has a prolonged, refreshing lime accented finish.

Carica Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect accompaniment to lighter fare such as poultry, shellfish and other seafood. Because of its intensity and clean finish, it will also pair well with richer cream-based preparations.

From the Winery

Critically aclaimed, limited production, single-vineyard wines. Hand-crafted from sustainably farmed hillside vineyards in Sonoma County.

Carica Wines was started in 2005 by two friends, Charlie...

Tasting Notes

Purple-black in color, with crimson hues along the edge of the glass, our Tempranillo strums its guitar as it delights your senses with a symphonic combination of Spain and California. Exhibiting aromas of candied apples and ripe blackberries, it has a lingering toasty finish in the nose reminiscent of a grandfather’s sweet pipe smoke. It is luscious and round with delicately integrated tannins and a soft touch. Swirling in the mouth, it playfully teases the palate with flavors of cherry pie and a spicy chocolate finish of Mexican Mole.

As in the traditional style of the Rioja, it is blended with our highly prized Graciano and a splash of Garnacha. Our Tempranillo exhibits the true varietal character of this noble grape and naturally fuses together the worlds...

Tasting Notes

Our 2005 Meritage exhibits a lovely dark ruby color in the glass. On the nose, you'll find aromas of mocha, plum, cherry, tobacco and vanilla oak. The palate is dense, with soft mocha, currant and plum flavors built around solid tannins and underlying oak. This red blend, produced entirely from estate grown fruit, will improve for 5 or more years.

From the Winery

Established in 1996, our artisan vineyard is 40 acres of beautiful hilltop overlooking the east side of Paso Robles. The property was previously home to two other premium labels, and judging from Penman Springs releases since, the tradition of fine wine production is in good hands!