Weekend Wine: California Pinot Noir (Gundlach Bundschu Rhinefarm Estate 2005, $18.58*)

 
This is hands down the best value in a Pinot Noir that I could ever expect to come across.  The only problem is that the $18.58 price tag existed for only 48 hours during Gundlach Bundschu’s 150th anniversary sale a couple of weeks ago.  As you might remember, we told you about it as it was happening, and those of us [...]

Weekend Wine: California Chardonnay (Taz Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2006, $16)

 
In Chardonnays, we tend to prefer the lighter, crisper style of French Burgundies over the bigger bodied, creamier, and less acidic New World versions.  Still, every once in a while we’ll be taken by surprise by a bottle from the non-European regions that will defy our usual preference.  This was certainly the case with the Taz Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2006.   
So, ok, the Taz had some typical California characteristics [...]

Weekend Wine: California Pinot Noir (McHenry Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 2004, $21.50)

 
Not long before the Super Bowl, I happened across an article that talked about the best wines to drink during a football game.  The person being interviewed suggested two options: a crisp white wine like a Riesling, which is great with food and won’t worry hosts about carpet spillages, or a Syrah, which tends to pair well with [...]

Weekend Wine: California Zinfandel (Turley Zinfandel Juvenile 2005, $22-$40)

This past year I came up with the project of bringing a list of some of the best bargain bottles of 2007 - about 80 bottles long - to wine merchants to ask if they had anything in stock. 
It was through this effort that I managed to find the wine for which this posting is named: 2005 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile.  Going through my list with the manager of a local wine shop, it seemed that we were headed for [...]