I taste a lot of wines every day of the year, some better some worse. Grey Stack 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is definitely the BEST Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted this year – far surpassing those previously made by this winery and the 100’s of others I tasted so far this calendar year. Grey Stack Cellars [...]
Whether you call this person an Administrative Professional, Office Manager, or Reception Specialist, chances are that your job would be a heck of a lot harder without them. Way back in 1952, Secretary’s Day was set aside “to recognize the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty, and efficiency the functions of business and government depend.” The [...]
The name Apsara comes from the Sanskrit word for a celestial dancer whose movements represent the key elements in our wine, balance, purity and expression. Robin Akhurst learned from some of the best in industry – Anne Claude Leflaive at Dom. Leflaive in Burgundy, Matt Wenk at Two Hands in the Barossa Valley, Thomas Rivers [...]
I rarely, if ever conduct blind tastings of Sauvignon Blancs, but decided to give it a try when a bunch of Francophiles challenged me to go head-to-head with California. A few of my “French” friends provided “their” wines and I sourced the local market. As you know I don’t stock the big names, I wanted [...]
When David Ramey is your consulting winemaker, the chances of success are huge! That said, the 2009 Old Soul Red (a blend of 59% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, 14% Syrah, 7% Malbec) is probably one of the best value non-mainstream red blends currently on the market. Sourced from their 100% organic, and bio-dynamic vineyard this [...]
Grey Stack Cellars is located in Bennett Valley—one of the newest, smallest appellations on the West Coast. The home ranch Dry Stack Vineyard is equal to some of the best vineyards in Bordeaux! Colder than most areas of the Russian River and Green Valley, Bennett Valley is perfectly suited to growing cool climate varietals like [...]
How do I pronounce Picayune? {pi-ka-’yun} What does Picayune mean? Picayune was a Spanish coin worth half of the value of a “Real” {re-al} How does that relate to the wine? When buying Picayune, you are buying prestigious wine at half price. Altogether, this is a venture of high quality at even better prices! Picayune [...]
The weather is heating up and the days are long. There are not many things that are nicer than kicking back on the porch and watching the sun set with a cool glass of white wine. Here are some of my picks for the best summer releases. Valdez 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, U.V. El Diablo Vineyard [...]
After millions of years, we finally located the the “Meanderthaler” Cabernet in the Napa Valley – unfortunately she has completely acclimated to the 21st century and has lost everything we had hoped she would be able to convey to us… Not to worry, the “new” Meander is well worth looking at (Amy is not a [...]
Malk winery has been on fire as of late. I just conducted a blind tasting of ten 2007 vintage Cabernets and Malk blew away some very big names – Phelps Insignia (98 Parker), Caymus Special Selection (95 WS), Altamura (95 Parker/96 WS), Arietta, Barnett Rattlesnake Hill (95 Parker), Bevan “Showket” (95+ Parker), Carter “Coliseum” (95+ [...]
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© Frank Melis. Golden Gate Wine Cellars. Vineyard theme adapted from Patagonia