Wine Reviews Archives - Page 3 of 9

Harvest Results

The harvest results are in — this year we had 91 tons harvested. That’s a good harvest though way lower than most of the guesses. Thanks to all who entered. I think I have most of you listed below:

Larry White: 138 tons
Barbara Covey Belger: 141.2 tons
Bill Belger: 140.8 tons
Rachel Goble: 127 tons
Jolene Meyer Flores: 132 tons
Anne Cosentino Stoneberger: 122 tons
Marti Ross: 139.6 tons
Marti Winfrey Rimbault: 144 tons
Joel Vermillion: 145 tons
Stephen Tonelli: 180 tons
Cory McGarvey: 120 tons

And the winner is: Linnae Himsl Peterson at 73 tons! Not …

Harvest Contest

Want to win a bottle of wine? Our vineyard harvest is Thursday night so I’m launching a harvest contest to see who can guess the size of the harvest in tons. Here are a few details to help you make an informed guess:

Varietal: Chardonnay

Acreage: 12.4

Number of vines: 10,000 +/-

Historical harvests:

2008: 60 tons
2009: 95 tons
2010: 83 tons
2011: 48 tons
2012: 80 tons
2013: 150 tons

So what is your guess for the 2014 harvest tonnage? Post it in the comments section and whoever is closest will win a bottle of Caymus wine from …

Two Angels

Every now and then I find a good wine for sale online, and Invino recently shipped me one worth mentioning. Rarely do I buy a wine before tasting it first so my order was a risk. It paid off.

2010 Two Angels Cabernet Sauvignon is an affordable Cab with a balanced palate. You can taste the fruit, but it’s not so powerful it wipes out all the other subtleties. The back of the bottle says aromas of ripe berry, cedar and hints of vanilla. Well, okay, if you say so. I’m not good enough to capture all those nuances. But …

Tofanelli and Texans

Last week I wrote about taking the Texans to Caymus. Today it’s about taking them to Tofanelli Vineyards, or more specifically to Up Valley Vintners tasting room where Vince Tofanelli serves his incredible array of red wines.

If you read this blog or have had dinner in our home, you know how much I love Tofanelli wine. The Zinfandel is simply the best. Vince is a charmer and shares his knowledge of wine freely. And the background family story … well, you just have to love a wine that has a label showing the owners Grandma on a …

House Full of Texans, Glass Full of Caymus Wine

Last week our house was decorated in Lone Star flags. My father-in-law celebrated his 80th birthday and the event turned into a week long family reunion. We hosted some very fun people, made even more fun when we found out they loved wine.

So we decided to spend a day in Napa Valley. I sent an email to Janet Thomas of Caymus Vineyards and asked if she could set up a tasting for us. A Texan herself, she was more than happy to oblige.

But first the back story. A few years ago I was on a flight to Hawaii …

Rosie Red is Here!

It’s all come together. We had the naming competition, we designed the label, we even paid somebody a licensing fee for the Rosie the Riveter design. Simultaneously the wine was being blended, aged, and bottled. And then the call came: it’s ready!

A drive to Napa on Monday turned into a battle with an odd rainstorm, but otherwise all went well as I picked up a barrels worth of 2011 Rosie Red Napa Valley Zinfandel!

Thank you to Tofanelli Vineyards for making such a superb wine. Thanks to Gold Coast Labels for designing something so fun. And thanks to my …

Taking Stock

Junkyard Wisdom is 4-years old now. Topics have bounced from leadership ideas to wine reviews, from PathLight updates to family stories, and a wide range beyond all that. All of it has reflected my range of interests and ideas.

After four years of this, it’s time to again ask what you have enjoyed most. I can easily look at the data and see what posts were the most popular, but sometimes popularity isn’t the same as having an impact. A quick example: the most visited post of all time was a book review, but that’s mostly because the author promoted …

Wine Weekend

The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association hosted their 2013 Barrel Tasting event two weeks ago, and that was followed by a day trip to Napa to visit friends. So D’Aun and I went through a three day stretch of wine tasting.

I’m perfecting the art of not drinking the wine — just a sip for the taste, then it gets poured out. Healthier, smarter, and far fewer problems this way!

In Livermore we visited Charles R Vineyard, Wood Family Vineyards, Eagle Ridge Vineyards. Nottingham Cellars, Occasio Winery, and Longevity Wines on the first day. It sounds …