Wine Review: Matchbook Dunnigan Hills 2015 Old Head Chardonnay

Matchbook Wine Company has appeared on this blog many times. November of 2015 was dedicated entirely to their wines, and then they returned for a few more reviews in July of 2016 and September of 2016. If you'd like to read more about them then check out my article A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company.  One of those previous wines I've reviewed by them...

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Jeroboams & Balthazars, Part 3: Wine Bottles of Colossal Proportions

This is the conclusion of a series on the stories behind the names of wine bottle sizes, and we're now left with the biggest of the big. These are the bottles that may require some assistance to physically pick up. DAVID AND GOLIATH IMAGE CREDIT: huffingtonpost.com In Part 1: Wine Bottles of Typical Proportions, everything from the 187.5 milliliter piccolo...

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Wine Review: Alta Mora Etna Rosso 2014

Cusumano isn't just Tony Soprano's doctor and neighbor. They're a Sicilian family winery now in their third generation with impressive vineyard spots for both their classic style wines and new age, trailblazing wines. Their entry level Nero d'Avolla is good quality and pretty popular among the average wine consumer in the US, but their other wines likes their Insolia are...

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Wine Reviews: Best of Fall 2016!

Tomorrow is the last day of fall! Since October was International Merlot Month and November was Market Vineyards Month, there was a lot of Merlot and Market Vineyards reviews on the blog. Here's the best of the wines that I reviewed for the season! #5. Market Vineyards Dividend Syrah 2013 Region: Columbia Valley, Washington State Review Release: November 13th,...

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Wine Review: Markham Napa Valley Merlot 2014

Back in 1852, Jean Laurent left Bordeaux for California in search of gold. He struck out on that, but in 1874 he ended up founding one of the very first Napa Valley wineries. He'd became one of the largest producers of California wine of the 1880's. Skip ahead to 1978. Bruce Markham bought several vineyards in Napa, along with the Laurent winery. Laurent's winery was yet...

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Wine Review: Hanna Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Dr. Elias Hanna was raised around the farm life, and in 1985 he bought 12 acres of vineyard land in Russian River Valley to bring him back to his farming roots, founding Hanna Winery & Vineyards. Today their Home Ranch Vineyard has 25 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Russian River Valley, and their Slusser Ranch Vineyard (also in RRV) is 50 acres of Sauvignon...

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Memories of Garnacha Day 2016 (September 16th)

On the 16th of September I was lucky enough to be a part of a Snooth.com online tasting for #GarnachaDay. It was hosted by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec with Master of Wine Christy Canterbury as a guest, both on video while the rest of us were on chat that was connected to our Twitters. When this happened I had a lot going on and wasn't sure if I'd be able to...

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Jeroboams & Balthazars, Part 2: Wine Bottles of Biblical Proportions

Throughout the history of wine there have been countless variations of vessels to carry and store it. As we've already seen, there are many different names that have been used to describe specific glass wine bottles (apart from simply calling them by how much volume they carry). The title of this three part series, Jeroboams & Balthazars, are just two of them. The point...

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Wine Review: Cecchi Chianti Classico 2014

The Cecchi family got into the winemaking business in 1893 with Luigi Cecchi, and the first bottles of Cecchi labeled wines were produced in the early 1900's. However, the land that their winery and estate vineyards are on has been making wine for over a thousand years. Today it's run by Andrea and Cesare Cecchi, and they pride themselves on their practice of sustainability. My...

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Bad Luck Brian on wine

This happens way more often than you think it shou...

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Jeroboams & Balthazars, Part 1: Wine Bottles of Typical Proportions

On a daily basis, the wine bottle sizes that you'll most likely encounter are the 750 milliliter and the 1.5 liter. They're known as the standard and the magnum, respectfully, and they fill the shelves of wine shops and aisles of liquor stores everywhere. You'll also see "splits" and smaller bottles in four packs regularly, with sparkling wine as the more common purchase...

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December Wine Pick: Mont Gravet Cotes de Gascogne 2015

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website. Mont refers to the hills of France's Gascony region on which the vineyards rest on their slopes, and Gravet refers to its gravelly soil. The Gascony region is famous for its brandies, most notably Armagnac, but they do make drinkable wine there. This wine is 100% Colombard, one of the...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Red Mountain Acquisition Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. So this is it! The last review of Market Vineyards and I'm sad about it. So many awesome wines...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Red Mountain Alpha Merlot 2010

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! On the day that this review is released I'll be thankful for the usual boring things like family and blah blah blah. The next day I will be thankful for Pepto Bismol because I plan on stuffing my friggin face with so much unhealthy crap on Thanksgiving that it'll...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Arbitrage Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. Today I'm reviewing their 2012 Arbitrage Cabernet Sauvignon. It's 100% Cab from Columbia Valley; 50% Shaw...

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Wine Review & Product Review: Market Vineyards Benchmark Merlot 2012 & Vinum Meum Wine Stoppers

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. We're down to the Final Four in Market Vineyards Month! What we have left is two Merlot's and two Cab's. Tonight...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Basis Points Red Blend 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. Basis Points Red Blend is the big brother of Market Vineyards' Derivative Red Blend. I felt that the...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Merval Malbec 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. MALBEC! MALBEC EVERYWHERE! When you think of Malbec, of course you think of Argentina. The grape actually originates...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Dividend Syrah 2013

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. Oh, Washington State Syrah. You are one of the hidden gems of the wine world. At least in my opinion. I already...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Derivative Red Blend 2013

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. Although they source grapes from several other places within Columbia Valley, their focus is on the Red Mountain...

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Trying to reach the things that I can't see.

That's just how I fe...

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Liquidity 2014 White Blend

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net! The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards. Because previously promised publications had priority, I have been patiently anticipating November for the opportunity...

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A Brief History of Market Vineyards

What were you doing in 2008? It's hard to believe it's already been eight years, right? I was 28 years old and on my fourth year of employment with Luke's of Cape Cod, but I finally found my love for wine in February of that year. Better late than never, so they say. From there I proceeded to obsessively educate myself on the beverage. BOB BERTSCH AND MATT REISENWEBER Meanwhile...

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November Wine Pick: Scott Family Estate Chardonnay 2014

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website. Scott Family Estate is produced by Rutherford Wine Company. These guys are a family run winery that go back three generations and are extremely dedicated to sustainable farming. The portfolio of wines that they've made for themselves give focus to the strengths of different California...

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Wine Review: Benziger Sonoma County Merlot 2013

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! This is the final review of International Merlot Month and I'm gonna start it off with a spoiler: this is a review for one of my most favorite wines ever. The combination of being both affordable and phenomenal make Benziger Merlot possibly my top suggested wine as wine manager of...

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That face you make...

... when somebody will only buy a specific vintage of Smoking Lo...

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Wine Review: Santa Rita 120 Merlot 2015

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! Hey there, everybody! This review will be quick and easy (something I'm sure you like reading but I don't enjoy writing). Due to unexpected events I had to rush this post faster than the CW Barry Allen can fuck up a timeline so I'm just going to get right into it!  ...

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Wine Review: Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot 2013

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! BOOM. The big daddy of the month is here for International Merlot Month. It was the first to be delivered too and I squealed like a six year old girl opening a package of Shopkins when it arrived. Now the day has come to finally consume the heavenly nectar within. Should I even do a...

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"In every sip taken in the present, we drink in the past"

"For eight thousand years, vines clutching the earth have thrust themselves upward towards the sun and given us juicy berries, and ultimately wine. In every sip taken in the present, we drink in the past - the moment in time when those berries were picked; a moment gone but  recaptured - and so vivid that our bond with nature is welded deep." - Karen MacNeil, The...

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Wine Review: Peju Napa Valley Merlot 2013

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! Peju. Just over-hearing the name being spoken perks your ears up and causes some eavesdropping to hear more. Family owned and operated since 1983, Peju is an outstanding Napa Valley winery with a cult following and a fantastic name. Both organic and sustainable farming are used to make this...

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Wine Review: Bridge Lane White Merlot 2015

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! "And now for something completely different." - Monty Python The Bridge Lane label is produced by my friends from Long Island, New York: Lieb Cellars. If you'd like to learn more about them please read my article A Brief History of Lieb Cellars. They're great people with a great story and...

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Wine Review: Northstar Columbia Valley Merlot 2012

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! I don't care what anybody says about Bordeaux or Napa or Chile; Washington State does the best Merlot in the world. You can quote me on that. And so for International Merlot Month we stay in the northwestern United States but head up to Washington's Columbia Valley with Northstar. Northstar...

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Wine Review: Cliff Creek Cellars Merlot 2012

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! This right here is the Merlot that I'm most exited about tasting this entire International Merlot Month. Why? Take a look at where it's from. After two California Merlots in a row we head up to the northwestern United States in Southern Oregon. "OREGON?" you may be saying, "Isn't...

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Wine Review: Cannonball Sonoma County Merlot 2014

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! Cannonball is one of those brands that I see all over the place but I'm not too familiar with because I've just never stopped to give it any attention. Now's a good a time as any to get acquainted, right? Cannonball was started in 2006 with the intention of becoming king of the under $20 Cabernet....

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Wine Review: Liberty School Central Coast Merlot 2014

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com! This month, as it stands right now, I'll be reviewing a total of TWELVE Merlots for International Merlot Month. That's three reviews of Merlot a week! And because I'm writing a very long, heavy, research intensive and special three-part series for December leading into Christmas, I'm gonna try to...

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Summer: When it's finally over.

When you don't have to stock the rosé section every five seconds... IT'S FINALLY OVER. #RetailProble...

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October Wine Pick: Truro Vineyards Merlot 2014

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website. October is International Merlot Month and #MerlotMe blows up on social media. As a lover and devout supporter of "the little blackbird" how could I not select one for my wine pick? I'm even going local by making it a Merlot from Cape Cod!...

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Wine Review: Tinto Rey 2014 Super Tinto Red Blend

Matchbook Wine Company is a winery that I consider a friend of the blog. I've reviewed many of their wines and even dedicated a whole month to them in November of 2015. If you'd like to read more about them then check out my article A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company. Tinto Rey is their new brand that focuses on Spanish varietals and Spanish style...

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Wine & Wine Product Review: Tinto Rey 2015 Verdejo & The Wine Hook

Matchbook Wine Company is a winery that I consider a friend of the blog. I've reviewed many of their wines and even dedicated a whole month to them in November of 2015. If you'd like to read more about them then check out my article A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company. Tinto Rey is their new brand that focuses on Spanish varietals and Spanish style wines. If you...

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