wine splash
Random Musings

Crowdsourcing Wine Reviews – Trust Your Palate

I’ve seen a number of recent debates on whether or not fine wine reviews can be effectively crowdsourced. Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator contends that sites like CellarTracker, which crowdsource tasting notes, are not a good measure of the quality of a particular wine. Joe Roberts of 1 Wine Dude and Jon Bonne of the San Francisco Chronicle take…

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1997 Isole e Olena
Bottle Notes, Cabernet Sauvignon

1997 Isole e Olena Collezione di Marchi Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottle Notes

Paolo di Marchi has run Isole e Olena since the age of 20. The flagship wine at Isole e Olena is Cepparello, a barrique-aged Sangiovese. Paolo planted a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980’s so the estate would not be entirely dependent on Sangiovese. Little did he know that the Cabernet would later rival Cepparello in both quality…

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2002 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir
Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2002 Williams Selyem Vista Verde Pinot Noir – Bottle Notes

Williams Selyem Winery began with Ed Selyem and Burt Williams making wine as a hobby in 1979 in a garage in Forestville, California, releasing their first commercial vintage in 1981. In less than two decades, Burt and Ed created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley…

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Buying Wine

Schrader 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Offer

The long awaited offer for the Schrader lineup of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignons arrived this morning. Schrader has once again held the line on pricing at $175 bottle. Admittedly this is not an inexpensive wine but given what the wine sells for in the aftermarket, Schrader should be commended for not raising prices. Below is the offer letter from Schrader.   “I…

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2007 Force Majeure Collaboration IV
Bottle Notes, Merlot

2007 Grand Reve/Force Majeure CS IV – Bottle Notes

Previously known as Grand Rêve, Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and Ryan Johnson. Force Majeure pairs some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of the state’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. Carolyn Lakewold of Donedei made this wine for Force Majeure. 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot.…

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2005 Lillian Syrah
Bottle Notes, Syrah

2005 Lillian Syrah – Bottle Notes

The 2005 Lillian Syrah was the leading vote getter in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine originally received a score of 92 points from the Wine Advocate. I decanted the wine for 30 minutes and paired it with a homemade pizza. Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years…

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2005 Carlisle Pelkan Ranch Syrah
Bottle Notes, Syrah

2005 Carlisle Syrah Pelkan Ranch – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike & Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Pelkan Ranch is in the Knights Valley AVA. Located at 1000′ elevation on a rocky ridge top facing Mount St. Helena, the vineyard produces intense, thick-skinned Syrah. Being at a higher altitude and…

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Buying Wine

Efeste Fall Release Party

Efeste, pronounced like the letters “F-S-T” strung together, was named after the last names of founders Helen & Dan Ferrelli, Patrick Smith, and Kevin & Angela Taylor. Efeste is located in the Warehouse District of Woodinville, Washington. Brennon Leighton, who recently left Efeste to work on a Chardonnay project with Charles Smith, was the winemaker up through and including the…

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Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Dehlinger Winery is located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County and was founded in 1975 by Tom and Carole Dehlinger. Eva Dehlinger took over winemaking duties in 2007. Known for their Pinot Noir, Dehlinger also makes Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Goldridge Vineyard Pinot Noir is sourced from sections of the Estate Vineyard where the vines are…

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