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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: http://pedroncelli.com/ Price: $19 Many wine lovers appreciate a good port-style (or fortified) wine with dessert or to simply lightly sip on with a cigar or pipe. This 2005 port-style wine from Pedroncelli offers a great deal of complexity at a price that won’t break the bank. Technical Data: Appellation: Dry Creek [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.chateaustjean.com/ California certainly has a reputation for making over-oaked Chardonnay, however, this 2010 bottling from the Robert Young Vineyard is different. It has a much better balance than many of its peers at its respective price range and is rather food friendly. Technical Data:  Harvest Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 19, 2010 Harvest [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.stagsleap.com Stags’ Leap Winery was established in 1893, making it one of the oldest wineries in the State of California and the oldest in the Stags Leap district. It has built a loyal following off of its Petite Sirah and for good reason – using 30-year old vines helps add [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.casswines.com No question about it, Paso Robles is an exciting area to watch grow and taste wines from. Located just north of San Luis Obispo, this AVA is known for its stellar Zinfandel, but also does a good job with some of the Bordeaux Varietals as well as some Rhone whites – [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery Website: http://www.rutherfordwine.com/lander-jenkins-vineyards/ Lander-Jenkins is a project from the Rutherford Wine Company and does a good job for its price in representing the region in a bottle. It’s not a “barn burner” but represents a pretty solid value for the money. Technical Data:  Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot 3% Cabernet Franc Alcohol: [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.paraduxx.com What do you get when you combine the two most notable red grapes of California into a well-crafted bottle of vino? You get a wine like the 2009 Paraduxx C-blend – one that combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel in a very tasty way. Technical Data: Appellation: Napa Valley Harvest Date: [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.andiswines.com The Sierra foothills of California are starting to make some good traction towards wine-lovers who appreciate lower alcohol, higher-acid wines that are very food-friendly. This 2009 Reserve Petite Sirah from Andis does an admirable job of showcasing just that as well as preserving the integrity of the varietal. Technical [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.robertmondaviwinery.com While Mondavi is known around the world for its high-end cabs, it also produces much more affordable “daily wines” like this 2010 Chardonnay. It’s a “California-style” Chardonnay that isn’t over-oaked and one I’m sure many people will enjoy. Here’s the rub: Technical Data: Appellation: Napa Valley Grape Sourcing: 41% Napa [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.hartfordwines.com If ever there was an appropriate name for a wine, it’s this “Highwire” from Hartford Family Wines out of Sonoma. It is, quite simply, one of the best Zinfandel’s I’ve ever had as it completely embodies everything I adore about this varietal. The spice, texture, aromas and that sense of [...]

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By Duane Pemberton Winery website: www.hopefamilywines.com I really didn’t want to like this wine and not just because it’s widely considered a “grocery store wine” by most in the trade or a “simple glass pour” at many restaurants. I wanted to not like it because, well, it’s one of those “mass-produced” California cabs that can be [...]

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