All of the wines tasted at this time were selected by one of the owners of Creekside Cellars. While the wine store is no longer in business, the wines reviewed here are still available at a variety of places. The tasting occurred on March 30, 2013.
Scharffenburger Brute Rose Sparkling Anderson Valley, Mendocino County ($25) This sparkling wine received a star and exclamation point from Wining Husband and I. It was citrus-y, light and smooth. It was a bit sweet, but not overly sweet. We enjoyed it pretty well.
Duckhorn 2011 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley ($29) We gave a star to this wine. It was a pretty good Sauvignon Blanc. It was smoky, and had lots of citrus to it. It was very dry. It would pair well with a strawberry avocado salad or one of the pear and walnut salads that are out there.
Conundrum 2011 White Blend, California ($24) We gave this wine a star, though when you read that we thought the nose had aromas of Tidy Cat mixed with Cascade, you may wonder why. On the tasting, it was round. It was fresh, sweet, and citrus-y, and decently good.
Levendi 2009 “Red Hen” Chardonnay Napa Valley ($29) We also liked this wine pretty well, giving it a star. It was sweet and buttery with a hint of spice. It was your basic Chardonnay with a vanilla finish.
Waterbrook 2010 Sangiovese Rosé Columbia Valley ($13) Yeah, we didn’t like this one. I’m not going to share the notes that we wrote down. Suffice it to say, neither Wining Husband nor I were fans.
Guarachi 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($60) Yeah, we didn’t like this one either. It received 93 points from Wine Spectator. Either our palates were off and we were missing something or it was just one of those wines that doesn’t mix well with our chemistries. Our notes say “rubber mallet & sweat sock, smells like a foot.” I think that about sums that one up. (As a full disclaimer, I’m not entirely sure this effect wasn’t brought on by the wine that immediately preceded it in the tasting).
Shannon Ridge 2008 Wrangler Red Lake County ($15) We weren’t much fans of this one either. We gave it a “no.” It had a wet dog quality on the nose. On the taste it was light fruit & rubber with a bit of cigar. It was okay, but it just didn’t work for us.
Clos de L’Oratoire 2010 Chateauneuf~du~Pape France ($45) We enjoyed this wine, giving it a star. It was tobacco and dry spice with a medium body. It was a versatile wine, and would pair very nicely with Wining Husband’s recipe for Chicken Valencia.
William Harrison 2007 Cabernet Franc Rutherford, Napa Valley ($44) This wine was a winner. We gave it a star and one and a half exclamation points. It was sweet and buttery with a cigar box and tobacco finish. It was rather lovely.
Murphy Goode 2000 “Brenda Block” Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, Sonoma ($63) This wine was the winner of the lot. We gave it a star and two exclamation points. It was sweet, with butter and spice goodness. It behaves and tastes like a 2-3 year old wine instead of a 13 year old wine. It didn’t need a pairing; it was great on its own.
Have you tried any of these wines? What were your thoughts on them?
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