GAYOT's Blog

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Rating: 16/20

Region: North Coast, California

Varietal: 100 percent Pinot Noir

Production: 900 cases

Alcohol: 14.4 percent

Tasting Notes: Made with Sonoma and Mendocino County grapes, the 2011 “Two Brothers” Pinot Noir is an elegant, medium-bodied wine. It boasts fruit-forward black cherry and raspberry flavors, notes of brown sugar and spice and silky tannins.

Food Pairings: Roast turkey, grilled chicken, duck, fresh salmon

For more information, visit www.donelanwines.com

Continue reading “Donelan 2011 “Two Brothers” Pinot Noir – Wine of the Week Review” »

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by Barnaby Hughes

Is the American whiskey industry becoming the victim of its own success? According to distillers like Buffalo Trace, producer of brands such as Blanton’s and Pappy Van Winkle, bourbon is currently in such high demand that shortages seem inevitable, despite an increase in production. Part of the problem, they say, is the many years of aging required to make a quality product. This means that production can’t be suddenly ramped up to satisfy demand.

Continue reading “Bourbon Shortage – Spirits News” »

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Cocktails: Fancy & Delicious Recipes for all Tastes

By Eliq Maranik

(H.F. Ullmann, 2013)

What’s summer without cocktails? Well, any time of the year is a good time for a stiff mixed drink, but rising mercury really puts us in the mood for Mojitos and Mai Tais.

If you’re a cocktail aficionado, it’s likely you already know how to mix a stand-up dry Martini. But why not ramp up your bartender repertoire with the creative concoctions in Cocktails – Fancy and Delicious Recipes for all Tastes? From a girly Pink Summer to a manly Hemingway Special or seductive Blackberry Bellini, simple recipes in this new book cover long drinks, short drinks, frozen ones, shooters and more.

Continue reading “Cocktails: Fancy & Delicious Recipes for all Tastes – Book Review” »

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Price: $90

Rating: 15.5/20

Region: Napa Valley (Calistoga), California

Varietal: 95 percent Cabernet Sauvignon & 5 percent Merlot

Production: 420 cases

Alcohol: 14.5 percent

Tasting Notes: Drinkable now, yet capable of aging well for another decade or two, the Jericho Canyon 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon boasts an excellent balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. Offering orange zest and toffee on the nose, it reveals intense, concentrated black fruit flavors in the mouth with a hint of coffee.

Food Pairings: Lamb shank, filet mignon, venison, goat cheese

Continue reading “Jericho Canyon 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine of the Week Review” »

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The American Wine Classic – 33rd Annual Wine Auction

2013: The Marvels & Miracles

Event Chairs: Garen and Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard

Beneficiaries: Programs benefiting healthcare and child development in Napa County

***   Raised: $16.9 million   ***

SCHEDULE

-  Saturday May 26, 2013: E-Auction

Opens for online bids on 170 lots. Raised $430,000.

Continue reading “Auction Napa Valley 2013” »

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by Jeff Hoyt

Italian cuisine restaurants have been popular in the U.S. for decades. And what better way to enjoy Italian food than accompanied by fine Italian vino? We recently enjoyed an evening of Italian wines at Valentino, Piero Selvaggio‘s Santa Monica restaurant that celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, as part of the Vino California celebration. Other events around town included dinners at Aventine Hollywood, Enoteca Drago and a Grand Tasting.

“In only its third year, Vino California has quickly become an iconic fixture on the national wine landscape,” said Letizia Miccoli, Executive Director of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West. “We are thrilled to bring such an extensive taste of Italy to Los Angeles which is filled with experienced wine consumers and professionals that are eager to learn more about old world wines.”

Continue reading “Vino at Valentino” »

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by Barnaby Hughes

Inspired, perhaps, by the many shipwrecked bottles of wine uncovered over the years, some European wineries have experimented with storing wine in the ocean. Mira Winery in Napa Valley is the first American winery to do so, and it appears to have big plans for the process, even going so far as to trademark the term “Aquaoir” to describe the ocean’s effects on wine. While Aquaoir is not exactly analogous to terroir — wine grapes aren’t grown in the ocean — it is meant to call that term to mind.

Continue reading “Is Aquaoir the New Terroir?” »

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Price: $215

Rating: 16.5/20

Region: Napa Valley (Stag’s Leap District), California

Varietal: 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon

Production: 2,400 cases

Alcohol: 14.9 percent

Tasting Notes: While it’s always a good idea to cellar wine for a bit to give all of its components a chance to meld together and express themselves, the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon can age for much longer. It is aged for three years in the barrel and another year in the bottle before release, so you can experience its vivacity and complexity immediately. Longtime Shafer Vineyards winemaker Elias Fernandez pulls another winner with the 2006 Hillside Select. Its fragrant nose bursts with black fruit, smoke and pepper aromas that continue long on the palate. Sturdy tannins provide depth and structure.

Food Pairings: Grilled or roasted lamb, beef and game; dishes featuring roasted red peppers or caramelized
onions

Continue reading “Shafer Vineyards 2006 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine of the Week Review” »

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From Napa to Tuscany in Search of Great Wine

By Nick Wise

(Omnibus, 2013)

Movie moguls… chefs… musicians… even porn stars! There are a lot of celebs in the wine industry today. The burning questions we all want to ask are: How involved are they really in the winemaking process? Are their wines any good? And what draws these personages to wine in the first place?

Author Nick Wise answers these questions in Celebrity Vineyards by examining sixteen different celebrity-owned operations. They are a varied and diverse lot, from the historic Inglenook estate owned by director Francis Ford Coppola and the rustic Tuscan wines of porn star Savanna Samson to the tiny Sonoma vineyard plot owned by chef Charlie Palmer and the modern, state-of-the-art Anta Banderas winery in Spain of actor Antonio Banderas.

Continue reading “Celebrity Vineyards – Book Review” »

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Price: $20

Rating: 14.5/20

Region: Canelones, Uruguay

Varietal: 100 percent Tannat

Production: 490 cases

Alcohol: 15 percent

Tasting Notes: A wine varietal native to France, Tannat is now considered to be Uruguay’s signature varietal, where it produces full-bodied red wines boasting dark fruit flavors with spicy, peppery notes. The Artesana 2011 Tannat is well-balanced and surprisingly light on the palate, considering its high alcohol content.

Food Pairings: Strong cheeses, roasted or grilled meats

Other red wines we have tasted

Continue reading “Artesana 2011 Tannat – Wine of the Week Review” »

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