2012 Ceja Vineyards Merlot Sonoma County Carneros

Tonight's wine was the 2012 Ceja Vineyards Merlot from my adopted Carneros Family. Many times I have written how special their wines and how much I enjoy them. I'm going to let the wine do the talking this evening. Well priced at $48 it was a wine in my club shipment and worth every dollar and then some.

The nose is luscious with ripe red and black fruit. Juicy raspberry and blackberry with plum notes followed by red currants. Not overpowering on the nose but a sense of elegance as you swirl and sniff.

The mouth as always is beautiful with the juicy raspberry and blackberry with a hint of plum. The red currant spice gives a nice little warm feel to the wine. The tannins are so incredibly soft. Such a beautifully balanced wine. Yes Amelia I love your Merlot too!

Check out the Ceja Vineyards website to purchase yours today by clicking the Buy Wine link. Visiting Sonoma then stop by their new tasting room located at 22989 Burndale Road. Enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting and learning about the Ceja Family.

Cheers
Dan

2013 Campesino Cellars Grenache Steel Plow Vineyard

What a way to start off the new year with an amazing wine from Campesino Cellars the 2013 Steel Plow Vineyard Grenache. The $35 price is a bargain and there were only 65 cases made. When I was introduced to Macario and Griselda's wine a few years ago the first order of business was to sign up for the mailing list. Since then I have not missed ordering any of their wine. See this is the perfect juice to sip.....hand crafted, ultra boutique wine by a remarkable talented winemaker.

Notice the label with the hands of Griselda's father Pedro Ceja. He spent 40 years in the vineyard so that his family had the opportunities they desired. The label was drawn by Macario's brother Maceo and depicts the hard work the hands endured. Just like the name Campesino (Fieldworker), Macario and Griselda as a son and daughter of fieldworkers, pay homage to those who work the fields and help make these beautiful wines. "A mis carnales y mis carnalas gracias por su trabajo. To my brothers and sisters thank you for your work." The workers themselves take pride in their nurturing of the vineyards and want a better life for themselves and their families. Humble, hard working and successful.

Right from the first pour, the nose exhibits ripe fruit. Fresh strawberries and cherries with hints of cinnamon spice and fresh herbs. A perfect harmony and so pleasing to the nose. Macario an absolute amazing aromatic beauty.

The mouth is elegant with juicy cherry and strawberry followed by hints of leather, earth tones and dark chocolate. The tannins are so soft with a fruit forward intensity. A grenache I want to sip every day Macario!

Sign up for the Campesino Cellars Mailing List and start grabbing these beauties when first released. Want to order online then click Campesino Wine on the website and order today. Sip on some Campesino today.

Cheers
Dan

So Long 2015 Hello 2016

While at times it flew by many times it felt more challenging than the rest. We tasted some beauties from the likes of Campesino Cellars, Ceja Vineyards, Passaggio, Seven Of Hearts, Zoetic, MacPhail, Rodney Strong, Fields Family, Webster Cellars, Jessup Cellars, Ponzi, Cornerstone Cellars, Gallegos, Steven Kent and Hardball. For those winemakers and all winemakers who pour their heart and soul into creating juice for us to enjoy......Thank you.

We also have the opportunity to continue to give back with each purchase on Cellar Angels. Martin and Denise Cody bring awesome boutique producers to wine lovers nation wide. In return we chose a charity to give back with each purchase. I highly recommend Cellar Angels! I look forward to the wines in the new year.

And to all the readers.....thank you for your support all these years and let 2016 be our best year ever.


Cheers to 2016
Dan

2012 MacPhail Pinot Noir Rita's Crown Vineyard Santa Rita Hills

MacPhail Family Wines owner James MacPhail produces small lot world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rose with minimal intervention and hands on attention. The winery itself not open to the public as it sits on James private property but by having the winery close by he can keep an eye on the product and fine tune his skills at the same time. If the 2012 is any indication I believe James your fine tuning skills are an A+.

Like many winemakers James was introduced to wine at an early age by his father who loved burgundy and his love grew for the grape. Many times he would find himself after a long day sipping Pinot Noir as this wine resonated with him. In 2002 he launched his own label and for those who have taken pleasure in drinking this juice just smile. “My goal is to produce food friendly wines with subtlety, elegance and finesse," says the winemaker. They are also layered and full of character. I couldn't agree more.

The MacPhail Tasting Room at The Barlow you will find the familiar face of Jim Morris aka Sonoma Wine Guy who is in charge of wine education. Here you will taste and learn all about the grapes, soil and climate from Jim and the staff. Both James and Jim believe in the importance of wine education. Plus what a cool place to sip, relax and learn. Ok time for the wine.

The nose is a thing of beauty starting with an earthy floral aroma followed by ripe dark cherry, blackberry, a hint of blueberry and plum rounding out with clove, cola and a dusting of cinnamon. Exquisite aromatics.

The mouth is complex and flavorful. Intense cherry notes with blueberry and plum fruit. Cloves, cola and a hint of smoke compliment the long medium tannin finish. Day 1 was amazing and Day 2 was perfection.This is why I drink and love Pinot!

Big thanks to Cellar Angels for bringing this special purchase offer to all of of us. Sign up today at Cellar Angels to join, sip and give back.

Cheers
Dan

2014 Passaggio Passion Blend White Table Wine California

"Passaggio artisan wines are hand crafted to bring you a new generation of fruit forward, terroir driven,
food friendly wines" says Cynthia Cosco owner and winemaker of Passaggio Wines. Her passion to follow in her family's footsteps leaving behind a career on the east coast in law enforcement leads to her success today. 

She started part time back in 2004 learning the process from the ground up. Many will say the best place to start your learning process is at harvest and in the the cellar. Both tasks build character and for those who think wine making is all glamour and glory guess again. Exactly what Cindy did and gradually moved to the lab and then to her own label. Each stop on her journey from the early early wine tastings to her work with Crushpad (where I had the opportunity to meet her), has lead to her success in building the Passaggio brand. She can be found promoting her wines on social media or in her new tasting room (just celebrated her 1 year anniversary in the location) chatting with friends and drinkers of her wines. Cindy's acceptance speech when honored as a Rising Star in Women For WineSense shows how humble and grateful she is for those who recognize her talents and truly enjoy her wine. 

Today's wine is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Grigio and 20% Roussanne. Love the complexity of aromas with lemon citrus, sweet pear, fresh sliced apple, white peach and orange zest. So lively jumping from the glass and crisp. 

The mouth is awesome with ripe pear, fresh nectarine, juicy apple and lemon which carry long into the clean finish. When I first sipped there was this hint of creaminess in the beginning of the taste and allowing the wine to open brings a subtle minerality. I love when the winemaker nails a blend! Well done Cynthia.

You can find Cindy's wines in her tasting room located at 25 East Napa St, Suite C Sonoma, CA 95476 open 7 days per week or on the website www.passaggiowines.com. I encourage you to stop in and meet the winemaker. Humble, grateful and so hospitable you will leave knowing everything about her wines and have a new friend.

Cheers
Dan