2008 Terlato Quick Fire Chardonnay Top Chef

Walking through the wine department one day chatting with a friend, I spotted this Chardonnay. As a big fan of the show Top Chef, curiosity killed the cat and I just had to bring this home and taste.

My wine friends have bragged about Terlato wines and how very good they taste. The 2008 Quick Fire Chardonnay follows that same pattern of excellent wines. When you first pour the wine in the glass you immediately smell a bowl of fresh crisp green apples, citrus and a hint of vanilla. Just knew I would enjoy this wine (family in back quoted as saying "What wine don't you like?" followed by laughter).

A huge green apple flavor at the beginning and finished nicely with a creamy buttery vanilla. What's outstanding about this wine is the lack of overpowering oak (thank you) and the softness of the finish. Perfect balance of flavor. Bravo (no pun intented) to the folks at Terlato.

Cheers

Dan

2007 Paul Dolan Pinot Noir Mendocino County

Well I have saved my favorite wine for the last blog entry of my samples from Paul Dolan Vineyards. The 2007 Pinot Noir is an excellent Pinot with definate ripe fruit flavor.

When in the glass the aroma of juicy cherry and berry are very pronounced in the beginning followed by vanilla and oak. The classic Pinot aromas. The excitement builds.

Nice juicy cherry flavor throughout this wine. In the middle I grab a vanilla spice, berry, oak and finish again with the cherry. Nice rich wine. Balanced flavors all in harmony make this in my opinion one of the very good Pinot Noirs I've enjoyed. If you can't tell I'm a big Pinot fan.

A big thank you goes out to Paul Dolan for allowing me to taste his award winning wines. I truly enjoyed each one. I hope you stop and see them soon to taste their excellent wines. Say hello for me.

Cheers
Dan

2006 Paul Dolan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

The rat race of the Holiday Season is behind and now time to get back to tasting wine. My next entry comes from my second sample from Paul Dolan at Paul Dolan Vineyards the 2006 Cabernet. What I really like about this wine is the the fact I can drink it alone or serve a nice red meat dish. I have tasted Cabernet's where the flavor is so bold one must only serve with food.

Very pronounced aroma once in the glass. Ripe plum and spice. Simple yet not overpowering. Nice color, here we go.

The aroma and the taste match perfectly. Rip plum to start, followed by spice and then a nice earthy finish. Full flavored but soft on the end. Impressive cabernet. Tons of love in this wine by the winemaker.

I encourage you to try a bottle today and would love to hear your feedback.

Cheers
Dan