Titus: I love you

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Sonadora

I shall count the ways. 1.) Beautiful vineyards. 2.) Excellent wines. 3.) Fabulous people. 4.) Olives.  And on and on and on.  We went to Titus on our latest CA visit this past spring, but I bought this wine some time ago.  Cabernet Franc is one of my favorites, so I’m unable to resist the Titus version. They don’t make terribly much of it, so we have joined their club in order to ensure our continued to access to the wine. Lifeblood. Wiiiiiiinnnnnnneeeeee. (Says Homer Simpson.) In this particular instance I’m talking about the 2009 Titus Cabernet Franc. It has a real cork closure, clocks in at 14.3% alcohol by volume, and I can’t recall what I paid for it.

Four takeways from this wine:

1.) Buy it. Now.

2.) Spend a day sitting at the picnic table at Titus Vineyards. You won’t regret a moment of that time.

3.) Drink more Cab Franc to encourage more (domestic) wineries to produce and distribute it.

4.) I think this would be awesome in the fall with beef stew.

On the nose I got chocolate, strawberries, raspberries, spices, herbs, sage, coffee, red currants, and cherries. This wine has that kind of nose I want to get lost in.  In the mouth I got black raspberry, black cherry, spices, herbs, chocolate, and earth.  I found it to be juicy with nice dark fruits and a long finish on the palate.  Drink up!

 

 

 

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Filed under: Cabernet Franc, California, Titus, Wine | 4 Comments »

2013 Wine Blogger Conference

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Sonadora

I realize the 2012 Conference JUST ended and I’ve barely written up anything yet for you, but I want to talk about next year.  I just registered for the 2013 WBC in Penticton, BC!  I’m super excited and hope you will all join me there.  Newbie, experienced blogger, winery rep, pr folk, importers, etc., everyone has a place at WBC.

We’re already working on raising funds to help other wine bloggers attend, so if you are so inclined, (and with year end approaching, your donation may be tax deductible) please make a contribution to the WBC Scholarship Fund!  Thea and I were hard at work cajoling our fellow attendees at the 2012 conference to buy ribbons, which always helps raise some much needed moola.  We will definitely need your help to make it happen though!

Canada should be great! I’ve never been wine tasting in Canada and have only tried a handful of wine from the country, and even fewer from the Okanagan Valley.

(Image borrowed from Palate Press)

However, with views like this, how can I go wrong?  Hope to see you there!

Filed under: WBC | 1 Comment »

Pie in a Glass

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Sonadora

Petite Sirah is awesome. We all know that. If you don’t know that, go buy some and find out for yourself what you’ve been missing.  The other day a box of wine from the very first producer of Petite Sirah in the US arrived at my door, hooray!  In case you don’t know, Concannon Vineyards was the first US producer of Petite Sirah back in the early 60s.  We tried the 2010 Concannon Selected Vineyards Petite Sirah with our bbq ribs a couple nights ago.  It has a plastic cork closure, clocks in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, and retails for around $8.50.

Four takeaways from this wine:

1.) For $8.50, the Petite Sirah had a heck of a lot to offer and would be a fantastic party wine.

2.) Imagine a blueberry pie drizzled with chocolate in a glass. That’s this wine.

3.) Definitely serve it with BBQ ribs.

4.) I rally can’t believe it was only $8.50.

On the nose I found blueberry, berry jam, blueberry pie, spice, chocolate, vanilla, cream, and herbs.  In the mouth this wine was all blueberry, all the time in jam and pie form, with some chocolate and spice notes and perhaps a hint of black currant. The wine had good acidity and tannins.

 

 

Filed under: California, Petite Sirah, Red, Wine | 1 Comment »

Wine For a Cause

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Sonadora

Normally I don’t write about wines I haven’t tried or press releases or such.  However, a friend has a daughter diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and she asked me if I could please mention a new fundraiser, Angels in Action, for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that began this month.  Viña Montes Wines is donating 10% of the wholesale sales cost of every bottle of their wine sold in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.

Now, I know nothing about the wine. However, if you are looking to try something new and happen to see this on the shelves (sold at lots of shops, Costco, and Total Wine), perhaps give a bottle a try and help support a great cause.  Read the whole press release here.  Alternatively, you can always donate directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation here.

Filed under: Chile, Wine | 1 Comment »