Blogging From the Road

Posted on March 16, 2008 by Sonadora

AKA-Live in Sonoma County! Our bed and breakfast (at least the one we are in tonight) has free wireless so I am able to keep blogging for you while we are away!

The wine for the evening was the 2003 Lava Cap 2003 Reserve Merlot from El Dorado. It clocked in at 15.1% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost us $19.99 from WineQ (free shipping!).

On the nose I found berries, plums, spices, dark fruit, currants, and chocolate. In the mouth, more berries, currants, and plums. The wine was fruity with a bit of a darker earthy undertone, and still had a bit of a tannic edge.

I thought this was a really fun, fruity Merlot, and another great effort from Lava Cap. For this price, I would definitely get this again and consider it as a staple for serving with pizza or tomato based pasta dishes.

Filed under: California, Lava Cap, Merlot, Red | 4 Comments »

Lava Flows

Posted on December 6, 2007 by Sonadora

The bottle for the evening was a 2003 Lava Cap American River Red. We purchased this bottle from WineQ for $11.99 with free shipping! It clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. The wine is a blend of 46% Syrah, 20% Zinfandel, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Sangiovese, and 7% Merlot, and hails from El Dorado County.

On the nose I found oak, spice, cedar, blackberries, and dark fruit. In the mouth there were black fruits, black currants, and a slight hint of blackberry. The wine was spicy and had an alcohol kick, but was great after it aired a bit.

My overall impressions were “woah” and this still needs a bit of time or to be decanted for a while before serving. We drank this on it’s own, but I would suggest serving it with pasta or meatloaf!

Filed under: California, Lava Cap, Red, WineQ | Comments Off on Lava Flows

Q-ing Up!

Posted on June 15, 2007 by Sonadora

That’s right folks, here I am, drinking from my WineQ again. The wines arrive, I drink them…..it’s a vicious cycle 😉 The night’s wine was the 2004 Lava Cap Reserve Zinfandel. Lava Cap hails from El Dorado, California.

The wine weighed in at 15.6% alcohol, cost me $19.99 (free shipping!), and had a real cork closure.

My photography skills are not fabulous, but I hope you can gather the translucent ruby color that this wine presented in the glass. I found it very pretty to look at.

The alcohol on the nose was a bit strong, but blew off to reveal black currants, blackberries, spices…nutmeg and cloves I believe and oak. In the mouth there were big dark berries, with hints of the spices that came through on the nose. It also had an earthy quality. However, I wouldn’t describe this as a full-bodied wine, despite the high alcohol. Overall the wine was a bit tannic and left a spicy finish in the mouth.

Filed under: California, Lava Cap, Red, Zinfandel | 6 Comments »

Drinking from my Q again

Posted on June 1, 2007 by Sonadora

I have a problem. When new wine comes in my door I get this nagging little voice in the back of my head telling me I should try it right.then. Such was the case when my latest WineQ showed up at my door. I managed to wait all of 3 days before jumping into this bottle of 2005 Lava Cap Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine cost $11.99 (free shipping since my order was over $35 total!!), was 14.6% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy getting free shipping from WineQ? It’s the shipping costs from my other wine clubs that kill me when I realize I could have purchased at least another bottle, maybe two for the price it cost to ship the wine!

In the glass this Sauvignon Blanc wass straw gold in color, it really struck me as a pretty wine. The nose came wafting out of the glass with vanilla, lime and orange citrus flavors. A very aromatic wine overall. In the mouth I would describe the wine as creamy. I got flavors of lime, melon, oak and clementines in the mouth.

The oak aging really lent a different characteristic to this wine, much different from most of the Sauvignon Blancs that I drink, so I had to adjust my expectations to appreciate this wine for what it was: a very well-balanced, inexpensive, aromatic and flavorful white, with good citrus and melon flavors tempered by the oak aging. I think it would do wonderfully with an herb-roasted chicken dish, though it was great on its own as we drank it.

Filed under: California, Lava Cap, Sauvignon Blanc, White, WineQ | 6 Comments »