Drink the Bottles

  Here's another fine example of great wine made with exceptional fruit.  The  2019 Pope Valley Reserve Sauvignon Blanc sets itself apart from many others made with this grape.  If you're looking for a Sauvignon Blanc that is overly grassy with an strong acidic backbone, look somewhere else.  This wine effortlessly blends tangerine, yellow baked apple, honey, and interesting hints of river rock on the outer edge and finish.  This wine is surprisingly very silky smooth and a welcome change to "traditional" SB.  And talk about a food wine!  We feel that the versatility of this offering would pair with anything from artisan breads & jams to Eggs Benedict to sashimi and beyond!  We tasted this near room temperature but served chilled, this wine would be a porch drinker for certain.  Drink now. The 2020 vintage is currently available from Pope Valley Winery on their web site. ABV:  14.46% Napa Valley, CA Suggested retail price:  $32.00 Drink The Bottles  score:  92/10

  This is 100% Petite Sirah and deliciousness in a bottle.  The  2018 Fifty Row Petite Sirah Silver Dollar Vineyard wine has a very unique crushed velvet color in the glass.  The blackberry cobbler, cocoa powder, menthol and spring flower bouquet aromas jump from the glass.  You get powerful, consistent black and juicy fruits in the mouth with mint towards the finish.  This is one of those fist-clenching wines that we talk about  While this young wine is approachable now, some time in the decanter will help soften the obvious tannin if that is your thing.  If you want to warm the gullet with a memorable Petite Sirah you would be remiss to find on better.  We think you can lay this wine down in your cellar for a decade before you'll truly appreciate all that this wine has to show you.  This is just a beautiful effort and one that we will add to our "favorite" column. ABV:  14.9% Napa Valley, CA Suggested retail price:  $65.00 Drink The Bottles score:  92+/100

  Enkidu Wines of Sonoma, California is a new addition to the Drink The Bottles  wine tribe.  It is no secret that we taste and share a lot of Napa wines and when we partner up with a (new-to-us) producer from Sonoma, we're always excited to see the outcome.  We had the privilege of tasting the 2018 Enkidu Wines Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) and this was a great introduction for us to this producer.  When we popped the cork and saw the wine imprint, we suspected that we were in for a treat with some high quality, dense fruit. Medium to dark scarlet color solid in the glass from center to edge.  Aromas of fresh out-of-the-oven strawberry rhubarb pie, damp earth and spices carry over to similar flavors.  This is a potpourri of sweet fragrance with intense, medium bodied raspberry jam and hints of vanilla.  The acid in this wine is solid but in check, leading the taster to a path of a lingering finish that goes on for moments.  We didn't decant this wine but rather gave it so

  Zinfandel is a favorite red varietal of ours, especially as we head into colder weather for fall and winter.  We find that it generally pairs very well with stews, chili and red meat.  The  2019 Cline Family Cellars Ancient Vines Zinfandel is a fine example a wine that can be enjoyed over a great conversation or a nice dinner.  We actually drank this solo and  then again with meatloaf and it was a hit!  The vines that create the fruit for this wine are over 100 years old out of Contra Costa County, creating a wine that is both reliable and tasty.  Medium red in color, dominating aromas of cooked strawberries and dried spices fill the glass.  The same follows through with the flavors, adding in toasted flat bread with vanilla bean and plum.  We think this is drinking very well right now but may be even a little bit better in another 12 - 18 months.   ABV:  14.5% Contra Costa County, CA Suggested retail price:  $25.00 Drink The Bottles score:  90+/100

  When you find a port wine that you really enjoy, it's kind of like finding that diamond in the rough.  Port wines can be hit or miss if they aren't the primary wine produced by the winery.  The 2016 Krupp Brothers Black Bart Syrah Port is a fine example of Napa Valley port wine made with exceptional fruit, resulting in loveliness in the glass.  This wine consists of 86% Syrah and 14% Petit Verdot Stagecoach Vineyards fruit.  2016 was a great year for Napa Valley powerful reds and that success definitely bled over to this wine.  Inky purple in the glass with cherry cola, dried flowers and sweet candied pecans on the nose.  Flavors of chocolate covered cherry, blackberry pie filling and sweet wood unite for a dense and rich tasting experience that warms the heart.  We tasted this in a whiskey glass and for the smaller pour, it was spot on.  We may or may not (ok, we did) also have this later on with a Reese's peanut butter cup.  That was a great choice, as is this wine.  W

  It's not very often that you see a blog post here about a wine promotion.  In fact, this may be the first time!  But that is how excited and passionate that we are about this incredible deal!  Patland Estate Vineyards is once again offering their "Mystery Box" of wine for a limited time.  Keep reading... To tempt you even more, we've been given the green light to share with you what was in last year's Mystery Box.  If you purchased this, you did VERY well (but you already know that!). Last year's box included nearly $1500 worth of wine.  The six amazing bottles of wine were: 2008 Syrah 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Malbec 2012 Pinot Noir 2014 Port 2016 Sauvignon Blanc What will be in this year's box?  We don't have all of the details but we know WITHOUT A DOUBT that you will receive some incredible wines for a fraction of the price.  Did we mention that the Mystery Box not only includes 6 incredible wines but also free shipping!  What a deal!