Drink the Bottles

  The history behind PEJU Winery is absolutely mesmerizing and one that you will never tire of hearing.  It's a man with a dream, a vision and determination.   Tony Peju moved his family from Los Angeles to Rutherford and began selling his young wines out of a garage.  Throughout the years, a formal tasting room is added, additional vineyards, the iconic tower is built and the adult children join the winery full time.  While Tony passed away in 2023, he leaves a legacy and his footprint on Napa Valley wine.  Tony is often regarded as the father of Direct to Consumer (DTC) Wine Marketing. The 2023 Peju Winery Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is another stunning example of organically farmed fruit from winemaker Sara Fowler.  Fowler is celebrating her 20th vintage with PEJU this year and you can feel the love and terroir in every bottle.   Dark purple-black in color with swelling aromas of blackberry jam, blackcurrant, ...

  It's always amazing to drink wines that you aren't familiar with, only to find out that they surprise you in a big way.  There are still a significant group of wine enthusiasts who snub their noses at screw top wines, to which we just laugh or shake our heads.  From a winemaker's or vintner's perspective - no cork taint!  Do we need to say more? This is the  2023 Cedar + Salmon Pinot Noir Willamette Valley red wine from 3 Badge Beverage.  Don't peek to the end to see the price yet, because you won't believe it considering this is 100% Willamette Valley juice.   Mulberry color in the glass, this wine left us pleasantly perplexed after some air time in the glass and introduction of oxygen with some nice swirling.  Dried rose petal, plum, and black cherry fragrances appear on the nose, leading an introduction to a myriad of flavors.  We first picked up the traditional Pinot Noir gentle flavors of red raspberry, cherry and dried herbs....

The long days of summer are here and that means it is white wine season!  Historically, we have only tasted red wines from Flora Springs Winery, so we were excited to have the opportunity to try something new to us and this one was timed perfectly with the hot weather.  The  Flora Springs Soliloquy White Wine  is a blend of primarily Sauvignon Blanc with Chardonnay and the lesser known Malvasia added for complexity and flavors.  This is one of Flora Springs flagship wines and it is quickly noticeable why it carries that identity. Pale gold in the glass with hints of greenish blue on the rim, this wine is immediately identifiable as primarily Sauvignon Blanc by the familiar meadow grass, floral and stone fruit aromas.  We tasted this slightly chilled to take advantage of the full tasting experience, but there is no doubt this would be a porch sipping or pool party wine served well chilled.  Citrus fruit, vanilla, and apples are dominant with honeycomb a...