Drink the Bottles

  On the north end of Napa Valley in St. Helena, California sits a wine estate that until recently, has been unassuming for fifty years.  Sullivan Rutherford Estate was the dream turned into reality of James O'Neil Sullivan, a visionary who became passionate about wine in the 1950's when and his wife received a grape arbor as a wedding present.  Home winemaking eventually led to a move to Rutherford where Sullivan would plant roots - literally. The 2021 Sullivan Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vigne wine consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (14%) and Petit Verdot (6%).  We initially did not decant this wine and allowed only "air time" in the glass.  A unanimous decision to decant for about thirty-five minutes made the difference with this one.  Homemade strawberry jam color solid to the rim.  This "heart of vine" Cabernet offers plum, graphite, wet gravel road, and toasted baguette on the nose.  The decanting brought the...

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...