Drink the Bottles

  This is quite possibly the best Brut Rosé we have tasted in a number of years!  It is, without a doubt, outstanding.  If you're looking for a lovely sparkling wine for a celebration or to pair with lighter food, you've just learned what you need to know.  Go buy this wine!   Now, if you want some more detailed inforamtion, keep reading. The  Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé Cuvée de la Pompadour Sparkling Wine is a non-vintage stunner both in appearance and taste, born from estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.   Named in honor of Louis XV's great paramour, Madame de la Pompadour, this sparkling wine makes you feel regal and elegant from when you gently pop the cork until you take your final sip.  Pink and peach in color, micro bubbles prepare you for aromas of fresh, picked-from-the-garden strawberries, joined with sweet buttercream, ripe melon, rose and baking spices.  It is incredibly creamy with homemade biscuits making an...

  If you've visited our website before, you already know that we are big fans of Bells Up Winery of Newberg, Oregon.  Our "wino" crew recently sat down virtually with owner and winemaker Dave Specter to taste through six of his micro-boutique, unique and delicious wines.  The other half of the winery and Dave's boss (and wife) Sara Specter made the arrangements and we were off to a beautiful evening! Like every winery, there is a good story behind this one.  We guess "good" may not be the best way to describe how the winery came to fruition, but it does  have a happy ending.  Dave and Sara began making wine in their basement in 2006.  Dave was a corporate tax attorney who was not enjoying (to put it lightly) his profession and wanted to pursue a passion of not only becoming a winemaker but eventually owning and operating his own winery with Sara.  While visiting the Willamette Valley in 2008 on vacation, they both fell in love with the area and t...

We have been big Penelope Bourbon enthusiasts since we tasted several different bottles at an informal tasting about 18 months ago.  These MGP-distilled products have been a huge hit for bourbon fans and their vast selection of offerings is pretty mind blowing!  Today we are tasting and discovering what two of their latest releases are all about.  First up is the annual, limited release Penelope Toasted Rye .  This gem is a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley in #2 heavy char toasted barrels.  If you were camping with friends and toasting marshmallows in the crisp fall air in an apple orchard and you could bottle that, then that's what you have here.  The aromas are quite literally mouth-watering and the rich mohagany color with hints of copper only add to the appeal.  Tons of sweet butterscotch dance on the tongue with a zesty ginger, sweet nutmeg and subtle peppery note that lead to a finish that feels like it lingers for minutes.  We woul...

  Kicking off our series of Oregon wines, we started with this inviting Rosé that is as gorgeous in the glass as it is on the tongue.  The  2021 Bells Up Winery Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir first captures the eye with the stunning reddish hue, darker than many other Pinot Noir rosé on the market.  It was intriguing and immediately mouth-watering.  We tasted this wine both on its own merit and with food (which is unusual for us, but we had to prove a point to ourselves).  With ample time in the glass, we began swirling and collecting pleasant, but not overpowering, aromas of strawberry and pomegranate.  The fruit is more noticeable on the palate and the acid is in check and doesn't even begin to overpower this easy-drinking wine.  The finish is subtle and enjoyable.  While we don't always taste wines with food, there was something here that was urging us to do so. We tasted this with a variety of salty cheeses and the pairing was absolut...

  Lasseter Family Winery of Glen Ellen, CA is a new venture for us. We are always excited to partner with a new (to us) winery and if this rosé is any indication of what we're in for, we have a little wine crush!  One definition of the name Enjoué is "playful" and this wine hits that description on the head.  While this would be an amazing summer sipper, we couldn't wait to share this one with you.  Today we are tasting and sharing the 2019 Lasseter Family Winery Enjoué Rosé wine.  This pale pink wine is a unique blend of Grenache (48%), Mourvèdre (27%), Syrah (18%) and Counoise (7%).  Initially we attempted to taste this wine more chilled than usual and the nose was muted.  After some time out of the cooler, it burst open with pear, strawberry and citrus fruits literally leaping from the glass.  There is a acidity that is zippy and refreshing and the strawberry flavors join with hints of spring flowers and orange peel.  This wine will leave...

When we taste a wine, we always taste it "solo" so we can truly appreciate what is in the bottle.  When we find a wine like this rosé, it can be fun to also pair this with some food.  That was a great choice here with the 2020 KB by Knights Bridge Winery Rosé .  Soft and soothing at first taste with loads of fresh strawberries, this wine also welcomes suggestions of lilac, peach and rhubarb.   Those aromas carry through to the tasting and there is a little kick at the end that allows this wine to cut through the Asian-inspired BBQ meatballs that we paired this with during a second tasting.  The color on this wine is without a doubt stunning and very welcoming.  It is reminiscent of autumn foliage and this wine would be a lovely accompaniment to your lighter fair during the holidays.  Nice light alcohol content. Drink now or hold this one for a couple of years. ABV:  13.5% Sonoma County, CA Suggested retail price:  $30.00 Drink The Bottle...

  It was a great day for a wine tasting.  But then again, isn't  any  day perfect to gather for some vino?   Our group of six gathered at our home (aka DrinkTheBottles  HQ) for a virtual wine tasting provided by our friends at Rodney Strong Wine Estates .  This tasting was promoted as a media tasting and we invited our friends to enjoy some new wines.  Whenever we have a virtual tasting we always try to include others.  It would be a shame to "waste" six bottles of wine on two people. The folks at Rodney Strong Wine Estates have been going through a makeover, or a REJUVENATION as they call it, for the last 3 years.  They have touched every part of the business from the estate, the vineyards, the tasting room, the personnel and, as you may notice, the logo/label! The lineup consisted of six unique and flavorful wines.  The winery proves that you don't have to be expensive to enjoy quality wines.   We tasted these wines...

Have you ever picked up a cheap bottle of wine ($20 or under) and found that it nearly blew your socks off?  No, it wasn't the 18% alcohol or high octane fuel smell coming from the cork....er, make that bottle cap....but an actual LOVE for a bargain bottle of vino?  A couple of months ago while we were all hunkered down during the Coronavirus pandemic, we received a bottle of this 2018 King Rabbit Rosé as a gift.  I'm not normally a rosé wine fan, but I immediately fell in love with the cantaloupe-colored juice and gorgeous package.   While we had planned to save this bottle for Easter dinner, it didn't work out that way and we popped this open on a whim one late afternoon.  This bottle had been in the refrigerator chilling (the best way to drink a rosé in my opinion) so we filled up a couple of glasses and headed to the back deck.   The nose presented with lemon, lime and stone fruits with some flowery undertones.  This wasn't an intense aro...

Most of the time people see pink wines, they probably think White Zinfandel.  And then come back flooding memories of a $9 gallon jug of brash, highly acidic and flavorless wine that you can barely choke down, only to wake up with heartburn for days.  Some much of that $3 bottle junk has turned people off of rosè wines because it's hard to get over the stigma and differentiate between junk and delicious rosè that is made from fine Pinot Noir.  So, have a seat, clear out the bad mojo and open your mind to this exquisite 2016 Dawn's Dream Winery Pinot Noir Rosè from the Santa Lucia Highlands.  Beautiful salmon colored in the glass from center to edge, this light wine presents stewed strawberries, brioche, watermelon and summer rain.  It's bright on the tongue and best served moderately chilled with very mild cranberry, strawberry and fresh bread dough in the mouth.  A cup of lobster bisque would be a great marriage, but so would a fresh vegetable platte...