Drink the Bottles

  In St. Helena, California sits an unassuming property that is sans the flashiness, bells, whistles and modern architecture of many of its larger and more popular neighbors.  But that doesn't mean that what is inside is any less special.  Prager Winery & Port Works has been in the Napa Valley for an astounding forty-five years, quietly making very special fortified wines of differing varietals.  This family owned and operated establishment is now run by the second generation of family and they are eager to greet you and show you their pride and joy - port wines! The 2019 Aria White Port Wine is made of Napa Valley Chardonnay and it shows off honey gold colors in the glass.  Sweet on the nose with aromas of cooked pear, orange candy and baked apple crisp.  While most folks probably taste Port wines chilled, we opted to drink this at room temperature (about 67° F) from our favorite mini Beglian beer tasting glass.  The non-chilled tasting option al...

  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...

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...

The  2021 Bells Up Winery Rhapsody Pinot Blanc wine from this small, family-owned winery is our second introduction of unique and flavorful wines from David and Sara Specter.  Pinot Blanc is not a dominant varietal and if you haven't tried it, this  is the one you need to get.  Aged on lees for six months, this has a fuller body feel than many white Pinot grape varieties and the terroir of Willamette Valley is evident by the wet stone, crisp fruit flavors and dollops of soy sauce lurking in the background.  There is just the right amount of baking spices mid palate and a memorable finish that includes a noticeable acidity and mineral notes.  We love when you taste a wine and just smile from ear to ear, knowing that you've discovered a fun, memorable bottle.  This wine is drinking very well right now and should for another 4-5 years.   Medium golden color and very fragrant. We generally don't taste wines (when reviewing) with food.  Afte...

We all know that Napa Valley is home to some of the most amazing full-bodied red wines in the world.  But it would be a shame for wine lovers to overlook the throngs of high quality white wines that are also available from this region.  When we first visited Napa in 2009, we found one of our favorite wines (a Chardonnay from a now defunct winery) and we have again found one of our favorite Chardonnay in this bottle.  The  2017 Patland Estate Vineyards Chardonnay is a prime example of delicious and age-worthy Chardonnay that we feel is a "must have" wine for your portfolio.  Much of the fruit in this offering is from the Stagecoach Vineyard (one of our favorite) and the wine is absolutely singing right now! Vanilla, baking spices and pear on the nose with hints of lychee fruit.  As always, we tasted this wine at room temperature and were introduced to flavors of homemade apple pie, toasted marshmallow and almost no oak.  While we tend to lean towards m...

  Hot days are made for cooler wines and Sauvignon Blanc almost always fits the bill.  But when you have a Sauvignon Blanc like this one that is so pure, straightforward and extremely easy to enjoy, you know you have hit the jackpot.  Don't mistake this as simple, because it isn't.  It is just very well made and exactly how we enjoy SB.   Shepherd Wines , aka Truchard Vineyards, presents a fine California example of this wildly popular grape.  Aromas of cooked pear, grapefruit and crisp linen resonate throughout the glass and intensify as the wine begins to warm.  Delicious and crisp citrus flavors lead to a zippy and memorable medium acidic finish.  Absolutely and easily a daily drinker! ABV:  13.9% Napa Valley, CA (Carneros Region) Suggested retail price:  $18.00 Drink The Bottles  score:  90/100

There's no question that a quality Chardonnay really pleases the palate and is one of the world's most diverse and celebrated white wines.  We recently had the opportunity to taste this exciting wine and we know  that you will love it.  This is the  2019 Dawn's Dream Winery Frances Jane Chardonnay and like most wines that we love, it has a back story.  The Frances Jane name comes from Dawn's granddaughter and the fun label comes from the love that Frances Jane has for the four-legged fur babies.  In fact, $5.00 of every bottle of this wine is donated to Peace of Mind Dog Rescue.  We love this! This wine is on the drier side but welcomes the palate with toasted ciabatta, lemon cream and crisp pear.  It opens up the senses and warms the mouth with candied apples, hints of oak and bright acidity, leading to a lingering and satisfying finish.  While we tasted this wine without food (like we do all of our wines), we think this selection would be ...

  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:...

  Fans of crisp, bright Chardonnay are sure to love the 2018 Lagana Cellars Eritage Vineyard Chardonnay .  This Walla Walla Valley selection isn't heavy and would be a perfect selection for sushi or a lighter baked fish dish.  Pale color yellow in the glass with stone fruits dominating the nose.  Wet river rock also makes an appearance.  In the mouth is a delightful and welcoming combination of more stone fruits, apple tart filling and hard pineapple candy.  This wine combines the right amount of sweetness and acidity, leading to a solid finish.  Best over the next 10 years.  This one is a reliable choice if you're looking for some Chardonnay to keep in your cellar. ABV:  13.4% Walla Walla Valley, WA Suggested retail price:  $22.00 Drink The Bottles score:  89/100

  The 2018 Knights Bridge Estate Chardonnay (Knights Valley) is a welcoming and affordable wine that can be presented as an every day sipper or for a lighter food wine.  While this particular vintage is no longer available from the winery's website, you can still find it readily available at many retailers.  In the glass is a medium golden apple color with crisp aromas of stone fruits, baked bread and vanilla.  In the mouth you easily embrace flavors of pear, vanilla bean, apple tart and lemon curd, leading to a solid and refreshing finish.  This wine is not overly oaked and should be drank in the next 2 years for optimum enjoyment. ABV:  14.5% Sonoma County, CA Suggested retail price:  $39.99 Drink The Bottles score:  88/100

We were very blessed to be able to travel to California recently for a wine trip with great friends.  We had planned the trip in 2020, but we had to postpone for a year due to most of the world shutting down from the Covid pandemic.  We decided that we would take this trip in 2021, come hell or high water. Our "Winos" group as we jokingly and affectionately call ourselves, spent a few evenings and many text messages back and forth to discuss the "must visit" wineries as well as those that had been on various wish lists throughout the years.  After much discussion and many emails back and forth to the wineries on our radar, we finally decided on nine wineries that would complete our adventure.  And, so we begun with Day #1...... Repris Wines. We love Southwest Airlines!  However, a non-stop flight from IND to OAK would be ideal. There were three couples who took part in our journey and each one flew into a different airport.  Kris & Scott flew into Sacra...

  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...