Fiat Vino

I found out about this winery while trying to figure out how to get some Sea Smoke wines. A bit pricey but oh so good! A beautiful, medium-bodied Pinot with a nice nose of fruit and a light easy palate. Overmatched and appearing a bit thin compared to the full-bodied, concentrated, and fantastic '07 Chasseur Umino Pinot we tasted it with, but the Les Larmes really was never meant to stack up. It did however offer a more feminine style that was great in its own right.

Utterly fantastic. Among the best Pinots I've ever had. A full-bodied, concentrated, powerful pinot that is well balanced with all the right components but nothing overpowering. Lovely nose. I can definitely see this improving with age but it is drinking very well right now.

I nice balanced Pinot. Ruby-red color. Cherry, cola, herbaceousness, bodaceousness. A bit of zest, spice. Earthy, caulk nuances. Some heat. A toasty, oaky, spicy, long finish. Good tannic structure. A little more bodaceousness. Love the glass "cork"!

Fantastic, young cab. Opened the bottle a few hours before dinner but didn't decant. The wine opened surprisingly well and quickly. Had next to a '95 Bordeaux. This showed the power of napa cab. Well balanced all-around but concentrated and rich. Appeared alcoholic next to the 12.5% Bordeaux but not over board. A bit sweet all-around (especially on the finish) to suit my tastes, but it is a lovely napa cab that is drinking well now but will continue to age gracefully (it should really be drunken in at least a few year time but we wanted a stark comparison to a Bordeaux in its prime). Expect good things out of Napa's 2008 vintage.

OK, I don't normally roll like this but had a bit of a family reunion and it involved some fantastic wine. I'm a Bordeaux novice, but this was a lovely wine and I am now a believer. Drank next to a 2008 Caymus cab. Most but not all preferred the d'Armailhac. Is was more restrained and balanced had fantastic earth tones and subtle fruit flavors. Could have had a bit more concentration but still a nice medium length finish. Popped and poured. A bit funky at first but didn't take long to open up. Seems to have life ahead but hard to imagine much improvement. And check out the dancing Frenchie on the label!

Nice fruit driven Pinot. Won't offend anyone but won't WOW anyone either. It was paired perfectly with that relaxing moment after putting the kids to bed. Available everywhere. Not a steal at $18, but you could do much worse.

A 2003 Cali Cab rated at 93pts for $18 sounded to good to be true...and it was. A very good wine but no steal for for the price and rated too high IMO. Time has mellowed this wine: not a lot of fruit but a well-integrated full-bodied Cab with mellow tannins and a relatively short finish. Had it with bacon-wrapped beef filet, baked sweet potatoes, and a side salad. Meat & potatoes need a Cab, right?

I'm really digging Beaujolais. This is from Louis Jadot which is a mega Burgundy producer. The Moulin-A-Vent cru wines supposedly have more body and substance than other Beaujolais crus. This has bright, fresh cherry, strawberry. Sweet flavors but a dry wine. Ruby color. Medium bodied. Subtle chalky, earth tones. Pinot-esqe (but 100% Gamey grapes). 2009 is supposed to be a great Beaujolais vintage. I haven't had other vintages that I remember but I've had several from 2009 and they are all awesome, this one included. At $16, this is serious bang for your buck.

We had a taste test between the 2007 and 2008 Brewer-Clifton Santa Rita Hills Pinots. These are the entry level appellation designated pinots (although at $35 they are not entry level priced) from BC, which is more known for their vineyard specific pinots. SURPRISE, they tasted very similar. Both were tasty, medium-bodied wines with good, but not overpowering fruit. It was probably a few years early to drink them both; the 2008 seemed especially young. We went back and forth on which one we preferred - the ratings would suggest the 2007 is the better bottle, but one would be happy with either. We served them with coq au vin; the pairing seemed appropriate.

We had this Napa Valley merlot with a British-style, Sunday prime rib roast. It was awesome, but I think I prefer a cab or a big syrah with roasted red meat. At $90, it is a special occasion wine. The wine smells meaty, chocolaty, espresso-y, dark, someone in our group thought cassis (whatever that is). In the mouth it is concentrated and layered, yet refined with a long finish. Inky legs took almost a minute to dribble down the glass. SMOOTH. A good choice if you are a merlot fan, if not, it probably won't convert you, but you'll enjoy it anyway. 96 pts, made by Helen Turley.

Bought at on a recommendation from the Wine House in Costa Mesa. Cost $10-$15. Gobs of fruit, like blackberry and cherry, and earth, lots of dusty earth, and more fruit. I wasn't a fan at first I actually dumped out my glass and opened another bottle. But I came back to it on day two and liked it. Appreciate it for what it is: a very fruity, earthy French red.

Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2008 Cost: $15 I read Fess Parker has been making some good wines lately so I picked this up at the local grocery store. Cost about $15. Not my favorite - not bad but can do better at this price point. I find some wines better on day two, this one was undrinkable.

Chateau Grands Marechaux Cotes de Blaye 2008 Cost: $12 Cotes de Blaye is in the northernmost part of Bordeaux. This wine is mostly Merlot with just 3% Cabernet. I bought a case at the recommendation of Wine Exchange in Tustin - it was their wine of the month and they came in a cool wood crate. I was looking for a good mid-week drinker but so far I've been unimpressed. The tannins are a bit harsh; hopefully, it just needs a few years of age. This wine was unrated as far as I can tell but the 2009 futures received an impressive 89-92 range from WS.

Castillo de Monseran Grenache Carinena Spain 2009 Cost: $7 Better than expected from a $7 wine but not much better. Fine with a meal with non-wine drinking friends or as an everyday table wine. I'd serve it slight more chilled than cellar temp. Tried to use it for a red wine reduction sauce that failed miserably - probably execution rather than the wine.

La Maialina Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 Cost: $17 Typical Italian Sangiovese character (chiantis have to be at least 80% Sangiovese grapes) - fruity and earthy - yet more mellow, more refined, and softer tannins than most Chiantis. Pour it with a bowl of spaghetti bolognese and you'll be in Italian heaven. Rating: 92pts RP

CLEB Wines Syrah Santa Barbara County Colson Canyon Vineyard 2007 Cost: $15 Bought a case at the recommendation of The Wine House. Stoked I did! This is a big, fruity, crowd pleaser. Just as good a day after opening. Even though it comes from the same vineyard as Tensley's flagship, this wine, made by the protégé of Joey Tensley, is more drinkable now than the Tensley from the same vintage. I bet it will get better with age but I can't stop drinking it.

Rosenblum Cellars Reserve Syrah Sonoma County Kick Ranch 2005 Cost: $39 Tensley Syrah Santa Barbara County Colson Canyon Vineyard 2007 Cost: $45 The Kick Ranch kicks ass! I'd buy it again just for the name. We had it with lamb shank on Christmas eve in a direct taste test with the Tensley Syrah 2007 Colson Canyon. Similarly priced and rated: $40ish and 94 pts. The Rosenblum Kick Ranch was the hands down winner. Perhaps the extra bottle aging, perhaps better aeration (we only had one decanter!), but it was the clear winner. Both were big, bold, fruity, dark, concentrated, with high alcohol (more apparent in the Tensley). The Rosenblum had mellowed where the Tensley was still a raging bull. Both were great but the Tensley definitely needs more time to show its true colors.

Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry Red Wine Napa Valley 2007 Cost: $32 Meritage / Blend Complex and well layered yet very approachable given its youth, smooth and very appealing to a wide crowd. Cab dominant but well rounded with other varietals. No arguments with its high rating. Very mild, easy drinking, nice flavor. Ate with: filet mignon, potatoes & spinach. *WS: 93 points, best from 2011-2020.

Vitaluce Cellars Syrah Paso Robles 2004 Cost: $14 Nice nose, fruity as would be expected from CA syrah, but has mellowed with age. Smooth on the pallet. Long, lingering finish, at least a minute. Chewy like Chewbacca. Drink now - age appropriate. We drank straight from the bottle - no time to decant properly, but we did cheat a bit with the help of our Vinturi. A nice third bottle of the night, drank post-meal, would be best with food. At this price, the 2004 is a good deal. *WS: unrated