Obligatory disclaimer: This tasting of Turiya Wines was free to me. I spent my formative years on the Central Coast, in Santa Maria, California. While I lived there, I had no idea it was a wine-growing region. My family is conservative, religious stock – having a drink is as likely to bring forth admonitions about
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Pickberry Vineyard Merlot 2013 Sonoma Mountain, CA Plump cherries on a slate board with mild blue cheese and sautéed mushrooms. The cheese deepens as the long finish continues…and continues…and continues. If only cherries and blue cheese were a better combination. I should have ordered brie! My Quini Profile: My Quini Flower: Which means I award
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Fat Grape Winery 2010 Merlot Northern California I posted recently about what I’d recommend for a foodie day trip to Treasure Island. Fat Grape was the sulfite-free winery we visited that offers a zillion different types of wine to taste for free. The Fat Grape 2010 Merlot was one of two wines that impressed me,
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Edna Valley Vineyard 2011 Merlot Central Coast, CA This merlot’s nose has plastic overtones, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying its raspberry and pepper notes. It’s thin to medium bodied and meatier than expected on drinking. Think nicely seasoned duck with a spicy raspberry and stewed tomato sauce. That pepper will tickle your nose!
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Country Vintner 2013 Trade Show Finds Last week, I attended the Country Vintner’s 2013 Trade Show stop at the Cookery, one of a few stops they made in the state to show off their current portfolio of wines to local restaurants and wine purchasers from all over. The Country Vintner is a large wine sales
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Revelation Cabernet-Merlot 2010 Pays D’Oc, France This French blend comes across like a Spanish wine with plenty of spice in nice proportions. Those Spaniards can go overboard sometimes, so the balance is appreciated. The fruit is lovely, bright and young with raspberry and champagne grapes prominently featured. A bit of tobacco lends depth, and the
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Napa River Napa County Merlot 2008 Napa Valley, CA I can’t pick anything up from the nose of this merlot, but I’m not complaining. It’s a delicious wine. It’s thin-bodied, very smooth, and just to the right of dry. The prominent berry flavors are present in equal parts of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry like a
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Bogle Merlot 2009 Graton, CA   This wine strikes me as smooth right away. It’s full of bright fruit, but not tart fruit like so many bottle I drank over the past two months. The main notes are strawberry and a juicy, juicy plum with subtle spice and vanilla.   I enjoy how unobtrusive and
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Three Knights 2006 Russian River Valley Merlot Sonoma, CA Prunes and strawberries dominate the nose. There’s a crushed mint flavor that accentuates the wine’s primary notes of pepper and a bright berry somewhere between blue and boysen. Plenty of dry mouth left when the wine’s been swallowed.

Arrogant Frog 2008 Lily Pad Red Langeoudoc, France The Lily Pad Red is a mix of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, both perfectly good wines for blending but I appreciate best on their own. It smells of beef jerky and cherries. The cherries are more prominent than expected when sipping. There’s not much going on in
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