This is the first of several posts covering my experience at the Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC14) held in Buellton, CA, last weekend. I’ll feature one per week, likely through August, and why not start with what’s most important to me? Naturally, that’s the wines themselves. Over the course of the conference, I tasted around 70
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Casillero del Diablo Reserve Chardonnay Other words on the label: 2005 East Coast Casillero del Diablo’s labels tell a story of their vintner keeping a reserve stash in the devil’s cellar. More sugary than an average chardonnay, it makes me wonder if the devil doesn’t have a sweet tooth. The nose brings to mind a
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Santa Cristina Sangiovese 2005 Other words on the label: Antinori and Toscana This wine is actually a sangiovese and merlot blend, though it’s very light on the merlot side. Just thought I’d be honest since their front label isn’t quite! The nose is a mix of vanilla and cedar. You can definitely taste the time
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Santa Alicia Reserve Carmenere 2005 The acidity of this wine hits you first but it mellows quickly into a cool earthiness, where you can feel the mossy dirt rub between your toes. I taste chocolate, dried strawberries, and allspice when it lingers. While all are appealing flavors, they don’t combine well. I couldn’t finish my
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Kingfish Cabernet Sauvignon Other words on the label: California 2005 This wine was a delight to drink. It is one of those rare light-bodied cabernets that drinking doesn’t feel like swimming upstream against the current. Plum featured most prominently on the palate, with a gentle hint of chocolate and brown sugar. This mixture was mildy
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