2007 Chateau St. Jean Estate Vineyard Viognier Sonoma Valley

Today I tasted the 2007 Chateau St. Jean Viognier… a fantastic wine we had the privilege of tasting on the patio at Chateau St. Jean with our host Bob (my apologies to Bob who I mistakenly identified as Hutch… who was actually our gracious host at Kenwood).  We are having a great time in Sonoma this week and being treated very well by all the wineries we’ve visited!  We have several under our belt with many more to go.  I hope to cut some new video on some of the other wines we’re drinking… and be sure too find us on Facebook where I’ve got some pictures posted as well!

Congratulations to Margo Van Staaveren, winemaker at Chateau St Jean, Wine Enthusiast’s 2008 Winemaker of the Year

Chateau St. Jean… http://www.chateaustjean.com/stjean/index.jsp

Wine Enthusiast Winemaker of the Year… http://www.winemag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=908F18A9CF024249B96CDA2684EADF34

One last note on the little intro diddy (Wine Diddy #2 as he calls it)… it was done by our good friend and Unofficial Cafe le Grand Handy Man Tim Scharbius… be sure to check out his other ventures at http://www.themusic-maestro.com/ and http://www.photobooth2go.com/.

Thanks for visiting and we hope to see you again soon!

Regards,

Ron

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2005 R&B Cellars Sauvignon Blanc – Serenade in Blanc

After mowing the lawn in the Sunday afternoon sun, I figured I’d crack a bottle of vino… and on a hot day (relatively speaking, of course) I like to drink white.  I found the 2005 R&B Cellars Sauvignon Blanc – Serenade in Blanc smiling back at me from the wine fridge.  R&B Cellars ( http://www.rbcellars.com/ ) does some really nice stuff – at really reasonable prices.  I hope you find this one as refreshing as I did!

2005 R&B Cellars Sauvignon Blanc $14.99 with a Special Wine Club only price of $7.00!!

Oh… and a little note on my wine rating… I’m conservative.  What do I mean by that?  Well, first – you shouldn’t listen to what I think about wine – you should decide for yourself.  Second, I’m really conservative about what I’ll “rate” a wine… to me, a nice bottle of wine – something I’d gladly drink day in and day out, is 80+ points.  I have absolutely no issue with thinking about a wine and thinking to myself “self, this is a nice bottle of wine… something I’d willingly drink” and scoring it in the 80-85 point range.  If something totally blows me away, you’ll know it… but I still likely won’t hit the low to mid 90’s very often.  So take it for what it’s worth – which isn’t much.

Thanks for visiting the CLG Blog!

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2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Dulcet Reserve

Today I tasted the 2004 BV Dulcet Reserve.  A Napa Valley blend of 74% Cabernet and 26% Syrah.  BV has an amazing history – and a very prominent place in the history of wine in the United States.  Loreen and I have visited BV twice – having wonderful experiences on both occasions.  We recommend the tour and tasting – especially of the reserve wines – if you’re ever in Napa.  Although I make mention in the video that we were in Chicago for the Wine Enthusiast Grand Tasting Tour last night, I failed to specifically mention that we were fortunate enough to taste the 2005 BV Tapestry as well as the 2005 BV Georges de Latour!  Tasting the Dulcet tonight was a great follow up.  www.bvwines.com

My apologies to Wine Enthusiast for inadvertently referring to their Toast of the Town event as the Grand Tasting Tour… which, I believe, is the name of the other publication’s little touring-tasting event.  We had a great time… check it out if you have the chance!  www.wineenthusiast.com/toast/

2004 BV Dulcet Reserve – Cafe le Grand Price:  $33.99

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2005 Rosenblum Reserve Syrah Kick Ranch

Today on Video Vino I tasted the 2005 Rosenblum Reserve Syrah, Kick Ranch vineyard.  This is a fantastic, thick, delicious syrah – a fantastic wine from a fantastic producer.  Only 474 cases of this Syrah were produced – rated a 94 by James Laube at Wine Spectator – so don’t hesitate to get yours today!  Normal Cafe le Grand retail price is $45.00, however, we’re currently offering a special Wine Club Member’s Only price of $30.00.  We hope to see you soon!

2005 Rosenblum Cellars Reserve Syrah Kick Ranch $45.00/ $30 for CLG Wine Club members (limited time)

https://www.rosenblumcellars.com

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