Best of Summer 2019!

It's the first day of Autumn so here are the Top 5 wines that I reviewed and rated this summer! Funnily, the top spot actually goes to the review that came out just two days into the season!

#5. Hazelfern Cellars Pinot Noir 2017

Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Review Release: June 30th, 2019

The color of the wine is ruby red with some pretty good clarity to it. And the nose is sooooo goooood with raspberries, cherries, mocha, toffee, wet dirt, and copper. Uuuuuungh. I don't even care about drinking this, I just wanna smell it all night. On the palate it's light bodied but has a rich mouthfeel with a bright acidity and grainy tannin. There's flavors of raspberries, strawberries, vanilla, cola, wet wood, and even some apple. It finishes with strawberries and cola, and with a silky smooth mouthfeel but with some heat to spice it up.

Wow. This is everything I expect out of an almost-$50 Pinot and then some. It's both elegant and rustic, while being both fruity and earthy, and both light bodied and rich in mouthfeel. This is a very well done Pinot and quite the enjoyable experience.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $48

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#4. VINI Pinot Grigio 2017

Region: Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
Review Release: August 18th, 2019

The wine has a 12% ABV and it's a light straw yellow in color. It still smells like those little prepackaged cups of sliced peaches in peach juice, with almonds and vanilla, but I'm detecting the addition of some pineapple and hay this time around. It's light to medium bodied with a rich mouthfeel and a nice acidity that's, yet again, rather mellow for a Pinot Grigio. The peaches come back on the flavor, but there's also melon, a tiny squeeze of grapefruit, and a little bit of spearmint.

Pour me this Pinot Grigio any day of the week, man, because it is excellent. For $10 you're getting a Pinot Grigio with character and life, and one that is well above the vast majority of its competition in the same price range. Kris? Ecco Domani? Put them down right now and pick this up.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $10

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#3. Dane Cellars Valeria 2016

Region: Sonoma Valley, California
Review Release: July 4th, 2019

The color of the wine is ruby red with violet highlights. Speaking of violet, you get plenty of violet on the nose! But there's also strawberry sauce, orange rind, dark chocolate, beach sand, and of course that high ethanol presence that you expect out of Grenache. On the palate it's on the lighter side of medium bodied with a fluent mouthfeel, grainy but soft tannin, and an acidity that hides behind the effects of that high ethanol. There's flavors of cold brewed coffee, black cherries, strawberry sauce, graphite, and a little dirt. It finishes super silky smooth with just a little bit of grainy tannin standing up in protest.

Oh my goodness. Bart has truly made something special here. Valeria is elegant and smooth but it still has grit and heartiness.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $40

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#2. Domaine Bessa Valley Enira 2009

Region: Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
Review Release: August 25th, 2019

The color of the wine is brick red but holy Moses just forget about color for right now! Chocolate liqueur. Raspberry liqueur. Cinnamon sugar. Cherries, mint, and graphite. God fucking damnit this wine has a sexy nose. On the midpalate it's medium to full bodied with a velvety and lush mouthfeel, with smooth tannin, tamed acidity, and just the right amount of umami. There's flavors of cherries, blackberries, chocolate, cinnamon, and sinful lust.

For the regular price of $26 I'd give this wine a 4.5/5 in price vs quality. It's outstanding. But you can get it right now for $18 (at the publication of this review) and that totally brings it up to a 5/5 and a no brainer. This is absolutely killer for the cost. Buy it up: https://bulgarianwine.com/wines/enira-2009-by-bessa-valley-winery/

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $18

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#1. Ashkar Shafaya 2014

Region: Galilee, Israel
Review Release: June 23rd, 2019

Now let's get to this friggin' kickass wine because OH MY GOOOOODNEEEEESSSS THE JUICINESS!

The color of the wine is a ruby red. It's so black peppery on the nose that it almost makes you want to sneeze! There's also aromas of cassis, plum, cigarette tobacco, and licorice. Oh lordy lordy this nose is STELLAR! I think I'm in love! On the palate it's full bodied with bright acidity, a fine dusty tannin, and a rich mouthfeel. The cassis and plum from the nose return on the palate super-juicy and explosive, and they're joined by blackberry, chocolate, and graphite. Then it finishes with big juicy plum, caramel, and graphite, and a little grip from the tannin. Oh man.

This wine is big, juicy, expressive, alive, and gorgeous! I simply can't rave enough about Shafaya!

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $24

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

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Wine Review: Marshall Davis Chardonnay 2017

The silhouettes featured on the label are the three brother who founded Marshall Davis six years ago; Sean Davis, Ryan Marshall and Matt Marshall. They have eight acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines surrounding their home near Carlton in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Their vineyard is planted with 101-104 rootstock, with Dijon 777, Pommard, Dijon 114, and Mariafeld clones. It's 450 feet above sea level in elevation and faces south-southwest on volcanic topsoil.

Their 2017 Estate Chardonnay is barrel fermented and aged for 16 months in French oak (15% new). Only 150 cases were produced and it has an ABV of 13.2%. Again, I apologize, but this full review is going to be a quick one as I have little time at the moment.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars "Queen Bee Bubbly" Sparking Pinot Noir 2017

I've done plenty of reviews of Left Coast Cellars' wines over the years, and you can read them all by clicking here. This winery is out of Willamette Valley, Oregon and was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

This time around I've got some of the brand new vintages just released in 2019! There's a quickie of the 2018 White Pinot Noir, a full review of the 2018 Rosé, a quickie of the 2017 Pinot Gris, and a full review of the 2018 Queen Bee Bubbly. (Hopefully I remember to update those links as they're published)

The 2018 Queen Bee Bubbly is entirely from the Wädenswil clone of Pinot Noir. It's a sustainably farmed sparkling rosé that was fermented in 100% French oak and saw 10 months of aging. What's super cool about this stuff is that they use honey from their estate honey bees as the source of sugar for the secondary fermentation that creates the carbonation, so there's actual honey in this wine! The final ABV is 12%, and rather than a cork or screwcap it's topped off with a bottle cap.

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Wine Quickie: Left Coast Cellars Pinot Gris 2017

So I received the 2017 Pinot Gris instead of the new 2018, and I previously had this vintage last summer. But, hey! I don't mind doing another quickie of the same vintage! This is 91% Pinot Gris and 9% Pinot Blanc, and it'll cost you about $18. There's aromas of green apple, yellow pear, orange blossom, and walnuts. It's full bodied with a smooth mouthfeel and a lively acidity, with flavors of green apple, yellow pear, honeydew melon, and wet stone. Another year older and it's still just as good!

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars Rosé 2018

I've done plenty of reviews of Left Coast Cellars' wines over the years, and you can read them all by clicking here. This winery is out of Willamette Valley, Oregon and was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

This time around I've got some of the brand new vintages just released in 2019! There's a quickie of the 2018 White Pinot Noir, a full review of the 2018 Rosé, a quickie of the 2017 Pinot Gris, and a full review of the 2018 Queen Bee Bubbly. (Hopefully I remember to update those links as they're published)

The 2018 Rosé is 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Pinot Meunier from sustainably farmed vineyards in Willamette Valley. What really makes this interesting rosé and different is that it was barrel fermented and aged for oak for six months in 100% French oak. Not something you see everyday, right? The final ABV is 13.7%, so it's a hell of a dry one.

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Wine Quickie: Left Coast Cellars White Pinot Noir 2018

I look forward to getting the new vintages of Left Coast's wine every year, and it's another awesome vintage for their White Pinot Noir! This is sustainably farmed and made from 93% Pinot Noir and 7% Pinot Blanc. It was fermented and aged for five months in 100% stainless steel. There's aromas of peaches, orange, elderflower, and grass. On the palate it's got a lovely silky mouthfeel on a medium to full body with very bright acidity and a flinty minerality. There's flavors of peaches, pears, melon, and spearmint. It has a citrusy and salivatingly tart finish. So good. So, so good.

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Wine Review: Hazelfern Cellars Pinot Noir 2017

The land that has been Hazelfern Cellars since 2014 was once Hazel Fern Farms, circa 1895. Bryan and Laura Laing come from winemaking families who taught them everything they know about winemaking and they've been making wine together since 2006. But they decided to buy vineyard land when a young cousin passed away and made them realize that life is short, so they went all in! The other two wines that they produce are Rosé and Syrah, but the ones I've got are their 2017 Chardonnay and 2017 Pinot Noir.

This is 100% Pommard clone Pinot Noir from the Robinson Family Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. It spent 8 days cold soaking, 8 days fermenting, and then went into 100% French oak, 25% of it new, for 12 months. It has a 13.2% ABV.

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Wine Review: Hazelfern Cellars Chardonnay 2017

The land that has been Hazelfern Cellars since 2014 was once Hazel Fern Farms, circa 1895. Bryan and Laura Laing come from winemaking families who taught them everything they know about winemaking and they've been making wine together since 2006. But they decided to buy vineyard land when a young cousin passed away and made them realize that life is short, so they went all in! The other two wines that they produce are Rosé and Syrah, but the ones I've got are their 2017 Chardonnay and 2017 Pinot Noir.

This is 100% Chardonnay from two different vineyard sites using the clones of Dijon 76, 95, and 96. It went through a 35 day fermentation, six months attaining full malolactic fermentation, and 11 months in 100% French oak of which 17% was new. The final ABV is 13%.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Vineyards White Pinot Noir 2017

Although the month of October was dedicated to the wines of Shannon Ridge, we're ending it with a wine that is not one of theirs. Left Coast Cellars is back yet again!

Yep! I've done plenty of reviews of Left Coast Cellars' wines over the years, and you can read them all by clicking here. This winery is out of Willamette Valley, Oregon and was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

This is the 2017 White Pinot Noir! I know what you're thinking. "Did he just say WHITE Pinot Noir?" Yes, I did! As I explained in my review of their 2016 White Pinot Noir a few weeks over a year ago: By not allowing skin contact and treating Pinot Noir like a white grape, you can make some very cool white wine. Hell, it's one of the grapes used in Champagne and other sparkling wines. Non-sparkling White Pinot Noir's are also freakin' awesome! Willamette Valley is freakin' awesome! I'm really looking forward to this one. And I'm looking forward to it again this year because I loved last year's vintage.

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Wine Quickie: Left Coast Cellars Estate Rosé 2017

54% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 6% Pinot Blanc. $24 retail price. Aromas of cherries, watermelon, and white pepper. Medium bodied with a rich mouthfeel, tamed acidity and soft tannins. Mid-palate flavors of cherries, watermelon, and lime peel; then a wonderful finish of watermelon and tea. Love it! A very nice “bigger” rosé.

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Wine Quickie: Left Coast Cellars The Orchard Pinot Gris 2017

91% Pinot Gris, 9% Pinot Blanc. $18 retail price. Aromas of green apple, yellow pear, orange blossom, and walnuts. Full bodied with a smooth mouthfeel and a lively acidity. Flavors of green apple, yellow pear, honeydew melon, and wet stone. This is the third vintage I’ve had of this and the third that I’ve really enjoyed. Love me some Left Coast!

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars Latitude 45° Estate Pinot Noir 2015

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

This is also the fifth wine that I've reviewed by them. You can check them all out by clicking here.

You'll see that the 45th parallel is often brought up on wine labels from both Oregon and France. That's because many of the great vineyards in France are along or near this latitude, given just the right coolness and daylight for great wines of specific varieties, and the vineyards in Oregon around this latitude are turning out to be great as well.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars White Pinot Noir 2016

Left Coast Cellars is back on the blog! It was just this past March that I reviewed their 2014 Cali's Cuvee Pinot Noir and their 2015 The Orchard Pinot Gris. Well, a new vintage of that Pinot Gris is out so a few days ago I reviewed their 2016 The Orchard Pinot Gris, and today I'm reviewing their their 2016 White Pinot Noir!

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

By not allowing skin contact and treating Pinot Noir like a white grape, you can make some very cool white wine. Hell, it's one of the grapes used in Champagne and other sparkling wines. Non-sparkling White Pinot Noir's are also freakin' awesome! Willamette Valley is freakin' awesome! I'm really looking forward to this one.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars The Orchard Pinot Gris 2016

Left Coast Cellars is back on the blog! It was just this past March that I reviewed their 2014 Cali's Cuvee Pinot Noir and their 2015 The Orchard Pinot Gris. Well, a new vintage of that Pinot Gris is out so now I'll be reviewing their 2016 The Orchard Pinot Gris, and also in a few days their 2016 White Pinot Noir!

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious.

The vineyard block that this Pinot Gris is from is called The Orchards because of the history of its land being planted with apple, pear and cherry orchards. It spans 7.5 acres and since 2005 it's been home to Pinot Gris Clones 146 and 152. The wine that is produced here is fermented 100% in stainless steel. It has an ABV of 13.7%.

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June Wine Pick: High Hook WIllamette Valley Pinot Blanc 2015

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website.

High Hook is a term used for the person who catches the biggest fish or the most fish. Oregon’s High Hook Wines was founded in 2008 by wine lovers wanting to make some money to support their fishing habit and raise money for various environmental and charitable donations. Their winemaking philosophy is focused around capturing the true character of the fruit with the subtle minerality and earth qualities of the soil.

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Wine Review: 90+ Cellars Lot 137 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015

May is 90+ Cellars Month on TheWineStalker.net!

To learn about how 90+ Cellars finds their wine and everything else you want to know about the Boston based company, read A Brief History of 90+ Cellars!

Oregon Pinot Noir! Isn't it lovely? Willamette, too. I mean, jeez, I don't think I've ever had a Willamette Pinot that I didn't like. And I've had plenty of Pinot from everywhere else that I didn't like. I gotta say that I'm digging the new label for this vintage; artsy and purple. The Lot 137 is 100% Pinot Noir and has an ABV of 14.1%.

NOTE: In advance of moving to a new house and the arrival of a new baby, the reviews for March, April and May were all written in February and may be much quicker and to the point than you expect from this blog. Foolishness will return this summer.

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Wine Reviews: Best of Winter 2016/17

It's the first day of Spring so it's time to share the top wines that I reviewed during the Winter! So here it is... the best of December 21st 2016 to March 19th 2017!

#5. Alpasión Malbec 2013

Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Review Release: January 5th, 2017

In the mouth it's a little lighter than medium bodied but with a rich and round mouthfeel and silky tannin. The flavors are fruit forward with plum, cranberry and spoiled cabbage. Just kidding! There's no spoiled cabbage. I just wanted to make sure you were actually paying attention. The flavors are fruit forward with plum, cranberry and blackberries. A great mix of red and black fruit. The swallow is fantastic as it sees a brief visit into mocha-land. It finishes with those fruits on the palate, the addition of cola, and a silky coating that keeps those flavors going for quite awhile.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

#4. Left Coast Cellars The Orchards Pinot Gris 2015

Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Review Release: March 5th, 2017

The color of the wine is a a very pale yellow. The nose is expressive with apples, orange blossom, honeydew melon and just a blade of lemon grass. It's medium to full bodied with a silky mouthfeel, but it's still zingy and lively as all hell. An explosion of tart apples and lemon lollipop command the palate, with mineral and fresh garden herb subtleties. It finishes tart but with a heavy coating that lets the flavors linger.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $18

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#3. Matchbook Dunnigan Hills 2015 Old Head Chardonnay

Region: Dunnigan Hills, California
Review Release: December 29th, 2016

The color of the wine is a light straw color. The nose has a little smokiness to it that I don't recall on the 2012. There's also aromas of pineapple, butterscotch and vanilla wafers. It's such a lovely nose. Goddamn, I love Chardonnay so much. It's hard to imagine that I didn't like it when I began my career as a wine professional. I was a fool.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $15

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#2. Psagot M-series Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Region: Jerusalem Hills, Israel
Review Release: February 12th, 2017

The color of the wine is a dark red heading in the direction of turning brick, with a blackish dense center. I got lots of wood on the nose at first, but after some airing out that receded and made way for the other characteristics. There's aromas of blackberries, black licorice, mocha, mint and vanilla. It really does have a dark, seductive nose.

In the mouth it's medium to full bodied, lush and smooth in mouthfeel, with soft tannin and low acidity. On the palate it brightens up away from the darkness with some red currant, cranberry and red licorice. Then there's that mocha, mint and vanilla again. It finishes so smoothly and elegantly, with cranberry and cedar.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $63

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#1. Wither Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Review Release: January 29th, 2017

The color of the wine is a light straw yellow with silvery edges. There's almost a toasty feel to the nose and aromas of lime, gooseberry, guava, chives and cilantra. It's medium bodied with a slick mouthfeel. Flavors of lemon-lime soda, lemon grass, melon, guava and celery are on the midpalate. It finishes with lemon-lime soda, guava, and a tingly dry mouthfeel.

I'm actually going to give this wine a perfect score for the price and I'll tell you why. The highly potent grapefruit-and-acid to the face that is most New Zealand Savignon Blancs (available in the USA for this price) is an all-well-and-fine profile. But it's everywhere. And at no point did I get any of that. This is more mellow in its fruit, more versatile with food, and the quality is absolutely there.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $13

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars Cali's Cuvee Pinot Noir 2014

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious. 

A few days ago I reviewed their 2015 The Orchards Pinot Gris and now I'm doing their 2014 Cali's Cuvee Pinot Noir.

NOTE: In advance of moving to a new house and the arrival of a new baby, the reviews for March, April and May were all written in February and may be much quicker and to the point than you expect from this blog. Foolishness will return this summer.

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Wine Review: Left Coast Cellars The Orchards Pinot Gris 2015

Left Coast Cellars of Willamette Valley, Oregon was founded in 2003. With 350 acres of land and 130 acres of vineyards, they use sustainable viticulture to produce only estate-grown wine. They're LIVE Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe Certified, and are one of fourteen wineries to complete the Oregon Environmental Council's Carbon Reduction Challenge. All of the power for the guest cottages, the front gate, and the vineyard irrigation is run by solar power, and use a big chunk of their land for their Oak Savanna Restoration Project. They are very environmentally conscious. 

Today I'm reviewing their 2015 The Orchards Pinot Gris and then I'm reviewing their 2014 Cali's Cuvee Pinot Noir.

NOTE: In advance of moving to a new house and the arrival of a new baby, the reviews for March, April and May were all written in February and may be much quicker and to the point than you expect from this blog. Foolishness will return this summer.

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Wine Review: Cliff Creek Cellars Merlot 2012

October is International Merlot Month thanks to MerlotMe.com!

This right here is the Merlot that I'm most exited about tasting this entire International Merlot Month. Why? Take a look at where it's from. After two California Merlots in a row we head up to the northwestern United States in Southern Oregon.

"OREGON?" you may be saying, "Isn't that Pinot Noir country???" Well, yes. It kind of is. They make Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay so goddamn well that those tend to be the only wines you see from them and you would think that's all that they do. By Oregon state law if a wine wants to be labeled as a varietal it has to be 90% of that varietal (most of America is 75%) but if it's Cabernet Sauvignon then it has to be 100%. See? Proof right there that they make quality Cabernet Sauvignon.

I love Merlot and I love Oregon. I took a cross-country trip with my father and my grandfather when I was ten years old, I saw almost every contiguous state, and the one that captured my heart and that I remember the most was Oregon. The beach and the mist in the morning? Pffft. Foggedaboudit. The people and the culture and the food? Just as awesome. I felt right at home and  believed that I might live there some day.

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