The Spirit World

Wine Quickie: 2004 Holly’s Hill Top Syrah

Stuart Williams — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:24:06 +0000

A nice, rich, full bodied Syrah here. This one was kind of a surprise, (having never heard of this winery before) but a nice surprise at that.

So many wineries so little time, I know I know very cliché, but in the Sacramento region will all of the wine counties available I learn about 3 to 5 new wineries a month. And I don’t get out that much to explore the regions.

Needless to say I will be making a special trip up to Holly’s Hill in the very near future.

This Syrah was a gift from a dinner party held at the house, but I want more ($18 per bottle from the winery). More deep violet color, more rich bold fruit on the nose, and more Syrah chewness on the palate. Mellow, yet slightly dry on the finish. All the things I hope for when I open up a bottle of red. Stay tuned for more from the winery soon. For more information view the site http://www.hollyshill.com/

Wine Quickie: 1999 Robert Mondavi La Famiglia Colmera

Stuart Williams — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

A blast on the nose right away deep from the La Famiglia vineyards. You know from the first smell that you are in for a treat. Unfortunately for you readers out there the La Famiglia Colmera is no longer available unless you are lucky enough to find it in a local wine shop or by use of the internet. However, if you find some do yourself a favor, get it and drink it right away!! Sorry for the commercial, now on with our show.

Full lucious fruit forward, drinks just like a Sangiovese (even though it is a sangiovese blend), with deep plum flavor and a nice mellow finish. There is a slight bite on the tounge as the last bit rolls back into the throat. Obviously with a 1999 the tannins are going to be mellowed out (if not completely gone), but I was lucky enough to have this about 4 years previous to this tasting and the finish was much bolder than now.

Fantastic with steak, beef stew, heavy pasta dish and of course my favorite anything garlic. This wine is currently not available unless you are very lucky in finding some in a wine shop or by scouring the internet. The website has it listed for $40.00 a bottle, but it is sold out. For more information check out the website: http://www.lafamigliawines.com/index.asp

Wine Quickie: 2000 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Zinfandel

Stuart Williams — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:29:42 +0000

So what we have here is a quality Zinfandel from Lodi, CA (that unfortunately most people won’t give the time of day since the label says Woodbridge). Great mellow zinfandel with only 13.5% alcohol, which is not the normal killer from Amador or El Dorado counties in California. With the lower alcohol content it really opens up the zinfandel fruit. What you will taste on this one is the following: blackberries, ripe raspberries, slight black currant, and a mellow spice on the finish. So if you subtle or not so subtle wine snobs can get past the Woodbridge label you will be in for a bottle that will be empty by the end of the evening, even if you are alone. This one is another one that will be very hard to find on the internet, but you can get some of the newer vintages on the Woodbridge website: http://www.woodbridgewines.com/