From Vinography: "Dark ruby in the glass this wine has a nose filled with dark fruit aromas -- bing cherries, licorice, blackberries, and hints of mocha. In the mouth it is velvety and smooth with primary flavors of cherries and blueberries, hints of chocolate, vanilla, and several other notes that are hard to pin down. There is a decent amount of acid in this wine, considering the large amount of Zinfandel and Syrah inside. The finish is moderate with a small amount of heat from the alcohol (15.2%)."

Crisp, and a bit tart - a great bottle of Chardonnay for the price!

My favorite Madeira. From their site: "Mostly Zinfandel grapes are used from all over California, and they are usually picked as late as possible, approaching 28 degrees Brix. They are crushed and fermented to 8 to 10 degrees Brix, which means the yeast has metabolized 10 to 12 degrees of sugar before high-proof brandy is added to the fermenting must. The alcohol immediately attains some 18% by volume, and yeast cells which cannot survive any alcohol solution over 16% die and fermentation ceases. This is usually accomplished in four to six days after yeast inoculation.

After a few months of rest and clarification of its initial solids, the wine is then ready to enter the V. Sattui solera system, which has been in existence since the turn of the last century, about 120 years ago. The oldest barrels are called the Master Blend, as they contain some of the wine that Vittorio Sattui placed into barrels to begin his solera back in 1886. Today, nearly 2000 barrels comprise this system and they are arranged into five lots, including the Master Blend, the Secondary Lot and the Tertiary Lot which averages, between the fourth and fifth blends, five to thirty years of age, with a small portion of the original 100-year-old wine. It is the oldest wines in the Master Blend that "educate" the younger wines with its Madeira flavors and grace. At the same time, the younger lots eagerly accept and absorb the older wine's "wisdom.”

A complexity of caramel, dried plum, honey, maple, vanilla combined with hazelnuts, almonds and chocolate rush to greet the nose which is re-enforced by smooth, silky and balanced sweet sensations on the palate. While it has 18% alcohol, there is no hotness in the finish. It is like the wine's years of waiting and anticipation in barrel and bottle explosively culminate on the palate."

Probably one of the best bottles of wine I've ever had, period.

From Weimax: " A new appellation in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley is called "Rockpile" and Rosenblum has a 2003 Zinfandel from this region. It's deep, deep, dark in color, almost inky! The fragrance is intoxicating (it's high in alcohol), with black raspberry fruit notes and a touch of spice, along with a bit of nice oak. The wine is dark, rich and powerful on the palate, without being aggressive or coarse. This is thoroughly delicious and best with grilled or roasted meats. The next release will be in February of 2006. Stay tuned."

From Weimax: "This brand has been around for a long time. It takes its name from the original "headquarters" of the winery which was located on Taft Street in Berkeley (many years ago).

The facilities moved to Sonoma County, opening the doors there in 1982. After experiencing a modest amount of success, they made the mistake of signing up with a national marketing company. The label was being slapped on bottles of wine which the firm had purchased on the "bulk" market. and we never found much here of interest. Eventually the marketing contract ran its course and now the winery is, basically, starting over.

Being in Sonoma County, they're currently featuring a line-up of wines from neighboring vineyard areas. No more Central Coast fruit in Taft Street wines.

We tasted a really good Sonoma County Chardonnay, a 2004 vintage which is sourced from two Russian River Valley vineyards. One-third of the wine underwent a secondary malolactic fermentation, so the wine has a touch of a buttery component. Six months in barrel gives a bit of oak to the wine, but not so much that all you taste is wood."

From Weimax:
"A couple named "Sterling" owns this new label and so, of course, they can't use their family name as a wine brand unless they're interested in being sued.

They chose the name Homefire and have made about 250 cases of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Being consumers of wines for many years, the Sterlings have priced their wine in a most kind and reasonable fashion...it's a rare day in the 21st century that one can find DRY CREEK VALLEY Zinfandel made from 50-something year old vines for twelve bucks.

And the wine is mildly jammy and berryish on the nose and a bit briary and lightly spicy on the palate. The tannins are modest, so serving this at cool cellar temp with Mediterranean fare is ideal. If you can imagine a nice, snappy Chianti Classico spiked with a bit of Sonoma Zinfandel, then you can imagine what this tastes like. Nice hints of pepper and citrus peel here, too."