January 2012

Reflections of 2011

It's hard to believe that 2011 is already over. I've been writing this column for a year now and it seems that I have so much to share and so many wines I want to talk about.

So, what I want to do is put 2011 behind me with my thoughts of what I have learned and accomplished in my wine world. Though I am retired, I still have had the luxury this year of visiting several wineries in my travels and going to many wine tastings though the wine trade. I have been fortunate to taste close to 1000 wines throughout the year and have formed opinions on several of these.

What I have tried to do in this article is list one or two of my favorite wines, by varietal or country that I have found to be reasonably priced, easy to find, and not break the pocket book. While these may not be the best wines in each category, I have found them to be some of my go to wines. These wines listed are available at fine retailers in Ventura, and I will list the retailers later

 My favorite NEW winery is DAOU winery in Paso Robles. They are the highest elevation winery in Paso, and make outstanding French style Cabernets and Rhone style reds and whites. Situated high above the valley off Adelaida Road, this is a must visit winery.

My second favorite new winery is right here in Ventura! Four Brix winery opened three months ago on Eastman Avenue. Please go and support them, as they have very good wines that can you can taste AND purchase there. They are also part of the Ventura Wine Trail.

My pick as "Wine of my year" is: La Serre Nuove '09 by Ornellia
Below is a list of some of my favorite wines by varietal or country that I truly enjoyed this year.

Cabernet Sauvignon Camus '09 Upper Cut '09	Pinot Noir Dierberg Santa Maria '09 Orogeny '09
Syrah Demetria North Slope '09 Andrew Murray TourLes Jour '08	Zinfandel Four Vines Biker '09 Frank Family '09
Chardonnay Newton '09 Chamisal Stainless '10	Italy La Serre Nuove '09 by Ornellia Frescobaldi Nipozzano '07

Some or all of the wines can be found at the following retailers in The Ventura area:

- Four Brix Winery
- Carpenteria Wine Company
- Ventura Wine Company
- BevMo Paradise Pantry

Cheers and Happy New Year! Eric

Questions or comments? Reach me at : Wineoeric@gmail.com


Read last month's "Let's Talk Wine" article by Eric

Browse Ventura Wine Bars

Hit the Ventura County Wine Trail

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