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
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last month's "Let's Talk Wine" article by Eric
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Ventura Wine Bars
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the Ventura
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