December - $15 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Parkers Estate
http://parkersestate.com/

2005: Parkers Estate (Riverside Crossing) Syrah: Sonoma County Private Reserve

Price: $13.99

Description:
Won SILVER in The San Diego International Wine Competition in 2009.

Wine makes a symphony of a good meal.
~ Fernande Garvin, The Art of French Cooking

Winemaker's Notes:
Ripe plum, raspberry and soy characteristics. Rich, ripe and opulent, generous fruit aromas and flavors, augmented by vanilla spice.

Winegirl15:
This wine is very good. I drank it with my family when we were having appetizers. This was my favorite $15.00 wine this month. If you like Syrah's this is a must pick for any dinner party. Affordable wine and extremely flavorful. I even enjoyed the aroma. Looks like you can go to their website, put your zip code in and it will tell you where the nearest location to purchase it is.

Hope you are all enjoying your Holiday Season!

Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart.
~ Ecclesiastes 9:7

Love and Cheers,
xoB

December - $30 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: St Francis
100 Pythian Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
Phone: 1-888-675-WINE (9463)

http://stfranciswinery.com

2006: Cabernet Sauvignon: Sonoma County

Price: $27.99
Bought at VONS: $15.00

Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the art of living. ~ Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, "Harvests of Joy"

Description:
Winemaker's Notes:
All the grapes in this classic varietal come from five Sonoma County appellations: Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Sonoma County. Hand-picked from mid-September through early November, the fully ripened clusters are then crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and fermented from eight to fifteen days. The wine is then aged in different lots for fourteen to sixteen months in new American and French oak, and then blended. Once bottled, we hold the wine another four to eight months so that it’s fully developed by the time we release it. The result is a full-bodied Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon with rich mouthfeel, moderate tannins and deep color accentuating the taste of black currant, plum, blueberry and spicy oak.

Winegirl15:
I noticed that VONS like many other grocery stores are conducting wine sales. If you're a wine drinker, you can get great bottles at terrific prices right now. My local VONS was even selling Cakebread Chardonnay for 30% off marked price (Maybe I'll save that for my Napa region). :)

I didn't know much about St. Francis before I bought this bottle... But, I'm sure glad I picked it up. This bottle was smooth and flavorful. I definitely recommend this bottle of wine! And if your lucky, your local wine store or VONS might even have it on sale!

It's now time for me to branch into the expensive wines...@sonomawineries has given great suggestions, and I can't wait to go out there and try them out! Stay tuned for my next Sonoma region blog!

Good wine is a necessity of life for me.
~ Thomas Jefferson

Cheers,
xoB

December - $15 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Rodney Strong
11455 Old Redwood Highway
Healdsburg, CA 95448
800-474-9463

http://www.rodneystrong.com

2006: Cabernet Sauvignon: Sonoma County

Price: $16.99
$11.99 - $2.50 (coupon @ Costco) = $9.49

Description:
Tasting Notes
Aromas of blackberry, cocoa and earth lead to a rich, layered mouthfeel, replete with black cherry, cedar and cassis, and structured with lush, mature tannins. Enjoy this seductive cabernet sauvignon now and over the next several years.

Vintage Notes
The 2006 vintage began with a rather late bud break during an unseasonably cool and wet spring. March rains slowed shoot growth down considerably, and set the timer for a late harvest. After a fine May and June, much of July was a scorcher, including a 10 day stretch where every day saw temperatures over 90 degrees, and several days topped out at 110! Fortunately, the delayed development of the grapes kept sun scorch to a minimum. Harvest began the third week of September, and continued throughout October. This ripening period was accompanied by mild weather and promoted excellent flavor development, with the last of the cabernet harvested on November 1st.

Winegirl15:
Great bottle for the price! This bottle is good for an everyday wine... You can pick it up in the grocery store as well as at Costco. I lucked out with a coupon the girl handed me at the door. I was there for Christmas presents and walked out with wine... WHAT A SHOCKER! HAHA. Anyhow, go and pick up a bottle!

Even more importantly, it's wine, food and the arts. Incorporating those three enhances the quality of life.
Robert Mondavi

Cheers,
xoB

December - $10 Bottle of wine

Sonoma: Southern California

Winery: Fife Vineyards
707-485-0323

http://www.fifevineyards.com

2007: Zinfandel: Sonoma County

Price: $6.99

Description:
winemaker's notes:
-Rich, dark berries, dried cherry, cloves and spice, well balanced with an exceptional finish.
-Pair with BBQ Beef, grilled chicken, sausage, and pizza.
-Vineyards with sun drenched days and crisp, cool nights. Aged in French Oak.

Winegirl15:

Love the following quote:

"Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin

This is a pretty good zin for $7. I got this wine at Trader Joes, and drank it at a dinner party I hosted. It was a good bottle to drink in between my expensive bottles. Biggest advice with this bottle... Let it sit for a little before drinking it.

Off to another bottle to taste!

Cheers,
xoB