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Patz and Hall Chardonnay

June 22, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Patz and Hall Charddonay

Patz & Hall Chardonnay 2013- $30

Five Word Summary: Great value, crowd pleasing Chard.

This wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from the Sonoma Coast AVA.

Northern California is world famous for their high qualiity wine, partcularly Chardonnay. It’s the #1 planted white grape in the region. With so many quality vineyards trying to stand out from the crowd, the style of Chardonnay produced here is more reminicent of a butter bomb infused with heavy oak than Chardonnay. In many circles, New World style Chardonnay are very polarizing. Either you love them for the intensity and bold flavor profile, or you hate them because they are too cloying and overwhelming on the palate.

My answer? Turn to Sonoma, my friend.

Though the region may not as well-known as neighboring Napa, many feel that Sonoma wines have a variety and palate that is not found there. A little more delicate and refined, I find that Sonoma Chards provide more balance and tend to be a better value. Think New World style with a little more elegance and restraint.

In a region known to produce some really high quality Chards the 2013 Patz and Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is, in my opionion, one of the best values coming from this region.

What does it taste like and what kind of value can you expect from this bottle? Read on the find out.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized, Wine Recommendations, Wine Reviews Tagged With: chardonnay, patz and hall, sonoma chardonnay

Norton Malbec Reserva 2011

December 30, 2014 by Admin Leave a Comment

Norton Malbec Reserva 2011- $16Norton Reserva Malbec 2011

This wine is made from 100% Malbec grapes from Mendoza, Argentina.

I’ll let you in on a little secret…. Argentinean Malbec is my secret weapon. Whenever I need to open a bottle for unexpected company at home or order wine at a restaurant and need an inexpensive bottle (but don’t want to look like a cheapskate!) I reach for Malbec from Argentina. It’s fruit forward, pairs great with virtually any meal, and is always a crowd pleaser (especially for those that are new to wine).

Malbec from Argentina is also one of the best value wines on the market. You can consistently reach for nearly any bottle in the $9-$25 range and get a wine that’s deep, dark, rich, and full of berry flavor yet surprisingly full of finesse and not too heavy.

This Norton Malbec Reserva is, in my opinion, the best value of any Malbec coming out of this region.

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Filed Under: Wine Recommendations, Wine Reviews

Welcome to Wine for Real People

My name is Frank Frausto. I'm a Level I Sommelier, but I'm just a regular guy that knows a little about wine. I started this blog because I got tired of the wine blogs that only catered to oenophiles. That only review expensive, hard to find wines that none of us will ever drink. That only cater to the 1%.

This blog is for everyday people that want to know a little more about wine that the average person. It features practical advice, wine reviews, and a no-nonsense approach to decode wine and take the snobbery out of enjoying a glass or two.

Cheers!

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