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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

Joseph Phelps Insignia

February 11, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2011- $225.00Insignia

Five Word Summary: Delicious, but Expensive Cabernet Blend

Insignia is a red blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley.

Joseph Phelps is one of the iconic wineries in Napa Valley. They’re known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and the Insignia blend is their flagship (and most expensive) bottle. Insignia is also one of the most hyped and talked about wines in Northern California. Depending on who you ask, this bottle is either the nectar of the gods, or just another over-priced and over-hyped Napa Cab. Either way, Joseph Phelps Insignia is a wine that has become a status-symbol in many circles.

What does it taste like, and more importantly, does it live up the the hype and $225 price tag? Read on to find out.

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Filed Under: Wine Reviews Tagged With: insignia, joseph phelps

Ceretto, “Blange” Langhe Arneis

January 18, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Ceretto ”Blange” Langhe Arneis- $22Arneis

Five Word Summary: Easy drinking, clean and zippy.

This wine is made from 100% Arneis grapes from Piedmont, Italy. Arneis is a little known white grape that is grown in a region known almost exclusively for their red wines. This is a little gem of a white wine coming from this Italian region.

The soil that the grapes are grown in is clay and sand, which gives off a really delicious minerality that this wine is known for. This wine is clean and refreshing with lots of crisp stone fruit and citrus. This is a really easy-drinking wine that can be enjoyed by itself or with a meal. The refreshing palate makes this a great option before dinner or just a casual glass or two with friends.

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Filed Under: Wine Reviews Tagged With: arneis, Blange, Ceretto, Langhe Arneis

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

Churchill Estates Douro

December 21, 2014 by Admin 2 Comments

2011 Churchill Estates Douro- $17

Churchill Estates Douro

Single guys should jump all over this wine.

This wine from Portugal is a blend of 3 different grapes-

40% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca and 30% Tinta Roriz.

Portugal is often overlooked as a top wine region on the world stage. It doesn’t get the same love that France, Italy, Germany and Napa get, but Portugal is an incredible wine growing region that grows some very different grapes. It’s for this reason that I really enjoy serving wines from Portugal. While everyone else is pouring the same boring Chards and Cabs, I like to uncork something different and interesting like this bottle.

This wine is perfect for that. This is a red blend that tastes like an elegant $75 wine, but at $17, it’s an absolute steal!

 

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Filed Under: Wine Reviews Tagged With: churchill estates, douro, portugal, tinta roriz, touriga nacional

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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