Discover
California! recently expanded
it's popular wine tasting room -
giving you more room to tour
Northern California's wineries
all in one convenient location.
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to our database of customers.
Each month we will send you wine
related news, updates on the
newest and greatest California
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enjoy reading this with your
favorite glass of California
wine!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!
Special Winemaker's Tastings-2
this month!
Call today to make your
reservation!
Join us
Thursday July 20thwhen Steve Paletta pours a
selection of Napa wine from "The
Other Guys", a division of
Sebastiani & Sons, Wine
Enthusiast's "Americas Winery of
the Year" . He will have
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Chardonnay, "Plungerhead"
Zinfandel, and my favorite, "Hey
Mambo", which is made from 100%
Malbec. Fill'er up!
On
Thursday July 27th, the
winemaker from
Chatom Vineyards in
Calaveras County will be pouring
favorites from their winery
including their 2004 Chardonnay,
2004 Sauvignon Blanc, 2002
Zinfandel, and 2003 Syrah.
The wineries will be pouring
between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. ..
call today and reserve your
spot. Sample wines
along with tasty treats, find
out about the wines, and just
have a great evening. Oh,
don't forget to get your
souvenir glass, too. The tasting
fee will be $15.00 per person
for the evening.For reservations,
click here or call 443-8275.
It'll be another fun evening!
What's new...
Don't ask how I know, but I
have two 2006 State Fair
Gold medal winners:
San Simeon Pinot Noir and
San Simeon Syrah.
I knew they were great all
along! their Pinot
Noir is a rich, fruit-driven
wine with ripe flavors of
black cherry and raspberry.
The mouth is soft and round
with a lingering finish.
Aromas of bright red fruit,
cinnamon and oak spice are
revealed on the fragrant
nose. The Syrah
reveals deep color, soft
tannins, and a lengthy
finish with vanilla, oak
spice and cinnamon nuances
from barrel aging.
I am featuring two varietals
from Husch - Chenin Blanc
and Gewurztraminer.
Founded in 1971, Husch is
the oldest winery in the
picturesque Anderson Valley.
The vineyards are comprised
of some of the earliest
varietal plantings on the
valley floor.
Husch's
Chenin Blanc is known for
it's inviting aromas of pear
and white peach with a hint
of beeswax and honey.
To the palate this off-dry
wine brings flavors of melon
and pear while the balance
of bright fruit and zesty
acidity keeps the wine
refreshing. Even
"non-wine drinkers" have
been known to fall in love
with the Husch Chenin Blanc.
Husch's Gewurztraminer gives
off floral aromas -
including rose petals,
carnations, violets and
honeysuckle - developing
quickly in the glass.
More subtle notes of spice
and green tea are also
evident. In the mouth
the wine confirms it's
floral character and adds a
spicy component. The
mouthfeel is surprisingly
broad in the mid-palate and
the finish is zesty.
This wine drinks nicely
young but has the structure
to support an additional
year or two of aging.
Delight in the Husch 2005
Gewurztraminer with Asian
Cuisine, turkey dinner or
just by itself.
Mowing weeds the
old-fashioned way:
Sheep are no strangers to
the Husch property.
In the early spring the
sheep help keep the grass
short
and add a little organic
matter back to the soils.
Get your Big Smile here.
Yeah, it's another wine I
found from Tortoise Creek.
Jammy, with a deep color and
a lovely bouquet reminiscent
of raspberries, blueberries
and wild thyme combine to
make this an easy-to-drink
wine. Soft tannins
bring moderate acidity,
leaving a clean finish on
the palate. The modern
closure assures that every
bottle of wine is in
pristine condition when
opened. A great buy at
$10.99,
Clayton
Vineyards in Lodi is
represented in our store
with their Old Vine Petitie
Sirah. The Clayton
Vineyards are located just
east of Lodi, California, on
the south side of the
Mokolumne River Shelf.
These dry farmed, head
pruned vines were planted in
1919 on their own root
stock. (These roots go
well below 20 feet deep).
Dark purple/black color with
jammy aromas and
concentrated flavors.
A robust, full-bodied wine
that is thick on the palate
with layers of fruit and
toasty oak. It's
sold out at the winery, but
I have some left. It's
on tasting now. Stop
in and get yours before it's
all gone.
Try the
Earth, Zin and Fire from
Jesse's Grove Vineyards on
your next visit. I've
had many requests for this
wonderful Zin. Their
grovin' Zin is your stairway
to heaven. These
California dreamin' old
vines got a whole lotta
love, stuck in Lodi for over
64 years. Far out bold
flavors of zingy black
pepper and jammy black
cherry/blackberry fields
forever, finishing with good
vibrations of cedar and milk
chocolate. She's also
got hot legs! (The
wine formerly known as
Vintner's Choice).
And last, but
not least, is St. Amant's
Bootleg Port. Their
Bootleg Port derives it's
name from the adventuresome
spirit that sets St. Amant
wines apart. A blend
of five traditional
Portuguese grape varieties -
the wine has a dark ruby red
color, crushed berry aromas,
delicious ripe fruit
flavors, and a smooth almost
nutty finish. The
Spencer Family owns a
vineyard in Amador County
where it grows the
Portuguese and Spanish
varieties it uses in its
table wines and ports.
You otta be in pictures...
Thank you for sending in
your pictures. The
ladies in our tasting room
photo where a blast to have
tasting.
Did you take
a picture wine tasting on
your last visit to our
tasting room? If you did and
you think it's a good one,
I'd like to see it. I
need an updated picture of
our tasting room for our web
page and would like to
include some of our
customers. Email
wineguy@discovercal.com
with anything you would like
to submit. Make it fun ...
its wine, remember.
The Wrap...
I have a great selection of
"summer chillin'" wines open
for tasting. They are
great for our hot summer
days. If you haven't
been in for a while, there
are new wines for tasting.
I try and keep the tastings
rotated frequently to keep
things fresh.
Don't forgetabout joining us
July 20th
and 27th from 5:00 to 8:00
p.m. for our July
Winemaker's tasting event, A
Taste of California!
To RSVP,
click here.
If you would like to have me
send you information on
these or any other
offerings, or be added to
our emailing list, contact
me at
wineguy@discovercal.com.
John Hicklin
The "Wine Guy"
Discover California!
114 J Street
Old Sacramento, CA 95814
