Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
Email Don directly with your wine-related questions.
Welcome to our blog
This is the first installment of a new weekly feature meant in part to chronicle NVWE tastings and offer my observations on upcoming California wines. When possible, wines mentioned here will have corresponding tasting notes on the website, although much of my commentary will concern wines that are yet to be released. Some of the wines mentioned this week may be here already.
This week: three attention-grabbing producers.
Palmina - Much my favorite of the over-numerous Cal-Italian wineries: poured a vivid and authentic 05 Barbara that had me longing for intensely spiced Pizza; their 05 Mattia, a deliciously fruity/gutsy Refosco/Cab Franc/Merlot blend; their charming, exotically rich and impressively complex 03 Savoia, a truly seductive Nebbiolo/Barbera/Syrah blend; and the most flavor rich Arneis I have yet had from our state.
Drew - Make Santa Rita Hills Pinots that can seem insubstantial at first, but quickly grow in richness and class: poured 05s, including a long and stylishly feminine Ashley's; an elegant and Santanay-like Gatekeeper; and a puzzling Pinot that seemed ill-defined, if well structured (Youth?), from a new vineyard called Jalama, planted by Peter Cargasacchi on land he owns just west of the SRH appellation.
Phillips-Hill - Toby Hill poured, per my co-worker James' request: two gorgeous 100 cases production, 04 Mendocino Pinots (grown in Comptche, just outside the Anderson Valley appellation) that were previously lauded in the SF Chronicle. I loved the gutsy, aromatically lovely and youthfully zesty Oppenlander and the fruit-packed and complex Comptche Ridge. These can't miss and shouldn't be missed!