A few new wines

Golden Gate Wine Cellars
2337 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127
Tel: 415.640.6611Fax: 888.790.9463
frank@goldengatewinecellars.com
http://www.goldengatewinecellars.com

Our Motto: ALWAYS DRINK GOOD WINE™

I spend a good part of the morning tasting wine, yes someone has to do the dirty work! The highlights of the day were the Redmon Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (St. Helena, Napa) and the Bjornstad Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast) and Bjornstad Pinot Noir (Sonoma Mountain).

Greg Bjornstad and I go back some years. I first met him in the mid 1990's when he was working at Flowers.
His own venture is spectacular! I just tasted his two latest releases - This Bjornstad 2006 Chardonnay, Porter Bass Sonoma Coast and the Bjornstad 2006 Pinot Noir, Vanderkamp Sonoma Mountain.

The Bjornstad Porter Bass Chardonnay is initially smoky and meaty in the glass, the wine evolves and unfolds an amazing, delicate complexity of aromas and flavors. Subtle scents of lime and white flowers invoke sweet and spice from honeysuckle, jasmine, and freesia blossoms that resolve into flavors of lime, pear, green apple and pineapple. The texture is lean, crisp and full with a long finish of a lingering green apple, citrus and smoke. Only 160 cases produced. $46.50

The Bjornstad Vanderkamp Pinot Noir - from the first pour, the lifted aromatics of this wine are varied and intriguing, inviting another visit. There are the pretty red fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry and the mixed fragrances of a wild berry patch. Next are the subtle, smoky, meaty aromas that are inherent to the Vanderkamp Vineyard. Flavor follows fragrance seamlessly onto the round and rich palate, supporting these defined flavors with restrained oak and spice, ending with a firm finish. Only 220 cases produced! $46.50

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Redmon Family Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (St. Helena, Napa Valley) Awesome wine and an awesome family. Lisa and Scott (husband and wife, owners, winemakers) gave me the premier opportunity to taste and purchase this new release. I jumped on it like a hawk on his prey. This is one of those sleeper wines, that would leave many of the big-names in the dust when tasted side-by-side, which I do often. Grapes harvested from one of the last remaining dry-farms in the valley produces complex fruit flavors and rich deep color. The wine's aroma is very intense and intriguing. The palate is coated with luscious fruit and the finish does not seem to end. Each bottle is personalized with hand-numbering. Only 250 cases produced! $59.99

Your Wine Host
Frank Melis