The wines from Cellars of Sonoma are like the Beatles and Pete Rose. They just keep getting hits. Each week as a handful of us bloggers meet via livestream and twitter with Scott Jordan of Cellars of Sonoma and his winemaker guests on Tuesday nights at 6:00 PM PST.

The wines are ultra small production artisian winemakers from the region that are offered via Cellars of Sonoma. One of the most exciting wine growing regions for Zinfandel is one of the newest AVA's in CA, Rockpile (just north of Dry Creek in Sonoma).

Rockpile in my estimation is ...

Andrew Murray Vineyards Esperance 2011 is a special blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre. The label indicates "Central Coast" as both the Grenache and Mourvedre come from West side Paso Robles, while the Syrah is Santa Ynez Valley. 

The name "esperance" translates from French to English meaning "hope." A few years ago I had the honor of interviewing this legendary and humble winemaker that major wine press put on the "watch list" when he is just 20 about years old. I am pretty sure he can still fly on airplanes without issue, as that is an entirely ...

When Cellars of Sonoma has winemaker Ted Elliot as a guest on thier Tuesday night show (6:00 PM), it is something special. He, nor the wine disappointed. For those wine enthusiasts that really like to follow some of the great names in wine, this is someone to add to the list.

Tuesday night Ted came on the live-stream with Scott Jordan to share about his wines as we tasted together and interacted with questions via Twitter. Ted said."I love aromatics in Pinots." I must say it is one of the aspects I appreciate so much about Pinot Noir ...

The 2011 Syrah "Tour les Jours" has been touted by major wine press for many years as being a consistent top value rated wine. From my memory the scores have typically been 89-91 and at a price point of around $16.00 there is a clear reason for the accolades and press he has received.

This 2011 vintage got my attention quick. The first thought I had was "wow, this is the front line?" That is a big deal. The first thought I had was "wow." From my viewpoint not much more matters. If someone told you that there was ...

Top wines of 2012 - There are wines to save up and splurge,wines to stand upright in your cellar when company visits to show off that '45 Bordeaux. Then there are the wines for the people in the villages…..like me. 

This is the Wandering Wino second edition of wines that blow up your skirt. As I stated in last years post, I am not a cross dresser, but this is a simply American phrase used to say these are wines I really like and stood out to me. These are wines that are mostly available without the need for ...

When I was a little boy, I often liked the idea of expoloration. My cousin and I would explore in our grandparents basement finding all kinds of fun and interesting discoveries from past decades. I even recall surfacing with a photo of my grandparents with a man, and it was autographed. When I inquired who the man was, I was told it was a night they had dinner with Johhny Cash in the early '60's. It might have been the first time I had heard that name, and it was a very cool discovery.

I don't think I ...

Another celebrity wine? Yes, but maybe not what many might think. 

I was recently invited to participate in a twitter tasting of Jeff Gordon's wine, "joie de vivre." The red blend is Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah from Napa Valley. Throughout the twitter conversations I was amongst other participants and famous race car driver Jeff Gordon (@jeffgordonweb and @jeffgordonwine), most kept focus on the wine, but some were a bit star struck even in twitter-land.

Matthew (@mmWine) asked how the well known August (AKA Joe) Briggs was selected as the initial winemaker. Jeff said, 

 Jeff Gordon ‏@JeffGordonWeb .@mmWine @JeffGordonWine ...

This 2010 Pinot Noir from the Stepping Stone label was produced by Cornerstone Oregon. This sample was sent amongst others recently and I must say there were a few fun and interesting surprises. 

First off, this wine is designed to be a front line every-day type of wine but it could have fooled me. This could easily land in the weekend wine category over what many call -- "Tuesday wine." This very nice Pinot Noir was a generous, but deceptive sipper.

I say deceptive and will confess on myself by stating my experience drinking this wine.......well, if I were ...

Cornerstone winery is offering a new line of everyday drinking wines at affordable prices. This anything but typical wine sample is a blend of Chardonnay and Gewurtztraminer produced at just under 1,000 cases. 

This fun wine offers up pear, apricot, lemon, a bit of American oak with a crisp acidity. At 13.5% alcohol this is a wine that can bring in some weight or grip from the Chardonnay and great acidity from the Gewurtztraminer. I'd suggest this would be a ideal pairing with Tai seafood, or maybe scallops with a little heat. SRP $18.00

Some of you may be "in the know" that Cimarone just opened the doors of their new tasting room just last month in Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County). As Happy Canyon is the newest AVA to Santa Barbara County, and their are no tasting rooms there, this is a very welcome site. 

Many of the very best Bordeaux varietals that are grown in Santa Barbara come from Happy Canyon. After recieving a recent Sauvignon Blanc sample during the summers last hurrah of heat, I could not wait to taste such a refreshing wine.

I do believe in eating and drinking ...