Urban Wine Guy

Sweeney Canyon is a small, family owned and operated vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. I had the pleasure of having their 2006 Pinot Noir at a tasting event and it was obvious that this wine was made with extreme love, care and dedication. Tasting notes from the website: Grafted onto 20 year old Chardonnay roots in 2002, this Pinot Noir has never been irrigated.  Aromas of black pepper and currants jump forth, followed by cherry tobacco and leather.  With ample acidity, this wine continues to develop complexity on the palate with a lingering and earthy finish.  70 Cases produced. If in California this is a must have, you can see where to buy here.

Clo interactive wine bar. A flick of a wrist brings the bottles to life. Guests scroll through the bottles to read tasting notes and examine details for each of the curated selection of 100 wines. Check it out.

Sans Liege 2006 “The Offering” Santa Barbara Red. The winemaker describes it as mysterious & multilayered; he couldn’t be more spot on. With 41% Grenache, 36% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre & 2% Voignier this full bodied wine will take you on adventures of dark, blue fruit, cherry, earth, pepper, leather & smokiness. At $22.00 it is WELL worth it. Not to mention the art & branding behind the bottle is pretty sick.

Charles Smith 2006 BOOM BOOM! Syrah is absolutely outstanding. We were served this lush, smokey wine at Barsndall Park’s Friday afternoon wine tasting (which is a must if in LA). At $15.00 it’s one of the best valued Syrah’s I’ve ever had. Did I mention the wine maker is in Washington State? Let it open up for a while before tasting, because it will in a big way. This is perfect as a dinner wine.

Through http://www.learnaboutwine.com/ we learned about the Stars Of Santa Barbara wine tasting event in Orange County this past week and went to check it out. While there we absoultely fell in love with Millesime Cellars 2007 Le Jardin. This 100% Viognier has characters of floral and exotic fruit aromas. It is a dry white wine with a subtle hint of honeysuckle and passion fruit that adds a slightly sweet flavor. This crisp Viognier was made from 100% organically grown grapes. The wine maker, Brittany Rice, was so nice and informative. We definitely recommend this amazing white wine, you can pick a bottle up here. 

I just had a birthday and a friend gave me a bottle of Cakebread Cellars 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. I had only had Cakebreads 07 Chardonnay before and loved it so I couldn’t wait to open the bottle. My girlfriend and I took it to one of our favorite restaurants and were floored by this amazing cab which boasts fig & blackberry aromas. Some sites say drink now or hold for up to five years. I say drink NOW. 

Orin Swift Cellars who produce of one of my favorite wines, Papillon, have another heavy hitter within their arsenal: 2006 Orin Swift Cellars “The Prisoner” Napa Red Blend. I call “The Prisoner”, Papillon’s younger brother. It’s a little less jammy than it’s bigger bro but is just as lush. It gives spice and kick while riding waves of dark fruit & chocolate.

While in Sonoma we stayed at The Kenwood Inn who has a partnership with the Hop Kiln winery. We fell in love with their Thousand Flowers Proprietary blend. This is a very bright, light, floral white wine and it paired amazingly with our cheese plate. Upon returning to LA we tried to pick a bottle up at a few local wine stores and to our surprise no one carried it. One employee told us that it was a good, but rare find in a store. Available through their website for $15.00, well worth it.