Category Archives: Roxy’s Pick

Wine Reviews

Tis the Season for Champagne — My Summer Find for Your Winter Cheer

Posted on December 15, 2016 by cbournel

The summer of 2016 was a game-changer for me when it came to the bubbly. That was the season I took a class on champagne and sparkling wine (A big “thanks” to my instructor Sue Slater—chair of the Culinary Arts … Continue reading →

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A Nearly Extinct Grape Makes a Bold Comeback

Posted on May 24, 2016 by cbournel

Given my Greek heritage, and also the fact that it was Orthodox Greek Easter (on May 1), I figured that this was as good an occasion as any to open a Greek wine. In case you are wondering if cats have … Continue reading →

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A Regal Rosé Fit for Any Occasion

Posted on December 23, 2015 by cbournel

If you think December is too cold for drinking Rosé, think again. Dry Rosés go with any season and with any meal. It’s the perfect wine for pairing with goat cheese, salmon, baked ham, cranberry sauce, yams, deli meats, Asian food, sweet … Continue reading →

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Who Wouldn’t Like Dried Grass

Posted on March 30, 2015 by cbournel

Forgive me followers but it has been five months since my last post. Much has happened during this time. Most important was the passing of Roxy, my kitty girlfriend and companion of 21 years. Roxy passed away during the Thanksgiving … Continue reading →

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Bald Mountain Vineyard: The Ultimate Sandbox

Posted on October 29, 2014 by cbournel

High atop the Santa Cruz Mountains there’s a vineyard that thrives in nothing but near-100-percent sandy soil. That vineyard is Bald Mountain, and is owned and farmed by Jim Beauregard of Beauregard Vineyards. Located a few miles from the winery’s … Continue reading →

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1940’s Hollywood Glamour Captured in a Classy Chilean Wine

Posted on July 1, 2014 by cbournel

Sometimes the traditional tags used to describe wine—tar, damp earth, lavender, blackberry and white pepper for reds; peach, passion fruit, lemongrass and wet stones for whites—just won’t do. Sometimes a good old analogy is needed to get the mind, and … Continue reading →

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August Briggs 2005 Napa Valley Syrah—A Wine Worth Waiting For

Posted on March 9, 2014 by cbournel

I bought this wine seven years ago and opened it last month for Open That Bottle Day Night. I feared that I may have kept it too long. Where’s the fruit, I mused? A heady aroma with a whiff of … Continue reading →

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The 2008 Cienega Valley Pietra Santa Sangiovese Is a Party Pleaser

Posted on January 30, 2014 by cbournel

The other night during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, I opened my 2008 Cienega Valley Sangiovese from Pietra Santa Winery. My neighbor joined me in what we thought would be a “full-bodied” speech. As it turned out, … Continue reading →

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Roxy’s Pick—Books for Wine Lovers

Posted on December 28, 2013 by cbournel

When I’m not catnapping, I’m usually engrossed in a good book. This holiday season, I curled up with The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine. Written by Todd Kliman, the first line of this … Continue reading →

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Roxy’s Pick—A Russian River Valley Pinot Gris that Packs a Punch

Posted on December 2, 2013 by cbournel

Every time I visit Sonoma County wineries, I look forward to tasting the white varietals. Not that I don’t enjoy the reds produced there. It’s just that the whites stand out, and more important, appeal to my palate—a touch of … Continue reading →

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