stayed in a northern part of Napa known as Calistoga and made my way North West to Sonoma county. Zinfandel is a very common varietal in Sonoma county and I tried 2 Zins at Sausal; the 2004 Family Zinfandel & the 2005 Private reserve Zin. know nobody in Sonoma so I figured the day would take me where it took me. Great stuff! MORE >>

Beginning with their '06 "Sonoma Coast Estate" Chardonnnay, I found very nice subtle oak combined with nice citrus notes and fresh crisp flavors. The 2003 "1er Etage" Cab Franc was blended with 2% Petit Verdot and had very subtle green notes but was was nice as well. The Domaine de L'Arlot 2003 "Clos des Forets St. Great stuff. MORE >>

A wow wine at age five, you would never know this was petite sirah, and it has only been in bottle since November 2005. Composed of 77% Petite Sirah with 23% Zinfandel from the Lytton Springs estate vineyards, this is inky and opaque with blackberry jam, sweet tannins reminiscent of fine Right Bank Bordeaux, and velvety Shiraz-esque texture. MORE >>

Year after year Peter Michael turns out a great sauvignon. Grapefruit, molasses, and lychee predominate. Black licorice as the wine evolves, with white roses and a mellow chalky finish. This is my last bottle and it's drinking gorgeously right now. MORE >>

It's a little too cold for Sancerre so I opted for this bottle of 2003 Peter Michael chardonnay from the "Ma Belle Fille" section of the Knight's Valley estate vineyard. The Blue Point Grill in Princeton, New Jersey is my favorite restaurant in the world. know I sound like a kid saying that, "my favorite in the world," but it's true. MORE >>