The Finias Wine Cellar

Our intention behind these pages is to keep a record of the wines we actually buy and what we think of them.  There's a discussion link at the bottom of the page if after reading you'd like to make comments or suggestions of wines you've tried that you think we might enjoy. 

If you happened to just stumble across this page please note:  We're biased toward California wines.  It's not snobbery, it's just too many years of living in Northern California.  Also any rumors that Donna majored in wine while getting her degree at U.C. Davis are patently false.

Wine Reviews

	Red Wines we've tasted
	White Wines we've tasted

 

What we're waiting to try and the ones we've loved enough to buy more of

	Wines in the wine rack
	Wines in the cellar

 

A Glossary of Terms

U.C. Davis Scoring System

 

Wines In the Wine Rack Wines listed here are wines we've bought to try. For the most part they are things we happened to see in our travels rather than well thought out purchases.

Wine Spectator Scores 95-100 Classic 90-94 Outstanding 85-89 Very Good 80-84 Good 70-79 Average

 

We've got about 9 cases so I'm not sure why this is blank - just too busy to update

Whites

Chardonnay

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel estate chardonnay	2001		15.00	We got several bottles of this as part of our shipment. It's disappointing but maybe some age will help mellow it.
Willemette Valley - founders reserve	1996			Bought this at the winery when we did our Oregon wine country tour
R.H. Phillips	1996

Gewurztraminer

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment

 

Riesling

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment

Sauvignon Blanc

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Sterling	2002			Getting a little more grassy, but good for a change of pace.
Chinook - Yakima	2001			We bought this at the winery.  The wine makers are folks that graduated from UCD around the same time Donna did --
Sanford - Central coast	1998
Robert Mondavi Stags Leap	1995	+	17.99	I couldn't help myself.  I loved this wine so I bought the last two bottles in the store.
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc	1995			This is probably past its prime -- we'll see

Champagnes

Winery

Vintage Year

Rating

Price

Comment

Reds

 

Borolo

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Massino	1997		$20	We found this at Sam's Club.  Anytime we can find an inexpensive good Borolo We count it a big win.  We tasted this up against a $40 that a friend bought and this was significantly better.

Cabernet Franc

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment

 

Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel	1999	W.S. 87 points	20.00	Beautiful dark-red and purple color. The aromas and flavors are ripe blackberries, graham, ripe raspberries, vanilla and touch of bay leaf. The structure is well muscled with fine grained tannins and nice acids providing very good balance. This wine possesses excellent cellar potential. 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
R.H. Phillips	1999	++	6.99	We bought three cases of this.  We're down to the last couple of bottles and it's not aging well but it was terrific when it was younger

 

 

Merlot

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Charles Shaw	2003	+	2.99	Lots of fruit with a jammy taste.  When we want a bigger wine for dinner we drink this and you can't beat the price
Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County	2000

Merlot Blend

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel - Drop dead red 3	NV	++	10.00	This wine possesses a sensual ruby-purple color. In the aroma you will find luscious ripe straw-berry, cherry, currant and blueberry fruit flavors that expose themselves in one's glass. The wine ripples with structure and finishes with a lingering cherry, cedar, and cigar notes. 55% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Kestrel - Drop dead red 2	NV	++	10.00	This wine possesses a sensual ruby-red color. Brilliant sweet cherry, violets and rose petals, sweet vanilla bean and chocolate aromas and flavors expose themselves in one's glass. A slight yet delicious cedar note is found in this wine's plush finish. 58% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec

 

Pinot Noir

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Pepperwood	NV	++	6.99	We've been delighted with this - Yes it's jug wine but who cares.  It's the best value pinot we've found - we usually keep it stocked
Edna Valley - San Louis Obispo	2002
Sanford - Santa Barbara County	1998		30+	A friend served this one night -- we loved it and we're still hanging on to a bottle

Sangiovese

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kiona	2002	WS 89	$20	We visited the winery on one of trips and liked the wine
Thalia	1999

Shiraz/Syrah

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel - Syrah	1999		$20	We really liked this - which is good because I think they shipped us three bottles. deeply colored, richly fragrant, sensuous and completely satisfying. The aromas are of cassis, vanilla, blackberries, plums, black pepper and a touch of mother earth. The mouth-feel is silky and very full.
Kestrel - Syrah	2000			Rich aromas of ripe plums, blackberries, and black sweet cherries greet your senses immediately. The spice and perfume proffered by the oak barrels complete this wine's flavor and aroma presentation. The body is medium plus and the finish is long and quite satisfying. This wine possesses a good 3 - 6 years of cellar potential.

 

 

Zinfandel

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Ravenswood	2001	WS N/R	10+	this is the staple zin -- best quality for the price point

 

 

 

Wines In the Wine Cellar In 2004 we bought a wine fridge which we of course refer to as our wine cellar.

Wine Spectator Scores 95-100 Classic 90-94 Outstanding 85-89 Very Good 80-84 Good 70-79 Average

 

Whites

 

Sauvignon Blanc

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment

 

 

Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment

 

Merlot

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel old vine	1999		$50 retail 35 at the club price	We LOVE this wine.  It was the reason we joined their wine club - Dark red color. The aroma and flavors are: plumy jam, toasted oak and vanilla, marionberries and a slight damask rose petal note. A big wine with impeccable balance and structure. Great cellar candidate with the potential to age a decade plus.
Kestrel Boushey	1999	+	$50 retail 35 at the club price	Very dark red-purple color. The aromas are ripe bramble-blackberry and black sweet cherries. The flavors echo that of the aromas with elegant toasted oak and dusky rose notes. The body is medium plus to full with a firm-crisp yet juicy mouth-feel and finish.

Shiraz

Winery	Vintage Year	Rating	Price	Comment
Kestrel - Estate	2001		$50 retail 35 at the club price	Very dark red color with a slight purple tint. The aromas and flavors are profound ripe blackberry, smoked game meat and barrel toast. The structure is medium plus to full. The tannins are fine grained and up front at the moment.

Reviews and Databases

Mead on Wine - the longest-running syndicated wine column in North America, now in its
30th year. We know you'll enjoy Jerry's expert advice, frank commentary, wine ratings and the Best Buy Wine of the Week recommendations.

Wine Spectator

MUCH ADO ABOUT CHAMPAGNE ... A PERSPECTIVE ON CHAMPAGNE AND FOOD By John and Tracy Anderson

 

 

 

Numbers of bottles of wine consumed at this site