Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2015 Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Pinot Noir ($12)

This Pinot Noir sources its grapes from Monterey County, Napa County and Sonoma County. Not a bad set of sites for growing Pinot Noir!

The back label states "...wines that offer big and bold flavors, yet finish with uncommon finesse."

It's not often that I pay much attention to the back label other than to really see where the wine is from and who makes it, but I have to agree with this one.

This Pinot has nice cranberry and wild cherry flavors, as you would expect from a California Pinot, and it has a delicate finish.

At the price, it's exactly what I'm looking for in a wine to feature on Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week . Hope you enjoy it too! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2015 Hess Select Monterey County Chardonnay ($9)

Several wines from the Hess Collection of wines have been featured in my reviews, and this Chardonnay from Monterey County shows the consistency of their wines.  With just a bit of a chill on this one, it exhibits wonderful flavors of baked apple with just a hint of citrus flavors of lemon and lime.

This 100% Chardonnay saw just 25% new French oak that contributes to the baked apple flavor while the remaining 75% was kept in stainless steel to protect those tropical fruit and citrus flavors.

At just 0.2 gms Residual Sugar, this is a dry wine that lets its fruit shine though.

As always in the Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, this is a really nice wine at a great value that you should be able to find in your favorite wine store.  A good one!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2016 J. Lohr Arroyo Seco Monterey Chardonnay ($10)

I recently visited J. Lohr in Paso Robles and gained a whole new appreciation for their wines and the man behind them all, Jerry Lohr.

This 100% Chardonnay from J. Lohr exhibits aromas of peaches, baking spices, a hint of vanilla.

While it was oak fermented and aged, it has retained nice acidity with white peach, apricot and subtle orange flavors.

As is always the case with the Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week features, this wine is very affordable, easily attainable and a nice accompanyment with any meal.

Definitely worth checking out.