Category Archives: CALIFORNIA

Pitchers From Some Matchbook Men

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

There’s a  winery in the Dunnigan Hills AVA called Matchbook, which sounds more like a name for a singles networking site than a vineyard. Actually, the truth behind the name is far more disturbing—and yes, Virginia, you can get more … Continue reading →

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Nary a Jekel to heckle in Arroyo Seco

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

Like the irrepressible Terrytoons magpie that shares a name with Salinas Valley wine pioneer Bill Jekel, the Arroyo Seco AVA is one odd bird.  Perched  inside a larger appellation, Monterey County (which in turn is a subzone of the sprawling … Continue reading →

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Sup a Cup of Cupcake; Leave the Lemon Chiffon for Grandma

Posted on August 31, 2011 by intoxreport

In my best Seinfeld voice:  What’s the deal with all these cupcakes, anyway? Fake Jerry is right.  Prior to the last few months, the only space cupcakes ever occupied in my brain was when I woke up in a panic … Continue reading →

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Sauvignon Blonde: The Wit Just Keeps Gettin’ Harder To Find

Posted on August 30, 2011 by intoxreport

Marilyn Monroe wasn’t really blonde. Oh, you already knew that? Okay, smarty pants; I suppose you also knew that Napoleon wasn’t really French, Cleopatra wasn’t really Egyptian, Hitler wasn’t German, Alexander wasn’t Greek and Stalin wasn’t Russian?   And even though … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Sauvignon Blanc | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Twisted Wines for Twisted Times

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

I know this guy named Delicato, and he’s every bit of that—a soft-spoken type of dude  who wouldn’t swat a fruit fly. The name ‘Indelicato’ strikes me as a bit more, well, twisted. Perhaps that’s the reason for the ‘Twisted’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Valley | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I May Not Know My ABCs, But I Know My XYZins

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

The marketing department at XYZin leaves me a little confused, but that’s okay—so does elementary school math. (In fact, I remember getting the equation ‘2 + 2’ wrong, although Sister Beatrice, my First Grade teacher, was decent about it.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Waugh Cellars: Six Degrees of Vinification

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

Ryan Waugh is the kind of winemaker who believes that 90% of a finished  wine happens inside the vineyard, and he insists that the three thousand cases of wine he made in 2009 prove him out. He’s  also believes that … Continue reading →

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Cold (And Brother, Do I Mean Cold) Heaven Cellars: Defriend in Need is Defriend indeed.

Posted on August 27, 2011 by intoxreport

What a revoltin’ development! On Facebook, I’ve been ‘defriended ‘ by a California winemaker after I took exception to some silly-ass generalization she made about wine writers, which in the interest of journalistic trifling I would repeat verbatim except that … Continue reading →

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Tudor Wines: Dan Is Now The Bubble Boy

Posted on August 26, 2011 by intoxreport

“You can take my identity, my pension, my Black Amex card, my blue suede shoes, but keep those mitts off of my pinot noir.” There’s Some Bull In The China Shops Earlier this year, a scandal was uncovered by Chinese … Continue reading →

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Marilyn Merlot: Funny, Punny And Still Well Doney

Posted on August 25, 2011 by intoxreport

Had she lived to see 2011, do you ever wonder what Marilyn Monroe would have looked like? Probably like how she does look. In any case, 49 years after her death, Marilyn Wines will release a wine to honor an … Continue reading →

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