Good Morning!

I am ready for the elimination process for region 3 the “White” Bracket…Here we go!

Here are the original 16 picks and the eliminated wines will have an * beside them.

1. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998
2. Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008 *
3. Ramey Hyde Barrel Chardonnay 2007
4. Flora Springs Barrel Fermented Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009 *
5. Roederer Estate NV Sparkling wine
6. Paulette Polish Hill River Riesling 2008 *
7. J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Russian River NV Sparkling
8. Chappellet Napa Valley Chardonnay 2008 *
9. Passaggio Wines California Unoaked Chardonnay 2007
10. Craggy Range Hawkes Bay C3 Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 *
11. Cellar Rat Wines RMV 2009
12. Pacific Rim Columbia Valley Riesling 2009 *
13. Henri de Lanzac Chateau de Segries Tavel 2009 *
14. Ceago Vinearden Kathleen’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006
15. Moet & Chandon Imperial NV Champagne
16. Chimney Rock Napa Valley Fume Blanc 2005 *

So that leaves these 8 to fight for the top 4 wines. * means the were eliminated.

1. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998

3. Ramey Hyde Barrel Chardonnay 2007 *

5. Roederer Estate NV Sparkling wine *

7. J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Russian River NV Sparkling

9. Passaggio Wines California Unoaked Chardonnay 2007

11. Cellar Rat Wines RMV 2009 *

14. Ceago Vinearden Kathleen’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006

15. Moet & Chandon Imperial NV Champagne *

Final Four of this region will be:

1. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998

7. J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Russian River NV Sparkling

9. Passaggio Wines California Unoaked Chardonnay 2007

14. Ceago Vinearden Kathleen’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Tomorrow, I will finish up with the 4th and final region and it is the “Really Big Red” Region…then we will be done to the Sweet 16 of wines for my March Madness!

Have a great day!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

Today, I will walk you through my second 16 wines. Yesterday, I put all the eliminated wines in red font for you to easily see, but for some reason it did not look like I had hoped so I hope the * signs pops out and you can easily tell who was sent home.

1. Merry Edwards Coopersmith Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007
2. Mantanzas Creek Fume Blanc 2007 *
3. Dry Creek Vineyard Beeson Ranch Zinfandel 2007
4. Frog’s Leap Napa Valley Zinfandel 2008 *
5. Rochioli Russian River Pinot Noir 2006
6. Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2009 *
7. Stag’s Leap Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2008 *
8. Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2008
9. Casa de Valle Grande Escolha Vinho Verde 2008 *
10. Wakefield Estate Clare Valley Australia Chardonnay 2007
11. Domaine Barraud Alliance Pouilly Fuisse 2008 *
12. Peter Mitchell Sonoma County Mon Plaisir Chardonnay 2008
13. Marcassin Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2004
14.Kosta Brown Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008 *
15. Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008
16. Martin Ray Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc 2009 *

With these picks the first round is over leaving us with 8 wines to compete and here is how this round ended up.

1. Merry Edwards Coopersmith Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007

3. Dry Creek Vineyard Beeson Ranch Zinfandel 2007 *

5. Rochioli Russian River Pinot Noir 2006

8. Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2008 *

10. Wakefield Estate Clare Valley Australia Chardonnay 2007 *

12. Peter Mitchell Sonoma County Mon Plaisir Chardonnay 2008

13. Marcassin Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2004*

15. Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008

Which brings us to the final 4 wines that will move on to the March Madness of Wine’s Sweet 16…

1. Merry Edwards Coopersmith Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007

5. Rochioli Russian River Pinot Noir 2006

12. Peter Mitchell Sonoma County Mon Plaisir Chardonnay 2008

15. Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008

Tomorrow, I will show you how region 3 unfolded and remember it was the region with all white wines. I hope today was WAY easier to understand than yesterday’s results from region 1.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Sorry, my super cool idea of making the eliminated teams red so you could visually see the winners and losers more easily, did not work. My BAD!

Here are the top 4 teams moving into the sweet 16 are:

1. Concha y Toro Puente Alto Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
7. Concha y Toro Terrunyo Vineyard Selection Block 34 Syrah 2007
12. Lapostolle Casa Cabernet Sauvignon Alpato 2006
13. Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 (This was the oldest wine I loved for this list).

Good Morning!

After watching 30 plus games of basketball and seeing a few blow outs and many last second shots to steal the win, I am ready to start my eliminating of wines. I have my first region from last week and I will break them down until we the beginning or our “Sweet Sixteen” round of the March Madness of Wines!

Region 1 started out looking like this:

1. Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
2. Arboleda, Aconcagua Chile Merlot 2005
3. Paul Hobbs Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
4. Kilikanoon, Covenant Shiraz, Clare Valley, South Australia 2005
5. M by Michael Mondovi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006
6. Lopez Noceti, 1919 Malbec Mendoza 2005
7. Concha y Toro Terrunyo Vineyard Selection Block 34 Syrah 2007
8. Robert Mondovi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007
9. Viader Red Napa Valley 2007
10. Merryvale Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
11. Grgich Hills Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
12. Lapostolle Casa Cabernet Sauvignon Alpato 2006
13. Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 (This was the oldest wine I loved for this list).
14. Casa Ferreirinha Reserve Especial (Douro) 2007
15. Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon VSC Maipo Valley Chile 2007
16. Jarvis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005

The first 8 head to head tastings resulted in these results. The winners are the wines in black font, the eliminated wines are in red. Leaving us with the following 8 wines to compete.

1. Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
3. Paul Hobbs Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
5. M by Michael Mondovi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006
7. Concha y Toro Terrunyo Vineyard Selection Block 34 Syrah 2007
9. Viader Red Napa Valley 2007
12. Lapostolle Casa Cabernet Sauvignon Alpato 2006
13. Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 (This was the oldest wine I loved for this list).
15. Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon VSC Maipo Valley Chile 2007

The winners are in the black font and this leaves us with the 4 wines who will move on to the “Sweet Sixteen” round, a little later this week.

Have a great Monday and I hope your NCAA Basketball Brackets (both Men’s and Women’s) are still intacted. Mine men’s bracket is a little beat up, Never thought Texas and Purdue would go out so early!

Anyway, Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

The theme of March Madness has been great fun for me, because I am such a HUGE college basketball fan and I am learning so much about my palette with this format. Thank you for indulging me in two passions all at once.

Ok, This is my 4th and final 16 wines and my last bracket. This bracket is all red and some of these wines are not easy to find. Like I said when I started this, I tried 780 wines last year and many of them were with friends who are on the inside track of some awesome boutique wines, but you can find these wines with some effort and some of these wines have heavy price tags while some are very reasonable.

1. Sine Qua Non Sta. Rita Hills The Naked Truth Grenache
2. Paso Creek Merlot 2005
3. Gridley Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2005
4. Poggio II Castellare Brunello di Montalcino 2005
5. Modus Operandi Antithesis Red Wine 2007
6. Abeja Columbia Valley Merlot 2007
7. Vina Montes Purple Angel Colchagia Valley Carmenre 2007
8. Rustom Jee Barossa Valley Sandbox Shiraz 2006
9. Bodegas Atamisque Uco Valley Malbec 2007
10. Joseph Phelps California Insignia 2005
11. Alpha Omega Proprietary Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
12. Mollydooker The Boxwe Shiraz 2009
13. Olivier Hallaire Chateauneuf du Pape 2008
14. Finca Allendre Rioja Aurus 2006
15. Bodegas Tahuan Argentina Siesta Malbec 2007
16. Ehlers Estate St Helena Merlot 2007

What I learned about my tastes with this bracket…l I LOVE my big reds! I had more Shiraz from down under than I would have predicted. I still have not developed as much of a palette from French wines as I would like. I tried more Merlots than I thought last year and the biggest lesson I learned is I an absoultly remember who I was with or where I was when I had each of these wines. Which brings me back to the fact that wine for me is as much about the experience as it is about the wonderful flavors.

Starting Monday we will work through my brackets and see who comes up on top! Have a great weekend and watch buzzer beaters and 3 pointers and enjoy some great wines!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi