Check, Please! Bay Area Season 5: episode 5 (505)

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My name is Leslie Sbrocco and I'm the host of Check, Please! Bay Area. Each week, I will be sharing my tasting notes about the wine the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show.

Wines of the Week: KQED Wine Club
Our guests enjoyed some of these delicious offerings from the KQED Wine Club.

2006 Vinum Cellars "Chard-NO-Way" Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, California
Not familiar with Chenin Blanc? It's a crisp white grape made famous in France's Loire Valley, but in California it shines in the Clarksburg area. This medium-bodied version is dry and delicate.

2004 Leeuwin Estate "Siblings" Shiraz, Margaret River, Australia
Australia's Leeuwin Estate is one of the country's most famous properties. Their elegant, world-class wines hail from the cool Margaret River area of Western Australia. This peppery, stylish Shiraz is a food wine that can go easily with fleshy fish and hearty meat.

2007 Tudal Family Winery "Clift Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley, California
Though Tudal is classic Napa Valley producer founded in 1974, I consider it a hot discovery. The low-key, family-owned winery located at the north end of Napa Valley has been quietly crafting complex wines for decades. Their vinous voice, however, is being heard loudly these days with Cabernet as the megaphone. Structured yet supple, the Clift Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the quality of a wine twice its $40 price. Intense dark-berry fruit flavors are kissed with toasty oak and spice aromas, all wrapped in a plush texture. It’s a wine that will get even better after several years in the cellar, but is so delicious now you’ll want to uncork and enjoy.