Sante Magazine for Restaurant Professionals

Prestige
Castle Vineyards & Winery
2003 Port 1 Los Carneros
100% Syrah
Simple nose of red fruit with subtle spice; sweet and tart on the medium-bodied palate with notes of raspberry, black cherry, and pepper; fine tannins through the finish. Sweet and rich desserts.

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Wine Enthusiast
December 2007

89 ~ Castle 2005 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
A lovely young Pinot, filled with fresh fruits and spices, wrapped into a fine, silky texture. The flavors of raspberries, cherries and cola have a rich, meaty, leathery edge that adds complexity and earthiness. Good now, and should hold for several years.

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88 ~ Castle 2004 Estate Pinot Noir (Carneros)
You can taste the warmth of the vintage in the ripeness of the wine. It just explodes with jammy cherry, raspberry, red currant, milk chocolate and vanilla flavors. Soft and easy, it's at its best now.

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87 ~ Castle 2005 Sangiacomo Vineyards Pinot Noir (Carneros)
There's a sweetmeat, salty leatheriness to this Pinot, like beef jerky. Give it a year or so to mellow out and let the smoky oak integrate with the ripe cherry, cola and raspberry flavors. Decant for an hour or two if you pop it open now.

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87 ~ Castle 2005 Pinot Noir (Carneros)
Soft and gentle, with pleasant raspberry, cherry, cola and spice flavors, this Pinot offers lots of immediate pleasure. It's a dry, balanced wine that will pair well with lamb and beef.  

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Passover Holiday Reds and some Kosher Options
Press Democrat
April 20, 2005

3-1/2 Stars - Syrah, 2001 Sonoma Valley
"A rich, concentrated syrah, gamy and spicy, with flavors of blueberry, blackberry and toast.  Note of gardenia."
Panel: Larry Van Aalst, sommelier of Equus Restaurant; Stefan Soltysiak, director of education, Rodney Strong Vineyards; Renay Santero, wine buyer for Oliver's Markets; and PD wine columnist Peg Melnik.

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Easter Pinot Noir
Press Democrat
March 23, 2005

3-1/2 Stars - Pinot Noir, 2001 Los Carneros, Estate Vineyard
"Juicy, tart and tangy.  A true pinot noir.  Aromas and flavors of red plum, tart cherry and hay."
Panel: Jeff Cox, PD restaurant reviewer; Larry Van Aalst, sommelier of Equus; Ziggy Eschliman, "The Wine Gal," KRSH, KNOB, KXTS, and PD wine columnist Peg Melnik.

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Dining Around with Gene Burns
San Francisco, CA
September 6, 2003

"...Did we have a good weekend at the 11^th Annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction?  Oh, one P.S.  Did you see the wine section of the San Francisco Chronicle this week page 2, the photograph of those three in drag?  Yeah, they did it again.  Joel Riddell, who is the Executive Producer of Dining Around, his friend Robert Moon and Vic McWilliams of Castle Vineyards did it again.  3 years in a row they've done one of these outrageous skits at the auction and 3 years in a row they wound up in the paper.  You won't find me in the picture because I hide in the back of the room behind the 600 people who attend the auction while these three have a bang-up time...and they raised a lot of money for charity with their auction lot from Castle Vineyards!  Very good wine!  Crazy people and a wonderful time was had by all at the annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction."
- Gene Burns, KGO Newstalk AM810