Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Chateau Petite Village – Pomerol

We awoke to slightly cloudy skies, but by late morning they faded away and we were treated to another sunny blue sky with a high of around 68 F. After a pleasant breakfast with Bernard, we packed our luggage and said good-bye, but not before buying 2 bottles of his wine – 2003 to drink now and 2005 to save – as well as 2 of the boxed bottles of merlot salt he was selling. We then headed towards our destination in Pomerol, passing Ausone and Cheval Blanc along the way – both estates I was privileged to visit last [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Another Sunny (and Lazy) Day in St. Emilion (Sunday, May 3, 2009)

We slept well and enjoyed listening to the crickets and frogs outside of our window. Breakfast is included in the rate of $98 Euros per night to stay at Chateau Monlot, so we headed downsides to the charming dining room where we feasted on good coffee and too many fresh and heavenly croissants of every type. Bernard, the owner, joined us and invited us to join his family for lunch at 1pm, as well as a tour of the wine cellars. What a friendly place! We gladly accepted. Next we wandered around the sunny grounds of the chateau taking pictures, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Join the Party at Chateau Monlot, St. Emilion, France (Saturday, May 2, 2009)

My husband and I arrived in Bordeaux on May 2 at 4:40 in the afternoon to a sunny warm 70F degree day. After leaving rainy San Francisco yesterday (May 1) and the long flight to Amsterdam, it was a pleasure to finally arrive at our destination. However, as we exited the plane we were informed that all Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans had to report to security and fill out forms on the swine flu. Despite that small set-back we found our diesel car at Hertz and managed to drive to our hotel, the Chateau Monlot, in less than the hour [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Back to Bordeaux – May 2009

I was very excited to get a chance to go back to Bordeaux this Spring of 2009. This was due to a scholarship from the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the MW Program. Caroline, in their main office, organized my schedule and set up all the visits. To her, I am extremely grateful because I know how many hours of work this takes. The following sections of this blog describe the wineries I visited on this trip -- beginning on the Right Bank, then along the Left Bank and ending in Entre duex Mers. I've also included hotel and restaurant information, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:21-07:00May 18, 2009|

Truett Hurst Winery – A Favorite Millennial Tasting Room

(Written by guest author, Chris Spradling). Truett Hurst Winery is located in Dry Creek Valley. They are a relatively small winery with an emphasis on Biodynamic farming. I visited this winery during the barrel tasting weekend, and although I visited many on that day, Truett Hurst stood out from the others. The tasting room was nice and not too crowded, and outside was plenty of seating looking at the vineyards. There was a barbeque right outside of the tasting room where delicious samples of tri-tip were being distributed. The employees at Truett Hurst were noticeably proud and enthusiastic about their [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:29:48-08:00May 13, 2009|

Carol Shelton’s Tawny Monga – A Winner

Last week we blind-tasted sparkling and dessert wines in our Bus 305W class. The top California wine was Carol Shelton’s Tawny Monga -- a fortified zinfandel with some lovely residual sugar. The 38 Millennials who attended class that evening agreed that it was a luscious dessert wine and screamed for chocolate as a pairing. At only $33 for a 500ml bottle, this wine is a great deal for a lovely after dinner drink. **** 2005 Tawny Monga Zin, Carol Shelton Wines, Cucamonga Valley ($33, 500ml) Dark berry fruit with amazing spices of clove and cinnamon and hint of dark [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:53:50-08:00April 28, 2009|

Lucas Winery – Favorite Millennial Tasting Room

(Written by guest author, Kate Nelson). The most memorable wine tasting experience of the wineries that I have visited in the past few months has been at Lucas Winery in Lodi, California. Lucas offered the best wine tasting experience for me for many reasons. The staff at Lucas was extremely friendly and inviting -- and even for our Designated Driver made the experience enjoyable. We were welcomed right away upon entering. The tasting room was open and bright, and the bar was large and accommodating so that many different groups of people would still feel individual attention and not feel [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:30:41-08:00April 22, 2009|

Millennial Favorite Tasting Room – Benziger

(Written by guest author, Jessica Schmidt). Benziger is a beautiful property and receives much sunlight throughout the day! The tasting room is not right at the entrance as it is laid out to see other nature qualities to notice before the wine! However, when you step inside the tasting room it is well laid out and with plenty of exciting merchandise. The tasting bar is to your left as you walk down the few steps at the entrance. The counter tops and wine racks are all a dark cherry oak to make the focal point of the room. There at [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:31:00-08:00April 9, 2009|

Top 3 Wine Clubs in Napa/Sonoma – Best Picks By Millennials

The 40 Millennial students in WineBiz Class 305W at SSU were asked to analyze wine clubs in the Napa/Sonoma area and to select their top three favorites. Criteria were based on best practices in wine clubs and included the following: 1) Number of different club levels - at least 2 choices is preferable 2) Price ranges for each level – a variety of ranges is preferable from low to high 3) Shipping frequency – every 2 to 3 months is better, because lowers cost or discounted shipping 4) Club level by varietal preference e,g. red wine, white, sparkling, etc. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:31:26-08:00March 27, 2009|

Merlot Tenderness with Twomey

(By Guest Author: Matt Lapides, SSU Wine Club President) This week the SSU Wine Club was in for a real treat. Twomey Cellers presented their 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir and a three vintage Merlot vertical of 2003, 2004, and 2005. This was the first time the club experienced a vertical tasting. We started with the 2003 and it really represented how a great bottle of wine improves with age. Next was the 2004 and you could already see how the fruit characteristics started to taste brighter and more intense. The 2005 was their current release and definitely was the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:53:50-08:00March 19, 2009|

SSU Wine Club Tastes JAQK Cellars

(By Guest Author: Matt Lapides, SSU Wine Club President) This week the SSU Wine Club was hosted by JAQK Cellars. JAQK is a brand new wine line launched last October and they are hoping to open a tasting room and lounge within the next five years. They spell it J-A-Q-K because it stands for Jack, Ace, Queen, and King. Their bottles were not only pieces of art, but they looked like they came out of a deck of cards. The meeting was co-hosted by Joel Templin, the founder/owner, and Craig MacLean their master winemaker. Everyone had the opportunity to ask [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:32:19-08:00March 4, 2009|

Bus 305W – New Napa Winery Wins

Lastnight we had a blind tasting of 6 red wines. The purpose was to try to identify the four classic red grapes -- pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and merlot – by appearance, nose and palate. We also threw in two other favorites – a zinfandel and malbec – to make it more fun and challenging. Altogether 37 Millennials participated in the tasting, and we voted on our favorite at the end before revealing the label and price. The star of the evening was a cabernet sauvignon from a brand new winery in Napa! Read on for more details and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:32:53-08:00February 26, 2009|

Bus 305W Favorite White Wines

The 40 Millennials in Bus 305W tasted through 6 white wines recently in a blind tasting format. The purpose was to attempt to identify the classic varietals by color, nose, and palate structure. A classic varietal is defined as one which must “have manifested QUALITY over a long period of time, AND have done so in more than one place in the world.” Therefore according to experts such as Jancis Robinson and Karen McNeil, there are 5 classic white grapes: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, chenin blanc, and semillon. We also added a sixth grape which is quite popular with Millennials [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:33:22-08:00February 21, 2009|

Wine Club’s Favorite Valentine Wine

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and everyone is seeking that perfect bottle of wine for a romantic evening. While still wine can be quite enticing, bubbles are usually the preferred drink for Valentine's Day. With this in mind, the SSU Wine Club with 31 millennials met the first week of February to taste 5 sparkling wines. They even tried a sparkling cosmo - made with sparkling wine, vodka and juice. After the vote was taken, a clear favorite emerged -- the Reserve Pinot Noir Rose from Domaine Chandon. ***** Domaine Chandon Reserve Pinot Noir Rose ($30). Everyone was impressed with the beautiful pink [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:53:50-08:00February 13, 2009|

Spend a Saturday in Suisun Valley

Since I am fortunate enough to live in Sonoma County, I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of wineries in Sonoma and Napa over the past 8 years. However, it wasn’t until yesterday that I visited the very charming and friendly Suisun Valley. Situated only 20 minutes south of Napa and only a short 1 hour drive from San Francisco, it is the perfect one-day get-away. It seems amazing that after exiting I-80 onto Suisun Valley Road that within 5 minutes you are transported back in time to a gentle sleepy valley of vineyards, quaint wineries, friendly restaurants and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:52-07:00January 21, 2009|

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