Winery Spotlight: 2 from Frei Brothers
by Robyn • September 28, 2008 • All Posts, Winery Spotlights • 2 Comments
I still cannot figure out the name of this winery — is it Frei Brothers, or Frei Brothers Reserve? Didn’t it start as just Frei Brothers, and then they tacked on the Reserve some years later? And then “Frei Brothers” started showing up on Redwood Creek bottles at some point. Or maybe it’s always been there…
It’s all part of the Gallo branding machine, and I’m sure there’s plenty of marketing research behind it. Frankly, I find the whole thing mildly annoying, and it seems more like brand dissolution to me, but then again, nobody asked me. (And this mini-rant doesn’t even address the throwing around of ”Reserve,” which often doesn’t mean much beyind a higher price and isn’t regulated in the U.S.)
All that aside, I recently enjoyed both of these wines!
Frei Brothers 2006 Chardonnay Russian River Valley Reserve ($20). Bright pear and apple flavors are accented with generous toasty oak, nutmeg a touch of citrus and cream, with the oak influence driving the persistent finish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area.
Frei Brothers 2006 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Reserve ($30). I liked this wine for its delicate blueberry and black currant flavors that are laced with dried herbal and light earthy notes and toast. Works well with food. Not a particularly ripe style and perhaps not for everyone, but I appreciated its delicacy and light-handedness. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area.
Hi again Glo — I guess you didn’t go back and see my first response to your comment, so I’ll post it again here and also email it to you!
All the Wine Tasting articles have already been incorporated into the new site. Check out the categories on the right side of the homepage. Most of the old Wine Tasting articles have been moved into the Varietal Tasting category, so I think you’ll find what you like there.
I know the new format takes some getting used to, but I think you’ll end up liking it. (I hope!)
Here’s more good news for you — those Varietal Tastings will be updated almost every week, not just every month. So you’ll have even more to choose from.
I am dissappointed in the new web sight. The other one was very user friendly and I used the wine tasing parties regularly- where you gave a theme with six wines and the food pairings. Where is it on the new sight?