We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from July 4, 2001:

For dessert:

96 Kracher TBA #5 Zweigelt (Rosé, though it doesn't say so on label)--Actually more of a burnt orange color, like if you left a bottle of Tavel sitting in the sun for a couple summers. The bouquet is all orange blossoms and delicate roses (not like the fullish perfume of a Mr. Lincoln). The wine is pretty thick but silky textured. Very suave, a bit low in acid. Lots of sugar, hints of light red berry flavors, rose preserves, and more than a passing similarity to some lavender and violet jelly that I have (made in Canada). It's been a long time since I've had the liqueur known as Crème Yvette, but the sensual impression the wine made on me is similar to it (but much lower in alcohol at 9%). If you prefer your sweet wines on the acid-structured side (say to accompany dessert or foie gras), Parker's initial 88 rating is fair. But if you savor a sweet wine to finish off a meal on its own, and you let the wine charm you with its voluptuous appearance, a score of 91-92 would not be out of proportion.