Narsai David Food & Wine Report: Two Sonoma Wines

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— I have two delicious and affordable Sonoma County wines for you to try this week. First the 2010 Valley of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon possesses a rich, deep-red shade and a lush-ripe cherry taste that rolls right onto the palate. Or is it cherry pie?

Spice and a bit of oak backs it up leaving behind a pleasant mouth feel. There's enough tannin for balance and it's actually worth aging for a couple of years. At $23 a bottle it's an incredible value. You could drink it now with a red-meat stew or some barbecue.

The 2011 Kenwood from the Jack London Vineyard Zinfandel has a medium garnet color and is sparkly in appearance. Not necessarily sparkly with bubbles, but truly in color.

This is a wine meant for drinking with food. It's certainly not a fruit-bomb on the palate like so many zinfandels have become in recent years. There's plenty of raspberry and enough tannin for a backbone.

This wine needs about a year of age to develop some complexity, but right now it would be fine with a spicy pizza or again, some barbecue.

This Sonoma Valley zinfandel goes for about $20.

Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

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