#NSO wine No Special Occasion wine

[wine-porn]

Don't Call it Petite

This could be the new gateway-wine to the un-initiated on *weird varieties* (or “weird varietals” as they would say). Gone is the shear wall of structural blackness and obfuscation often seen, and in its place a sweetish, fruit-FWD drop unassuming on first sight, but packed with all the goodness of PV. Impenetrable black ruby in the glass with blue edges, ridiculously staining, a nose of dusty…

View On WordPress

#Best wine reviews #Central Coast Critic #Central Coast Wines #Dusty Nabor #Los Olivos District AVA #NSO #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Petit Verdot #Petite verdot #Santa Barbara Co #santa barbara wine country #Santa Ynez Valley #soif #Soif Wine Blog #Stephen McConnell #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Yellow Bargain

Bright legal-pad in the glass, an almost florescent canary of yellow. Muted nose of soft flowery petals and slight neutral must, teensy bits of banana, blueberry and fresh-mowed lawn in a quiet, rich part of town–but all vefry muted and aligned. Similarly muted on the palate, nothing explosive here: just good, plain old Chard un-manipulated into oblivion for the bling-jeans and garish-nails…

View On WordPress

#Anything But Chardonnay #Best wine reviews #Central Coast Critic #Chardonnay #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Santa Barbara Co #Santa Rita Hills #soif #Soif Wine Blog #Stephen McConnell #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

The Special Occasion

I don’t know when this one drops, but you’d be wise to get on the list. Such an amazing little wine: so FRESH, so packed with young wiry fruit, so Cotes du Rhone, the pithy cherry shielded under a glaze of thin raspberry while graceful vegetal green-ness sullies and expands the nose along leathery layers into dirty brightness and mineral aplomb. The blue-purple rim tells the same story, and the…

View On WordPress

#Best wine reviews #Central Coast Critic #Cool Climate Syrah #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Santa Barbara Co #Santa Rita Hills #soif #Soif Wine Blog #Stephen McConnell #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #Syrah #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Not So Expensive

In the grand scheme of sub-30$ pinots, there’s not a whole number of contenders. ABC obviously. A couple Hitching Post’s. J. Lohr Falcon’s Perch. DeLoach and a smattering of entry-level Sonomas… There’s a few out there. But this one here takes the cake. Clear ruby-garnet in the glass, a grimy, perfectly vegetal nose expressing ridiculous dry berry and pure pinot funk. Gritty and piquant on the…

View On WordPress

#Best wine reviews #Central Coast #Central Coast Critic #Cheap Pinot Noir #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Pinot Noir #Santa Barbara Co #Santa Rita Hills #soif #Soif Wine Blog #Stephen McConnell #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Electrified

This wine is a bit of a nostalgic return: Dusty Nabor’s FIRST wine was his flagship cab from El Pomar District. He has since moved sourcing for that bottle to Happy Canyon, but here we have a joyful return to Paso Robles for his bargain second label series: No Special Occasion. Nearly impenetrable clear ruby in the glass with wide, staining pink edges. A nose unmistakably Paso: rich and a touch…

View On WordPress

#Bargain red wine #Cabernet Sauvignon #Dusty Nabor #Dusty Nabor wines #El Pomar District #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Paso Robles #Puerto Electrica Block #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #Templeton #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Nightly Syrah Orgasm

The nose on this one is all Nothern Rhone, and the taste brings a bit more southern aspects into play. It’s a nice grasp of green vegetal and California warmth brought together in a very friendly wine for fans of both. And considering the price-point: who could ask for anything more? Bright purple-red in the glass, glycerin-y measures of ripeness glow off the bouquet over a sweltering ration of…

View On WordPress

#Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Santa Barbara Co #santa barbara wine country #Santa Rita Hills #Santa Ynez Valley #second labels #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #Syrah #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

hashtag red blend

Been jonesin’ to try this one for a while… These are smokin little wines–inexpensive as all get-out–single-AVA bargain wonders as only a second label or negociant can do. Plus, I adore Happy Canyon/Los Olivos bordeauxs: I think they can express some of the best versions in California, while being relatively unknown world- or even nation-wide. Ridiculous young vibrancy in the glass: all dense…

View On WordPress

#Bordeaux Blend #Cabernet Sauvignon #Claret #Dusty Nabor wines #Happy Canyon #Los Olivos District #Malbec #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Petit Verdot #Red blend #Santa Ynez Valley #second labels #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

No Special Occasion

Nothing like a big, blustery Chard to wake you up after a long stretch of far lighter whites and Chablis. The price-point on this one doesn’t dictate it should be a sophisticated, acidic wonder, and the nose comes off big and rich, packed with butternut squash, roux and toasty almond paste. Certain dark tropical fruitiness resides as well: mango and papaya–drippingly ripe–caught in a sultry,…

View On WordPress

#Chardonnay #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Santa Barbara Co #Santa Rita Hills #Santa Ynez Valley #second labels #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Movin on Up

Staying over on the East-side of Paso tonight–sticking with the BDX varieties, but less than half the price of yesterdays. And… alcohols down in manageable levels. This is a beautiful wine, and the bang-for-the-buck is SHOCKING. When you look a Paso’s still-affordable cabs: the Ancient Peak’s, the Donati’s, the Sculptera’s, the Broken Earth’s, the J.Lohr’s, the Broadside’s, the Powell…

View On WordPress

#Cabernet #Cabernet Sauvignon #Dusty Nabor #Dusty Nabor wines #El Pomar District #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Paso cabernet #Paso Robles #Paso robles Cabernet #Paso Robles Cabernet Collective #Paso Robles Eastside wineries #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Meritage-Shmeritage

While the *Red Blend* category of wine is populated with crazy labels and whimsical names–and represents the #1-selling red wine product marketed to Americans, it is a section of the store most of the wine 1 percent avoid, as they tend to be marketed to the lowest common denominator of consumer: an easy grab, a flashy bottle, probably a trendy producer, and “Red Wine” requires no difficult…

View On WordPress

#Ballard Canyon #BDX Blend #Bordeaux blend.Red Blend #California red blend #Claret #Dusty Nabor wines #Meritage #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Red blend #Red Wine #Santa Barbara Co #santa barbara wine country #Santa Ynez Valley #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

À la Carte

Heady perfume in the glass. Cordial cherry and apple pie with vanilla ice cream à la carte after a meal of beef and asparagus. In the mouth, the sweet plumminess of warmer versions of the variety takes on a smooth, refreshing glow, dark and vibrant, rosy licorice, with a slight ping of pepper in the finish.

Pitch-perfect representation, solid fruit, nothing weird, good clean winemaking. You…

View On WordPress

#Central Coast Critic #Central Coast Wines #Cheap red wine #Dusty Nabor wines #Garnacha #Grenache #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #Paso Robles #PAso robles Rhone wines #SLO Wine Country #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Paso on a Budget

Pretty sure this wine is sold out–as is even current-er vintages–as is happening more and more with this young producers wines. So definitely grab them on release, as they represent some of the greatest values in CA wine these days. NSO is Dusty’s *bargain* label, sourced from some of the same great vineyards his flagship wines are–but all around 20 bucks, making them great school-night…

View On WordPress

#Bargain cabernet #Bargain wines #Cab #Cabernet Sauvignon #Camarillo Wineries #Central coast cabernet #Central Coast Critic #Central Coast Wines #Dusty Nabor #Dusty Nabor wines #Los Angeles wineries #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Paso Robles #Paso robles Cabernet #San Luis Obispo Co #South Coast wineries #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Sweet & Low

Sweet & Low

This is Pinot Noir. The label says so. My nose also tells me it is pinot. Kinda. New-tire and cardboard heads vegetal against a tiny spire of sharp berry. Bell pepper and asparagus left too long in the refrigerator drawer, oranges with green fuzz. Medium garnet–not crystal clear. An odd new-lawn-tractor plasticine and shiny paint odor create dull padding for the fruit that ripens and richens with…

View On WordPress

#Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #Pinot Noir #santa barbara wine country #Santa Rita Hills #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #visitSYV #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Put it in your Mouth

This is a little wet & wild mid-tier cote-rotie beauty. Missing, of course, is the overt funky tapenade and barnyard these wines often exude at these ages and prices. Not completely missing–that would be boring–but there’s no argument a Santa Barbara Syrah at this level is going to have a cherubic zangy ripeness overshadowing some of the earth and vegetal, salinity and dark briar taking its…

View On WordPress

#California syrah #Cheap red wine #Dusty Nabor #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #santa barbara wine country #Santa Rita Hills #SRH #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #Syrah #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

What's The Occasion?

What’s The Occasion?

I don’t know how Dusty makes these wines and sells them for what he does. Gotta be a total loss-leader… which is not a bad marketing plan for a brand new winery, I have to say! They are so inexpensive, and crammed full of all you want in a wine easily double the price.This NO SPECIAL OCCASION WINE is no exception… Brilliant and bright in all the right places… opulent and rich in the spots you…

View On WordPress

#Central Coast Critic #Central Coast Wines #Chardonnay #Cheap chardonnay #Dusty Nabor wines #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #NSO WINES by Dusty Nabor #santa barbara wine country #Santa Rita Hills #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent

[wine-porn]

Everyday Cab

This is a really pleasant wine. Dark ruby, gobs of chocolate and sweet cheery nectar but accented with the spicy burn of spearmint Cabernet and a nice chunk of petrichor. I would pay–and have payed–double what Dusty sells these things for. Gorgeous nose, ripe and flush with spirit.

Dusty Nabor is one of the new kids on the block doing everything right. A premium label of carefully-sourced…

View On WordPress

#Central coast cabernet #Central Coast Critic #Dusty Nabor #NSO wine No Special Occasion wine #NSO wines #Paso robles Cabernet #Paso Robles Wine #Stephen McConnell Wine Blog #Steve McConnell Wine Blog #wine1percent