I know you have heard the expression you have to kiss a lot of toads to get a prince. Here is a toad you can kiss again and again and get a prince of a wine every time. I am amazed at two things about this wine; the quality and the price.

Name: Eye of The Toad
Year: 2006 (2007 is currently on the web site and probably for retail)
Winery: Toad Hollow Vineyards
Region/Country: Sonoma County
Varietal: Pinot Noir
ALC by Vol: 12%

One toad? $3.00 approximately
One bottle of Eye of the Toad? $9.99
A wine seller who can find wines like this? Priceless.

I have discussed wine cellars. But there is another to be considered and this one is the wine seller. It is pronounced the same. But one of the best things about having a wine seller that you build a relationship with is that they will introduce you to interesting wines that you can go back to again and again, and your only cost is the price of the wine. They are happy when you are happy.

I am going to share the name of my wine seller with you in a future telephone interview. I'd have to say that her wine picking average is around .750. In other words, her recommendations are right on the money three out of four times. That's pretty good I'd say. If my lotto average was that good . . . Well let's say I would not be storing my wine in cardboard boxes.

My wine seller introduced me to Eye of The Toad. I have had it before and have just bought my second case. I really like it. The name Toad came from a nickname of one of the owners of the vineyard, Todd Williams. I am guessing that the people who knew and loved Todd, lovingly called him Toad. I am guessing that because I have only known one other Todd in my day and people who knew him well called him Toad. I am not sure if the name of the wine came from the color of Todd Williams' eye or not. I guess that will be part of the legend someday.

This wine is a light red color. It comes in a clear bottle with a yellow cork made out of plastic. The cork has a picture of a standing toad with a wine glass in an up stretched left hand, with a cane in the right. The label is equally interesting. Picture a Toad and an Owl sitting at a wooden table with a sign overhead that says, "Toad Hollow".

The nose of this wine has a hint of raspberry and strawberry. The wine itself, has a light champagne taste much like a rose' brut. We drink Korbel Rose' Brut during the holidays in December that has a similar taste on the palate. The wine is dry. If your tastes run to the Italian Riunite or German Riesling don't get this one.

This one is dry with a very light fizz. I am not sure if it is malolactic fermentation in the bottle or not. Sulfite is supposed to inhibit the malolactic process, but it does not stop it completely. It is very nice. It is not a sparkling wine on purpose. It just turned out that way in "my" glass. Technically it is not a sparkling. There are little bubbles that form on the side of the glass. I would chill this wine to a tad bit colder than cellar temperature to bring out the berry nose and flavor. Get the temperature around 50 degrees or so, maybe 45. This wine was bottled on November 11, 2006.

As stated above, I was able to get a case of the 2006 but I note from the web site that the 2007 is in the market and probably available where you are. The web site is really nice since it gives you a list by state of the distributors that carry the the Toad Hollow Cellar label. Go to the map of the US, select your state and it will list where the wine is available.

This is a great wine to have on a late spring or summer afternoon to enjoy with another couple or two as the prelude to a steak barbeque where you will be serving something a little heavier like sirloin with a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel.

Eye of the Toad

Until next time, let me know what is on your mind, and how you are doing, O.K.? you can drop me a comment any time.

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Jim Fortune - Bella Online Wine Guy