Publisher description -- Notes on a California Cellarbook is an altogether personal look back through thirty years of tasting notes to find the California wines (and most particularly the vineyards) that have given Bob Thompson the most pleasure. Discarding any pretense at objectivity, Bob Thompson's recommendations are unscientific, quirky, and highly selective--twenty Cabernet Sauvignons out of more than three hundred, thirty Chardonnays out of some five hundred. Wineries of great reputation make no appearance while unsung properties take prominent places for the simple reason that enjoyment does not always cost a fortune. The most urgent criterion for Thompson's selection has been how much the wines have improved his dinners and made happy the friends at his table. Bob Thompson tells us what a wine tastes like and, by extension, whether it's worth seeking out.