Betz Family Winery was founded in 1997 by Bob & Cathy Betz. Critical acclaim from local and national wine publications has put Betz Family Winery at the forefront of Washington wines alongside Cayuse, Leonetti and Quilceda Creek. The winery was sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel five years ago. Louis Skinner, a longtime assistant of Bob’s, is now the full…
Received email today that the Cayuse Release Party was cancelled. This follows on the heels of last week’s Betz Release Party being cancelled. On a larger scale Taste Washington was also cancelled. This all makes sense. Having 100’s if not 1000’s of people mingling in a confined space spitting into buckets sounds problematic right now. I’m actually surprised that The…
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Ken’s Wine Guide reviews the 2017 Turley Zinfandel Fredericks Vineyard. Napa Valley Register writes Zinfandel Weekend in Paso Robles March 20-22. Elin McCoy writes Great Deals in California…
Marcarini Winery dates back six generations. The Marcarini estate covers 25 hectares and is situated in La Morra in Piedmont. In sourcing fruit for their Barolo, the family owns vineyard plots in La Morra comprising two of the areas best vineyards, Brunate and La Serra. Each is bottled as a separate wine. The wines of Marcarini are fiercely traditional. This…
Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Many of these vineyards are heritage sites planted by Italian immigrants and date back to the late 1800s . Carlisle also recently released their first Cabernet Sauvignon from Montecillo Vinyard and a Russian River…
Clos Saint Jean was founded in 1900 in Chateauneuf du Pape and is still a small, family-run operation. The estate produces 12,500 cases annually. Brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel run the business. Clos Saint Jean primarily produces Chateauneuf du Pape, including the Vieilles Vignes and several special cuvees including the Combe des Fous and Deus-Ex Machina. In 2002, Philippe Cambie…
Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and specializes in small lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from some of California’s most historic and treasured vineyards. Turley now makes right around 28 separate wines from 35 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and…
Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make Pinot Noir in Oregon. However, on a visit to Walla Walla he found property that he believed would be perfect for growing grapes and decided to purchase…
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Ken’s Wine Guide reviews the Three Wine Zinfandel Red Label. Dan Dawson writes Choose Decoy for Tasty, Value, Local Wines. Isaac Baker reviews the 2017 Frank Family Vineyards…
Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The March Zinfandel of the Month is the 2016 Brown Estate Zinfandel. I chose the 2016 Brown Estate…