The 2000 Grand Puy-Lacoste was the winning bottle in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 3 hours and served with a homemade meatloaf. The history of Grand-Puy-Lacoste is fascinating and dates back to the 16th century. The name Grand-Puy comes from the ancient term “puy” which means “hillock, small height”. The vineyard sits…
It is the time of the year where every wine blogger publishes their lists of Wines of the Year or Values of the Year, etc. Although I try to blog about all the wines I taste it is clear that Zinfandel is definitely my grape of choice. With that in mind here are my top 10 Zinfandels of 2017 and…
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. Cheers! Pull That Cork writes A Celebration of Lodi Zinfandel on #ZinDay. Cliff’s Wine Picks reviews the 2015 Macchia Zinfandel Mischievous Old Vine. Vino-Sphere writes Dry Creek Vineyards: Sonoma…
The family run estate of Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier dates back to 1863. This was initially a 4-hectare Chambolle domaine but since Frédéric took back the family’s old Nuits St-Georges Monopole, Clos de la Maréchale, from Faiveley in 2004, the Domaine has increased to 13 hectares. Their are 7 wines currently being produced at Mugnier with the Bonnes Mares and Musigny being…
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 December Zinfandel of the Month is the 2015 Bucklin Ancient Field Blend Old Hill Ranch. Bucklin Winery…
The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Bordeaux from the heralded 2000 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. 2000 was simply one of the best vintages ever in Bordeaux. It was the first vintage…
Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley producers, Beaucastel grows all 13 of the grapes permitted in the appellation and the estate uses an unusually high percentage of Mourvèdre in its red wines, usually around 30%, along with 30% Grenache and smaller amounts of Syrah,…
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. Cheers! Paso Robles Daily News writes Best Local Zinfandel and Italian-Style Wines for the Holidays. Cliff’s Wine Picks reviews the 2015 Truett-Hurst The Fugitive. WineCompass writes A Tale…
Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from many of California’ s most treasured and historic vineyards. The lineup of wines at Bedrock is expanding rapidly, but I think the best of the best are the ancient vineyard Zinfandels, Morgan is clearly passionate about. Limerick Lane Vineyard is just south of…
In 1967 Joseph Swan purchased a small farm on Laguna Road near the town of Forestville in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. The property consisted of 13 acres of old Zinfandel vines, fruit trees and pasture along with several structures including an old barn and a nearly 100 year old house. In 1968 Joe made wine from the few…