Welcome to the 5th, annual installment, of the Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings. The intent behind the list is to rank wineries based on the buzz and excitement they create in the wine collecting crowd. The rankings are entirely subjective based on my observations on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Wine Spectator, Wine Berserkers, WineBid and Cellartracker. Factors such as demand…
Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. The winery recently transitioned from Collaboration wines to Estate wines. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family Vineyards, is the winemaker for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There is also…
The 2011 No Girls Syrah was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was opened and served immediately. No Girls Wines is a partnership between famed Cayuse vigneron Christophe Baron and longtime friend and Cayuse general manager, Trevor Dorland. The fruit comes from the Cayuse La Paciencia vineyard, which means patience—appropriate as 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. Cheers! Zinfandel Chronicles writes New Releases from Reichwage Winery. Wine Enthusiast writes Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers of 2017. Wines & Vines writes So Far, an Average Wine…
Reichwage Winery was founded in 2014 by Max Reichwage to fulfill a dream of producing small quantities of classically made Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Max is the owner and winemaker. Before starting the winery in 2014, Max studied chemistry at the University of Michigan, and viticulture and enology at University California Davis. Max owns Twin Hills Vineyard in Sonoma County and…
The history of Marietta Cellars goes back almost 40 years. It is a true American success story that merits the attention of every red wine drinker who wants to drink exceptional wines at fair prices. Marietta Cellars was founded by Chris Bilbro in 1978. In recent years Chris’s sons, Jake and Scot, have taken over most of the responsibilities. Jake and…
The August Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on great bottles from some of the best producers in Washington. 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. The winning bottle will be opened this weekend and a Bottle Note will…
There have been Pavelot’s in Savigny for many generations, this particular domaine traditionally moving from father to son. Father Jean Marc and son Hugues Pavelot are the driving force behind Domaine Pavelot at present. For a long time, the main outlet for the Pavelots was the negociants of Beaune, even 20 years ago as much as 25% of their product…
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! Bloomberg writes We Taste-Test 10 Canned Wines So You Don’t Have To. Isaac Baker writes Lodi Native’s Old Vine Zins Shine in 2014. Honest Wine Reviews reviews…
Dunn Vineyards is located east of St. Helena in the town of Angwin on Howell Mountain. The Winery was established in 1979, with the first harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. In 1981, the first release consisted of 660 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Howell Mountain vineyards. In 1982, Dunn released a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Dunn is one…