Avennia was founded in 2012 by Partner/Winemaker Chris Peterson and Managing Partner Marty Taucher. Chris was the first graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Enology & Viticulture program, and spent the better part of the last decade making wine at Delille Cellars. Chris and Marty’s appreciation for Old World winemaking is reflected in the name: Avennia is inspired by the…
The 1987 Chateau Montelena was the winning bottle in the January installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I purchased this bottle at the winery in the early nineties at the winery and the wine has been cellared at 55 degrees ever since. I decanted the wine for 30 minutes and served it with grilled flank steak. Chateau Montelena dates back…
The 2006 Lillian Syrah was the runner up in the December installment of Pick My Next Bottle. As promised I am opening a bottle to post a Bottle Note since the vote was so close. Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years before moving to Oregon to take over the wine making…
In years past it seemed like mailers for Spring wine delivery arrived in an orderly fashion over the first three months of the year. This year, however, virtually every winery I follow decided to release their wines in the month of January. Below are some quick thoughts on the mailers that have arrived so far: Quilceda Creek – Prices are…
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 15 years ago as much as 25% of their product…
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh have quickly made Rivers-Marie one of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir labels. The winery was founded in 2002 and the first release was the Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir. Rivers-Marie also does several single vineyard Cabernets and a Chardonnay. In addition to making his own wine, Thomas serves as a…
The January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on some old bottles from several of my very favorite Chateaux. 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 Saturday and a Bottle Note will…
Avennia was founded in 2012 by Partner/Winemaker Chris Peterson and Managing Partner Marty Taucher. Chris was the first graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Enology & Viticulture program, and spent the better part of the last decade making wine at Delille Cellars. Chris and Marty’s appreciation for Old World winemaking is reflected in the name: Avennia is inspired by the…
I was recently asked to participate in a live tasting of three field blend Zinfandels from Dry Creek Valley. If you have read my blog long enough you know this is the equivalent of asking my 10 year old boy if he would like to go shopping at GameStop. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. Dry Creek Valley…
Araujo Estate is a 38-acre vineyard in northeast Napa Valley, east of Calistoga. It was established in 1990 when Bart and Daphne Araujo bought the historic vineyard from Milt and Barbara Eisele, who planted the vines in the 1960s. For nearly 40 years the Eisele Vineyard has been known as one of the valley’s great vineyards, consistently producing outstanding wines.…