Grgich Hills Estate, in Rutherford, in the Napa Valley, was founded in 1977 by Mike Grgich. Grgich earned fame in 1976 when the Chardonnay he produced as winemaker at Chateau Montelena won first prize among white wines at the now famous Paris Wine Tasting. The estate has 366 acres of vineyards in American Canyon, Carneros, Yountville, Rutherford and Calistoga and…
Lillian Winery recently made small waves in the wine buying community by doing away with their mailing list and releasing the 2010 Syrah on a first-come, first-served basis. Maggie Harrison, who learned the craft from Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non, has been making widely-acclaimed Syrah at Lillian since the 2004 vintage. In years past, the wine was always sold…
The 2000 Branaire Ducru was the winning bottle in the September installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours and paired with a hearty beef stew. Chateau Branaire Ducru is a Fourth Growth Bordeaux according to the official classification of 1855. The 123-acre estate is in St.-Julien on the left bank of the Gironde River.…
Vieux Donjon was formed in 1966 by Marcel Michel. The current iteration came about in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie José Michel. Both Lucien and Marie José’s parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holdings were combined to form Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards, thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted…
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. The wine is 80% Grenache sourced from Teldeschi and Rossi Ranch Vineyards, 15% Mourvèdre from Bedrock Vineyard and 5% Syrah. 15.5% ABV. Bright crimson in color. Intoxicating aromas of raspberry liqueur, kirsch and…
The September 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…
Switchback Ridge wines are sourced from the Peterson Family Vineyard in Calistoga. The property has been in the Peterson Family since 1914 and was replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah in 1990. Bob Foley has been the winemaker since the inaugural vintage in 1999. Opaque purple in color. 15.5% ABV. Nose of cassis, tar and dark fruits. Plums,…
Ponzi Vineyards was founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in 1970 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The winery, along with other iconic Oregon wineries like Eyrie, Adelsheim and Sokol Blosser, paved the way for what is now one of the most exciting Pinot Noir regions in the world. Ponzi produces a number of wines including Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, but it…
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. Ueberroth Vineyard is situated close to the ocean in Paso Robles. It was planted in 1885 and is the oldest vineyard from which Turley sources fruit. The wine is still purple…
Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from several 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. Purple in color. 15% ABV. Ripe, brambly…