Welcome to the third 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! Virginia Pour House writes about Storybook Mountain Vineyards. Ted Scheffler of the Salt Lake City Weekly writes about Ravenswood Wines. Eric Asimov of the NY Times, in…
Author: Tom Lee
Zinfandel of the Month – 2008 Black Sears Zinfandel
Zinfandel of the Month is a new feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. For background please see the first installment published last October. 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 July Zinfandel of the Month is the…
2007 Araujo Sauvignon Blanc – Bottle Notes
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.…
2009 Carlisle Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands – Bottle Notes
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. Bright purple in color. 15.0% ABV. 100% Syrah from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Powerful nose of black fruits, smoke and flowers. Super fresh with fabulous acidity. Iron, game, blood, violets and white pepper…
The Week in Zinfandel (6/30/14)
Welcome to the second rendition of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or article please drop me a note and I will be sure to include it next week. Salud! Musings on the Vine writes about the 2011 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Contra Costa County. Liz Young of the Columbus Dispatch writes about Zanon Cellars. George Edwards of…
2001 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottle Notes
The 2001 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon was the winning bottle in the June installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I decanted the wine for an hour and paired it with pan fried sirloin steaks. Spottswoode is a family owned winegrowing estate located on the western edge of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. The 46 acre estate, established in 1882, is…
The Wines of Chris Figgins
Chris Figgins, son of Leonetti Cellar founder Gary Figgins, assumed full responsibility for winemaking at Leonetti in 2001. FIGGINS was launched in 2008 with the idea of making one wine from a single estate vineyard. Toil Oregon, a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir project, was launched in 2012. Chris is also the winemaker for Doubleback which is owned by longtime friend…
2007 Sojourn Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley. The winery specializes in Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and recently added a Chardonnay to the lineup. Their fruit is sourced from some of California’s finest vineyards. Gap’s Crown Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast is situated directly east of and overlooks the Sangiacomo Vineyard on Roberts Road near Cotati…
2004 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Forchini Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Williams Selyem Winery began when Ed Selyem and Burt Williams started making wine as a hobby in 1979 in Forestville, California. Their first commercial release was in 1981, and in less than two decades they created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the forefront…
The Week in Zinfandel (6/23/14)
I’m excited to introduce a new feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Each week I will publish a compilation of Zinfandel related content collected from blogs and writers I follow. Welcome to The Week in Zinfandel. As always I appreciate your feedback and interaction. Cheers! Michelle Williams of Rockin Red Blog writes about Cline Cellars: A Zinful Celebration Paul Draper of Ridge…







