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. I’ve lost track of the number of wines Morgan makes, but Syrah and Zinfandel seem to be the specialties. The 2011 North Coast Syrah is a blend of declassified Alder Springs and Hudson T…
Robert Dwyer of Wellesley Wine Blog recently tweeted a less-than-favorable impression of 2010 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah. I respect Robert’s palate and think my tastes are somewhat aligned with his, so I was surprised that he did not enjoy a staple from one of my favorite producers. I began to wonder: Has the “recipe” at Carlisle changed? I’ve had the…
Chateau Puech Haut is in Saint-Drezery, a small village northeast of Montpellier. In Provence, a ‘Puech’ means a small hill. A ‘Puech Haut’ is a hill higher than the others. This wine comes from 60-70 year old vines and is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Carignan. Aged half in concrete and half in neutral…
The release of the 2010 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon to mailing list members began last week. As in years past, there seems to be a movement on the various wine boards to knock Quilceda Creek off of it’s pedestal. A common opinion is that Quilceda Creek is not worthy of the “inflated” scores it received from Jay Miller of the…
The 1996 Lynch Bages was the leading vote getter in January’s Pick My Next Bottle survey. The winery is located in Pauillac, and is designated a 5th growth as determined by the classification of 1855. At release time, the wine received a rating of 93 points from the Wine Advocate. I purchased this bottle on release and the cork was in…
Betz Family Winery was founded in 1997 by Bob & Cathy Betz. Critical acclaim from local and national wine publications has put Betz Family Winery at the forefront of Washington wines alongside Cayuse, Leonetti and Quilceda Creek. Although the winery was recently sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel (with Bob Betz remaining on as the winemaker), I expect quality will…
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 1996 Bordeaux. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on January 26 and publishing an in-depth Bottle Note on the 28th. 1996…
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. The fruit for the 2009 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was sourced from the Suacci and Sapphire Hill Vineyards. Garnet in color.…
Rochioli is one of the true pioneers in Russian River Valley, with a winemaking history dating back to the the late 1950′s. Although best known for their world class Pinot Noir, Rochioli also produces remarkable Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve blogged about Rochioli previously in Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings and the Fab 5 of Mailing Lists. Three Corner Vineyard is…