Dehlinger Winery is located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County and was founded in 1975 by Tom and Carole Dehlinger. Eva Dehlinger took over winemaking duties in 2007. Known for their Pinot Noir, Dehlinger also makes Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is a dark ruby in color. Black cherry and baking spice on the nose. Cinnamon,…
The much anticipated release letter from Saxum arrived today. Not much to note other than well-deserved high praise from critics, pricing consistent with the release last Summer and perhaps the addition of concrete tanks in the winemaking process. I’ve blogged about Saxum previously in Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings and Winery Mailing Lists: The Fab 5. Hard to go wrong on…
Located in the Anderson Valley, Navarro has been producing exceptional, fairly-priced wines since 1974. The winery is best known for its range of Pinot Noirs, including the showstopper Deep End Blend (available through futures). They also produce an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious Zinfandel, and their whites are noteworthy with a one-of-a-kind Riesling, Gewurztaminer and Muscat Blanc. I’ve never…
Leonetti Cellar was founded in 1977 by Gary and Nancy Figgins. Leonetti, along with Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon put premium Washington Cabernet Sauvignon on the radar of wine consumers across the United States. Leonetti also produces one of the very best domestic Merlots. Leonetti is near and dear to me as a wine consumer, and I’ve been on their…
Peay Vineyards is a partnership between Vanessa Wong, and Andy and Nick Peay. Founded in 1998, the 48 acre hilltop vineyard is located in the far northwestern corner of the Sonoma Coast, four miles from the Pacific Ocean. They grow 33 acres of Pinot Noir, 8 acres of Syrah, 5 acres of Chardonnay and small amounts of Viognier, Roussanne and…
Kanzler Vineyards, located in California near Sebasopol, was founded in 1996 by Stephen and Lynda Kanzler. Planted in 1996 in a former apple orchard, the vineyard quickly developed a reputation for producing world class Pinot Noir grapes featured in award winning wines from some of the finest wineries in Northern California, including Kosta Browne, A.P. VIN and Landmark. In 2004,…
The long awaited offer for the 2010 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon arrived today! The most notable item in the release is that Quilceda Creek held the line on pricing. Personally, I think this was a great move on their part (I had previously blogged about this in An Open Letter to Quilceda Creek Winery). The information regarding Champoux Vineyard is…
JM Cellars, located in Woodinville just up the hill from Chateau Ste. Michelle, was founded in 1998 by John and Peggy Bigelow. With encouragement and advice from Peggy’s brother-in-law Mike Januik, John decided to venture into winemaking and in 1998 turned the basement of the family home into a winery. 100 cases were made that first year, most of it…
Angel Vine owners Ed and Laureen Fus moved their family to Oregon in 1997 to pursue their dream of farming a vineyard. The Three Angels Vineyard (named after Laureen and their two daughters) is located in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills and produces Pinot Noir used by several local wineries. Ed eventually decided to make his own wine focusing on single vineyard…
Petite Sirah was first bottled as its own varietal in 1961 by Concannon of California. Known as Durif in France and elsewhere, Petite Sirah was originally misidentified as Syrah when it was planted in California. The term ‘petite’ stems from the relatively small size of the grapes. As recent as 10 years ago very few Washington wineries bottled a Petite…