One of the best things you can do as a wine consumer is join (or form) a tasting group. There’s nothing better that getting together with friends who share your passion for wine and pulling the cork on a few great bottles. If you have any doubts, here are some notes from a recent tasting lunch with some Seattle wine…
Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make Pinot Noir in Oregon. However, on a visit to Walla Walla he found property that he believed would be perfect for growing grapes and decided to purchase…
Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike & Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Carlisle Vineyard was planted in 1927 on the eastern bench of the Laguna de Santa Rosa flood plain. Both sides of the Laguna were popular for settlement by Italian immigrants in the early…
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…
When I first became interested in Zinfandel the buzz was always around the Three R’s of Zinfandel: Ravenswood, Rosenblum and Ridge. 20 years later Ridge is still at the top of its game, turning out single vineyard Zinfandel from some of California’s most precious vineyards. Lytton Springs Vineyard dates back to the early 1900’s and is located in the Dry…
I’ve seen a number of recent debates on whether or not fine wine reviews can be effectively crowdsourced. Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator contends that sites like CellarTracker, which crowdsource tasting notes, are not a good measure of the quality of a particular wine. Joe Roberts of 1 Wine Dude and Jon Bonne of the San Francisco Chronicle take…
Paolo di Marchi has run Isole e Olena since the age of 20. The flagship wine at Isole e Olena is Cepparello, a barrique-aged Sangiovese. Paolo planted a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980’s so the estate would not be entirely dependent on Sangiovese. Little did he know that the Cabernet would later rival Cepparello in both quality…
Williams Selyem Winery began with Ed Selyem and Burt Williams making wine as a hobby in 1979 in a garage in Forestville, California, releasing their first commercial vintage in 1981. In less than two decades, Burt and Ed created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley…
The long awaited offer for the Schrader lineup of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignons arrived this morning. Schrader has once again held the line on pricing at $175 bottle. Admittedly this is not an inexpensive wine but given what the wine sells for in the aftermarket, Schrader should be commended for not raising prices. Below is the offer letter from Schrader. “I…
Previously known as Grand Rêve, Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and Ryan Johnson. Force Majeure pairs some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of the state’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. Carolyn Lakewold of Donedei made this wine for Force Majeure. 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot.…