Aston Estate was founded in 2001 by Fred Schrader, founder of Schrader Cellars, Chuck Sweeney, co-founder of Vine Cliff and Thomas Rivers-Brown. Several years ago TRB bought out the other two founders and became the sole owner. Aston Estate is located near the remote township of Annapolis, approximately five miles from the coast. I was on the mailing list early…
Author: Tom Lee
The Week in Zinfandel (11/13/23)
Welcome to the latest 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. Happy reading!
2018 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s Heritage – Bottle Notes
Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from many 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. Lorenzo’s Heritage comes from Teldeschi Ranch in…
Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #74 – Bottle Notes
The history of Marietta Cellars goes over 40 years. It is a true American success story that merits the attention of every red wine drinker who wants to drink exceptional wines at fair prices. Marietta Cellars was founded by Chris Bilbro in 1978. After Chris passed away his son Scot took over most of the responsibilities of running the winery. Old…
2021 Sandlands Zinfandel Kirschemann Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Sandlands is the personal project of Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua. Tegan is the Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Turley. The line-up encompasses some of the forgotten classic California varieties, primarily grown in decomposed granite from regions and vineyards that have been farmed for many generations but have remained the outliers of California viticulture. The wines made at Sandlands include Syrah,…
2006 Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis – Bottle Notes
Domaine Isabel Ferrando is owned by Isabel Ferrando who created the estate when she purchased 3.9 hectares of vines. The goal was to create a wine that was distinct from Domaine Saint Prefert, her other Southern Rhone winery. The wine is 100% old vine Grenache made from grapes ranging from 65-100 years of age. 2004 was the debut vintage. Dark…
My Odyssey of Buying a New Cooling Unit for the Wine Cellar
My wine cellar was built in 2007 shortly after moving into my new house. The house dates back to the 1940’s and has a daylight basement. I converted a spare bedroom on the east side of the basement into a cellar. The cellar was built to pretty much ideal specs with a vapor barrier, insulation, etc. The one modification I…
2013 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Kosta Browne was founded in the late nineties by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne and has always focused on Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. The winery has changed hands several times. Most recently Kosta Browne was purchased by Duckhorn Wine Company. The waiting list for the Appellation wines is 18 months long and for the coveted 4…
The Week in Zinfandel (11/6/23)
Welcome to the latest 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. Happy reading!
2020 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – 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. Many of these vineyards are heritage sites planted by Italian immigrants and date back to the late 1800s . The 2020 Sonoma County is sourced from some of the best sites in the valley.…









