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. Cheers!
Author: Tom Lee
2004 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous – Bottle Notes
Clos Saint Jean was founded in 1900 in Chateauneuf du Pape and is still a small, family-run operation. The estate produces 12,500 cases annually. Brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel run the business. Clos Saint Jean primarily produces Chateauneuf du Pape, including the Vieilles Vignes and several special cuvées including the Combe des Fous and Deus-Ex Machina. The late Philippe Cambie was…
2020 Sandlands Mataro Contra Costa County – 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,…
2019 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Banfield Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Limerick Lane Cellars is in the Russian River Valley just south of the town of Healdsburg. The Del Fava family planted the oldest currently producing vineyard at Limerick Lane in 1910, a field blend consisting mostly of Zinfandel. In 1977, the Del Favas sold their thirty acre property to brothers Michael and Tom Collins. The two brothers began by selling…
2016 Ridge Lytton Springs – Bottle Notes
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. John Olney is Head…
The Week in Zinfandel (8/25/25)
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. Cheers!
1999 Marcarini Barolo Brunate – Bottle Notes
Marcarini Winery dates back six generations. The Marcarini estate covers 25 hectares and is situated in La Morra in Piedmont. In sourcing fruit for their Barolo, the family owns vineyard plots in La Morra comprising two of the areas best vineyards, Brunate and La Serra. Each is bottled as a separate wine. The wines of Marcarini are fiercely traditional. Light…
2014 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Bucher 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…
2018 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard – Bottle Notes
Turley Wine Cellars was founded in 1993 by Larry Turley and specializes in small lots of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from some of California’s most historic and treasured vineyards. Turley now makes right around 28 separate Zinfandels some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and has been instrumental in…
The Week in Zinfandel (8/18/25)
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. Cheers!