Joe Martin established St. Francis Vineyard in 1971, planting 22 acres of Chardonnay and the first 60 acres of Merlot in Sonoma Valley. After achieving great success as a grower, Joe opened his own St. Francis Winery in 1979 with his business partner Lloyd Canton. Katie Madigan is the winemaker who oversees the Zinfandel program. Sourced from a number of…
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,…
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 50 separate wines from 47 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and…
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. Lodi Wine Blog writes A Homemade Linguiça Meal and Spice-Friendly Lodi Wines. Isaac Baker reviews the 2019 Frank Family Zinfandel. Virginie Boone writes Dave Phinney, the Prisoner and…
Rochioli is one of the true pioneers in Russian River Valley, with a winemaking history dating back to the the late 1950′s. In 1987 Rochioli released their first estate wine, the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir. Although best known for their world class Pinot Noir, Rochioli also produces remarkable Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery has published a detailed map of…
Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The July Zinfandel of the Month is the 2019 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County. I chose this wine as…
Saxum Vineyards is located in the Paso Robles AVA of Central California. Founded in the early 2000’s by Justin Smith, a young winemaker who had previously been part-owner of Linne Calodo, Saxum leapt into the limelight in late 2010 when its 2007 James Berry Vineyards wine was named the #1 Wine of 2010 by Wine Spectator. Smith owns the winery…
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. Randy Caparoso writes Mettler Family Takes Another Giant Step with Two Vineyard-Designates Zinfandels. Ridge Wine Blog writes Large Format Bottles and Ageability. Catherine Todd writes The Wine Area…
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 2005 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée was the winning bottle in the June Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant the bottle and served it with a Chicken Caesar salad. Not a traditional food pairing but it worked on a hot Summer night in Seattle The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape…