Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and Ryan Johnson and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. The winemakers contributing to the “Collaboration Series” is a Who’s Who of Washington winemakers including Ben Smith, Carolyn Lakewold, Chris Gorman, James Mantone, Mark McNeilly and Mike…
Located in the Anderson Valley, Navarro Vineyards 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 a delicious Zinfandel and their whites are noteworthy with a one-of-a-kind Riesling, Gewurztaminer and Muscat Blanc. Very light in…
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 September Zinfandel of the Month is the 2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Vineyard. Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was…
The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the Chateau from the Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classified Growths. The first Cru Bourgeois list was drawn up by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce in 1932, selecting 444 estates for the classification. A substantial revision of the classification in 2003 reduced the number of Chateau listed to 247.…
Betz Family Winery was founded in 1997 by Bob & Cathy Betz. Critical acclaim from local and national wine publications has put Betz Family Winery at the forefront of Washington wines alongside Cayuse, Leonetti and Quilceda Creek. The winery was sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel four years ago. Bob Betz is still the Winemaker and from what I hear…
Stony Hill Vineyard was founded in 1943 when Fred and Eleanor McCrea bought a goat ranch on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley, California. In in 1947 they planted Chardonnay vineyards and in 1952 they had their debut release. Today the winery is run by son Peter McCrea and though the estate still is best known for Chardonnay, it also produces…
Lauren Ashton Cellars was founded in 2009 by Kit Singh. A Dentist by profession, Kit’s passion for wine was fueled by trips to Napa, Sonoma and Europe’s best known wine regions. Kit’s enology background includes classes at UC Davis and Seattle Community College along with an internship at Delille Cellars. The inspiration for the name of the winery was Kit’s…
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 28 separate wines from 35 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and has been…
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 . They have also recently added their first whites, two blends from historic, old-vine vineyards plus Sonoma…
The 1996 Léoville-Poyferré was the winning bottle in the August installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for an hour and served with Beef Stew. Château Léoville-Poyferré is in St.-Julien. The estate is a Second Growth Bordeaux. Along with Léoville-Las-Cases and Léoville-Barton, Léoville-Poyferré was part of a large estate in the Medoc owned by the Marquis de Léoville.…