The 1995 Lynch Bages was the winning bottle in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for almost six hours and served with a roasted trip tip and brussel sprouts cooked in butter and bacon fat. Lynch Bages has a special place in my cellar which I wrote previously about in Life Lessons, Landmarks and Lynch…
Horsepower Vineyards was founded by Christophe Baron in 2011. At its core, Horsepower is about a vigneron working the vineyard with his horse. Horsepower is a return to Christophe’s roots. His family has worked their land in the Marne Valley of France since 1677. As recently as 1957 horses still did all of the vineyard cultivation. The 2011 Grenache Sur…
Dehlinger Winery is located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County and was founded in 1975 by Tom and Carole Dehlinger. Eva Dehlinger took over winemaking duties in 2007. Known for their Pinot Noir, Dehlinger also makes Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Dehlinger Pinot Noir is sourced from the estate vineyards on Vine Hill Road. Goldridge is…
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 . Carlisle Vineyard, planted in 1927, lies in the Piner/Olivet area of the Russian River Valley.…
Outpost Wines was established in 1998 and sits on a pristine piece of land atop Howell Mountain 2200 feet above Napa Valley. Thomas Rivers-Brown has been the winemaker from the start and has gained further acclaim making highly sought after wines for Schrader, Rivers-Marie and many others. Outpost produces Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Right Bank inspired blend called Immigrant. In…
Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique was founded in 1976. Four years later, in 1980, Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique produced, bottled and sold their first wine. Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique is owned by the Bonnet family who are also well-known negociants in the Rhone Valley. La Bastide Saint Dominique is best know for their Secrets de Pignan which is produced from 95%…
Limerick Lane Winery 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…
One of the most collectible Pinot Noirs made in all of Oregon is from a winery you’ve probably never heard of: Thomas Winery. Located in Carlton, Oregon, winemaker John Thomas has been releasing small amounts of wine from the Thomas Vineyard since 1988. I don’t recall ever seeing ratings from the Wine Advocate or the Wine Spectator, and I don’t think…
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. Paul Draper recently…
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Welsh have quickly made Rivers-Marie one of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir labels. The winery was founded in 2002 and the first release was the Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir. In addition to the line up of Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs, Rivers-Marie also makes a several single vineyard Cabernets and Chardonnay. Thomas is…