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…
The 2006 Janasse Chaupin was the winning bottle in the November installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours. Domaine de la Janasse is located in Courthezon, in the Southern Rhone Valley, and it is one of the region’s brightest stars. The Sabon family has been growing grapes in the valley for several generations, but it…
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. Bedrock Vineyard, formerly known as Madrone Ranch,…
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 recently published a detailed map of…
Jean-Paul Thévenet is one of the Gang of Four of Beaujolais (the others being Guy Breton, Jean Foillard and Marcel Lapierre) and perhaps best embodies the traditional qualities that these winemakers have championed. Thevenet works a plot of extremely old vines in the Morgon appellation. The average age of the vines is 70 years and they are cultivated organically and…
Black Kite Cellars, a family-run winery in Anderson Valley, specializes in block-designated Pinot Noir from the Kite’s Rest Vineyard. Founded by Donald and Maureen Green in 2003, Black Kite is named for the beautiful but endangered Black Shouldered Kite that is native to the Anderson Valley. Jeff Gaffner of Saxon Brown is the consulting winemaker. The Kite’s Rest is their…
Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make Pinot Noir in Oregon. However, on a visit to Walla Walla he found property that he believed would be perfect for growing grapes and decided to purchase…
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. The grapes for Dehlinger Wines are largely grown on the Estate Vineyard in the Russian…
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…
Bonny Doon Vineyard began with an attempt to replicate Burgundy in California. Randall Grahm realized early on that he would have far more success working with Rhône varieties in the Central Coast of California. In 1986 Bonny Doon Vineyard released the inaugural vintage of Le Cigare Volant, an homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and this continues as the winery’s flagship/starship brand. Over…