The 2006 Lillian Syrah was the runner up in the December installment of Pick My Next Bottle. As promised I am opening a bottle to post a Bottle Note since the vote was so close. Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years before moving to Oregon to take over the wine making…
There have been Pavelot’s in Savigny for many generations, this particular domaine traditionally moving from father to son. Father Jean Marc and son Hugues Pavelot are the driving force behind Domaine Pavelot at present. For a long time, the main outlet for the Pavelots was the negociants of Beaune, even 15 years ago as much as 25% of their product…
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh 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. Rivers-Marie also does several single vineyard Cabernets and a Chardonnay. In addition to making his own wine, Thomas serves as a…
Avennia was founded in 2012 by Partner/Winemaker Chris Peterson and Managing Partner Marty Taucher. Chris was the first graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s Enology & Viticulture program, and spent the better part of the last decade making wine at Delille Cellars. Chris and Marty’s appreciation for Old World winemaking is reflected in the name: Avennia is inspired by the…
I was recently asked to participate in a live tasting of three field blend Zinfandels from Dry Creek Valley. If you have read my blog long enough you know this is the equivalent of asking my 10 year old boy if he would like to go shopping at GameStop. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. Dry Creek Valley…
Araujo Estate is a 38-acre vineyard in northeast Napa Valley, east of Calistoga. It was established in 1990 when Bart and Daphne Araujo bought the historic vineyard from Milt and Barbara Eisele, who planted the vines in the 1960s. For nearly 40 years the Eisele Vineyard has been known as one of the valley’s great vineyards, consistently producing outstanding wines.…
Zinfandel of the Month is a new feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. For a little background please see the first installment published three months ago. 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 January Zinfandel of the Month…
Previously known as Grand Rêve, Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and Ryan Johnson. Force Majeure pairs 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…
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…
Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley producers, Beaucastel grows all 13 of the grapes permitted in the appellation and the estate uses an unusually high percentage of Mourvèdre in its red wines, usually around 30%, along with 30% Grenache and smaller amounts of Syrah,…