Ravenswood was founded in 1976 by Joel Peterson. The winery is a pioneer in producing single vineyard Zinfandels from some of Napa and Sonoma’s most treasured vineyards, including Dickerson, Old Hill, Cooke and Belloni. I used to regularly visited Ravenswood in the summer, when they released their single vineyard wines. Back in the day they also had a BBQ out…
The October installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1997 Super Tuscans (see the July installment for background on this series). I plan on opening the winning bottle on October 25th and publishing an in depth bottle note on the 27th. Back in the late 1990s, 1997 Tuscan wines were widely proclaimed by both producers and reviewers as the…
NFL Super Bowl Champion, All-Pro wide receiver and 1996 number one draft pick Keyshawn Johnson has joined other NFL greats like Drew Bledsoe and Terry Hoage in the winemaking business. Johnson has partnered on this project with R.C. Mills, a Los Angeles restaurant industry veteran. The first release is the 2007 XIX Cabernet Sauvignon from the Eastern Oregon area of…
Christian and Julien Barrot’s Domaine La Barroche arrived on the scene with some very good 2004s, and sensational 2005s, most notably the amazing 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure. The Pure cuvee is made from 100% old vine Grenache planted in sandy soils not far from the legendary Chateau Rayas. It is aged totally in old wood foudres. I decanted this…
Since I launched Zinfandel Chronicles in June I’ve written about some of my favorite Zins from the likes of Turley, Carlisle, Bedrock, Outpost, Brown, Black Sears and Williams Selyem. All of these wines are hard to come by as they are sold primarily through mailing lists, and even then the top bottlings from these producers regularly reach the $50 price…
Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley. The winery specializes in Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and recently added a Chardonnay to the lineup. The fruit is sourced from some of California’s finest vineyards. The grapes for the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir are primarily sourced from the Southern end of the Sonoma Coast appellation. The majority…
Located in the Walla Walla Valley appellation of Washington State, Woodward Canyon Winery was started in 1981 by Rick Small and his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small. Woodward Canyon produces almost a dozen different wines, and their Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Chardonnay are some of the very best examples of those varietals produced in Washington State. The Estate Red Wine…
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. Although the winery was recently sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel (with Bob Betz remaining on as the winemaker), I expect quality will…
The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dating back to the mid-17th century. The word Pegau refers to a wine jug discovered in the excavations of the 14th century Pope’s palace in Avignon. Today, the estate is run by the Paul Ferraud and his daughter Laurence. 2008 has been widely considered a poor vintage in the Southern…
Quilceda Creek Vintners was founded in 1978 by Alex and Jeanette Golitzin. Alex Golitzin is a nephew of André Tchelistcheff, the legendary winemaker who put BeaulieuVineyard at the forefront of Napa Valley Cabernet in the sixties and seventies. He credits summer trips to visit his uncle in St. Helena, California with developing his early interest in wine. Paul Golitzin, Alex’s…