Renwood Winery was established in 1993 and is one of the most respected wine producers in the Sierra Foothills, specializing in Zinfandel. In the early to mid nineties I lived in Sacramento and my passion for Zinfandel was based on trips to wineries like Renwood, Ravenswood and Rafanelli. At the time Scott Harvey was the winemaker and the Zinfandels from…
The October installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Zinfandel from a few of my very favorite producers. Ridge, Turley and Williams Selyem are without a doubt in the very upper echelon of California Zinfandel producers. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may…
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. Dragon Vineyard is estate owned and is situated at one of the highest points on Howell Mountain. Ruby red in color. 15.3% ABV. The wine has a textbook Howell Mountain nose…
I’m excited to introduce a new monthly feature: The Zinfandel Chronicles Zinfandel of the Month. Each month around the 15th or so I’ll spotlight a particular Zinfandel that I feel is noteworthy. The wine might be something I have pulled from my cellar, picked up at a local retailer or a sample provided by a winery. You can bet if…
Grgich Hills Estate, in Rutherford, in the Napa Valley, was founded in 1977 by Mike Grgich. Grgich earned fame in 1976 when the Chardonnay he produced as winemaker at Chateau Montelena won first prize among white wines at the now famous Paris Wine Tasting. The estate has 366 acres of vineyards in American Canyon, Carneros, Yountville, Rutherford and Calistoga and…
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. Ueberroth Vineyard is situated close to the ocean in Paso Robles. It was planted in 1885 and is the oldest vineyard from which Turley sources fruit. The wine is still purple…
Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from several 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. Purple in color. 15% ABV. Ripe, brambly…
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. Rattlesnake Ridge is located on Howell Mountain adjacent to the well known Black Sears Vineyard. The vineyard has volcanic soils with considerable amounts of iron and white ash. Crimson in color…
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. This particular vineyard was planted in 1905 by Italo Barbieri for his brother Pietro. From a small village in Tuscany, Italo was responsible for planting many of the vineyards in the Piner/Olivet region…
In 1980, The Brown Family acquired land in the hills east of Rutherford in the Napa Valley. In 1995 they decided to make wine under their own label. The following year the first vintage of Zinfandel was produced and subsequently they have added Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Sirah to their lineup. First and foremost, Brown Estate is known…