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. Just a handful of vineyards in California have survived to reach a lifespan of more than 100 years (the Registry of Historic Vineyards lists just 8 from Napa). These vineyards are…
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. The 2008 Sonoma County Zinfandel is 96% Zinfandel and 4% Petite Sirah. A blend of various old-vine Zinfandel vineyards including Taylor in Dry Creek, Tin Cross in Alexander Valley, and Rossi in Sonoma…
Outpost 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. Besides Zinfandel, Outpost also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. Estate grown on their Howell…
Ed Sbragia founded the Sbragia Family Vineyards in 2001 while he was still producing the wines at Napa Valley’s Beringer Vineyards. In 2006, Sbragia purchased the old Lake Sonoma Winery facility near the end of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County and began producing single vineyard wines from Sonoma and Napa using estate and purchased grapes. Ed is the president…
Dunning Vineyards is a small, family owned and operated winery making limited-production, artisan wines from their vineyards on the far West side of the Paso Robles appellation. Winemaker Bob Dunning and his family planted the secluded mountainous vineyards in 1991 with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. The vineyards were expanded a few years later to include Zinfandel, Pinot Noir…
Alberto Rafanelli, an Italian immigrant, first founded A. Rafanelli Winery in the early 1900’s. It wasn’t until the early 70’s that Alberto’s son, Americo, came out with the present day label and started selling the wine commercially. David and Patty Rafanelli now run the winery and a 4th generation Rafanelli, their daughter Shelly, is the winemaker. The winery is perhaps…
Robert Dwyer of Wellesley Wine Blog recently tweeted a less-than-favorable impression of 2010 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah. I respect Robert’s palate and think my tastes are somewhat aligned with his, so I was surprised that he did not enjoy a staple from one of my favorite producers. I began to wonder: Has the “recipe” at Carlisle changed? I’ve had the…
A recent article by Talia Baiocchi in the San Francisco Chronicle, Zinfandel Finds an Elegant Balance, commented on a trend towards more “claret” style Zinfandels that were thought to be a relic of the 1970’s, 80’s and early 90’s. The claret style championed by producers like Ridge and Ravenswood featured wines with bright fruit flavors that were relatively low in…
Angel Vine owners Ed and Laureen Fus moved their family to Oregon in 1997 to pursue their dream of farming a vineyard. The Three Angels Vineyard (named after Laureen and their two daughters) is located in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills and produces Pinot Noir used by several local wineries. Ed eventually decided to make his own wine focusing on single vineyard…
Angel Vine owners Ed and Laureen Fus moved their family to Oregon in 1997 to pursue their dream of farming a vineyard. The Three Angels Vineyard (named after Laureen and their two daughters) is located in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills and produces Pinot Noir used by several local wineries. Ed eventually decided to make his own wine focusing on single vineyard…