Outpost Wines 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. Outpost produces Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Right Bank inspired blend called Immigrant. In…
The 2003 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée was the winning bottle in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant the bottle and served it with a Chicken Parmesan. 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…
Toil Oregon was founded in 2012 by Chris Figgins. Chris is the President and Winemaking Director for Figgins Family Wine Estates. At present time this includes Leonetti, Figgins and Toil Oregon. Figgins Family Wine Estates has acquired a 42-acre parcel of extraordinary land in the Chehalem Mountains AVA of Willamette Valley. This will become the Estate Vineyard and future winery home…
Welcome to the latest installment of The Week in Zinfandel. If I missed your post or story please send me a link and I will be sure to include it next week. Randy Caparoso writes Thoughts on Perfect Thanksgiving Wines (and why Lodi Fits the Bill). Michael Alberty writes 4 Home-Grown Oregon Zinfandels for Winter. Stefan Blicker writes RIDGE. It’s…
Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty established PlumpJack Winery in 1995, inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters, Sir John “PlumpJack” Falstaff. PlumpJack Winery sits squarely in the heart of Napa Valley’s renowned Oakville region, surrounded by a 42-acre estate vineyard highly regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Aaron Miller is the winemaker at PlumpJack. Crimson in color. 14.8%…
For over two centuries the name of Dow has been associated with some of the finest Port from the vineyards of the Upper Douro Valley. Throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st, the Symington family has built on the legacy of the preceding Silva and Dow families. Generations of Symington winemakers have worked at the Dow’s vineyards: Quinta do…
The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the the 2003 vintage. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened on Sunday and a Bottle Note will be published the following week.…
Aston Estate was founded in 2001 by Fred Schrader, founder of Schrader Cellars, Chuck Sweeney, co-founder of Vine Cliff and Thomas Rivers-Brown. Earlier this year TRB bought out the other two founders and became the sole owner. Aston Estate is located near the remote township of Annapolis, approximately five miles from the coast. I was on the mailing list early…
Domaine de Ferrand was founded in 1960 by Charles Bravay.The Domaine is located in Orange, which is to the north of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Philippe Bravay launched bottling their own wine when he took over the domaine from his father in 1995. Since 1997, a large part of the wine produced has been sold under the brand name of Domaine de Ferrand. …
It is the time of the year where every wine blogger publishes their lists of Wines of the Year or Values of the Year, etc. Although I try to blog about all the wines I taste it is clear that Zinfandel is definitely my grape of choice. With that in mind here are my top 10 Zinfandels of 2021 and…