Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2016 Old Vine Zinfandel

The January Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2016 Old Vine Zinfandel. 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 this Friday and a Bottle Note will be published early next week.…

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Bottle Notes

2013 Saxum James Berry Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Saxum Vineyards is located in the Paso Robles AVA of Central California. Founded in the early 2000’s by Justin Smith, a young winemaker who had previously been part-owner of Linne Calodo, Saxum leapt into the limelight in late 2010 when its 2007 James Berry Vineyards wine was named the #1 Wine of 2010 by Wine Spectator. Smith owns the winery…

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Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2014 Cattleya Pinot Noir Cuvée Number One – Bottle Notes

Cattleya Wines was founded by Bibiana Gonzalez Rave in 2012. Bibiana got her degree in Enology from the University of Bordeaux and worked at Château Haut-Brion and Domaine Stéphane Ogier amongst others before setting up shop in northern California. The winery specializes in Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Crimson in color. 14.2% ABV. Sublime nose of red fruits, cloves and…

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Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2018 Toil Oregon Pinot Noir – Bottle Notes

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…

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Bottle Notes

2019 Sandlands Red Table Wine Lodi – Bottle Notes

Sandlands is the personal project of Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua. Tegan is the Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Turley. The line-up encompasses some of the forgotten classic California varieties, primarily grown in decomposed granite from regions and vineyards that have been farmed for many generations but have remained the outliers of California viticulture. The wines made at Sandlands include Syrah,…

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Bottle Notes

2018 Guy Breton Morgon Vieilles Vignes – Bottle Notes

Guy Breton took over the family domaine from his grandfather in 1986. Until that point, the family was selling their fruit to the large cooperative wineries. Breton’s domaine is comprised of just over four hectares most of which lies in the appellation of Morgon. Guy Breton along with Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet and Jean Foillard was part of the Kermit…

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Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2019 Black Kite Cellars Pinot Noir Jasper Freestone Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Black Kite Cellars, a family-run winery in Anderson Valley, specializes in block-designated Pinot Noir from the Kite’s Rest Vineyard. Founded by Donald and Maureen Green in 2003, Black Kite is named for the beautiful but endangered Black Shouldered Kite that is native to the Anderson Valley. Jeff Gaffner of Saxon Brown is the consulting winemaker. Jasper Freestone is located outside…

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