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. Turley now makes 28 separate wines from 35 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and has been…
Welcome to the 4th, annual installment, of the Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings. The intent behind the list was to rank wineries based on the buzz and excitement they create in the wine collecting crowd. The rankings are entirely subjective based on my observations on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Wine Spectator, Wine Berserkers, WineBid and Cellartracker. Factors such as demand for…
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. Cheers! The Wines of Lodi, CA writes What Makes Lodi Special? Ridge Wine Blog writes A Groundbreaking Day at Ridge. Wines & Vines writes 40 Years and $6…
Rochioli is one of the true pioneers in Russian River Valley, with a winemaking history dating back to the the late 1950′s. Joe Rochioli Jr. planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the late 1960’s. In the 70’s and early 80’s the grapes were sold to wineries including Davis Bynum and Williams Selyem. In 1987 Rochioli released their first estate wine, the…
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…
The 2003 Clos des Papes was the winning bottle in the July Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was briefly decanted and served with Beef Stew on a stormy Summer night in Seattle. Clos des Papes is owned by the Avril family, now headed by Paul Avril and his son Vincent. The family has been making wine in…
Williams Selyem Winery began when Ed Selyem and Burt Williams started making wine as a hobby in 1979 in Forestville, California. Their first commercial release was in 1981, and in less than two decades they created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the forefront…
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. Cheers! The Wines of Lodi, CA writes How Warm (or Cool) is Lodi? The Wellesley Wine Press writes 2012 Ridge Lytton Springs for Less than $21. Vinography writes…
Spottswoode is a family owned winegrowing estate located on the western edge of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. The 46 acre estate, established in 1882, is distinguished by the historic Victorian home depicted on the label. Its entrance is graced by classic formal gardens, while the vineyard stretches behind to the Mayacamas Mountains. The Spottswoode Estate was bought by…
The July 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 Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published the following week.…