Christian and Julien Barrot’s Domaine La Barroche arrived on the scene with some very good 2004s, and sensational 2005s, most notably the amazing 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure. The Pure cuvee is made from 100% old vine Grenache planted in sandy soils not far from the legendary Chateau Rayas. It is aged totally in old wood foudres. I decanted this…
Many wine collectors, myself included, have the romantic notion of buying a case of wine from their child’s birth year to give them upon their 21st birthday. I’m not going to get into the wisdom of giving a 21 year old first growth Bordeaux, but I do like the thought of having some fun bottles on hand to open at…
Since I launched Zinfandel Chronicles in June I’ve written about some of my favorite Zins from the likes of Turley, Carlisle, Bedrock, Outpost, Brown, Black Sears and Williams Selyem. All of these wines are hard to come by as they are sold primarily through mailing lists, and even then the top bottlings from these producers regularly reach the $50 price…
Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley. The winery specializes in Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and recently added a Chardonnay to the lineup. The fruit is sourced from some of California’s finest vineyards. The grapes for the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir are primarily sourced from the Southern end of the Sonoma Coast appellation. The majority…
Located in the Walla Walla Valley appellation of Washington State, Woodward Canyon Winery was started in 1981 by Rick Small and his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small. Woodward Canyon produces almost a dozen different wines, and their Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Chardonnay are some of the very best examples of those varietals produced in Washington State. The Estate Red Wine…
Lynch Bages has always been a special wine to me. It was one of the first bottles of Bordeaux that really had an impact when I started this hobby 20 years ago. Through dumb luck I ended up buying large amounts of the 85, 89 and 90 vintages. I have tried over the years to add other great vintages like…
Betz Family Winery was founded in 1997 by Bob & Cathy Betz. Critical acclaim from local and national wine publications has put Betz Family Winery at the forefront of Washington wines alongside Cayuse, Leonetti and Quilceda Creek. Although the winery was recently sold to Steve and Bridget Griessel (with Bob Betz remaining on as the winemaker), I expect quality will…
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 the excavations of the 14th century Pope’s palace in Avignon. Today, the estate is run by the Paul Ferraud and his daughter Laurence. 2008 has been widely considered a poor vintage in the Southern…
Quilceda Creek Vintners was founded in 1978 by Alex and Jeanette Golitzin. Alex Golitzin is a nephew of André Tchelistcheff, the legendary winemaker who put BeaulieuVineyard at the forefront of Napa Valley Cabernet in the sixties and seventies. He credits summer trips to visit his uncle in St. Helena, California with developing his early interest in wine. Paul Golitzin, Alex’s…
The 2005 Kosta Browne Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was the leading vote getter in the September installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Kosta Browne began as a dream shared by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. In the summer of 1997, while working at John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, Dan and Michael decided to pool their tips…