Random Musings

Too Old for Young Wine?

I recently purchased several bottles of ’09 Leoville Barton. The wine has long been a favorite of mine and I have over a dozen different vintages in the cellar going back to 1990. I knew the wine was well regarded by the Wine Spectator garnering a score a score of 95 points and the number 6 ranking in their top…

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2004 Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir
Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2004 Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir – Bottle Notes

Ponzi Vineyards was founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in 1970 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The winery, along with other iconic Oregon wineries like Eyrie, Adelsheim and Sokol Blosser, paved the way for what is now one of the most exciting Pinot Noir regions in the world. Ponzi produces a number of wines including Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, but it…

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2004 Outpost Zinfandel
Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2004 Outpost Howell Moutain Zinfandel – Bottle Notes

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…

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Washington Wine Hall of Fame
Random Musings

The Washington Wine Hall of Fame

I recently read an article about the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and the new inductees to the California Vintners Hall of Fame. Members of the Hall of Fame include iconic California winemakers like Joe Heitz, Robert Mondavi and George de Latour. This made me wonder: Is there a Washington Vintners Hall of Fame? If so, who’s in it? As…

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Dunning Vineyards 2010 Zinfandel & Petite Sirah
Bottle Notes, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel

Dunning Vineyards 2010 Zinfandel & Petite Sirah – Bottle Notes

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…

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1997 Pio Cesare Barolo
Bottle Notes

1997 Pio Cesare Barolo – Bottle Notes

The 1997 Pio Cesare Barolo was the leading vote getter in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Pio Cesare, located in Alba, Piedmont, was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio and it is now owned and operated by the fifth generation of the family. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most distinguished wine journal, notes that today Pio Cesare “invariably offers…

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