Located in the Anderson Valley, Navarro has been producing exceptional, fairly-priced wines since 1974. The winery is best known for its range of Pinot Noirs, including the showstopper Deep End Blend (available through futures). They also produce an age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious Zinfandel, and their whites are noteworthy with a one-of-a-kind Riesling, Gewurztaminer and Muscat Blanc. I’ve never…
Leonetti Cellar was founded in 1977 by Gary and Nancy Figgins. Leonetti, along with Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon put premium Washington Cabernet Sauvignon on the radar of wine consumers across the United States. Leonetti also produces one of the very best domestic Merlots. Leonetti is near and dear to me as a wine consumer, and I’ve been on their…
Peay Vineyards is a partnership between Vanessa Wong, and Andy and Nick Peay. Founded in 1998, the 48 acre hilltop vineyard is located in the far northwestern corner of the Sonoma Coast, four miles from the Pacific Ocean. They grow 33 acres of Pinot Noir, 8 acres of Syrah, 5 acres of Chardonnay and small amounts of Viognier, Roussanne and…
Kanzler Vineyards, located in California near Sebasopol, was founded in 1996 by Stephen and Lynda Kanzler. Planted in 1996 in a former apple orchard, the vineyard quickly developed a reputation for producing world class Pinot Noir grapes featured in award winning wines from some of the finest wineries in Northern California, including Kosta Browne, A.P. VIN and Landmark. In 2004,…
The long awaited offer for the 2010 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon arrived today! The most notable item in the release is that Quilceda Creek held the line on pricing. Personally, I think this was a great move on their part (I had previously blogged about this in An Open Letter to Quilceda Creek Winery). The information regarding Champoux Vineyard is…
JM Cellars, located in Woodinville just up the hill from Chateau Ste. Michelle, was founded in 1998 by John and Peggy Bigelow. With encouragement and advice from Peggy’s brother-in-law Mike Januik, John decided to venture into winemaking and in 1998 turned the basement of the family home into a winery. 100 cases were made that first year, most of it…
Angel Vine owners Ed and Laureen Fus moved their family to Oregon in 1997 to pursue their dream of farming a vineyard. The Three Angels Vineyard (named after Laureen and their two daughters) is located in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills and produces Pinot Noir used by several local wineries. Ed eventually decided to make his own wine focusing on single vineyard…
Petite Sirah was first bottled as its own varietal in 1961 by Concannon of California. Known as Durif in France and elsewhere, Petite Sirah was originally misidentified as Syrah when it was planted in California. The term ‘petite’ stems from the relatively small size of the grapes. As recent as 10 years ago very few Washington wineries bottled a Petite…
The 1998 Vieux Télégraphe was the leading vote getter in the December Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I decanted the wine for an hour and served with pizza from a local favorite, Zeeks. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Rhone Valley, was founded in 1898 by Hippolyte Brunier. Located on the highest terrace of the appellation, the…
Pahlmeyer was founded in the mid-1980s when Jayson Pahlmeyer, a Bay Area lawyer, decided he preferred thinking about wine over reading legal briefs. Pahlmeyer produced its debut vintage in 1986. The wines are crafted from fruit grown on the family’s Waters Ranch Vineyard high above Napa Valley, Wayfarer Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast as well as purchased fruit from well…