Bottle Notes, Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Quilced Creek Cabernet Sauvignon was the winning bottle in the November installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant this wine. 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 Beaulieu Vineyard at the forefront of Napa Valley Cabernet in…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2019 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Dolinsek Ranch – Bottle Notes

Bedrock Wine Co. was founded by Morgan Twain-Peterson in 2007 and focuses on small production wines from many of California’ s most treasured and historic vineyards. The lineup of wines at Bedrock is expanding rapidly, but I think the best of the best are the ancient vineyard Zinfandels, Morgan is clearly passionate about. Dolinsek Ranch is in the Russian River…

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Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – A Wine For Thanksgiving

The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Cabernet and Bordeaux Blends from the 2003 vintage. 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 with Thanksgiving dinner. The contenders in this version of Pick My Next Bottle should be…

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Bottle Notes, Grenache

2019 Sandlands Grenache Santa Clara County – 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, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

2005 Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Bottle Notes

Vieux Donjon was formed in 1966 by Marcel Michel. The current iteration came about in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie José Michel. Both Lucien and Marie José’s parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holdings were combined to form Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards, thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2017 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Carlisle Winery & Vineyards was founded in 1998 by Mike and Kendall Officer. Their passion is clear: Small lots of Zinfandel and Syrah from exceptional, historic vineyards. Many of these vineyards are heritage sites planted by Italian immigrants and date back to the late 1800s. Mike recently announced his retirement and subsequently 2024 will be the last vintage of wines produced…

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Bottle Notes, Pinot Noir

2012 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio Vineyard – Bottle Notes

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…

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Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2017 Turley Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard – Bottle Notes

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 right around 50 separate wines from 47 different vineyards, some with vines that date back to the late 1800’s. Tegan Passalacqua is the Director of Winemaking at Turley and…

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