Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list. The September Zinfandel of the Month is the 2020 Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel Pagani Ranch. I chose this wine…
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 passion about. Monte Rosso was planted in the 1880’s…
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. Randy Caparoso writes Why Turley is Bonkers for Lodi Grapes. Ridge Wine Blog writes Native Yeast Fermentation. Enofylz Wine Blog writes Book Review and Wine Pairing; Dragonvine by…
The 2005 Fleur Cardinale was the winning bottle in the August installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I decanted the wine briefly and served with a tri tip roast on a cool Summer night in Seattle. Chateau Fleur Cardinale was purchased by Dominique and Florence Decoster in 2001. The 24.5 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Fleur Cardinale is planted to…
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 part of Figgins Family Wine Estates. Chris Figgins is now in charge of the…
Thomas Rivers Brown and his wife Genevieve Marie Welsh have quickly made Rivers-Marie one of California’s most sought after Pinot Noir labels. The winery was founded in 2002 and the first release was the Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir. In addition to the line up of Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs, Rivers-Marie also makes a several single vineyard Cabernets and Chardonnay. Thomas is…
The September installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on Right Bank Bordeaux from the heralded 2005 vintage. Specifically, all three wines are from Saint-Émilion. The purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. 2005 is arguably the best Bordeaux vintage in modern times. Growing conditions were absolutely…
Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when three Stanford Research Institute engineers bought an abandoned winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyards had been planted in the late 19th century by a San Francisco physician who produced his first vintage in the original winery, called Monte Bello, in 1892. The first Ridge vintage was in 1962. John Olney is Head…
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. Renee Sferrazza writes Curious About Zinfandel? Ken’s Wine Guide reviews the 2020 Once & Future Zinfandel Teldeschi Vineyard Frank’s Block. Randy Caparoso writes Lodi’s Early August Harvest—a Busy…
Joe Rochioli Jr. died several days ago at the age of 88. He had health issues since suffering a stroke in 2020. The Wine Spectator did a really good job of writing about how integral Joe was in establishing the Russian River Valley as a one of the great Pinot Noir regions in the world. You can read about Joe’s…