The 2005 Beaucastel was the winning bottle in the April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant the wine and it was served with grilled New York Strips, roasted asparagus and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes. Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley…
The May Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 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 on Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published this coming week. 2005 was an exceptional vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Conditions were perfect…
Domaine Charvin was created in 1851 by Guillaume Charvin. For one hundred years, the harvest of Domaine Charvin was sold in bulk to negociants in the Southern Rhone Valley. The modern age of Domaine Charvin began in 1990 when Laurent Charvin started to manage the estate. Laurent Charvin was the sixth generation of his family to work at the property.…
The 2005 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée was the winning bottle in the June Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant the bottle and served it with a Chicken Caesar salad. Not a traditional food pairing but it worked on a hot Summer night in Seattle The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape…
The June Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 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 on Friday and a Bottle Note will be published this coming weekend. 2005 was an exceptional vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Conditions were perfect…
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…
Domaine Isabel Ferrando is owned by Isabel Ferrando who created the estate when she purchased 3.9 hectares of vines. The goal was to create a wine that was distinct from Domaine Saint Prefert, her other Southern Rhone winery. The wine is 100% old vine Grenache made from grapes ranging from 65-100 years of age. 2004 was the debut vintage. Crimson…
The 2005 Domaine del la Janasse Cuvee Chaupin was the winning bottle in the November installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for one hour and served with Thanksgiving dinner. Domaine de la Janasse is located in Courthezon, in the Southern Rhone Valley, and it is one of the region’s brightest stars. The Sabon family has been growing…
The November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As I mentioned in the first installment, 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 on Thanksgiving and a Bottle Note will be published this coming weekend. 2005 was…
Domaine Saint Prefert dates back almost 100 years, to the early 1920’s, when Fernand Serre purchased an 80 hectare parcel of land. He founded Domaine Saint Prefert in 1930. The winery quickly earned a reputation for making high quality Chateauneuf du Pape and Domaine Saint Prefert became one of the first wines exported from the Southern Rhone to the United…