Chateau Montelena dates back to 1882 when Albert Tubbs bought 254 acres of property just north of Calistoga. Tubbs planted vines and by 1896 Montelena was the 7th largest winery in California. Winemaking came to an end with the onset of Prohibition. The current iteration of Montelena can be traced to 1968, when Jim Barrett was brought on as a…
The August installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1995 California Cabernet Sauvignon (see the July installment for background on this series). I plan on opening the winning bottle on August 25th, and publishing an in depth bottle note on August 27th. 1995 was the third vintage in a string of four exceptional vintages in Napa Valley. James Laube…
Switchback Ridge wines are sourced from the Peterson Family Vineyard in Calistoga. The property has been in the Peterson Family since 1914 and was replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah in 1990. Bob Foley has been the winemaker since the inaugural vintage in 1999.
Outpost sits atop Howell Mountain and strives to make world class Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Grenache from an amazing estate vineyard. Thomas Rivers-Brown has been the winemaker from the very start. He has also gone on to start his own winery, Rivers-Marie, all the while making truly exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon for Schrader amongst others.
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.
A weekend getaway to California wine country is always a good idea, but limited time means limiting the number of winery visits. We often have the good fortune of private tastings on our trips, but there are a number of great wineries with regular tasting room hours that are worth working into any itinerary.
Spottswoode made their first Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1982 vintage and is one of the true iconic Cabernet producers in Napa Valley. The Estate Vineyard and winery are located in St. Helena. They also make an exceptional Sauvignon Blanc, a 2nd Cabernet called Lydenhurst and a Rhone blend known as Field Book.
Pahlmeyer made its debut release with the 1986 vintage garnering a 94 point rating from Robert Parker and has never looked back. Former winemaker Helen Turley, who made this wine, began her 5-year stint at Pahlmeyer in 1993.