The April installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on ancient vine Zinfandel from the 2009 vintage. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on April 28th and publishing an in-depth Bottle…
The 1998 Woodward Canyon Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon was the winning wine in the March installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Located in the Walla Walla Valley appellation of Washington State, Woodward Canyon Winery was started in 1981 by Rick Small and his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small. Woodward Canyon produces almost a dozen different wines, and their Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon…
The March installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1998 Washington Cabernet. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on March 30th and publishing an in-depth Bottle Note on April 1st.…
The 1997 Pio Cesare Barolo was the leading vote getter in the February Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. Pio Cesare, located in Alba, Piedmont, was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio and it is now owned and operated by the fifth generation of the family. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most distinguished wine journal, notes that today Pio Cesare “invariably offers…
The February installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1997 Barolo. 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. I plan on opening the winning bottle on February 27th and publishing an in-depth Bottle Note on the 28th. The…
The 1996 Lynch Bages was the leading vote getter in January’s Pick My Next Bottle survey. The winery is located in Pauillac, and is designated a 5th growth as determined by the classification of 1855. At release time, the wine received a rating of 93 points from the Wine Advocate. I purchased this bottle on release and the cork was in…
The January installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1996 Bordeaux. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on January 26 and publishing an in-depth Bottle Note on the 28th. 1996…
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…
The December installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As I mentioned in the July installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on December 29th and publishing an in-depth bottle note on the 31st. The…
The 2005 Lillian Syrah was the leading vote getter in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine originally received a score of 92 points from the Wine Advocate. I decanted the wine for 30 minutes and paired it with a homemade pizza. Maggie Harrison was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non for eight years…