This past Sunday my wife and I had the opportunity to meet with Will Bucklin and walk Old Hill Ranch Vineyard and taste through some new releases and a few selections from the Bucklin cellar. Will Bucklin has been a vintner for over 35 years, working in France, Australia, Sonoma, Mendocino and Oregon. Old Hill Ranch is a site to…
Tag: Zinfandel
2018 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Papera Ranch – 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…
2020 Turley Zinfandel Judge Bell – 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…
A Visit with David Natali at Robert Biale Vineyards
This past weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to sit down with David Natali, the winemaker at Robert Biale Vineyards, and taste through some of the new releases. David studied at the prestigious University of Montpellier in France, where he received his master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. David worked at both Clos Pegase and La Rochelle before…
The Week in Zinfandel (6/1/26)
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. Cheers!
2020 Carlisle Zinfandel Bedrock 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…
The Week in Zinfandel (5/25/26)
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. Cheers!
2022 Sandlands Zinfandel Kirschenmann Vineyard – 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,…
2020 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Bedrock Vineyard – 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. Bedrock Vineyard, formerly known as Madrone Ranch,…
The Week in Zinfandel (5/18/26)
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. Cheers!








