Pacheca 20 Years Tawny Port Quinta da Pacheca, one of the best known estates in the Douro region, was also one of the first properties to bottle wine under its own label. It is first mentioned in a document dated April 1738, where is it referred as “Pacheca’s”, because it was property of D. Mariana Pacheco Pereira. Pacheca Porto Tawny 20 years old is a wine resulting from a blend of old cask aged ports matured at Quinta da Pacheca cool and tranquil cellar. With many years of ageing, the wine takes on its amber tawny color, with aromas of spice, nuts and oak. On the palate red fruit flavors,…
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Nickel & Nickel 2012 Merlot Suscol Ranch Nickel & Nickel winery, located in Oakville, Napa Valley, produces 100 percent varietal, single-vineyard wines that express the distinct personality of each vineyard. Established by the partners of Far Niente in 1997, Nickel & Nickel is focused on producing single-vineyard wines from the appellation’s most significant vineyards. Construction of a cutting-edge winery facility housed within a vintage 1880s farmstead was completed in the summer of 2003, when the winery officially opened to the public. Merlot is often thought of as the little brother of Cabernet Sauvignon and the two varietals are frequently blended together. Yet, when grown in the right places, Merlot makes…
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David Bruce 2014 Sonoma County Pinot Noir The David Bruce Winery was founded in the remote Santa Cruz Mountains in the early 1960’s and was one of the first of a new generation of wineries that would lead a modern resurgence of premium winemaking in the region. David Bruce Winery has earned an international reputation throughout its nearly four decades for its dedication to producing the greatest pinot noir in the world. In pursuit of his goal, the winery has adhered to traditional European winemaking practices that trace their lineage back to the early pioneers of winemaking in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. David Bruce Winery has…
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Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2014 In 1900, at age 13, Louis Martini emigrates from his native Genoa, Italy to the U.S., where he joins his father, a fisherman, in San Francisco. In 1906, Louis makes his first wine alongside his father, who wisely sends him back to Italy to hone his craft and study winemaking at the university in Alba (Piedmont). In 1911, Louis returns to CA where he makes his first martini wine. In 1922, Louis forms the L.M. Martini Grape Products Company, producing sacramental and medicinal wine in the Prohibition-era. In 1933, Louis puts down roots in Napa, one of the original 5 wineries founded…
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Campillo 2001 Gran Reserva Bodegas Campillo represents the culmination of the accumulated experience of four generations of winemakers who sought a site at the heart of Rioja Alavesa. Laguardia. Strategically placed in a location in which all key factors: altitude, climate, soil and terrain are ideally suited for growing grapes and ageing their wines. Juilio Faustino Martínez always had the dream of creating a winery surrounded by vineyards, thus transforming the concept of château to the land of Rioja wine. To this end he started his project by acquiring 35 hectares of land near Laguardia in the 1980s which were later expanded to 50. After several years, in 1988, everything…
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Chateau Fleur Cardinale Grand Cru 2012 Interesting!!!!…..The idea suddenly came to them late one evening just as they were about to fall asleep. It suddenly caught their imaginations. They mulled it over for a few minutes, but then decided no…it wasn’t realistic. Days later that idea was still in their minds. It just wouldn’t go away. They hinted at it to others, who smiled in approval. It was a daring idea perhaps, but there are times when you want to believe, and nothing will stop you. They decided to pursue it. It was Florence Decoster, the present owner, who first nurtured that idea and brought it to fruition in the…
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Badia a Coltibuono 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva For around a century and a half the name and history of the Stucchi Prinetti family has been linked with Badia a Coltibuono. It was in fact in 1846 that one of the family’s forbearers, the Florentine banker Guido Giuntini, acquired the beautiful Romanesque structure and the surrounding farms. Thanks to his complete dedication the entire property began to flourish and survived the second world war virtually intact. After the war, Piero Stucchi Prinetti, the son of Maria Luisa Stucchi Giuntini, took charge of the property. It was thanks to his intelligence, energy and managerial skills that Coltibuono was transformed into a modern…
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Chateau Giscours 2012 Located in the heart of a beautiful 300-hectare estate, the 83-hectare Giscours vineyard is situated in the famous Margaux appellation. Though the estate was first mentioned in a document dating back to 1330, it was not until 1847 that Count de Pescatore laid the cornerstone of the remarkable chateau that now overlooks the vines. Giscours’ wines quality was confirmed by its inclusion as a third growth in the 1855 classification. The estate was purchased by Nicolas Tari after WW II. In 1995, the Chateau’s wine growing business was acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma. The investment he has made in less than a decade mirrors his passionate commitment…
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Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Surrounded by gnarled oak and Manzanita forests on the south and western slopes of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas mountain range, Hidden Ridge Vineyard is so remote it can be reached only by heavy-duty four-wheel-drive vehicles, by foot or by helicopter. The 55-acre vineyard was developed and planted by husband and wife team Casidy Ward and Lynn Hofacket to grow stellar mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by winemaking team Marco DiGiulio and Timothy Milos at Bin to Bottle in Napa, efforts in the vineyard and the cellar have produced a Cabernet Sauvignon that sings loudly, on slopes as steep as 55%. Bought this on a recommendation…
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Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2009 & Chateau Corton Grancey Domaine Latour 2009 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery, picture with yours truly below. These are the last two of the 10 wines tasted, they were all great! Check out the March 31, 2017, April 4, 2017, April 7, 2017 and April 11, 2017 posts for additional pictures. Many thanks Andy for sharing your wine and wine knowledge. After the ravages of the phylloxera epidemic at the…