Ewald Gruber Grüner DAC Muhlberg 2013 At the age of 16, Ewald Gruber senior then decided to turn the farm into a model winery. He wanted to become one of the leading winegrowers – passionate and using the latest technology available. Despite the fact that he is retired now, he still looks after the vineyards together with his son Christian. His wife Hermine does the bookkeeping. The Gruber Family Winery has been growing wine in Röschitz since 1814. Until the middle of the last century, the wine was grown almost solely for private consumption. And this passion is contagious. Three of his six children took over the winery in 2012. And…
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Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 2010 Savennières is a tiny region located on the northern banks of the Loire River, just across from the town of Rochefort Sur Loire. The entire appellation consists of fewer than 200 acres (77 hectares) of vines, all planted to Chenin Blanc. The South/Southeast facing vineyards are planted on unique soils composed of schistose volcanic debris mixed with sandstone and granite, imparting a strong, intensely original minerality to the Chenin Blanc grape. Maximum permitted yields are the lowest in France for dry whites (25 Hectoliters per Hectare), resulting in wines of stunning concentration and perfume. The combination of this concentration with the naturally high acidity…
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Craggy Range 2011 Pinot Noir Craggy Range is a family owned winery established in 1997 and situated in the shadow of the spectacular Te Mata Peak in the premium wine growing area of Hawke’s Bay New Zealand. Craggy Range produces a collection of iconic wines from multiple regions in New Zealand. Owner Terry Peabody and his family pursued the single vineyard approach to winemaking, planting on green fields and bare land ensuring a focus on quality from the very beginning. Ruby with a touch of purple on the edges and aromas of black and red berry fruits with floral spice. On the palate black cherry and raspberry flavors with fine…
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Cristom Pinot Noir 2013 Eileen Vineyard The development of Cristom Vineyards is the result of a twenty-plus-year collaboration between an engineer, a winemaker and a farmer – who are, first and foremost, stewards of the land. Founder Paul Gerrie hired Cristom’s winemaker Steve Doerner and Vineyard Manager Mark Feltz in 1992. Together at the winery since day one, they have consistently produced masterful and expressive Pinot Noirs. The four estate Pinot Noir vineyards – Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie – are named for Gerrie family matriarchs. Each single vineyard has its own natural variances in soil, elevation and exposition, and Steve strives to craft wines that are representative of both…
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Emmolo 2013 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc Jenny Wagner has taken the reins of Emmolo (m–oh–low) Winery from her mother, Cheryl Emmolo, the owner and founder of this lovely Rutherford estate. Jenny’s great-grandfather, an Italian immigrant, Salvatore Emmolo, planted virgin soil to grapevines, such as Carignane and French Columbard in the 1920’s. After becoming an established grape grower, he started a grapevine rootstock nursery and opened up Palermo Winery in 1934, named after the city from which he immigrated. Throughout the years Jenny’s grandfather, Frank Emmolo, found out that Sauvignon Blanc was best suited to that soil. Today, her grandparents continue to enjoy life farming on this Rutherford property. A marriage…
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I Frati Càdei Frati 2014 Lugana The company Ca’ dei Frati has been around since 1782, according to a document that refers to a House with a cellar located in the place of Sermione hotels in Lugana tener Fratti. It was in 1939 when Happy Dal Cero, son of Domenico already grower in Montecchia di Crosara, near Verona, moved into that House, Lugana di Sirmione. After thirty years, in 1969, his son Peter starting to bottle its first label of Lugana House of Friars. In 2012 Pietro Dal Cero leaves the company to his wife Santa Rosa and children Igino, Gian Franco and Anna Maria who run the company with…
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Lapostolle 2011 Clos Apalta (Limited Release) Lapostolle was founded by Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle and her husband Cyril de Bournet in 1994. The Marnier Lapostolle family, founders and owners of the world-renowned liqueur Grand Marnier, is famous for producing spirits and liqueurs, but the family has also been involved in winemaking for generations. In creating Lapostolle, the family has pursued the same uncompromising approach to quality that made Grand Marnier a global success. Its objective is simple as it is ambitious: to create world-class wines using French expertise and the superb terroirs of Chile. Lapostolle is distributed in more than 60 countries around the world. Recently Charles de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle,…
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St. Clement Oroppas 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon A Napa Valley landmark since 1878, St. Clement Vineyards produces small lots of luxury and single vineyard wines from exceptional Napa Valley vineyards. Hand-crafted from grapes grown in the Napa Valley, St. Clement wines reflect a deep respect for the land and an understanding of the valley’s unique geology, soil and climate. St. Clement’s portfolio of stunning Napa Valley wines is anchored by the flagship Oroppas Cabernet Sauvignon. The first vintage of Oroppas was made in 1991, and over the years, it has become a style icon for St. Clement. The key to Oroppas is having a palate of consistent flavor profiles and tannin…
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Landmark Vineyards 2013 Overlook Chardonnay Sonoma County Landmark Vineyards was founded in 1974 in Windsor, California, by a group that included Damaris Deere Ford, the great-great-granddaughter of John Deere, inventor of the first steel plow and founder of the world’s largest tractor manufacturer. In 1989, Damaris Deere Ford, became sole proprietor and relocated the winery to Sonoma Valley. Landmark Vineyards is located at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain in Sonoma Valley. In 1993, world-renowned consulting enologist Helen Turley was hired to work with former winemaker, Eric Stern. In addition to the estate vineyard, Landmark sources grapes from a range of different vineyards and those selected are the finest in the…
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Bodegas Muga 2010 Rioja Selección Especial Reserva The Muga wine cellars were founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez who originated from a family with strong ties to the winemaking industry. On the death of the founder in 1969, his children Manuel, Isabel and Isaac Muga Caño took over the reins. Two years later in 1971, they moved their headquarters to their present location in the traditional Station District on the outskirts of Haro. Bodegas Muga has continued to grow as the years have passed but it has never lost the spirit of a family-run company. The winery controls every step of the viticultural and vinification process from the vineyards…