Inama 2014 Soave Classico In the 1960s, Giuseppe Inama, the estate’s founder, began using his savings to purchase small plots of vineyards in the heart of the Soave Classico region. At that time few understood the area’s potential but Giuseppe believed that he could make a wine capable of restoring Soave’s reputation by working with only top quality vineyards of old-vine Garganega (Soave’s original grape). Today, Inama (pronounced “eeh-NAM-mah”) comprises 70 acres of vineyards in the heart of the Soave Classico and Giuseppe’s son Stefano, who assumed control of the winemaking in 1992 and has cutting-edge outlook, is considered a dynamic visionary of the region. Inama also grows traditional Bordeaux…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 2007 Viña Ardanza Reserva On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA“ in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, registered the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”. To give you a little taste of the town of Haro, in…
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Zarate Rías Baixas 2015 Albariño This small well run cellar was established in 1920 by the Zarate family and is located in the Salnes Valley. Eulogio Pomares currently oversees the vineyards which are planted on granitic rock, and now beginning to replant some vines to biodynamics. The Zarate is sourced from 11 vineyards with an average age of 35 years. Only two Rias Baixas producers make reds and Zarate is one of them. Caino Tinto and Loureiro Tinto are both made from indigenous grapes of the same name and are both tiny production around 300 bottles. They are noted to be wines with an elegant, floral, tart, almost salty character…
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Hall 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Walt Hall is the proprietor of Hall Wines and has been involved in the California wine industry since her family first purchased a vineyard thirty years ago. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and most recently as the United States Ambassador to Austria. Kathryn Hall and her family have been grape growers in Mendocino County since 1972. The Walt family owns 63 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the Redwood Valley and has sold their grapes to such wineries as Fetzer, Parducci and Beringer. Kathryn managed the family vineyard from 1982…
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Stags’ Leap Winery 2014 Napa Chardonnay Stags’ Leap Winery, (note the placement of the apostrophe), produces the Chardonnay I will discuss today. The use of “Stags Leap” may be confusing. Another nearby winery named, “Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars” produces excellent wines as well, also note the placement of that apostrophe. Lastly, there is the Stags Leap District, which is the name of the appellation where the two aforementioned wineries are located. The Stags Leap District (no apostrophe) is renowned for producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, is located between the Napa River and the Stags Leap Palisades. One of California’s earliest wine estates, a unique terroir and ideal microclimate support…
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Bouchard Perè & Fils 2012 Pouilly-Fuissé Founded in 1731, Maison Bouchard Père & Fils is one of Burgundy’s oldest wine merchant houses. In 1775, Joseph Bouchard acquired his first vineyard in Volnay in the famous “Les Caillerets” climate and started to develop the family’s vineyard holdings. Over the centuries, the House has been devoted to acquiring highly renowned parcels, in order to build a prestigious domaine. The famed vineyards include: Beaune Gréves Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus, Chevalier-Montrachet, Montrachet, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Bonnes-Mares and Clos Vougeot to name a few. In 1995 this exceptional collection was purchased by Joseph Henriot, and is today part of Maisons & Domaines Henriot. Maison Bouchard Père…
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La Val Rías Baixas Albariño 2014 Bodegas La Val was established in 1985 and was one of the first wineries in Rias Baixas. Unusual for the area, La Val only uses its own estate grown grapes rather than buying them from local growers. They own 150 acres of Albariño most of which are located in the Condado do Tea sub-region. The particular micro-climate of their main holding in Condado do Tea allows them to be the first winery to open the harvest, which is typically in the first half of September. Jose Maria Ureta is the current winemaker and he is extremely well respected in the D.O. and considered to…
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Willm 2013 Riesling Reserve Founded in 1896 by the Willm Family, Alsace Willm was the first Alsace producer to export wines to the United States after Prohibition. Alsace Willm is located about 20 miles south of Strasbourg in Barr on the Route du Vin d’Alsace, which is the “Wine Road of Alsace”. Alsace Willm produces a selection of outstanding Alsace wines, both still and sparkling, as well as some Grand Crus. The 2013 Reserve Riesling is 100% Riesling that is aged for about 3 months on its lees, with bottling occurring about 10 months after the harvest. Note: “Lees” refers to deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other…
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Tenute Silvio Nardi 2010 Brunello Di Montalcino Tenute Silvio Nardi consists of 80 hectares of vineyards in an unspoiled part of central Tuscany, Montalcino, whose symbol is its great red wine, Brunello. Silvio Nardi founded the estate at Casale del Bosco, and since 1985 it has been run by Emilia, his youngest daughter. Emilia Nardi knows she can depend on Casale’s special and distinctive territory to produce a contemporary and elegant Brunello. She has invested in the vineyards of this harmonious natural setting. Each of her signature wines expresses the differing character of Sangiovese when it is grown at Montalcino. The estate’s vineyards are situated between 140 and 420 meters…
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Orin Swift Mannequin 2013 Chardonnay The history of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 1995 when on a lark, David Swift Phinney took a friend up on an offer and went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester “studying”. During that time, he was introduced to wine, how it was made, and got hooked. A few more years of university led to graduation and eventually a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 as a temporary harvest worker. Deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself, so in 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars; Orin is his father’s middle name…