B.R. Cohn 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Label Founded by Bruce Cohn in 1984, B.R. Cohn Winery is located in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Bruce Cohn bought the land now known as Olive Hill Estate Vineyards in 1974. The small family operated winery is surrounded by the 90-acre Olive Hill Estate Vineyards, where soils warmed by underground natural hot springs and gentle ocean breezes create a unique microclimate resulting in ideal growing conditions for outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon. This Silver Label offering from founder Bruce Cohn, who (for us older rockers) managed the Doobie Brothers, one of my favorite groups of the 70’s. Mr. Cohn, when not managing the Doobie Brothers,…
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Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava – Special Magnum Fermí Bohigas is a family-owned winery that has roots dating back to the 13th century. The estate is located in the town of Òdena in the River Anoia valley, about 45 minutes west of Barcelona. The current family and their ancestors have been growing grapes and making wines at this location consecutively since 1290. Their first bottling took place in 1870. They first used the name “Bohigas” on a wine label in 1978. Today, the family’s estate encompasses 300 hectares of which 110 are split between two separate vineyard properties, named “Can Maciá” and “Can Batllevell”, both of which have their own cellars.…
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Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 In 1972, Tom and Sally Jordan, a young couple from Colorado who shared a passion for French food and wine, followed their hearts to California’s wine country. When the two married in 1959, they dreamed of being vintners together. They drank virtually only French wines, enjoyed French food that Sally diligently learned to cook, and traveled throughout France, wining and dining their way through every region. In the 1950s there weren’t any restaurants of note in their home town of Denver, so the Jordans either traveled abroad or entertained at home for culinary experiences. The two knew a winery would one day be in their future,…
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Campillo 1996 Reserva Especial 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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Belle Glos 2014 Las Alturas Pinot Noir Owner/winemaker, Joe Wagner chose the name Belle Glos (pronounced “BELL GLOSS”) to honor his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner. Lorna was a co-founder of Caymus Vineyards, an inspirational figure to Joseph and an avid lover of Pinot Noir. Belle Glos produces Pinot Noirs produced from California’s noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions. While each vineyard location lies near the Pacific Ocean, the climate differences are significant, varying with the amount of fog, wind, sunlight, and soil type at each site. Each Vineyard Designate is crafted to distill the purest essence of the locale into elegant expressions of California Pinot Noir. As a fifth generation Napa Valley…
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Ulacia Getariako Txakolina Blanco 2014 Ulacia Getariako Txakolina Blanco is a wine from the Getaria in the Basque Country of northern Spain, just west of San Sebastian, where wine here has a history going back 1000 years. Getaria is a fishing village on the Bay of Biscay, with Getariako Txakolina being the DO for the vine growing area around it. The region as a whole is maritime with a considerable Atlantic influence, though the vines are planted in the hills surrounding it, often on the southeast facing, on steep, un-terraced slopes for maximum sunshine and protection from sea breezes. The soils are largely clay, covered with sand. Txakolina is a…
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Château La Nerthe 2013 Châteauneuf-Du-Pape Blanc Château La Nerthe was born in the 12th Century around the time vines were first planted in the stone-strewn soil of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (literally the “Pope’s new castle”), the place the pontiffs chose for their summer residence when the papel court relocated to Avignon. The historic domains of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château la Nerthe, has always been graced by the attentive care of its successive owners: men of firm conviction, aristocrats, and notable experts on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Marquis Tulle de Villefranche, Commandant Joseph Ducos and La Famille Richard, have all contributed to the reputation for excellence that La Nerthe has acquired and maintained. The vineyard of the Castle Nerthe…
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Benziger 2005 Tribute A while ago I attended a wine tasting featuring Benziger Wines hosted by my favorite wine shop, Stew Leonard’s Wines. Kathy Benziger poured some of her Family’s wines. They were outstanding, but let me tell you something about the Benziger Winery. To begin with, Benziger’s entire portfolio of wine is certified sustainable, organic or Biodynamic. Not because they want to be known as “the green winery,” but because their experience has shown that great wine has green values, good for the earth and the vine, good for the farm worker and the farmer, and good for the customers. Benziger has been growing grapes on Sonoma Mountain for close to…
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Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2013 Not long ago I went to a tasting and tried the Tenuta San Guido wines. They offer three noteworthy reds, the famous Sassicaia and two additional labels; Guidalberto and LeDifese. LeDifese is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend and has been produced by the winery since 2003. LeDifese is their lowest priced wine and is an excellent offering, however today I will be commenting on the 2013 Guidalberto, their second label to Sassicaia. If Mario Incisa, creator of Sassicaia, was inspired by his great-uncle Leopoldo Incisa della Rocchetta, then his son Nicolò, director of Tenuta San Guido since forty years, has been motivated by Guidalberto…
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Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founders Reserve 2012 Don Maximiano Errazuriz founded Viña Errazuriz in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley, north of Santiago. This valley has cool, rainy winters, hot, dry summers and moist Pacific Ocean breezes, ideal for growing grapes. Don Maximiano obtained the finest clones from France and transformed this barren land into a world-class vineyard. Today, the tradition of quality lives on with Don Maximiano’s descendant, Eduardo Chadwick, the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. Eduardo has overseen the modernization of the winemaking technology at this historic estate while maintaining a distinct identity for its wines, dedicated to producing estate grown wines of…