Sequoia Grove 2012 Chardonnay Who would have guessed Napa Valley, a small pioneer community established during the gold rush days would flourish into one of the most prestigious wine growing regions in the world today? Surrounded by its purple hued mountains, Sequoia Grove Winery sits on 22 acres right in the heart of the valley floor in a region referred to as the “Rutherford Bench”. Here the alluvial soil, rich in minerals, combined with the fog from the bay, mingling with the warm inland temperatures create the ideal location to produce fine wine. Michael Trujillo, the Director of Winemaking and President, has been with Sequoia Grove since its beginnings joining…
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Nickel & Nickel 2013 Chardonnay Truchard Vineyard 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 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the appellation’s most significant AVAs. A small collection of single-vineyard Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah complements the portfolio. 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. Truchard Vineyard lies in the heart of Carneros, prized for its rolling hills, sun…
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Chateau Gloria 2008 Saint-Julien Created by Henri Martin, Chateau Gloria, is the only one of its kind as this 50-hectare vineyard was put together piece-by-piece over a number of years, through the purchase of plots exclusively from grands crus classified in 1855. The origin of the terroirs, the care taken over the growing and the vinification all help to explain its world-renowned quality. A vineyard covering 50 hectares, with an average vine age of 40 years, spread across three areas, in the middle of Beychevelle and then in the west and the north of the appellation (bordering Pauillac) on soil made up of Gunzian gravel covering a layer of clay…
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Frank Family Vineyards 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon First constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884, the building was refinished with native sandstone from the nearby hills in 1906 and still stands tall today. The massive stone edifice is considered an archetype of California’s wine country; it appears on the National Register of Historical Places and is listed as a Point of Historical Interest in the state of California. The Frank Family Vineyards focuses their energies on making superb wines, producing Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Petite Syrah and several distinctively different Cabernet Sauvignons. I just found this 2010 in my Cellar and thought I would pop the cork. I noticed…
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Chateau Palmer 2006 Alter Ego In 1938, four Bordeaux families – Sichel, Mähler-Besse, Ginestet, and Miailhe – all active in the Bordeaux fine wine trade – joined together to buy Palmer and restore it to the rank it deserved. Two of these families have since left the estate, leaving the Sichel and the Mähler-Besse families at the helm. Since their acquisition of Château Palmer, the families of shareholders have applied single-mindedly the key principles that contributed to the prosperity of this great wine: authenticity, quality and constancy. Originally from the Netherlands, the Mälher family were successful in the textile and the wine business. Having settled in Bordeaux with his wife…
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Herdade da Malhadinha 2014 Monte Da Peceguina Rosé Malhadinha Nova is a typical Alentejo family estate situated in Albernoa, a small village ln the heart of ‘Baixo’ Alentejo. Since 1998, the family’s passion and commitment have transformed a long-abandoned land into fields that give life to genuine, high-quality Alentejo produce. The perfect weather conditions of the Alentejo, the schist-based soils, the well-drained slopes of the property as well as the carefully selected grape varieties – Touriga Nacional, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Miuda, Baga, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (varieties of red grapes) and Arinto, Roupeiro, Antão Vaz, Alvarinho, Verdelho, Viognier and Petit Manseng (varieties of white grapes) – make up…
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Stonestreet 2009 Monument Ridge Ranging in elevation from 400ft to 2400ft, Stonestreet Estate Vineyards stands as the one largest and most extensive mountain vineyards in the world. Towering high above the Alexander Valley in the Mayacamas Mountain Range, Stonestreet Estate defies all previous conceptions of winegrowing. Single vineyard blocks are aligned in every imaginable spot on the compass, with peaks, valleys and ridges creating a broad spectrum of varied facings and elevations. Monument Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a handful of blocks situated on the spine of the primary mountain crest that runs through the estate. These blocks are blended to personify the ridgeline, which is comprised of a…
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Tenuta San Guido 2011 & 2013 Le Difese The Tenuta San Guido is a 7,500-acre estate located in the province of Livorno on the western coastal outskirts of Tuscany near the village of Bolgheri. Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta acquired it through his marriage to Clarice della Gherardesca in 1940. Tenuta San Guido cultivates fruit from several plots scattered around Bolgheri with an annual production of approximately 180,000 bottles. They produce three notable wines Sassicaia, which began in 1944, when Mario Incisa acquired a number of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc vine cuttings and planted them on a sloping hillside of the San Guido estate, the second wine, Guidalberto, was…
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Renato Ratti 2009 Barolo Marcenasco In 1934 Renato Ratti is born. After studying enology in Alba he “emigrates” to Brazil where he is put in charge of the production of Vermouths and sparkling wines for Cinzano of Sao Paolo. The experiences gained operating in such a vast, and challenging country as Brazil will prove fundamental in the development of an innovative outlook, one that will characterize his later work back in the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region. In 1965 Renato Ratti returns to Piedmont and buys his first vineyard for the production of Barolo: a small plot in the historical zone of Marcenasco, right below the Abbey of L’Annunziata (Our…
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Chateau De Sales 2009 Pomerol Chateau de Sales, situated in the Right Bank appellation of Pomerol, is an estate with a long and prestigious history. Owned by the same family for over 500 years, the chateau is the largest in Pomerol with 47 hectares of vines. The soil of Chateau de Sales is characterized by an omnipresence of iron oxide, called “crasse de fer” locally, which gives the wine a distinct personality. The majority of aging for Chateau de Sales wines takes place in traditional concrete tanks, spending only 6 months in oak barrels, to preserve the wine’s qualities of freshness, fruitiness and terroir expression. Chateau de Sales has been…