Heitz Cellars 2014 Linda Falls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Marths’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Heitz Cellars post on October 22, 2019. Today I will discuss 3 of their outstanding Cab’s. In April, 2018, Heitz Cellar entered an exciting new chapter as this rich legacy was passed into the hands of the Lawrence family, whose deep roots in agriculture and commitment to the same core values of fine winemaking made it a perfect match. The wines are made with an unwavering commitment to quality from organically farmed, 100% Napa Valley fruit, and a commitment to the sustainability of Napa…
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Hall Wines 2015 Eighteen Seventy-Three Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Jack’s Masterpiece Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Hall Wines post on October 29. Today I will discuss 3 of their wonderful Cab’s. Since first working in her family’s Mendocino vineyards, Kathryn Hall dreamed of a place to showcase fine wines alongside expressive art and masterful architecture. The Halls acquired the historic St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened as HALL St. Helena in July of that year. With a rich history spanning 150 years, HALL St. Helena’s location was once the home of the Napa Valley Co-Op, producing 40% of Napa Valley’s…
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Elyse Winery 2014 Korte Ranch Vineyard Napa Zinfandel; 2014 Morisoli Vineyard Napa Zinfandel; 2014 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County Zinfandel In 1987, Ray and Nancy started the Elyse brand with 286 cases of Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard , which is still a cornerstone vineyard source for the winery. After a decade of nomadic winemaking at various custom crush facilities, in 1997 they purchased a small winery and vineyard on Hoffman Lane, the home of Elyse Winery and tasting room. Since then, Elyse has blossomed into a portfolio of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah focused on pure expression of fruit. Continuing with my Napa adventures, see my previous Elyse…
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Spring Mountain Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon The new Spring Mountain Vineyard was once three separate properties each with its own vineyard and winery: Spring Mountain Vineyards “Miravalle” 257 acres, Chateau Chevalier “Chevalier” 120 acres, and Draper Vineyards “La Perla” 435 acres. The upper most property on the estate, La Perla, was founded in 1873 by Charles Lemme and expanded by the Schilling Spice family. Originally 285 acres it had the first Cabernet Sauvignon planted on Spring Mountain. The old winery remains today along with much of its original equipment and horse drawn carriages and wagons. Immediately…
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2017 MerSoleil Silver Chardonnay 2017 Emmolo Napa Merlot 2017 MerSoleil Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir In 1971 Charlie Wagner and his wife Lorna Belle Glos Wagner asked their son Charles (Chuck) Wagner, who had just graduated from high school, if he would be interested in joining them in starting up a winery. If Chuck declined the offer, Charlie and Lorna were planning to sell out of their ranch in Napa Valley and move to Australia. Chuck accepted his parents’ offer to launch the winery, Caymus Vineyards. The Wagners produced their first vintage in 1972, consisting of 240 cases of…
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2017 Napa Carneros Red Shoulder Ranch Shafer 2016 Napa Relentless Shafer Vineyards traces its beginnings to 1972 when John Shafer left a 23-year career in the publishing industry and, with his family, moved to the Napa Valley to pursue a second career in wine. After purchasing a 210-acre estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the Shafer family faced the arduous task of replanting the existing vineyards, which dated to the 1920s, and terracing the steep and rocky hillsides, eventually expanding vineyard acreage to its current 50 acres. From a modest beginning of 1,000 cases in 1978, the winery has grown steadily until…
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2018 California Rose 2015 Sonoma County Chardonnay In 1983, Nancy and Ray Coursen arrived in California from Cape Cod to fulfill Ray’s dream of making wine and Nancy’s taste for adventure. After working harvest at Mt. Eden Winery in Saratoga, they moved to Napa Valley and became innkeepers for a bed and breakfast. Ray then spent productive time at Tonella Vineyard Management, where he gained practical knowledge and perspective working in the vineyards. Ray’s 9-year tenure at Whitehall Lane Winery under the tutelage of Art Finkelstein, beginning as a cellar worker and then as head winemaker,…
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Hall Wines 2017 Napa Sauvignon Blanc; 2014 Hall Ellie’s 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 over thirty years ago. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and also named 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…
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2018 Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where…
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Heitz Cellars 2016 Napa Chardonnay & 2018 Napa Sauvignon Blanc In 1961, Joe and Alice Heitz purchased their first vineyard, 8 acres just south of St. Helena. Working out of their small California winery attached to the land they purchased, they put in round-the-clock sweat equity to build their business. Heitz Cellars rapidly established a reputation as home base for one of the Napa Valley’s most innovative and brilliant winemakers, and the unassuming winery soon became a prestigious destination for wine connoisseurs. In 1964, Heitz acquired 160-acre parcel in Spring Valley and began sharpening his skills on Cabernet Sauvignon, and in 1965, by chance, acquired a small vineyard in…