Franck Bonville Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc N.V. Franck and his wife Jeannine after the second war commercialized the first bottles of champagne from a vineyard already connected on the lands of Avize and Oger for over twenty years. Today, Giles and his wife Ingrid Bonville, together with their son Olivier spend time tending to the operation of the winery, including updating and modernizing the facility. Their goal is to grow grapes of the highest quality and produce great wines which are fresh, delicate and elegant. If you read the label, you will see the words “Récoltant Manipulant” or “RM” on the bottle of Franck Bonville, which means that the…
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Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier N.V. When he inherited the Champagne House in 1833, connoisseur and entrepreneur Louis Roederer took a visionary approach to enriching his vines, aiming to master every stage of the wine’s creation. He forged the wine’s unique style, character, and taste. In the mid-nineteenth century, Louis Roederer acquired some of Champagne’s grand cru vineyards, an approach that contrasted sharply with contemporary practices. While other Houses bought their grapes, Louis Roederer nurtured his vineyards, familiarized himself with the specific characteristics of each parcel, and methodically acquired the finest land. Louis Roederer’s guiding principle was that all great wine depends on the quality of the soil, a passion…
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Rubicon Estate 2002 Cask Cabernet Rubicon is the image of what was once the historic Inglenook property located in the heart of the western Rutherford Bench in Napa Valley’s prime Cabernet Sauvignon appellation. In 1975, Francis and Eleanor Coppola purchased a majority of the Inglenook Estate and introduced the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery with the plan to revitalize its Cabernet heritage. In 1978 Coppola’s plan became a reality and launched the first Rubicon vintage that became the Winery’s flagship wine. Much later in 1995, the Coppolas purchased the remaining part of the property, including the Inglenook Chateau, which restored the Estate to its historic dimensions (I guess he made him an…
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Justin 2011 Isosceles In 1981, Justin Baldwin purchased 160 acres in Paso Robles, with the aim of crafting wines that belong in the company of the finest in the world by making world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Rich in limestone, the soil of Paso Robles produces grapes with intense flavor and great structure, making it a perfect location for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. Limestone “stresses” the vines, producing grapes that fully express their varietal character. Rich dark purple color with aromas of black fruit, spice and a whiff of dusty chocolate. The wine is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc that spent 24 months in new…
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Emeritus 2011 Hallberg Estate Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir In 1999 Emeritus was born when Brice Cutrer Jones closed on the purchase of Don and Marcia Hallberg’s prime apple orchard in the heart of the Russian River Valley. The 115–acre parcel, the Hallberg Ranch, is located two miles north of Sebastopol, on both sides of the Gravenstein Highway and directly on the Gold Ridge, the ten-mile long ridge that bears the name of the predominate soils of the area. Pouring a glass of Hallberg Pinot Noir, which production is aimed primarily for the restaurant business, I noticed a dark cranberry color with aromas of sweet spiced cherries. The palate…
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Silver Oak 2010 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon I recently wrote about Silver Oak Cellars having its roots dating back to 1972, see January 6, 2015 review of Silver Oak 1998 Napa Cabernet. Over time, Silver Oak continued to acquire vineyard land, including the Red Tail and Miraval Vineyards in Alexander Valley and the Soda Canyon Ranch and Jump Rock in Napa Valley. The winery also developed close relationships with longtime growers in both appellations. The result is that both the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon are blends, made from grapes grown in both wineries’ estate vineyards as well as growers’ vineyards in both regions. The…
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Silver Oak 1998 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon When Raymond T. Duncan first visited the Napa Valley in the late 1960s, he was taken by the region’s rugged beauty. He was also wise enough to understand the potential of the fledgling wine industry. In the 1970’s, he began to buy land in both Napa and Alexander Valleys with the goal of planting vineyards. But with his home and business in Colorado and no viticulture expertise of his own, Ray approached Justin Meyer, whom he had met through mutual friends, and asked him to plant and manage the vineyards. Then working at Christian Brothers, Justin agreed with one condition: in addition to managing…
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Lancaster Estate 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley In 1995, Lancaster Estate debuted following the acquisition of Maacama Creek Winery and its estate vineyards. Over the next two decades, from their 53 estate acres, micro-farmed in small vineyard blocks, they produced limited release Bordeaux styled wines, each with its own expression. Their 53 hillside-acres of vineyards are located in the eastern hills of southern Alexander Valley, at the joining together of the Chalk Hill and Knights Valley appellations. The valley is emerging as a leading location for producing Bordeaux style Cabernet-based blends to rival the finest from the Napa Valley. Color of this wine is a very deep dark red with…
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Feather 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Founded in 2003, Long Shadows is the brainchild of Washington wine luminary Allen Shoup. As president and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle and its affiliated wineries, Allen spent 20 years building the reputation of the growing region, in part by forging winemaking partnerships that brought winemakers to the Columbia Valley. After leaving Ste. Michelle, Allen spent the next three years developing Long Shadows, a proposition that was as simple as it was complex: recruit a cadre of the finest winemakers in the world; give each vintner access to Washington State’s best grapes; and outfit a winery to accommodate a diverse group of winemakers’ exacting…
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Mullan Road Cellars 2012 Columbia Valley Red Wine Blend Dennis Cakebread, from the renowned Napa Valley winery, Cakebread, ventured into Walla Walla Valley, Washington State, for a Bordeaux style blend of grapes, launching Mullan Road Cellars, a wine made from grapes purchased from Walla Walla’s Seven Hills vineyard. This is Cakebread’s first step into what could evolve into a full-fledged winery. Time will tell if the project gets legs. Pouring a glass, the color was a very deep Ruby red, with noted aromas of dark fruit and sweet spice. On the palate, the blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc, showed ripe dark fruit, blackberries and…