Silver Oak 2014 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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Roald Wine Company GSM Blend 2016 Roald Wine Company was formed by Greg Nelson who has a real passion for wine and he was inspired by his father, Roald David Nelson, who was a guru in supply chain management. Greg Nelson, after receiving a PhD in Biology at UC San Diego, became interested in biology and the process of winemaking which brought him to Sonoma County where he worked at several wineries, including Ramey and Martinelli, before starting Roald Wine Company. Greg has an affinity for journeys, jazz and American novelist Jack Kerouac. Roald has a “Wine Club” which offer some tremendous values on small production wines that can only…
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Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 2015 Recently I went to a tasting event and was able to try a selection of Frank Family Vineyards Fine Wines. A full selection is only available at the winery. Frank Family Vineyards first constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884, where a train had run through which is now their driveway. The building was refinished with native sandstone from the nearby hills in 1906 and still stands tall today, and at some point the original stone building was remolded. Richard (Rich) Frank started the winery as a hobby; and named it “Frank Family” to promote a Family atmosphere. The winery is believed to…
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Louis Latour Premier Cru Meursault-Blagny 2016 The winery was the first purpose-built cuverie in France and remains the oldest still-functioning. A unique railway system with elevators allows the entire wine-making process to be achieved by the use of gravity. This eliminates the threat of oxidation from unnecessary pumping of the must. Situated just south of Volnay and Pommard in the Côte de Beaune, Meursault is the most extensive southerly white wine commune of the Côte-d’Or. Surprisingly enough for an appellation of this quality, no Grand Cru exists, however the high quality of the 1er Cru (Premier Cru) more then compensates for this. An exclusive of Maison Louis Latour, the vineyards…
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Jamie Slone Wines Duo Cabernet Sauvignon (Reserve) 2013 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends. There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate. It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time. The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard. I…
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Jaffurs Syrah Thompson Vineyard 2014 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends. There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate. It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time. The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard. I recommend to try…
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Sill Family Vineyards 2015 très CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Rutherford Sill Family Vineyards is a family-owned and operated exquisite boutique winery with estate vineyards producing ultra-premium, very limited production carefully hand-crafted wines. As a Court of Master Sommelier, Winemaker, Igor Sill became passionate about Bordeaux wines after being introduced to Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion and Château Lafite Rothschild in the late 1970s by H. Lyman Emerson, a renaissance gentleman and noted fine wine collector. Concluding with Estate history, however the last chapter has not yet been written! In 2016, the Sill family acquired the 24.5 acre Ardente Estate Winery, an Atlas Peak AVA, Napa winery and vineyards whose Cabernet Sauvignon…
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Jaffurs Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County 2015 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends. There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate. It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time. The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard. I recommend…
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Sill Family Vineyards 2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Atlas Peak Sill Family Vineyards is a family-owned and operated exquisite boutique winery with estate vineyards producing ultra-premium, very limited production carefully hand-crafted wines. As a Court of Master Sommelier, Winemaker, Igor Sill became passionate about Bordeaux wines after being introduced to Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion and Château Lafite Rothschild in the late 1970s by H. Lyman Emerson, a renaissance gentleman and noted fine wine collector. Continuing with a bit of Estate history: In 1996, the Sill family acquired the Blackrock Terrace block along the Silverado Trail, known as the Princess’ property. In 2003, Mike Nunez began performing vineyard management for SFV…
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Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard 2016 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends. There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate. It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time. The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard. I…