Terrabianca 2006 Campaccio Toscana Red In the medieval times, Podere Terrabianca found itself in the ambiguous situation of being situated in the part of the countryside under the rule of Florence and, at the same time, also in the diocese of the Bishop of Siena. The very first documents mentioning its presence, dated 1085, describe it as being a country estate as, in fact, its name clearly implies. Today the winery Terrabianca is located at the heart of the Chianti Classico region, in the middle of Tuscany, 12 km from Siena and 50 km from Florence. The soil which consists of layers of chalk, sand and clay from the palaeozoic…
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Nickel & Nickel 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Hayne 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. The Hayne Vineyard is situated in St. Helena at the base of the…
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Quintessa Illumination 2013 Fascinated with making a white wine from Quintessa, Agustin Huneeus planted a small plot of Sauvignon Blanc at the estate in 2002. Illumination first emanuated from this little vineyard, its rays penetrating the palates of sommeliers, friends and guests who requested it for their own cellars. He now shares this limited production wine with kindred spirits seeking illumination via wines that express their place of origin. Agustin Huneeus celebrated his 80th birthday, at harvest time in 2013, with the release of the latest vintage of Illumination. I tasted Illumination at a recent wine tasting event hosted by Quintessa representatives and thought the wine was truly magnificent.…
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Quintessa 2011 Quintessa, like all classic wines of the world, bears the same name as the vineyard from which it is made. In broad terms, Quintessa is a red meritage wine. Each year, it is a blend that can include some or all of the five varietals grown on the estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. The vineyard’s diversity provides a wide stylistic options for the winemaker. Fruit from each component block of Quintessa is harvested, and upon completion of fermentation, each block of wine is aged separately for up to two years in french oak barrels in their caves. After this aging period the…
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Flowers 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir As nursery owners in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Walt and Joan Flowers had long dreamed of combining their love of wine with their passion for agriculture. They knew they wanted to produce their favorite varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; what they didn’t know was that their path would eventually lead them across country to Northern California’s rugged Sonoma Coast. After responding to a small classified ad in a national wine publication, that’s exactly where they landed. In 1989, after many information-gathering trips to Napa and Sonoma, Walt and Joan purchased 321 acres, including a ridge top, high above the Pacific Ocean on the northern Sonoma…
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Viña Neyen De Apalta 2010 Espíritu de Apalta, Colchagua Valley The Neyen Winery was founded in 2002 on the site of one of Apalta’s first wineries, built in 1890. Nestled into a horseshoe-shaped ring of mountains, Neyen produces a treasured red wine reflective of the famed terroir enclosed by the Tinguiririca River, blessed by the sun, and protected by the Coastal Mountain Range. The Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon vines, from pre-phylloxera cuttings imported from Bordeaux, have produced high quality fruit since their first harvest in the early 1890s. For decades, the rich fruit supplied Chile’s top producers. By 2002, Apalta had become known around the world as a source of…
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Campillo 2001 Gran Reserva 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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Darioush 2011 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Nowhere is the connection between wine and culture more evident than in the history of Persia. Discoveries dating to 5,000 B.C. in the Zagros Mountains of Northern Iran show that winemaking emerged as permanent communities replaced nomadic life and a new age of wine culture began. Darioush Khaledi was instilled at an early age with the winemaking craft of his father, inspired by wine culture in the literary city of Shiraz – in modern day Iran – and the ancient city of Persepolis. He became a lifelong collector, seeking out old world wines infused with tradition and energized by modern technique. Aspiring to the ideals…
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Walt 2012 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir WALT Wines, owned by Vintners Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall, produces premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive vineyard sites, spanning nearly 1000 miles and including Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, and the Willamette Valley. Kathryn’s parents, Bob & Dolores Walt, were dedicated winegrowers who loved the land and each other. Her family produced six different varietals that was sold to several great wineries. For Kathryn’s parents, growing grapes was a shared family vision. In 2009, Hall partnered with Roger and Richard Roessler, brothers who sought the finest vineyard sources along the Pacific Coast to make a…
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Darioush 2008 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Nowhere is the connection between wine and culture more evident than in the history of Persia. Discoveries dating to 5,000 B.C. in the Zagros Mountains of Northern Iran show that winemaking emerged as permanent communities replaced nomadic life and a new age of wine culture began. Darioush Khaledi was instilled at an early age with the winemaking craft of his father, inspired by wine culture in the literary city of Shiraz – in modern day Iran – and the ancient city of Persepolis. He became a lifelong collector, seeking out old world wines infused with tradition and energized by modern technique. Aspiring to the ideals…