Robert Mondavi Oakville BDX 2012 Robert Mondavi established his namesake winery in 1966 with a vision to create Napa Valley wines that would stand in the company of the world’s finest. He chose To Kalon Vineyard in the heart of the Napa Valley as the home for Robert Mondavi Winery. This first-growth vineyard, located in Oakville, California, is renowned for producing some of the finest wines in the world. A special wine not produced every vintage, BDX presents a different expression of Oakville in a Bordeaux blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine sat on French oak (55% new) for 28 months. Aromas…
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Louis Latour Meursault 2013 The Louis Latour 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. The perfect south-easterly exposure and the stony, marl soil contribute greatly to the remarkable finesse of which the wines of Meursault are capable. Typical Meursault tend to be very full, mellow wines and mature somewhat…
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Hartford Court Land’s Edge Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2014 Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1994 as a result of Don and Jennifer Hartford’s appreciation for the wines, the people, and the unique vineyards near their Russian River Valley home. Located in the Sonoma County town of Forestville, the winery is about 15 miles from the cool Pacific Coast. From a vineyard a few miles away from the Pacific Ocean and aged, in French Oak, about 1/3 new, deep ruby with black fruit aromas and earthy floral spice notes. On the palate, raspberry, black cherry and blueberry flavors, rich and complex with integrated spice and oak. Smooth tannins with…
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Pacheca 20 Years Tawny Port Quinta da Pacheca, one of the best known estates in the Douro region, was also one of the first properties to bottle wine under its own label. It is first mentioned in a document dated April 1738, where is it referred as “Pacheca’s”, because it was property of D. Mariana Pacheco Pereira. Pacheca Porto Tawny 20 years old is a wine resulting from a blend of old cask aged ports matured at Quinta da Pacheca cool and tranquil cellar. With many years of ageing, the wine takes on its amber tawny color, with aromas of spice, nuts and oak. On the palate red fruit flavors,…
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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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Badia a Coltibuono 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva For around a century and a half the name and history of the Stucchi Prinetti family has been linked with Badia a Coltibuono. It was in fact in 1846 that one of the family’s forbearers, the Florentine banker Guido Giuntini, acquired the beautiful Romanesque structure and the surrounding farms. Thanks to his complete dedication the entire property began to flourish and survived the second world war virtually intact. After the war, Piero Stucchi Prinetti, the son of Maria Luisa Stucchi Giuntini, took charge of the property. It was thanks to his intelligence, energy and managerial skills that Coltibuono was transformed into a modern…
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Chateau Giscours 2012 Located in the heart of a beautiful 300-hectare estate, the 83-hectare Giscours vineyard is situated in the famous Margaux appellation. Though the estate was first mentioned in a document dating back to 1330, it was not until 1847 that Count de Pescatore laid the cornerstone of the remarkable chateau that now overlooks the vines. Giscours’ wines quality was confirmed by its inclusion as a third growth in the 1855 classification. The estate was purchased by Nicolas Tari after WW II. In 1995, the Chateau’s wine growing business was acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma. The investment he has made in less than a decade mirrors his passionate commitment…
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Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Surrounded by gnarled oak and Manzanita forests on the south and western slopes of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas mountain range, Hidden Ridge Vineyard is so remote it can be reached only by heavy-duty four-wheel-drive vehicles, by foot or by helicopter. The 55-acre vineyard was developed and planted by husband and wife team Casidy Ward and Lynn Hofacket to grow stellar mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by winemaking team Marco DiGiulio and Timothy Milos at Bin to Bottle in Napa, efforts in the vineyard and the cellar have produced a Cabernet Sauvignon that sings loudly, on slopes as steep as 55%. Bought this on a recommendation…
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Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2009 & Chateau Corton Grancey Domaine Latour 2009 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery, picture with yours truly below. These are the last two of the 10 wines tasted, they were all great! Check out the March 31, 2017, April 4, 2017, April 7, 2017 and April 11, 2017 posts for additional pictures. Many thanks Andy for sharing your wine and wine knowledge. After the ravages of the phylloxera epidemic at the…
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Louis Latour Corton Domain Latour 2008 & Corton “Clos de la Vigne au Saint” Domaine Latour 2010 I recently went to a private wine tasting where Louis Latour’s Northeast Regional Manager, Andy Fruzzetti, opened TEN wines, 5 red and 5 white, as well as providing some awesome in depth commentary on the wines and winery. I will review these wines over the next several posts with some history and observations! Check out the March 31, 2017, April 4, 2017 & April 7, 2017 posts for additional pictures. I reviewed 8 wines, 2 to go, stay tuned! Corton Domain Latour 2008 The grapes selected to produce this wine are located on…