Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2011 Pinot Noir Hamilton Russell Vineyards is one of the most southerly wine estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea and is located in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. The estate specializes in producing highly individual, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Founder, Tim Hamilton Russell purchased the undeveloped 170 hectare property in 1975. His son, Anthony, purchasing property in 1994, focused their efforts on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay only and registered Hamilton Russell Vineyards as an estate, committing to work only with grapes from their terroir. Extensive soil research initiated in 1994 identified…
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David Bruce 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir The David Bruce Winery was founded in the remote Santa Cruz Mountains in the early 1960’s and was one of the first of a new generation of wineries that would lead a modern resurgence of premium winemaking in the region. A young dermatologist, David Bruce, discovered wine while a medical student. After completing his medical residency, David Bruce purchased 40 acres of land above the fog-line in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He cleared the land (by himself) and planted the vineyard (also by himself). During the 1960’s there were only a few working wineries in the region. In the first 25 years of…
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2010 Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Pinot Noir I first became acquainted with Sonoma-Cutrer during a Sonoma wine tasting event in the 80’s and met Brice Cutrer Jones. When I tasted his Chardonnay, in a word, outstanding, one of the best I have tasted, but that was a while ago. In a few weeks I will review Sonoma-Cutrer’s current Chardonnay offerings, however today I will focus on their Pinot Noir, which by the way came sometime afterwards. Brice Cutrer Jones focus was only Chardonnay when he started the vineyard in 1973 and released his first vintage in 1981. In 1999, Brown-Forman, the Kentucky-based drinks giant whose holdings include Korbel California Champagnes (and I use…
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Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut Earlier this week I talked about Cava, now it’s all about Champagne! Not just Valentine’s Day, but any day is a good day for Champagne, however splitting a bottle of bubbly with your sweetheart is not a bad way to spend Feb 14. Moët Champagne is legendary as they have been in existence for over a quarter of a millennium. Founded by Claude Moët in 1743, his effervescent wine soon became the icon of elegance and success throughout the world, and has not changed much since. The House style of Moët is distinctive, showing an elegant maturity resulting from the labor intensive process it takes to…
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Last night I tried Gary’s Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir from Loring Wine Company. Loring is a boutique winery located in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands. I met Brian Loring last year at a private tasting and literally walked past his pricey screw top bottle until I engaged in a conversation with him. We discussed his Stelvin Closure system and how it benefits his wine and it’s longevity. After my tasting, I was extremely impressed and bought a half a case of wine last year. I just opened a bottle and let it decant for 45 minutes before drinking. Wow the fruit really popped, wild cherry and sweet subtle spice. Chewy not thin with…