Dominus Christian Moueix 2012 In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion. His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982, Moueix entered into…
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Amici Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 In the 1990’s, a group of friends with a passion for good wine and fun times together crushed a few tons of grapes in the Napa Valley for their personal cellars. The resulting wine was so well-received that they started producing wine the very next year to share with the public. They chose to name the wine, appropriately, Amici (“friends” in Italian). Amici’s owners: John Harris, Bob and Celia Shepard, and Bart Woytowicz; are all great friends with a passion for making and enjoying great wine. I recently met Robert Emery, Amici’s General Manager and tasted a few of his wines, a wonderful Chardonnay from…
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Kosta Browne Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2014 Located on the eastern slopes of the coastal range that shelters the fertile Salinas Valley from Big Sur, this appellation is relatively new with the first vineyards being developed only in the 1970’s. Surprisingly, these central coast slopes are generally cooler than the Russian River Valley, largely as a result of the ocean breezes and fog coming in from Monterey Bay. The vineyards are sheltered by the coastal peaks that limit rainfall. Pinot Noir excels on these hillsides. The five vineyards that help Kosta Browne make fine wines are farmed by two incredible grape growing families – Pisoni and Franscioni, where their…
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Fulcrum Brosseau Vineyard Chalone AVA Pinot Noir 2014 A Fulcrum is the point on which an object balances. This was the name winemaker David Rossi chose for his winery when he founded it in 2005 – years before the word balance became an essential element in any discussion about great New World Pinot Noir. For David, a Fulcrum represented the style of winemaking he spent years refining. It was also an ideal metaphor for his belief in leveraging the finest grapes to create balanced, complex and age-worthy Pinot Noirs. I recently went to a private tasting at one of my favorite wine shops, Stew Leonard’s Wines, in CT, where I…
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Rochioli Russian River Pinot Noir 2012 The legacy began in 1911 when Joe Rocchioli Sr. immigrated to America along with his parents, Michele and Menichina Rocchioli (they later dropped the second “c”). Originally from a small village just outside of Lucca, the Rocchioli’s were one of many Italian families that arrived in New York, made their way across the country, and settled in Northern California. Although Joe Sr. really considered himself a crop farmer, he planted popular “jug wine” blending grapes like French Colombard, Early Burgundy and Valdeguié (Napa Gamay). By the mid-1950s he raised enough money to purchase the Fenton Acres property, the same location where Rochioli Vineyards are…
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Fess Parker Sta. Rita Hills 2014 Parker West Chardonnay The final installment of my recent trip to CA to visit my first born child and celebrating her birthday. We wanted to taste some great wines that cannot readily be obtained back east, so we visited Fess Parker Vineyards. Family run winery established in 1989 by the late Fess Parker. Fess is best known for his portrayal of the frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone during the 1950’s and 1960’s and made him a legion among millions of adoring fans. Fess Parker was originally from Texas, attended the University of Texas and did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy…
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Ca’Del Grevino Pinot Noir 2012 Another installment of my recent trip to CA to visit my oldest child and celebrating her birthday. We wanted to taste some great wines that cannot readily be obtained back east, so we visited Ca’ Del Grevino Estate Vineyards. Owned by the Grewal Family, Ca’ Del Grevino is the signature wine brand of their estate representing regality, tradition and opulence. Nestled in California’s prestigious Central Coast is the lovely Santa Maria Valley. The unique micro-climate of the valley produces cool mornings and long warm afternoons. The best quality fruit produced and attention to detail produces award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, White Riesling and Syrah wines.…
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Babcock Radical Pinot Noir 2013 Another installment of my recent trip to CA to visit my daughter to celebrate her birthday. We wanted to taste some great wines that cannot readily be obtained back east, so we visited Babcock Winery in Santa Barbara. Babcock Winery and Vineyards was established in 1978 when Mona and Walter Babcock purchased a 110 acre property on Highway 246 between Lompoc and Buellton in the western Santa Ynez Valley. At the time, the Babcocks were in the restaurant business, as they are to this day, being the proprietors of the legendary Walt’s Wharf in Seal Beach California. At the time of establishing the vineyard, he…
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The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir 2013 I recently took a trip to CA to visit my daughter to celebrate her birthday and wanted to taste some great wines I cannot readily get back east. We also visited Jonata Winery in Santa Barbara, sister winery to The Hilt. The Hilt makes pinot noir and chardonnay from California’s well–known coastal winegrowing regions of Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVA’s. Their wine growing philosophy employs practices that enable grapes to show full transparency of site, which is key to The Hilt’s philosophy. Within this framework, The Hilt ferments two distinct styles of wine; The Old Guard and The…
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Clendenen Family Vineyards Aligoté 2014 I recently took a trip to CA to visit my daughter to celebrate her birthday and wanted to taste some great wines I cannot readily get back east. We visited Au Bon Climat, and I was introduced to some of Jim Clendenen’s, (the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat since 1982), projects of passion that allow him to make artisan, small lots of distinctive wines from a wider spectrum of grape varietals under different brands, for example his Aligoté. There are few legacy wineries in America. A legacy winery is a winery where the owner is committed to the future, thinking long term, taking actions and…