Shafer 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Shafer’s signature wine, Hillside Select, is sourced from the slopes of an amphitheater-like structure of thin soil and rock, where a series of knolls and outcroppings some vineyard blocks receive southeastern sunlight, while others receive southern or western exposures. Each afternoon cool breezes from San Francisco Bay (located about 18 miles to the south) channel into the box canyon. The consistent see-saw of daytime heat and evening chill retains acidity within deeply ripened fruit, resulting in a wine of exquisite balance. On this remote site, Cabernet Sauvignon vines prod their roots through thin volcanic soil before meeting weathered bedrock below. With the hillside’s quick…
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Marchesi De’ Frescobaldi 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Castelgiocondo The history of the Frescobaldi family begins around the year 1000, during the same time period as the birth of the banking industry of Medieval Florence. The Frescobaldi’s quickly became the absolute protagonists of political and economic life earning them the right to the title “Treasurers to the English Crown”. The family’s start in wine production is documented at the beginning of the year 1300 at the historic estate of Tenuta di Castiglioni in Val di Pesa, southwest of Florence. From the beginning, the family has demanded that their wines be of quality and that they reflect the uniqueness of their…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 2001 Gran Reserva 904 On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. La Rioja Alta, S.A. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA” in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”, was registered. To give you a little…
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Pio Cesare 2009 Barolo The Pio Cesare Winery was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio. He was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte. Cesare Pio in the second half of the 1800s, was among the very first winemakers to produce these wines with a philosophy that was dedicated to the terroir and the strictest quality of the wine. For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has been producing traditional Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba. The cellars walls date back…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 1994 Viña Arana Reserva On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA” in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, registered the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”. To give you a little taste of the town of…
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Ruffino 2008 Gold Label Riserva Ducale Oro I recently discussed and reviewed Ruffino 2010 Tan Label Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico, (see June 20, 2014 review). Briefly I mentioned that Ruffino has a long history and enjoys more than a century of fine winemaking in Tuscany. In 1870, two men (cousins) with a common dream founded Ruffino. Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino laid the foundation for what was to become one of the most known and loved Italian wineries in the world. One of the first and most prominent admirers of Ruffino wines was without doubt the Duke of Aosta, who at the end of the nineteenth century appointed Ruffino supplier to…
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Les Closiers Caves des Papes 1998 Chateauneuf de-Pape Chateauneuf-du-Pape is an historic town in France’s southern Rhone Valley, famous for its full-bodied, spicy red wines (although it does also produce a small quantity of weighty, flavorful white). The name Chateauneuf-du-Pape means ‘new castle of the Pope’ and refers to the fact that nearby Avignon was chosen as the new home for the Pope’s court in the early 14th century. The pope in question (Clement V) also gave his name to the ancient and equally prestigious Chateau Pape Clement in Bordeaux’s Graves district. Ogier et Fils was founded by Christophe Ogier as a negociant firm in 1859. In 1948 Ogier became…
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Flora Springs 2010 Trilogy Napa Today I am going to discuss Flora Springs 2010 Trilogy, which is their Signature red wine. Over 30 years have passed since Jerry and Flora Komes first stepped foot on to the historic Flora Springs estate in search of a place to “kick off their boots.” It’s hard to imagine now, but the majestic stone cellar of Flora Springs was once an abandoned “ghost” winery. It was Flora who saw the magic hidden behind decades of neglect, over-grown ivy, and shifting rock walls. The property’s winemaking roots date back to the 19th century, but it’s been the work of Jerry and Flora’s children, John Komes and…
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Renieri – Brunello di Montalcino 2006 Riserva I met the wine maker Marco Bacci, of Bacci Wineries, at a private wine dinner in the home of a large New England wine merchant. We tasted several of Marco’s wines that night. His vineyard is high in altitude with iron rich soil, located in the southern part of Montalcino. Most of his wines are reasonably priced as he told me “his focus is to produce the best possible fruit”. The Riserva I opened recently was one of Marco’s pricier offerings, but well worth it. 100% Sangiovese, the principal grape, was aged in French Oak for 24 months which gives the wine both…
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Niebaum Coppola 2001 Rubicon Various holidays always seem to creep up and recently my brother-in-law Steve came over for dinner and brought a wonderful bottle of wine from his cellar, a Niebaum Coppola 2001 Rubicon. Rubicon is the image of what was once the historic Inglenook property located in the heart of the western Rutherford Bench in Napa Valley’s prime Cabernet Sauvignon appellation. In 1975, Francis and Eleanor Coppola purchased a majority of the Inglenook Estate and introduced the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery with the plan to revitalize its Cabernet heritage. In 1978 Coppola’s plan became a reality and launched the first Rubicon vintage that became the Winery’s flagship wine. Much…