Qupé 2010 Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah A California resident, Bob Lindquist named his winery “qupé” to honor the Chumash, the indigenous people of the Golden State’s Central Coast and Channel Islands. Since many of the sounds of the Chumash language have been obscured by time, Bob gave “qupe” its pronunciation (“kyoo-pay”), with an accent on the final syllable. In Chumash, “qupé” refers to the poppy, a flowering plant traditionally used for food and medicine. Pictured on the winery’s label, a stylized poppy stands amid a swirl of stems studded with leaves and seed pods. The arresting image – originally intended as an embroidered motif for bed linens – was selected…
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Hall 2010 Napa Valley Merlot Kathryn Walt Hall is the proprietor of Hall Wines and has been involved in the California wine industry since her family first purchased a vineyard thirty years ago. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and most recently as the United States Ambassador to Austria. Kathryn Hall and her family have been grape growers in Mendocino County since 1972. The Walt family owns 63 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the Redwood Valley and has sold their grapes to such wineries as Fetzer, Parducci and Beringer. Kathryn managed the family vineyard from 1982 to…
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Ramey Syrah 2010 Sonoma Coast Ramey Wine Cellars crafts outstanding quality wines that are both delicate and magnificent and comes from some of the finest Sonoma vineyards. Ramey selects vineyards for their ability to continue producing the highest quality fruit. The soil, climate and terrain must be in alignment for the varietal to produce a premium quality product and gives the wine its individual appeal. David and his wife Carla founded Ramey Wine Cellars in 1996 after spending time at Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd. Ramey Wine Cellars is located in Healdsburg, in the heart of the California wine country. Ramey’s varietals are basically Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and…
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Shafer 2010 Relentless Napa Valley We went to visit my sister-in-law Cindy, who is recuperating from a bad fall that broke her shoulder. I wanted to make her dinner and bring a nice bottle of wine, so I reached for Shafer’s Relentless. Shafer is an outstanding Napa Valley winery that makes exceptional wines. Shafer’s beginnings trace back to 1972, when publishing industry veteran John Shafer move to Napa and set down roots by purchasing a 210 acre estate in the Stags Leap District, and replanted the vineyard, which dated back to the 1920’s. Shafer had their first crush in 1978, producing 1,000 cases, and a year later began construction on…