Hacienda Monasterio Ribera del Duero 2012 Hacienda Monasterio is owned by Carlos del Rio whose family has been in the sherry business for decades. Being fortunate enough to own some prime, south-facing parcels on the right side of the river, Carlos hired Peter Sisseck, the owner/winemaker of the famed Ribera estate Pingus to take over the winemaking in 1995. Peter has helped to turn this old estate into a Ribera powerhouse with wines that can age for years. A blend of 80% Tinto Fino, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot and aged for 17 months in French oak (30% new). Deep vivid red with berry fruits and light whiffs of…
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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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Taittinger Brut Champagne NV When Pierre Taittinger first discovered the Champagne region, he was a young liaison officer during the first World War. It was thanks to his passion for wine and gastronomy that he returned several years later and, with his brother-in-law, invested all his energy into the development of a burgeoning champagne business. Since 1932 Champagne Taittinger has grown and taken its place among the great Champagne houses, commanding a bold innovative style particularly influenced by Chardonnay. Having bought back the family business in 2006, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger has surrounded himself with a team that is both young and bound together by a spirit of attainment and permanence. His…
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Pieropan La Rocca Soave Classico 2013 The Pieropan business was founded in 1880 in the heart of the medieval village of Soave, in the historic Palazzo Pullici. Four generations marked the history of the company, each with their own contributions which varied according to the times, knowledge and entrepreneurial attitude. The wine business started with Leonildo, physician of Soave, who was driven by knowledge in biology and chemistry and began working in the family vineyards and whose work in the cellars was carried on by his sons, Fausto and Gustavo who worked with infinite passion. Pieropan has shown the world just how great Garganega can be. Third generation Leonildo (Nino)…
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Chevalier Marlène & Nicolas Crozes-Hermitage 2014 Crozes-Hermitage wraps around the base of the great hill of Hermitage, capturing a snippet of its famed neighbor, more approachable earlier in age. Hermitage named in the 13th century, when an injured knight returned from the Crusades and the Queen gave him permission to build a small home, or “hermitage,” for his recovery at the top of this hill. Today, the most revered and costly wines of the Northern Rhône hail from this hallowed ground. This small production 2014 Crozes-Hermitage is crafted by an under-the-radar producer destined to become a household name. While examples from Hermitage can easily soar past $100 a bottle, Nicolas…
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Villa di Capezzana Carmignano 2008 At Carmignano the vines have been cultivated in pre-Roman era, about 3000 years ago, as the Wine jars and tasting cups found in Etruscan tombs demonstrate. In the archives of state of Florence a parchment was found, dated 804; it is a lease showing that as early as 1200 years ago, in Capezzana, vines and olives were cultivated for the production of oil and wine. In the early Renaissance, around 1475, Monna Nera Bonaccorsi built the first ‘Nobleman’s house’ and nine farm houses with the wine-making buildings. Other generations and families followed on the estate property; The Biscotti, related to Medici & The Marchesi Bourbon…
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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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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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Robert Stemmler Carneros Pinot Noir 2013 After making wine in his native Germany, Robert arrived in Napa Valley in 1961, working with the Mondavi brothers at Charles Krug Winery, then becoming winemaker at Sonoma County’s historic Simi Winery. In 1976, he opened his eponymous winery, and in 1982 released his first Pinot Noir to critical acclaim. Meanwhile, in 1981, Anne Moller-Racke arrived from Germany to work at the family’s Buena Vista Winery. They soon became friends. After promoting Pinot Noir nationwide, Robert retired in 1989, and the Racke family purchased his label. When Anne launched an “ultimate Pinot Noir project” at The Donum Estate in 2001, Stemmler wines became Donum’s…
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ZD Pinot Noir Carneros 2013 In 1969, aerospace engineers Norman DeLeuze and Gino Zepponi, along with their families, turned their entrepreneurial enthusiasm toward winemaking. These were the early days of California’s wine industry, and they were among Napa Valley’s adventurous winemaking pioneers. Their founding concept was to produce world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reminiscent of France’s renowned Burgundy wines. They achieved this endeavor by sourcing from the cool Carneros regions of Napa and Sonoma. The ZD Wines brand highlights the initials of the founding partners’ last names, but it also symbolizes the term Zero Defects, an acronym for the quality control program Norman and Gino worked under while designing rockets…